Am I ready?

[stacey212528]

Hi :)

I have made a list of everything I think I need. To start me off. Is there anything I've forgotten? (sure there will be, blame baby brain! lol) First pregnancy and convinced I've forgotten something REALLY important. Though that might be first time nerves. Also what should I have in my hospital bag?

Nappies, Sleep suits, Scratch Mitts, Changing mat/station, Cot and Moses basket, Pram and Car seat, Bottles and teats, Bibs, baby wipes, Talcum powder, Changing bag, Steriliser, a few outfits, bootees, blankets, baby bath, hooded towel, towels, hats, vests, sleep bag, swaddle blanket, muslins, soft hair brush, monitors, nails scissors, formula, calpol, gripe water etc, dummies.

I'm probably missing a whole heap of stuff. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Bottle brush, milton spray to clean baby things, napisan to get poo out of babygrows, bum cream (bepanthen is great) lactulose for you (stool softener for the first post birth poo) maternity towels, at least 5 packs, have you got a baby bouncy chair? Nice to have somewhere to plonk them.

Knew there was going to be plenty! Haven't got a bouncy chair, never even crossed my mind. Neither did the lactulose, so thank you! :)

Sounds good. A couple of things though - you shouldn't use talcum powder on a baby any more, also calpol and gripe water aren't suitable for newborns. If your baby gets colicky, you need infacol or something else I can't remember the name of.
Also: cotton wool. You're supposed to use cotton wool and water rather than wipes for the first few weeks due to sensitive baby skin (although some people use wipes straight away, my hospital wouldn't be pleased).
Baby sponge? Baby bath? Top and toe wash?

What about for you? Are you planning on bottle feeding from the start? You should still get some breast pads for potential leaking.

I wouldny bother with calpol or other medicine just yet need to be 8 weeks old before it can be taken. Also I have never used talc.

Try and find sleepsuits with fold over bits on the sleeves rather than scratchmits as the mits always come off they are pointless really. Mothercare, next and sainsburys do ones with built in mits as do a few other places.

Also you may want a few moses basket sheets prob 4 in case of sick/wet nappies at night. Pillowcases do fit quite well as an alternative.

Sod the cotton wool and water - it's a faff and I couldn't get meconium off with it.

Wipes are generally kinder to skin now than when first invented, and it's not up to the MWs to frown upon you or disapprove of you using them. When DS was born in April, no-one on my ward used cotton wool and water!

Good tip if you have a prone to puking baby is to fold a muslin and put it under their head in the Moses basket (wrap it around the mattress). Then when they're sick you just replace the muslin instead of the whole sheet. Much cheaper to buy loads of!

And remember, if you have forgotten anything, the shops will be open once you've had your baby. You don't need to prepare for every eventuality now. You can buy stuff if you need it, you don't have to get it 'just in case'!

Thanks for everything mentioned. I have a baby bath etc. I'm planning on bottle feeding and will look at the sleep suits with mittens. Still got 6 months to go but I like to be prepared, well as prepared as you can be for your life turning upside down (:

I was going to say lots of packets of biscuits but I see you still have 6 months (six months!!!) to go. Still, can't go wrong with biscuits in this weather.

Very true! Though we've been lucky with the snow. Not had much. Yeah 6 months but this is just the list I havent bought it all yet lol.

I made this list after giving birth in September.

Hospital bag (after labour)

Nightgowns (front opening)
Nursing bras
Tena Lady pants
Maternity pads
Breast pads - normal & hydrogel
Breast shells
Compresses (MAM & Lansinoh)
Codeine
Paracetamol
Ibruprofen
Aloe Vera Durex Lube
Lansinoh cream
Lansinoh latch assist
Moist toilet tissue
Sanitary bags
Anusol HC
Flip flops
Toilet bag
Phone & charger
Ecover hand wash & hand cream
Pillows
Lactulose

Hospital bag (labour)
Cold compress
Swim suit top
Camera
Misting spray
Food
Birth ball
iPod & docking station
Straws

Hospital bag (baby)
Babygrows
Vests
Nappies
Bepanthan
Shawl & blanket
Muslins
Hat & Cardigan

All the best.

lol i have 8ish weeks to go and I haven't even written a list :) certainly didn't have a list at 16 weeks, but glad to see another list post so I can get some ideas.

Good to be prepared but you have A LOT of weeks to get through, give yourself something to do later on and spend some time now working out where the best prices are and use the time to get things as cheaply as possible. Amazon Family is excellent, Money Saving Expert has great threads for baby stuff and offers. Kiddicare is very reasonable, so go and have a look if you can get to one.

Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy, spend time doing things like going out on a whim, going for a walk without worrying about anything and going on dates, that is what we are trying to do! I am also trying to have as many weekend lie-ins as possible as I fear all these things may be going to disappear!

xx

Playmat?, mattress covers, room, bath and baby thermometers, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in working order, baby carrier, child view mirror for the car, bottle warmer, steriliser, shampoo, baby lotion etc.

I agree about the muslins I had them everywhere!

I know, I keep telling myself to slow down or there will be nothing left for me to do! Lol. Good shout on the smoke alarms etc. And the hospital bag so thank you for all the advice. Definitely helpful when you don't know where to start.

I picked up a Mothercare and babies r us catalogue and went through it ticking things off as I went! Good luck, plenty of time to get everything, although the shopping is so much fun!