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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

please learn from my mistakes

170 replies

gymboywalton · 15/02/2013 11:31

i have been reading another thread about special outfits for newborn babies and i thoughtit it might be fun to have athread where people can share mistakes we made when ours were new.

my number one mistakes was buying clothes/babygrows that fastened up the back. wtf was i thinking? impossible to get the baby into and they end up lying on the poppers and being uncomfy.

2nd mistake was buying babygrows made out of velour-they felt all lovely on the outside but insdie are scratchy and sweaty and horrible.l
the day i found out i was pregnant i went out and bought an outfit that was both velour AND had poppers up the back.
it was worn once!!!!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

ElliesWellies · 15/02/2013 12:28

I put DS' first nappy on backwards. The tabs should be laid behind the baby and then pulled around and fastened in front, people! Haha.

Also, indoor outfits with hoods are no good for newborns, as the hood bunches up behind their neck when they are lying down, unless you keep the hood round their head, which you don't want to do indoors in case they overheat.

Meglet · 15/02/2013 12:33

Baby clothes with fancy collars. They just suck them.

purrpurr · 15/02/2013 12:36

The tabs should be laid behind the baby and then pulled around and fastened in front Ellies you're a blinking legend, last time I had to change a nappy it was for my SIL's PFB (my SIL absolutely loathes me, but her kid's ace) who had asked me to change her bum. Now when I was younger I was a carer dealing with young kids with learning disabilities, so I'm fairly adept at changing nappies on wriggling things. So off we toddled to a discrete location where it suddenly dawned on me that about 5 years had passed since I'd changed a nappy and I had NO idea. I put it on backwards. From my SIL's reaction you would have thought I'd boiled her kid in acid.

At least I'll be able to put the nappy on my kid the right way round :) thank you!

noblegiraffe · 15/02/2013 12:43

Over the head babygros. If they don't have buttons all the way down the front, they're not getting worn.

People bang on about big knickers after a c-section. They should also mention nice soft trousers that don't have a tight waistbands at scar level. I couldn't wear jeans for months, and had to spend the first couple of weeks wearing the same two pairs of trousers.

Fleece blankets look cute, but it is recommended that the baby sleeps under cellular blankets as fleece might make the baby overheat. So many unusued blankets!

rainand · 15/02/2013 13:18

Great thread!

Please continue sharing ... :)

Bluemonkeyspots · 15/02/2013 13:24

There is nothing wrong with having your first pee (post back to back first birth of baby elephant) sitting in the bath.

You may think it's yuck or gross but after you have attempted it the normal way of just sitting on the toilet you will quickly change your mind.

Chopsypie · 15/02/2013 13:28

Buying shoes. My first had lots of pairs of shoes, to match various outfits that i'd bought (all whilst pregnant). I think he generally wore them once. Then they fell off, were pulled off or I took them off to change his nappy.
Massive waste of money.
My second has just got her first pair at 14 months, having been walking already for 6 weeks.

Bed mats for post birth, or at least old sheets. Even with breast pads/sleepbra and pants/maternity towel I still used to wake up a soggy mess.

roofio87 · 15/02/2013 13:40

loving this thread ladies!! thank you!! I'm 25 and expecting my first. although I consider myself pretty good with babies and kids (i am super auntie afterall) there are so many things I would never have thought of!! I spent 10 minutes the other day trying to button up my nephews baby grow and eventually gave up and had to get his mum to do it!!

NAR4 · 15/02/2013 13:41

Cat nets for the pram or moses basket are a complete waste of money. If the cat does (unlikely though) decide to climb in the weight of them is too much for the net and they still have their full weight on the baby anyway.

If it doesn't popper up between the legs don't buy it. Even buttons instead are a nightmare especially when they get a bit bigger and start wriggling. Had a couple of lovely outfits for my first child, which I loved, until I realised I would have to completely strip him to change his nappy.

Only get a couple of really cheap breastfeeding bras to last the first few weeks. Your boobs will still change size and get bigger and then probably a bit smaller again, to start with. Be patient and wait before spending good money on really decent ones.

FairyJen · 15/02/2013 13:42

Never assume half a pack of nappies will last more than an hour. Still make that mistake now!

Oreocrumbs · 15/02/2013 13:45

Put a thin smear of vaseline on baby's bum when they are born before the first poo.

Trying to clean the meconium poo off with cotton wool and water is hard. Vaseline stops ift from sticking.

Of course no one told me that untill I was home with DD and we had already had the fluffy cotton wool stuck on bum situation!!

JollyRedGiant · 15/02/2013 13:46

Vests have envelope necks so you can pull them down in order to avoid the child getting poo/sick in their hair.

Do not ever be scared to phone the doctor. The NHS is there to deal with illness, so if you are concerned about your baby's health then call them! You will not be written off as a PFB mother.

purrpurr · 15/02/2013 13:49

Jolly, seriously, would not have thought about putting a vest down, rather than up and over the head. Legend. Thank you

MiaowTheCat · 15/02/2013 13:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Whirliwig72 · 15/02/2013 13:56

Buy lots of cheap flannels when weaning on to food (Asda or pound land) not only do babies seem to prefer them to wipes when giving their faces a good clean they will save you ££'s. you can get through a 1/4 pack of wipes very easily when trying to clean off a very messy baby with food everywhere ESP when doing baby led weaning!

BalloonSlayer · 15/02/2013 13:57

With first DC I obeyed hospital orders to only clean baby's bottom using boiled cooled water and cotton wool. I carried with this ridiculous palaver until probably the third time the baby kicked the water bowl over at 3 am, drenching himself.

With subsequent babies I took in baby wipes and prepared to just give the midwives the face if they told me off. But they didn't. It was a different hospital though

Whirliwig72 · 15/02/2013 14:01

Oh I've thought if another one - if you are breastfeeding and your baby gets an attack of sneezing remove your boob from his mouth sharpish if you value your nipples!!

Wingdingdong · 15/02/2013 14:01

Don't get dungarees for a potty-training toddler. Obvious, you'd think, but even if they have poppers between the legs you can guarantee one of the trouser legs will get peed on.

WillYouDoTheFandango · 15/02/2013 14:03

Take a ridiculous number of pairs of knickers/maternity pads to hospital. Due to gushy waters I used a full 5 pack of knickers before I'd even had him. I also went through 5 x 10 packs of maternity pads overall before I could switch to anything else. Normal sanitary towels brought me out in a rash, which they never had before, so worth bearing in mind as you will be wearing them constantly for a good few weeks (6 1/2 in my case).

Get your DP onside to invent a reason why the 14th visitor of the day should perhaps give it a few more days. Childless friends of mine turned up en masse, as they thought it would be easier for me to get it out of the way all in one go! It was completely overwhelming and I wish I'd told them to bugger off.

Everyone will have an opinion on everything you are doing. The most important thing to learn is to smile, nod and carry on doing it your way.

NAR4 · 15/02/2013 14:07

Jolly I am pregnant with my 5th and am ashamed to say I had never realised that you could take the vests off the other way to avoid poo and sick in babys hair. Thankyou.

Whirliwig your post had me in fits of laughter, it is so true.

Leg warmers are a great alternative to tights for little girls, when potty training. No need to remove them at all, so quicker and they soak up wee running down legs much better than tights do.

This is a great thread OP.

NotSoNervous · 15/02/2013 14:11

Sleep suits don't buy if they don't have poppers down at least one leg. I brought 2 that stopped at the belly button and was a nightmare doing a 4am feed and change

Weissdorn · 15/02/2013 14:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Whirliwig72 · 15/02/2013 14:19

One more - sorry!! Even if your partner is the most understanding, sweetest, thoughtful person to walk the planet, there will be days in the first few weeks when you would happily push them under a bus so irksome they seem! I don't know why this is: maybe something to do with a tight bond forming between mother and baby pushing everyone else into the periphery but if it happens to you don't worry that you'll be heading for the divorce courts before your baby turns one ... It happens to everyone!

Inertia · 15/02/2013 14:19

Don't put babies in babygrows to sleep in- trying to do poppers in the dark at middle-of-the-night-o-clock is no fun. Pjyamas are much easier.

spiderbabymum · 15/02/2013 14:23

When out first born was about 6 weeks decided to give washable nappies a go .
collected a trial pack with various samples in from local council .

Put him in Moses basket for the night with nice soft organic washable cloth nappy . In the morning mattress was soaked thru .......didn't realise I needed to add the waterproof wrap over the nappy . whoops !

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