First baby due in November and we are clueless

[DebbsyandBibby]

we need to know if possible everything we need to get,so far we have the nursery sorted having The Treacle and Bubble range (lollipop lane)and we have 2 snow suits a few baby grows,bibs,and i think they are called romper suits no legs and no sleeves.We really do need lots of help and recommendations wouldnt go amiss.Thank you in advance

very useful:

• a sling or baby carrier
• grobags/sleeping bags (safer than blankets)
• You could do with some hats and warm socks.
• muslin cloths (bibs only come into their own later, when starting solids)

unnecessary:

• baby bath (baby can go in big bath with one of you - our baby bath is now our washing basket)
• steriliser (if planning to bottle feed) - pan of hot water on the hob does the job just as well

We had a moses basket and were pleased with it and used it for quite a long time too, but I know some MNers felt it a lot of expense for quite a short useful life. try and get second-hand if you want one.

you do know the shops will still be open in November don't you?

you need way less stuff than you might think -

• a pram or pushchair suitable from birth or even just a sling to carry the baby round in

• a car seat

• half a dozen vests/bodysuits (think this is what you're calling romper suits?) and babygros. Snowsuits are good in winter, as are cardigans, a hat or two, a footmuff for the pushchair/blankets for a pram.

• a moses basket and sheets and blankets to go in it.

• a changing mat, nappies, nappy cream, cotton wool and a basket or something to keep them in

• maybe a baby bath, although I wouldn't bother doing much bathing next time tbh. A topping and tailing bowl or normal plastic bowl. Towels, maybe hooded.

• prob some kind of baby gym/playmat after a couple of months

omg, I forgot muslins . They are so useful.

Agree re moses basket - ds outgrew his within a few weeks, but obv it depends on the size of the baby.

thank you
lol yes i know shops will be open i just want to get organised as im getting a little stressed just thinking about it.

oh yes, baby wipes aren't really an essential - plain water is better for their skins. Ikea do cheap packs of 10 flannels which we use for ds' nappy area and wash at 60 degrees.

if your friends and family are anything like most of ours, you may find you won't be able to move for 'outfits' and cuddly toys after the birth, so don't buy any of them - stick to basics as suggested below.

Remember you will need a carseat very soon after the birth if planning to take the baby home from hospital by car so this is one thing worth researching and buying while you've got lots of time (ie now), and may also influence your pushchair choice if you're going to want to click the carseat onto a pushchair / pram.

TBH apart from the car seat a 24h Tesco will have everything you need imemdiately (ie nappies, vests and babygrows) so you can always send DH on a mission after the birth!

bump

Don't get any of the baby 'toiletries'. Baby skin and hair need nothing except water, unless the child has particularly dry skin. Newborns often get flakey dry patches, for which olive or almond oil is good. (Don't get alarmed if your baby doesn't have that peaches-and-cream TV-baby look for a while, it can take a month or so for the baby's skin to get used to being in the dry world outside mum's tum.)

Cotton wool/washable wipes for nappy changes.
Two changing mats if you live in a house - one upstairs, one downstairs.

Hooded towel is very useful (the softest ones we have had were from Mothercare).

Well, We had heaps of stuff for our DD but used not much of it!

We had

• gro bags, sort of a baby sleeping bag in 2.5 tog for Nov, as it's chilly at night,
• we had the baby bjorn sling- it's queit pricey but good and you can easily put your bubba in on your own,
• I would get sleepsuits with feet in (as it'll be cold),
• we had a moses basket and quiet an expensive one but we used it for 7 months!!! She did touch the sides but liked being v.snug and toastie,
• a car seat which fits your car properly,
• We had the avent microwave steriliser which I found fab and the bottles too,
• And remember it'll be winter so it will be cold, the clothes in the shops now are for summer so i'd save buying clothes til the seasons change as you'll want long sleeves and long legs on things...

I wouldn't particularly get a baby bath, wipes - as your midwife will tell you to use cotton wool and warm water, no baby bath etc... it's all a ploy intially. The only thing we had was detinox for DD's cradle cap but don't worry about 'outfits' maybe buy one you really like for them to come home in but you will get so much stuff and they outgrow it sooooo quickly. I would borrow what you can really because babies are so expensive and get more and more expensive the older they get!!!

Hi DebbsyandBibby, Congratultions! I was clueless too, not so very long ago. Baby will very quickly teach you everything you need to know so don´t worry..

You will probably get so many clothes presents I´d hold off buying anything more than a few body suits. Agree with others that a sling is very useful as well as a pram and grobags are brilliant for ease of getting baby in and out of bed.

Good luck!

Moses basket/sheets/blanket
3 first size babygros
2 small cardigans
1 snowsuit
muslins
cloth nappies and wraps
Pram/pushchair or sling for out and about
Car seat.

Can't think that you would need anything else. Once baby gets a bit older you will know what else you need but will be able to go out and get it. Better imo to buy little at first, see what presents baby gets and then work on from there.

scratch mits
cotton hat
6 vests
6 sleepsuits
cardigans
coat or snowsuit
cotton celular blankets(not the fleecy type ones)
plenty of bottom sheets for whatever bed you are using, newborns are often sick a lot.
car seat
some sort of pram or sling for traveling,
nipple cream, breast pads and loads of maternity pads for you, (say 4 or 5 packs)
if planning to bottle feed, a lindam night and day feeding system is a brilliant idea but not necessary,hope this helps!

oh, and if you get some Lansinoh you'll be ahead of the game if it comes to cracked nipples.

Dummies - just in case!

Small cellular blankets - some babies like to be swaddled

Natural sponge for bathing baby

hi - I posted on your other thread but I think it would be a really good idea to check out your local NCT as they hold nearly new sales where parents sell off the stuff they no longer need. they are really good places to get things both from a money-saving and recycling point of view

you've plenty of time if babe isn't due till November

and agree with previous poster that you need far less than you think

hiya hon just answered your other thread as well, not sure if the girls have mentioned yet but definatly get yourself a V pillow or nursing if u prefer - my V one was only a fiver form argos, and it's excellent I hate feeding without it and tbh i'd have stopped if I didn't have it a long time ago. deffo witht eh lantsinosh cream - I used to go thru 3 tubes of the stuff as month - but used it loads thou! lol.

clothes wise - i'm gonna go against the grain - only for the simple reason if u cna't manage the washing traight off u'll need loads of sleepsuits/vests - I had about 20 of each in NB and 0-3 which was loads so prob about 10 of each i'd say - the more the better for those incase u don't manage the washing as I say.

we didn't have a baby bath either - an additional expense if u ask me althoumy mate's got one and thinks it's fab, Joey was in a washing up bowl (no expenses spared here it was brand new from wilko's lol) for the first 9 weeks then he went into the big bath on his own. u prob will need a bath thermometer thou to be safe, and a couple of towels, we have the hooded ones, but a hand towel works just as well now he's a bit older.

Breast pump I couldn't get on with a manual one so I got an electric one after he was born (I didn't want to waste good money if it turned out I couldn't feed so waited ont hat front)

get loads of blankets - I love the fleecy ones Joey's got about 5/6 of those in various sizes, and also a cellular one and 3/4 thin summer ones.

we had a crib as well as a cot bed so didn't need a moses basket.

main thing is a few clothes somewhere to sleep and something to puch him/her about it. as long as u have those few things the rest can flal into place after once your ready. althou if u find outt he sex, any money says you'll buy an outfit in that colour! lol.

I didn't worry/haven't worried with bibs at all, got em but never used em, got muslins as well but don't really use those yet.

also nappies- are you using reusables or disposables, you'll obviously need those, I think I started off ith 200 in size 1 and 2 to be on the safe side of having eough. b4 going over to reusables (althou didn't do the later in the end )

as the others have said don't worry with toiletries althou we've got one bottle of baby oil and one bottle of tyhe bubble bath thing still going strong bearly used (got both after Joey was born)

moniters if u want them.

but I really wouldn't worry too much yet. it's far more fun to buy things for a baby you already have. I honestly had only a few vests, some newborn cloth nappies, 2 babygros and a moses basket when dd1 was born and I was quite okay

I bought stuff as I needed it

Can I give a bit of advice not completely related to what you are asking? If your baby is due in November, can I recommend you do your Christmas shopping as early as possible, ie before the baby is born and before you get too big to drag yourself around the shops (never underestimate how tiring that will be in late pregnancy). If you don't already shop on the internet, investigate what is available there (pretty well everything) as that is a very good way to get what you want without having to lave the comfort of your home. Alternatively, plan to give close family the same thing, eg a framed photo of the baby, and get that organised as soon as you can. You really won't have the energy or the time or the desire to fight your way around the shops either pregnant or with a new baby. Just a thought for you as you sound like an organised sort of person!

Another bit of sort of related advice - in the couple of months before the baby is born, make extra-large portions of your meals and freeze them in portions big enough to just defrost for you and your partner once the baby is born. I promise you, you won't feel like cooking the first few weeks, and good nutritious food in the freezer that you know you can defrost and heat is a godsend.

When DS was born, we took new born and 0-3 sized clothes to hospital, so that we could use whichever was needed depending on his size. If you have a big baby, you might go straight to the larger size, then you can take all the tiny weeny ones back.

so long as you've got somewhere for the baby to sleep and some clothes for him/her to be warm in, you'll be fine!

Also worth looking on ebay, especially for clothes but also sterilisers, cots etc

thanks everyone for advice well ive been shopping with my friend today and she has 2 girls, we got a glo egg thermometer, a rayman sponge for babys face a natural sponge for the other bits a foam thing to go in the bath to support baby,and yes we even went looking at prams seen one i like will take dh on tues to see if he likes it too tried car seat in the car and everything,so very organised today also know what steriliser to get avent (steam )and also breast pump (will buy that afterwards)
Oh and brought myself some lovely maternity jeans from m and p (well it is my birthday on tues).Dumbledore yes i am very organised arent i thanks for that will do shopping in September so its done with.

oh and just seen a lovely rocker and swing from fisher price called flutterbye awww dead cute.

You sound so organised already!
There feels like there is so much to plan I know!Ds was born in January 05.

Things I found useful were microwave sterilser (although not essential), hooded baby towels, babywipes, vests with long sleeves, babygrows with feet, bouncy chair, playmat, muslin cloths, video baby monitor, v shape pillow, night-time towels for you!

Things I would never buy again - top and tail bowl- pointless imo!, baby bath(easier to put them in with you!), highchair (much better with booster seat to feed or in the bouncy chair!)

Things I wish I had bought - a plug in bottle warmer for the car, a car seat which lifts out to carry or goes into pram, a warmer for baby bottles to keep in bedroom at night!

I had a moses basket given to me and used it for only 3 weeks! Borrow or buy 2nd hand if you can.

Don't buy too many clothes (I know it's tempting) as you don't know how big lo will be!
Keep labels on clothes and other items then you can return them or sell them on ebay if you don't need or use them!

Top and tail bowls are good if you are using cloth nappies though as you can put water in one side and the used nappy in the other.
If you are planning to BF don't bother buying bottles and steriliser as it's just more clutter in a house that will be bursting at the seams!!!
Agree about having a couple of dummies even if you don't intend using them - I have tried them when at my wit's end with both my babies even though I am a huge dummy snob.