Most expensive items for first time baby?

[Burmama]

This is a bit of a random request but can you please tell me what were the most expensive things you had to buy for a new baby? I'm based in Southeast Asia for work at the mo but will be coming home before the birth and it'd be great to be able to get some of the spendier items out here on the cheap if possible... Thanks for any tips!!!

[Polkadotscarf]

Just the car seat, we were given everything else or have got some amazing ebay bargains! Have replaced cot and pram mattresses but they were cheaper than car seat!

[Rosebud29]

Here's my biggest purchases:
Pram £200
Matching car seat £50 (my mother in law paid for both of these).
Cot bed £30 (eBay. Mamas and Papas big solid one in immaculate condition).
Mattress £25 (half price in Kiddicare)
"Nursing" chair £35 (the 'Pello' from Ikea. Loads of nursing chairs on ebay though, just couldn't fit one in the nursery)
Bottle steriliser £10 in a second hand baby sale.
I was given a Moses basket, just bought a new mattress.
As you can see, I love a good bargain. Especially proud of the cot. Being frugal has meant I can spend a bit more on non-essentials such as paying a professional to decorate the nursery for us (although he is my uncle. He charged £300 to decorate for 3 days then came back in his own time to paint a tree and owls on the wall. If you know people with skills make use of them). I also got myself a changing bag that I really wanted, a Yummy Mummy one, although I even got that for half price at £40.

[weebairn]

Probably pushchair and cot, unless you buy a lot of stuff for a nursery.

I got my pushchair for £200 (city jogger mini, brilliant) and a lovely bared used cot for £40 + mattress, so it doesn't have to break the bank. Good slings are pricey too, though again I got a second hand one.

I don't remember the baby monitor costing more than £15-20 ?

[LittlePeaPod]

You can also buy a specially designed cocoonababy sleeping pod for babies (0.5/1/2.5 togs available)

www.safetots.co.uk/p7075/Red-Castle-Cocobag-Quilted/product_info.html

[whereisshe]

I'd add a sling to the list if you want one. Our moby wrap is great but it wasn't cheap.

We used a cocoonababy, it's not like a pillow. The strap stops the baby from moving around and I tucked the blanket under it so no chance of DD pulling covers over her head (which I believe is the reason for foot-to-end of cot). And it's actually quite firm - the cover stretches over the foam to make a kind of hammock so there is an air gap under the baby's head. So they would be able to breathe if they could roll over anyway, if the strap came undone somehow (and it's very strong velcro, no way a baby would undo it).

OP have you also considered an amby nest? DD loved hers. And I definitely second the merino sleeping bag suggestion, they're great (much less sweaty than the normal acrylic sleeping bags).

[LittlePeaPod]

And you can't compare it to a pillow. It's nothing like a pillow.

[LittlePeaPod]

marnierose I have this product and I have used it. There is no way your baby would could roll over or wriggle out. The baby is securely strap in. It's also excellent for helping baby with wind and colic.

I did a lot of research and found nothing that said this product was dangerous and not recommended.

[Marnierose]

The cocoon baby doesn't seem to comply with recommendations to put your baby on a firm flat matresss in the feet to foot position. I think someone asked the lullaby trust and they agreed it didn't meet their SIDS recommendations. You wouldn't dream of letting your baby sleep on a pillow so this product does worry me a bit. Having said that I don't have my baby yet, so can't fully appreciate the effects of sleep deprivation!

Just worth thinking about I suppose.

[NickyEds]

As with others our most expensive thing was the buggy, followed by nursery furniture. If you want a swank changing bag you might get one cheaper there- I think I paid £90 for a Pacapod here.

[LittlePeaPod]

marnierose I also thought it did confirm to safe sleeping recommendations too.

[SuzanneSays]

marnierose why does the cocoonababy not conform to safe sleeping recommendations? I thought it did?

[Andcake]

Agree with buying car seat over here - but pushcahir, angelcare monitor were the two most expensive things. Moses baskets are about £40 if you use one, cots are reasonable too from John Lewis or Ikea. Mattresses can set you back a bit so you could look into that - I ended up buying loads of bedding I rarely used.

[LittlePeaPod]

Opppps forgot, baby monitor with breathing monitor (we went angle care) and we also got a baby cam (we went Y-Cam) for the nursery.

[LittlePeaPod]

Baby cot & matress, nursery furniture, pram (depends what you want but ours cost just over £1000 but ML bought one for about £600), car seat, if you are bottle feeding (bottles, steriliser-we bought electric, bottle warmer), sleeping bags (we went with the gro bag brand).

I have a cocoon baby and it was amazing. DD loved it. She slept for hours in it.

[Marnierose]

Plus also caution with the cocoon baby. Is doesn't meet with health professionals 'safe sleep' advice.

[Marnierose]

Personally I wouldn't bother with a breast pump. You might not need one anyway, they are all so different, you don't really know what you are going to need until the time.

[Burmama]

Whoops sorry cocoonababy tip came from whiteblossom, sorry!!

[Burmama]

Thank you all, that really helps!! After a quick web browse I'm loving the cocoonababy, thanks for the tip heatherbell. And great suggestion not to buy car seat out here blueberry. So I guess I'm going pram, baby monitor and breast pump shopping in Bangkok! Thanks again!!

[ohthegoats]

I've spent £143 on a buggy. Rest has been borrowed.

[Heatherbell1978]

For me, pram (or travel system) cost £620, then cot at £275 and then Babybjorn bouncer at £100. Car seat would have cost £100 but we're lucky that friends have one their baby has just grown out of (we know they've had no accidents) so we got that.

[MrsPatMustard]

Buggy definitely. To be honest, we managed to get most items second hand and only the car seat, mattress, steriliser and buggy were new. Nearly choked when I saw the price of the buggy!

[sinningsaint]

Got to be pushchair/travel system. Having said that mine cost nearly £900, but you can get them much cheaper, it is personal choice/circumstances!

[mousmous]

pushchair wins hands down.

[Blueberrybaby]

Stroller and car seat are the large items. However I wouldn't buy a car seat in Asia if you are returning to the Uk permanently to use it. Whatever you buy in Asia won't be in line with EU guidelines and so won't be legal in the UK and would invalidate your insurance. We moved internationally recently and sold our car seat in the country we came from. We bought new when we got back.

[whiteblossom]

travel system (pushchair/bassinet/carseat+ base). cotbed + mattress. Nursing chair, changing table, cacoonababy, bjorn bouncer.

These were my big spends but yours may well vary, depends what you want. I found once I stating looking and researching products, there was always something I had to have!