first time mum - where should I start browsing for baby items?! any popular online stores?

[jess3692]

So, I am a first time mum. I am 16 weeks and am starting to think about all the items I need to buy! All I know of is Mothercare and Mamas & Papas! Where did you all buy your prams, car seats, bottle kits, breast-feeding essentials, just everything basically! I have heard bambinos is good and also KiddiCare, but I know they are closing down soon! So as I am new to this, any advice on where to start browsing would be so so helpful :) thank you!

eBay is brilliant, so much baby stuff is used so briefly that it seems mad to buy everything new (bar a cot mattress and car seat) even though we could afford to. We are also being given so much by friends and relatives who already have kids.

Ikea are pretty good for stuff that isn't too twee. I also like John Lewis.

H&M/vertbaudet/JojoMamanBebe for baby clothes.

Boots & mothercare for the basics (boots baby clothes are crazy cheap and not at all bad).

Kiddicare are closing their shops but I love their website. Free next day delivery and text messages to tell you within 15 minutes when it's coming. Not always the best price, but some bargains.

Also like the great little trading company for expensive but good quality stuff

very.co.uk. they had the same travel system that kiddicare had £50 cheaper.

I looked around at the normal places kiddicare, toys r us and mothercare and also looking on the websites to look at the reviews. made a list of what i liked and how much it was and then went looking online to see if i could get it cheaper ie ebay amazon, tesco direct etc etc

You're provably best to decide what you want to buy first then google it or whatever to get the best deal whether that be through M&P or JL etc......one thing at a time. Most of my stuff has come from Mamas & Papas, Boots, John Lewis and Amazon.

Don't get sucked in to thinking you need to buy everything new. You can save a fortune buying secondhand and most baby stuff is cery lightly used. Check out www.mum2mummarket.co.uk to see if they have any nearly new sales near you. I prefer it to eBay as you can see before you buy so no chance of buying something scruffy or broken

Morrisons baby clothes are loverly, cheep and wash really well. I am not at all keen on them usually as a supermarket, but was given lots by a friend when my son was born. Highly recommend them. X

I'd recommend setting up a baby wish list on amaz

I love John Lewis - huge range of baby stuff and good quality. They're expensive but not overpriced (i.e., they sell expensive things at reasonable prices, they don't tend to charge you more than other shops for the same item). The website is also good for browsing for ideas.

Aargh stupid phone...

Set up wish list on Amazon and John Lewis and look at each week then you can see when things are reduced at JL - I saved lots this way. Also there's a mumsnet code for 10% off at Jojo, tho they do offers for 15% every month or so. And mamas and papas have sales for different things every few weeks, and if you buy a large item early (eg pram) they will honour reductions before item is dispatched - worth dispatching as late as poss so get guarantee for longer and do t have to store lots at home for ages pre baby while you decorate nursury

Kiddicare in Peterborough has just built onto the build so would shocked if that closed down! They are by far the best for choice, if you can get to any shops they tend to have offers in store that they don't have online.

I would recommend doing the nursery your through John Lewis. They can talk you through everything you need and there's no obligation to buy. You just zap stuff and add it to a list (like gift list) then buy what you want when you're ready

Tour not your

Check your Facebook to see if there's a local "mums" group, people often sell through those, also worth putting up "wanted" lists, other parents who have finished with stuff but not got round to sorting it out for sale will often pop up and sell to you.

For prams etc, John Lewis are good for going and trying them. IKEA are good for furniture and bobbins. Boots as well (and then you get points!)

Mother care are a bit shit ime for anything other than clothes, you'd be better off going to John Lewis.

Another vote for kiddicare

Their delivery is amazing and often best priced too. Also huge plus is their 365 day return policy if item is in the same condition as sold- perfect for the bits you're realise you don't need once baby is here or when u realise pram wont fit through the front door

Car boot sales and eBay. All you need new is a car seat and mattresses (and bottles if you're not breastfeeding).

If you want to buy new baby clothes, my tips are H&M (best sizing and elastic around the ankles of leggings and sleepsuits - genius!) and Baby Gap sales for quality items that wash well.

Find your local selling site on facebook. We have a few round here and they are great for picking up cheap kids stuff. And you really don't need as much as you think!

Another vote for Kiddicare. The shops are fab if you can get to one before they close down.

Check out NCT nearly new sales too; the next round are in autumn. In the better ones, all the goods from all sellers are sorted by type eg: all highchairs together, all
Buggies together; all bed linen together; clothes sorted by gender and age etc and the organisers are very strict about the quality of what they accept to sell. You can get some brilliant bargains. .You don't have to be an NCT member.

check out what is local to you here

Amazon, Tesco Direct and George (Asda) are good for cheaper branded goods than in the 'real life' shops. E.g. if you see a Cossatto branded item in Mothercare, try the above online shops as you can often save a few pounds.

Kiddicare isn't closing- just going online - and they have some superb money off deals if you join their club.

Don't get anything from Mothercare or M&P; ual you can usually get it cheaper elsewhere.

I was about to recommend Kiddicare.com too, and was surprised to read they are closing. Glad to read in the too post underneath, that they're not

I got amazing wrap around vests from Verbaudet. Com, they do a great value basics line and I hated wrestling envelope neck vests over my baby's head!

H&m baby clothes are gorgeous, well thought out and well priced.

I ended up buying stuff from Mothercare, Mamas and Papas, JojoMamanBebe, John Lewis, Marks and Spencers and the joy that is ebay.

Also I put myself out there and asked friends what I could borrow from them - our 'big' items have come on loan from mates.

Kiddicare Peterborough is staying open and so is the website but other shops are closing. Which means... MASSIVE clearance sale in the other stores - get there quick! When we went a couple of weeks ago, they were planning to close the Notts store in November but they have got rid of so much stock that yesterday there was a sign saying closing on 5th September.

We have pretty much got everything we need from 2 visits to the Nottingham store, all hugely reduced. Love a bargain!

Also try preciouslittleone.com which has a great range with good reductions and free delivery (and 5% voucher code PLOFBK5OFF).