Worried I don't know what to buy for first baby.

[01952louise]

Can anyone help me with what to buy for new born.

I haven't a clue where to start, we have bought a Tommee Tippee steriliser which comes with the following:

One set with everything you need including:
Electric Steam Steriliser
Bottle warmer
4 260ml bottles
4 150ml bottles
2 thermal travel bags
2 medium flow teats
6 milk powder dispensers
1 bottle brush
1 pair of teat tongs
1 pure new born soother.

I don't know how many bottles/teats to get.

Clothes/shoes don't know where to start, we have bought a Minnie Mouse dress with booties and tights, a pack of sleep suits, 6 bibs.

We have chosen our nursery furniture set, moses basket and travel system. What bedding shall we get/mattress?

I sound really stupid I know but as this is our first we don't really know where to start.

I have looked for books with this information but can't find anything nor on the internet.

Thanks Louise.

X

Did you get a bounty pack at all? The one I picked up from the supermarket had a second bounty magazine in it reviewing the types of things you will need for you baby, pros and cons...etc It was really helpful and helped us put a very good no frills shopping list together.

Hi Louise! Another FTM here so know how you feel!

I can't help with the bottle questions I'm afraid as am planning to breastfeed, but I'm sure someone will be along who can help

I think until baby is actually born you don't need masses of stuff - you don't know how big she'll be! I have about 12 vests and 12 babygrows in newborn size as hopefully my DC will fit in these - I think most do. I also have about 3 of each in 0-3 months, though obviously am hoping my unborn child is not going to be that big on arrival! I bought all my baby clothes 2nd hand from eBay as it's much cheaper than buying new. Nappies are similar - I'd get a pack of Newborn size to take into hospital, but until you know how big baby is I wouldn't go overboard.

I would stock up on some muslin squares - brilliant and multi-purpose for mopping up spills, lying baby on when out somewhere, an extra layer if cold etc. Again, you can buy them online fairly cheap if you want plain ones and most baby shops do patterned ones if you'd prefer.

A changing mat and bag to tote your changing stuff around in is probably not actually essential, but I think it's going to make life a lot easier, personally!

Your Moses basket might come with a mattress if it's new - double check. If not, it should have the size you need written in the spec. for the basket itself. Ditto for sheets, though most baby shops sell them in 'Moses basket' size, I think. Have you decided if you're going to go the swaddling/sleeping bag route or for sheets and blankets?

Apart from that, you don't really need much for a newborn, though it's worth considering things like a baby monitor, bouncer etc. now if you want to spread the cost a little.

If you've got a moses basket then it'll probably come with a mattress but you'll need bed sheets for the moses basket. You'll need either cellular blankets or a sleeping bag (gro bag) for baby to sleep under/in. If you get a cot then that'll need a mattress too and sheets that'll fit it.

Clothing wise you'll need about 6-10 vests and sleep suits. You need newborn size which is smaller than 0-3 months. You'll probably need a pack or two of muslins too. Things like socks and outfits are optional depending on how you want to dress your baby but sleep suits are usually easier for the first few months.

You'll need a car seat for a new born if you've got a car too.

I also stocked up on washing liquid and fabric conditioner!

X post with twiglet

Slower flow twats. Vests to go under sleepsuits (extra warmth plus helps stop nappy moving around and leaking). You'll probably need more than one pack of sleepsuits, especially if you get a sicky baby. Don't go mad buying clothes before birth though, because you don't yet know how big the baby will be. Remember: 0-3m is not the smallest size, and a lot of babies are too small for them at first.

You don't seem to have muslins on your list. Get some! They can be used as bibs, they can be used to mop up when the baby projectile vomits right down your cleavage, they have many uses.

Bedding - New mattress for your cot, get a mattress protector, a few sheets (we manage with two but depends again how sicky the baby is). No pillow, no cot bumpers. Your call whether you want to go for swaddling, blankets, or sleeping bag.

No mention of bathing stuff on your list either. You'll need a towel, a changing mat, and a baby bath unless the baby will be going in with you.

Bouncy chair or playmat or somewhere you can put the baby down for a few minutes may also be useful, because it's very hard to go for a poo while holding a newborn!

Slower flow twats.

...Why is my phone changing teats to twats?

Anyway, whatever the rate of twat flow, OP, don't forget to get some maternity pads for afterwards, and pack them in your hospital bag!

Have a look at the NHS guide
www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/what-you-need-for-baby.aspx

We used to get a pregnancy book and then a birth to 5 when the baby is born. That seems to have stopped now.

It doesn't cover ff in the NHS guide but I assume the tommee tippee starter pack is fine. (Didn't get any myself either).

Bedding is just mattress, fitted sheets. Don't buy any of the silly sets. Everyone now sleeps in grobags (sleeping bags) once they reach the minimum weight. Before then try swaddling blankets. I use groswaddle but there are lots of brands around. There are other brands of sleeping bags to other than grobags but their website will give you an idea what you should be looking at

www.gro-store.co.uk

My DS is 4 weeks old, the things I have used the most so far are,

Bottles
Steriliser
Slow flow teats or twats
Muslins, LOTS and LOTS, I have a reflux baby
Tommee tippee perfect prep machine has been a LIFESAVER, expensive but oh god, so worth it
Nappies (I have found SuperDrug own brand to be the best) cotton wool balls, wipes, nappy sacks, changing mat
Washing powder suitable for babies, non bio stuff

Vests & babygros, I bought newborn but he was only 6lb so had to go out and buy tiny baby as even newborn was massive
Little cardigan for when it's a bit cooler
Couple of proper outfits (the millions of up to 10lb outfits I bought are yet to fit him )
Cellular blankets/extra sheets for Moses basket

Baby bath
Towel with a hood
Various probably unnecessary baby toiletries that make him smell gorgeous

Pram and car seat
Changing bag for dragging all his stuff around

He loves loves loves his bouncy chair, will sleep in it for ages and I like that I can pick it up and move him without waking him

For you, buy lots and lots of maternity pads (don't buy them from mothercare, they are so expensive it's ridiculous) and make sure you have food in the freezer, we lived off biscuits for the first 2 weeks which wasn't ideal

Kiddicare had a good essentials list which I used

blog.kiddicare.com/2014/04/handy-new-baby-checklist/

Is baby due in autumn/winter? Basic newborn wear is a poppered vest, socks and a babygrow on top indoors with a cardigan over if its colder. Remember newborns usually need one more layer than you do so unless its really warm so if you are wearing one top baby needs two (vest and grow), if you have two tops baby needs three (vest, grow, cardi).

Get a dozen or so vests and the same number of babygrows and a couple of cardis. They grow out of newborn sizes quite quickly, within a month or two at most so don't overbuy, remember you can always pick up more clothes in the supermarkets.

Sleeping bags are the way forward for bedding but some of them have a minimum weight (I think its 8lb8oz) so if you have a tinier baby you might be better off sticking with a cellular blanket or swaddle til they reach the right weight. Certainly my two weren't big enough for about a month.

Get plain fitted sheets, a couple of crib-sized cellular blankets. These are useful for out and about as well when you need a quick extra layer.

Don't bother with a pramsuit/snowsuit for a newborn unless its really really cold. They are fiddly and difficult to manoeuvre babies in and out of. Stick with blankets/wraps you can add or remove quickly.

Best thing to remember is babies poo or sick routinely all over their clothes so simple unfussy clothes which are easy to remove quickly are what matters.

And vests can be removed through the bottom. I know,it's more intuitive to pull over head. But remember they can be pulled the other way if you have a poo stained vest! It will happen and the first time you might wonder how to get it off without getting poo all over baby's head.

Break it down.

Baby needs something to eat: Boobs or bottles. Tbh I don't know how many bottles you need either to bottle feed.

Something to catch poo and wee: Cloth or disposable. Couple of packs of disposable as they grow fast and you might find one brand doesn't suit etc. Or around 20 cloth nappies plus a nappy bucket. Can hire starter kits from lots of online shops or you may have a nappy library near you.

Something to wear: People will buy you outfits. Outfits are a pain in the neck for newborns. Couple of packs of vests (those are the short sleeves things with poppers they wear underneath) and a couple of packs of sleepsuits/onsies (the things with feet and long sleeves they wear on top). A few cardigans (regardless of gender). I'd say get 0-3 size and then if you have a teeny baby you can send someone on a supermarket dash to buy newborn size. Stocking up on newborn is pointless.

Something to go out in: A couple of snowsuits or fleece all in ones. Don't bother with coats, their legs need to be kept warm too.

Something to travel in: Sling or pram. Whatever suits your needs. Have a dog needs walking? Get a sling. Go off road a lot? Sling or pram with air types and good suspension. Use public transport? Get something you can fold with one hand. Etc etc. SLing libraries are great. For pram go to large shops and play then find best deal online.

Something for the car: The best car seat you can afford that fits your car. All cars and seats are different and some fit better in some cars than others. Sod the whole seat fitting to pram thing, the seat weighs are tonne you don't want to be getting it in and out of the car all the time, jsut get the baby in and out. Give it a couple of weeks and you will be an expert and getting them in and out without waking them. Get a seat to fit your car not your pram. This is your child and their safety we are talking about.

Somewhere to sleep: A cot or your bed (if bf and co sleeping safely). Cribs, moses baskets etc are not necessary. SOme like them but you don't need them.

Other stuff: Muslins. GEt a pack. If have a sicky baby get more. Lots more. If dont' have a sicky baby put in cupboard and consider them a waste of money.

A playmat. Useful space to plonk baby when gets a bit bigger and stops screaming every time you put them down.

A bouncy chair. Useful space to plonk baby when gets a bit bigger, stops screaming when you put them down and starts to be able to focus a bit further and likes to watch you are you watch daytime telly because you are on maternity leave do the washing up.

That's about it. You could condense it down to nappy and boobs if you really wanted to. Everything else you can pick up as you go along.

We are bottle feeding and we have 12 bottles with slow flow teats, which means we can go two days without washing/ sterilising. Sounds gross but it makes my life easier!!
Also, even though your bottle feeding your milk will still come in, so you are probably wise to pick up a small pack of breast pads which catch the milk and stop it leaking all over your top!!

Good luck!

I can't help but saying this although will no doubt get barrage of abuse ----to those who are obviously planning to formula feed from day 1 and have bought all the formula feeding equipment already or are doing so - you may well have a medical reason for having decided to bottle feed in which case obviously that's none of anyone's business but if you have just decided from the outset that you aren't going to try and BF your firstborn because you don't want to then I think that's really sad. BF is a wonderful thing to do - much better for Mum and much much much better for your Baby - so I would really encourage you to give it a shot.

I'm due my first in early December.

I've got a fab family who have bought me the pram/travel system, nursery furniture, bouncy chair, play mat, loads and loads of knitted cardigans, blankets etc, bottles and sterilizer (although going to try and bf).

All I've bought is some baby grows, vests, hats, bibs and cellular blankets to take to hospital - she won't need much more than that initially.

We also need to get a crib, sling and pick up some nappies/wipes etc but that will be about it as I know we'll get tonnes more stuff (my cousin who's daughter is 10 months apparently has boxes and boxes of unused baby stuff that he's desperate to get rid off so I think he's planning to dump that on our doorstep and speed off!!!). :D

Thank you all for your replies, you have made me feel so much more comfortable I was panicking to be honest.

I have written everything down, now to start looking .

Great thread, also slightly scary. I too am due in early Dec and have not bought a single thing yet (we are moving house pre dec which is putting me off buying.)

I have looked though.

Question: Vests: I have see ones with no sleeves, short sleeves and long sleeves. What should I be buying for my new born baby for Dec/Jan? I know I will be putting a sleepsuit and cardigan(at times) over the top of these. These are both likely to have long sleeves. Anyone got a good answer.

louise sorry for hijacking your thread.

martie I would get long sleeve vests. Have a look at the grobag web site I linked to too. Under each grobag they have a handy chart showing temperature what clothes to wear and the gro bag to you. That should you an idea what to dress baby in. You don't tend to change baby all the time just to put them to sleep. You would take them out of grobag, put a cardie or snowsuit on, or wrap in blankets and go out. Hope this makes sense.

Actually I can link directly to it. Here it is
www.gro-store.co.uk/grobag-guide

But a lot of it is how cold or hot your baby feels. Some are hotter than others. And also how much time you will be spending outdoors.

dont just get 0-3 clothes. mine was 6lb 11 and even newborn were too big. he needed small baby.

get a few bits of each size wash one or two things and leave tags on the rest. I had a million 0-3 things which at 3 months he is still in! I swapped lots for smaller things.

also if it's a little baby it wont be able to go in a sleeping bag to start with so you will need blankets. dont just get swaddling ones, mine hated it!

I have loads of muslins, but also have a sicky dribbly baby so use them all the time!

my main tip is dont take tags off everything you get. wash it bit by bit. I swapped loads I didn't need!

also agree, try breastfeeding and try and give it 6 weeks before you stop (its hard and frustrating to start with but then much easier than formula).

Haha puppy having had a 9lb 4oz child I feel the over way about 0-3