Purchasing advice -Please !!!

[applesvpears]

Hey everyone. I have finally started to feel comfortable enough to start thinking about what I need for my baby daughter who is due on 29th March (she is my first, I am type 1 diabetic and have been worrying and not wanting to jinx and buy stuff)
I am a bit overwhelmed by all the choices and options..
Should I get a Moses basket or a snuz pod thingy?
I am thinking of the silver cross wayfarer for travel system (it's the only one I liked in the shop) what's people's thoughts?
Do I need a sleep moniter if she is going to be in with me for the first 6 months?
Baby bouncer/chair? Any good ones or ones to avoid?
Thank you, I am confused !

People and babies are different, so this is purely my opinion and others may disagree.

Moses basket - no, both kids hated it and they will from out of it in the matter of seconds. When not in their cot, DS slept in baby hammock and DD in Sleepyhead.
Co-sleeper cot - yes. Very handy - just grab the baby, feed and slide them back, all without getting out of bed. There are various options and you can also borrow one.
You don't need a baby monitor initially, when they sleep just anywhere. But around 3-4 months, my kids would not nap in the living room any more, so then the monitor was quite useful. (Yes the advice is that they should always sleep in the same room, but that might not be workable)
Bouncer - loved the Babybjörn. Also portable and takes no space when folded.
Prams - no opinion about that one, but what are your needs - where are you mostly planning to walk, city or countryside? Miles every day or just the occasional short trip? Do you need a big shopping basket? Do you need to fold it often and one-handed? Does it have to fit in the boot of the car? Do you need to drag it up the stairs every time?

Four children in and IMO the essential buys are:

For sleeping

• Upstairs go straight to a full sized cot from birth. Remove one side (easily done with an allen key) and butt it up to your bed to make it a co-sleeper of a good size that you can easily lean into. I'd add to this recommendation the asides of making it a cotbed (to make it more cost effective long term) and make it drop side (so that you can lower the side and lean in from your bed once baby is rolling and you need the side on.
• Downstairs nothing beats a bouncy chair for daytime naps
• I wouldn't bother with a moses basket or crib, they are rarely actually slept in
• Assuming you don't live in a tiny flat whereby you can hear baby through the walls, then yes you'll need a baby monitor. It'll probably be used from about 6months old until baby stops daytime napping around 2 or 3 years old.

For travel

• Having a carseat that can be slotted into a base in the car and moved to travel system without taking baby out is useful
• Good quality will last. Four children over 11 years have used my Graco travel system and youngest (15 months) still has a year or two use out of it
• Consider where you will put shopping bags in a pushchair. Overloading the handlebars will make the buggy topple over.
• Consider how small it is when folded in relation to holidays and boot space. As long as you have the boot space, fine to have a bulky but good quality every day travel system, but bear in mind you may need to buy a compact pushchair when going on holiday and short of space
• I prefer travel systems/ pushchairs/ prams that can be steered one handed
• If you live in London, get a baby carrier or sling because underground stations are mostly horrible with a pushchair.

My thoughts based on now 4yo and a 14mo:

Crib rather than moses basket in your room
Tiny Love Three In One Napper downstairs (best thing Ive owned for the kids)
Cheapest bouncer (really doesnt need anything fancy)
A play mat from about four weeks onwards
Carseat that clips onto pram wheels is handy. I also had a carrycot for mine but we walk.most places so I wanted them lay flat.
Dont buy a changing table/station - get a good chest of drawers for their crap and use a change mat on the floor of the living room during the day that can go ontop of the drawers at night.
Buy a baby monitor when needed (if needed) so once in own room

I am due in May and stared looking at prams this weekend - I fell for the Wayfarer but then looked up reviews and they were pretty awful! Asked a fellow mumsnetter who used to work at mothercare and she said they had quite a lot of complaints about it but the next model up (pioneer) is apparently much better. Google for reviews and mumsnet has a whole section which will explain more!

I have the Wayfarer, I like it but probably would have been better with the Pioneer, as it can be a bit tricky when bumping up and down kerbs. The Pioneer is for both urban and 'more adventurous' terrains according to Mothercare. Other than that it's been great, the carrycot is lovely and DS slept so well in it. We used it for daytime napping but also for a couple of overnight trips. But I agree it definitely depends on your specific needs.

We used a crib rather than a moses basket as I'd heard babies grow out of them quickly and I wanted to keep him in our room as long as possible. We bought the Mothercare swinging crib. I thought it would be great for rocking him to sleep but in reality as soon as you rocked it he just rolled right over. The gliding ones would have been better. My friend has the Chicco Next2Me and loves it - I'll be getting that one if there's a next time! We did get 5 months out of the Mothercare crib though which was great for our tall baby.

We used a vibrating bouncy chair. He didn't like it at the start but when we took the big arch thing with toys on it off he fell asleep in it well. So it really doesn't have to be fancy, but I'd recommend the vibrating ones. As for play mats don't bother getting the ones which cost £80, get a simple one and hang different toys from it.

I'd get a sleep monitor but wouldn't bother with a video one.

The best things I bought for DS are his Jumperoo, Philips Avent electric breast pump (although I had to express every 3 hours so why I didn't splash out on a double I'll never know) and the Perfect Prep machine.

Oh also diabetic due end of March and just starting to think about what I need. This is DC2 so I have some stuff already. My checklist is:

• Car seat was very happy with the Maxi cosi and isofix base.

• Moses basket DD slept in hers for almost three months and was easy to move from downstairs to upstairs. She was a big baby and quite happy in it. Will get cot set up too but it's huge and doesn't fit easily in our room without moving everything else out so that will stay in his/her bedroom to start with.

• Pram, old one broke so looking at options. Will wait and order the week I'm induced though rather than any earlier and leave it boxed up at my in laws.

• Monitor wise really liked the Angelcare with sensor pad which we still have.

• Playmat didn't buy till DD was here but was a first purchase along with bouncy chair. Had them ready to go in my Amazon basket.

Things like a jumperoo we only got much later. Being diabetic I was kept in for 48 hours for blood sugar checks on baby so had stuff ready to buy in online shopping baskets on next day delivery / collect from store. Had to go shopping on way home for basics such as clothes / thermometer.

If you are planning on having future children and want to keep your car seat it is worth noting that the legislation on car seats is changing and you will need an I size car seat.

Personally I found the Moses basket invaluable in the first 3 months. She slept in it downstairs and upstairs I put it straight into the cot so she got used to the bars. No issues with transition to cot only when she got too big for the Moses.
I second bouncy chair for downstairs.
A baby gym was handy.
I liked the baby bath but plenty manage without.
I never bothered with a pram, just used sling and car seat (for no longer than recommended time), the pushchair from 3 months.
I had a monitor straightaway because DD was in her own room from about 3 weeks. Against guidelines but it worked for us (and I slept in there too for half the night).

Due in a few weeks and have bought a maxi cosi but not an isofix as didn't want to immediately lose a seat in the car and couldn't be faffing with taking it out. It fits on the pram base too. Went for a co-sleeper. That's it on the 'big' purchases. Not buying a monitor. Just clothes and consumables. Am quite surprised how little you need. It's a welcome surprise as can't stand clutter.

I would definitely get a video monitor when the time comes. It's handy when they're a bit older to see if they are standing or lying down so you don't have to check and disturb any further.

We had a babybjorn bouncer which was great, but DS sat up very young (4 months) and crawled young so both it and the jumperoo were virtually pointless for us.

DS really loved his baby gym and we got lots of milage out of it.

We have a snuzpod, which is great and a cot bed. Again great.

No idea on pram, we have a Bugaboo Buffalo which is excellent but very heavy, so not for everyone, but we also have a Bee and a Maclaren (don't ask!!) so we're covered for all eventualities!

Be sure and make up the crib/Moses basket/co-sleeper with sheets etc before you give birth, being ready actually, is quite different than having all of the stuff!!

Sorry for the delay in saying thank you(hectic few days) thank you very much for all of this informative advice. So very very appreciated