What do you need? First born.

[OnNaturesCourse]

My list so far:
Pram/travel system
Cotbed
Changing mat/table
Moses basket
Car seat
Bottle warmer
Bottle sterilizer
Bottlrs
Bouncy chair
Sling

I have no idea how many vests, bibs, clothes etc, or what else?

Sounds terrible but it's our first, likely our only, baby so I'd like to have most things... Why I have a sling and pram on the list... Am I missing anything? Baby gates? Bedding?

Do you have a good bag for changing and feeding stuff when you go out? Some people like ones with lots of compartments but I preferred to use transparent plastic washbags in a single compartment bag. A wet bag is also handy for clothes if the nappy leaks or the baby vomits when you are out. If you get a washable one, when you get home you can just unzip it and throw the whole thing in the wash with the dirty clothes in it without touching anything.

Not a necessity but nightgowns/bundlers are really great at night for quick nappy changes. My mum gave me a few she'd used on me and my brother back in the 1970s when I had DS and after I found out how convenient they are, I bought a few more and until he could sit up, he wore them pretty much whenever he didn't need to go in the car seat.

OnNatures I guess it is a bit kettle-like but I liked that it adds both the right amount of boiling and then cool (but sterile water) and a bit of a shake and you have a bottle. I used to use a bottle warmer when DD was a baby and it just seemed to take forever to get it to a decent temp and meanwhile DD was howling like a banshee and then too upset to feed. Maybe they have really speeded them up tho these days.

I always made night bottles in advance and put in a jug of hot water to warm up! For day to day I always had cooled boiled water, 2 oz of boiling water mix in powder then top up with cooled water! Tbh I sometimes made bottles in advance when going out and left them at room temp but o my if it wasn't too long till feed time

Oh and I had a perfect prep with my youngest (we got gifted it when a friend had finished with it) and it was actually a godsend during the night! I won't bother with 1 this time purely as I don't have the money to spend on 1 this time (tho I could be persuaded nearer to due date)

I was very bold and also made up my bottles for the next day every night and heated in the microwave when needed!! I made enough for the full day, in hot water cooled in the sink in cold water and into the fridge and always used within 24 hours. Did every single day.
Don't forget to buy size 2 or medium flow teats as the tiny ones that come on the bottle are useless and the milk doesn't come out fast enough!! And dummies!!

My hubby has just looked at me like I'm crazy as my 8 size 2 tommee tippee teats just arrived from Amazon and I'm only 5 weeks pregnant today!! They were a good price!! Lol

Yeah, I got the warmer, sterilizer, 8 bottles, bottle bag and cleaning stuff for half price x

I would go for a crib (in my opinion the Chico Next2Me is best) rather than Moses basket as babies usually outgrow Moses baskets before the recommended 6 months when they can move to their own room. If you're buying a travel system the carrycot is ace for daytime naps.

I wouldn't bother with a changing table, takes up a lot of space and changing on the floor on a changing mat is safer, especially when they start to get wriggly! If you have problems getting down to the floor and back up post-caesarean changing on a bed is perfectly fine too!

You might find a playmat useful but it's not essential.

I bought a bottle warmer but barely used it. I loved the perfect prep machine though! Lifesaver.

If you plan to breastfeed DEFINITELY but Lansinoh nipple cream - another lifesaver. I'd also buy nipple shields in advance, if you decide you need them at 5am on a Sunday morning like I did they can be pretty hard to source! 😫

I'd buy about at least 5 or 6 of both vests and sleep suits, in newborn and up to 1 month. DS was 9lbs and only fitted newborn for about a week but they did fine until we got out to buy more and people gave loads of clothes as gifts too. If you've been advised your baby is likely to be small I'd also buy tiny baby stuff but not too much, as size is really hard to predict and your DP can always nip out and buy more if needed.

Bibs - difficult to predict how many you'll need (depends on if you have a sicky baby or not) but I'd buy at least 8 to start with. I found the ones with poppers better than Velcro (the Velcro becomes less sticky after a few washes) and ones without plastic backing much better at absorbing stuff rather than it just letting it roll down onto clothes. Markies do really good ones that last well. Muslin cloths are fantastic for protecting yours and baby's clothes while burping. I'd buy a fair few of them!

A few baby towels with hoods would be good, although not entirely necessary they keep baby snug after coming out the bath.

I'd buy or knit some knitted hats too, even for a summer born baby. Try and get a range of sizes as baby's head will grow quickly!

A high chair - not needed until about 6 months but good to keep an eye out for good deals - I got a great one in Aldi for £28!

Thank you.

I've got a high chair thankfully so it's stored away.

Got quite the list now!

The advice on bottles has changed recently and you are now advised to make them as you need them rather than store them. You can find good NHS guidance on why. I know it is a pain but you may want to do it when baby is tiny to keep them as safe as possible.

Ok, I'm due till November either and haven't bought a thing. Wasn't going to till 20 weeks either. am I mad?

Buy 1 'nice' outfit or cardigan or something so you have something you love for 'best' or photos etc - not essential but I loved it! And then loads of stuff to get puked on.
Carpet cleaning spray. Muslins for wiping up, soft place to sleep, sunshade etc etc etc. About 10 of them.
DP will probably have to dress the baby when its first born ... He will find it a challenge so make sure its easy to put on stuff and ideally things where the sleeves roll easily. Give him training and make sure he knows where everything is in the hospital bag.

I premade bottles and kept at the back of fridge, my baby was fine. Will be doing it again too

Sono... Train him lol that's brilliant.

Ginne I'm a organisation freak and we have to convert a well loved man cave into a nursery so I've got my work cut out

A Sleepyhead
Sudocrem/Metanium
Some good meals in the freezer / bits in the cupboards for snacks
Dry shampoo for days when you just don't have a chance to wash your hair

The Mothercare app has a good section on essentials lists

Op, if you are worried about bottles, get a tommee tippee perfect prep. I would say it is hands down the best bit of kit we have.

It is unsafe to make bottles in advance. You can make a bottle but it needs to be used within two hours. Your family may do it but it carries the risk of salmonella and other bacteria which adults can cope with but little babies cannot. The formula needs to hit water at a least at 70 degrees, be dissolved in that water, then topped up with cool boiled water. That is why the perfect prep is a godsend.

Get a close Caboo sling. Life saver. All 8 of our NCT babies lived in them.

Hire a bed nest- look into it. Moses baskets are very short term and I don't know many babies who like them!

You don't need a changing table. We never used ours.

Sleepyhead is good for the very early days for nap times but they say it is not safe for overnight sleeping. I bought one and actually only used it twice, but some friends swear by them.

Don't use your carry cot every day for overnight sleeping. I do t know why but although they say they can be used on trips or whatever, the lullaby trust says they are not safe for regular overnight sleeping as they don't breathe the same as a purpose-designed sleeping item, and so increase the risk of sids.

You need a monitor.

You need a room thermometer.

I would say six bottles would be good. If you buy MAM bottles you can sterilise them in the microwave. After six months they can just go through the dishwasher.

Don't bother with toys until much later; they really aren't interested.

Get a u shaped nursing pillow, it saves your back when feeding and also can be used to prop them up etc.

Bouncy chair helped ours nap

Play mat ours loved- still does if we let him.

Almost all you can buy post birth when you find out what kind of baby you get!

Agree that supermarkets and boots are great for babygros / sleepsuits etc. Also my LO is 11 months and I'm still using all the free bepanthen and sudocrem from bounty packs and midwife clinics so I wouldn't buy too much of that yet!

The post that made me comment though OP is that you have baby gates to keep cats out of the baby's room... i would test that out long before baby arrives as most cats will jump a gate (even if they don't LIKE doing it, the lure of a cosy cot or Moses basket will be too much!). I have 2 cats and tried almost everything so I would urge you to find a solution before baby arrives before you spend a fortune on cot nets and mesh domes for the Moses basket like me

OP - if you do get a perfect prep make sure you read up on it first. There has been a lot of bad press about them - tubes and filters can get really dirty. I did one bottle of formula before bed right from the start and always made it up fresh. I'm now doing all formula for my twins and decided against buying the perfect prep. Don't do night feeds but first thing in morning I just use ready made.

My cat can't jump due to his age so the gate should be fine. We had one in the old house to stop him getting in some rooms xx

I'm not sure on the prep as it's just another thing to clean. I've got the warmer as it came in a set... Happier with that as it doesn't risk uncleanness in making the bottle if that makes sense?

Do research the reasons behind the NHS advice OP. It's not there to make life difficult. It's because making bottles in advance risks serious illness. Some people do it and are fine, that's the nature of risk. Some people do it and their children ends up seriously ill.

I'm pretty sure I'll be happy to pre make the night feeds.

And I'm not sure how I'm meant to make bottles when I'm out. I know some places have bottle warming facilities but not boiling water

First post ever and don't feel like a legitimate mum yet! 6 weeks and 2 days pregnant after ICSI (and a long 5 year journey to get there...) and feeling very very sick. I have been so careful about healthy eating but all I can face at the moment is Dairylea on toast and rich tea biscuits. Please can people tell me that it gets better? Also how tolerant does your employer have to be (I was due to take a 5 hour journey to a meeting today but couldn't because I feel so nauseous, though not actually being sick). Any suggestions on feeling better than don't involve ginger? There's going to be loads more questions I am sure over the next 8 months! But any help on dealing with work and nauseau would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

You could take a flask of boiling water with you, as long as it keeps the water >70 degrees for long enough. You can also use ready made cartons for when you're out as these can be kept at the ambient temperature until opened, or you can make up a bottle at home, cool as quickly as possible and get it really cold. Then keep chilled in a decent chill bag plus icepack until you need to use it. I think it's got to be used within 4 hours if you do that. You'd need to be happy that the chill bag will definitely keep it cold enough.