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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Buying 'stuff'... when to start?!

33 replies

Catz · 12/04/2007 13:22

I'm just past 27 weeks with my first and have bought nothing at all for the the baby. Nothing, nada. All I have is a teddy that my mum got free with something and a blanket my gran's friend made for us..... the 'nursery' currently has bare plaster walls where we've just stripped off the wallpaper to redecorate. I did wonder round mothercare on Sat in a state of utter confusion...

I wasn't too worried about this, we've almost certainly got about 3 months to go so I thought I'd start making decisions on the 'big things' in the next few weeks, spend some time dropping heavy hints to friends with toddlers about borrowing things (!) and then start to buy more general 'stuff' in a month or so. I've been panicked by taling to a group of girls who are about the same stage as me and are saying things like 'well the only thing I really have to buy now is a co-ordinating parasol to go with the new baby blanket' ?!?!?

Should I worry and when did you start buying things? I've got a feeling that most of this baby stuff is a marketing con so am just trying to work out which bits are and which aren't!

Thanks!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Nip · 12/04/2007 13:27

personally we bought the things that we would need (ie moses basket and sheets, bottles, steriliser, baby gros and sleep suits, car seat and pushchair) And then once DS had arrived we were very lucky to receive lots of gifts from people (more sleepsuits, baby gros, blankets, teddies, toys etc etc).

We then only had to pop and get the few things we were short of.

I would say get the room decorated and take it slow - 3 months is still a fair bit of time to go!

scorpio1 · 12/04/2007 13:29

i had bought a bit by your stage,deffo the big things-pushchair,cot,moses basket.

dont worry,you have time,but you will be getting bigger/more tired, so may be easier to start shopping sooner rather than later.check out sales, etc.

Today i got an online code for mothercare:10% off everything bought online. enter W7T at checkout.

HTH

ILoveDolly · 12/04/2007 13:31

I think you have been right to wait until this point but my advice would be
a) do the nursery now! you might not feel like it when you get much bigger
b) newborn babies do a lot of runny poo/sick so you will need more clothes than you think. Try to get hand-me-downs soonish so you have plenty of time to wash 'em.
c) a lot of the lists you get from shops about what to buy are conning you - try to find a sensible impartial book about birth as this will give you a more honest comprehensive list to work from.
d)you've got plenty of time but IMO you should try to have everything ready several weeks before your due date as you never know, you might be a bit early. I liked sitting around in the last 2 weeks and seeing the cot and the hospital bag full, thinking that i was all ready. good luck

Loopymumsy · 12/04/2007 13:31

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ILoveDolly · 12/04/2007 13:39

yes don't to want to scare you but i know a lady that dashed out at the last minute to buy everything, struggled home on the bus and her waters broke while she was coming home! she blames all that heavy shopping for actually bringing her on!! but obviously it was all fine

PurpleLostPrincess · 12/04/2007 13:41

I'm only 16+5 but I'm thinking about this too. Having had m/c's in the past, I'm holding off until at least 20 weeks, partly because we're going to find out the sex so we know whether or not to buy blue or pink (or purple!) and partly because I'm not sure if I can handle it just yet.

Its well worth reading that other thread about what not to waste your money on - having had two before, I have a kind of list in my head of things I know I'm not going to bother with because I know it'll be a complete waste of time...

You'll be fine, maybe you could set yourself a sort of deadline and kick into gear at maybe 30 weeks or something if you're not sure just yet? That would give you 10 weeks (give or take a few) to get sorted...

All the best!

geordiemacminx · 12/04/2007 13:52

We started buying stuff after 20 week scan, mainly because we knew it was a boy then and had past all the major worry points IMO...

It has meant that we havent had to spend huge amounts in one go, and have bought stuff that we liked as and when rather than having to buy things for the sake of it at 38 weeks...

Now at 38 weeks we are completly organised, just a few bits for hospital bag, and have started buying nappies when we do weekly shop as it takes the pressure off for the first few weeks..

Plus I cant manage more than an hours shopping now I'm that tired!!

ILoveDolly · 12/04/2007 13:56

a few weeks before start stocking up on food in the freezer (homecooked, ready-meals, whatever) so for the first few weeks of new baby you won't need to do so much routine cooking or shopping. i did and it was really really helpful.

hana · 12/04/2007 13:58

just remember in buying big things, the warrentees start as soon as they are bought, thinking of expensive prams

tokentotty · 12/04/2007 14:04

I feel very similar to you Catz to be honest. Am 23 weeks and have nothing at all. Also don't want to buy a load of stuff that I just don't want or need. Having said that, I agree with quite a few of the other posters here about not leaving it too late when you can barely make it upstairs to the toilet in time, let alone round shops ! Have finally decided what pram I'm going to buy and what the baby will sleep in when it arrives and have said to DH that we'll go out in the next couple of weeks and do our research and then start buying around 30 weeks I should think.

Original poster

Catz · 13/04/2007 11:10

Thanks for all your replies. My cousin recently lost her baby around 22/23 weeks, there's no reason why I should have the same thing but I was very reluctant to plan for a long time and have only just started to feel comfortable with doing that.

Will go to pram shop at lunch!

OP posts:

honey2theb · 13/04/2007 12:40

im 20 weeks on tuesday and i have bought a few little bits! i feel a bit scared now though reading these posts as i have had 2 mc in the last year. Got my scan on tuesday and feel like im tempting fate not to wait until then!!

TheShopaholic · 13/04/2007 12:55

hi i'd bought a few bits and bobs by now and had to order the pram as it was on a 18 week leadtime....

MrsBadger · 13/04/2007 13:05

22 weeks
bought nothing at all
know what we need though (chosen pram etc)

Have planned expeditions thus:
a) collect attic full of second hand stuff from DH's cousin
b) NCT secondhand sale
c) trip with MIL to John Lewis to testdrive pram and carseat and arrange for delivery
d) Ikea
e) Tesco for everything else

Anything else we discover we need will be ordered online and delivered - to be fair we haven't built the nursery yet (only putting up a partition wall) so don't have anywhere to store anything yet anyway.

sophus · 13/04/2007 14:47

I've got a few things already which have been leant or given to me. I plan to buy big stuff earlier than usual as i will be at my largest during the summer so don't want to be slogging round shops in hot yucky weather.
My advice - do your planning now via the web so that when you feel ready to shop you can do it without endless trudging, and then if you see good offers or deals you'll know whether it is worth going for it.

jem1969 · 13/04/2007 14:53

22 weeks and one babygrow so far!

Sort of looked at prams but all a bit daunting so have organised the John Lewis nursery advisory appointment in about 4 weeks so hopefully will get a bit sorted after that.

LUCIA22 · 13/04/2007 15:24

Like others have said, we did our research before hand by collecting catalogues from different shops and using the internet rather than rush into buying things we may not actually need or can get cheaper elsewhere. We have just got the bear minumum as so many people have said not to bother with alot of the stuff on the lists in the books. Didnt start buying stuff until about 30 weeks as didnt want to tempt fate but we were lucky to have been given/leant alot of things by then so had minimal stuff to buy. The best advice we were given was not to worry about eveything matching as it is a waste of money and dont buy something in a specialist baby shop when you can get it for a fraction of the price else where eg Tescos. I wouldnt even worry too much about the nursery as I would presume it will sleep in with you for the first few months.

lizziemun · 13/04/2007 16:27

Can I just add when we bought the cot,pram and car seat (we used Nippers) they stored them free of charge untill nearer the time, I think we bought around wk20 and collected it at about wk 38, which was just in time as dd was born at 39weeks

I don't know if other places do this, as some people do not like things in the house before the baby for example my grandparents.

MrsBadger · 13/04/2007 16:38

ooh, that's interesting - not because I'm especially superstitious but just because we have no space...

Loopymumsy · 13/04/2007 20:52

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tribpot · 13/04/2007 20:58

I think it's traditional not to get anything delivered before the baby arrives, my mum has told me this.

I didn't do anything til v late on, but that was (a) because I started a new job 200 miles from home at 33 weeks pregnant and (b) I had 9 nephews and nieces at the time (now ten) so kinda knew anything I didn't have I would be able to get from someone if I needed it.

I am firmly opposed to decorating the nursery, it takes a bag of time which would be better spent asleep/eating chocolate/both and the baby couldn't care less anyway.

I will say, though, that all my baby clothes presents were for 3-6 months, people having realised you don't get much wear out of the newborn/0-3 months stuff. So worth stocking up on some of these.

Co-ordinating parasol for the baby blanket yeah, that' what really matters

FioFio · 13/04/2007 21:01

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MuminBrum · 13/04/2007 21:07

Dear me, you are all well organised. When DS was born, we had one packet of newborn nappies and one package of seven popper vests, which my best friend bought me. The family moses basket was at my sister's - I was too superstitious to have it in the house - with a bag of hand-me-down newborn babygros and some muslins. DP went and bought a car seat two days after DS was born so he could bring us home. Mind you, he was so discombobulated by the whole thing that he forgot to bring me any clothes to go home in, and I had to leave hospital in my nightie and dressing gown!

badharry · 14/04/2007 09:55

Would really recommend NCT sales, I went to one a few weeks ago and got loads of stuff unbelievably cheaply - also if you are as much of a cheapskate as me go to the car boot and Primark!

I was totally overwhelmed the first time I went to mothercare, I kind of had to keep going back in stages to stop it being so shocking (still not bought anything there, mind, as am too tight!!)I got their catalogue which has a list of stuff you need on the back and got my friend with a baby to give me the honest version, and the threads on here about what you need are really helpful.
Just start getting a bit at a time, makes it less scary and you kind of feel like you're making a dent in it! And yep, I think you're right, a lot of it is a big con and a rip off, so don't be sucked in!!

aviatrix · 14/04/2007 10:15

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