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

[Catz]

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!

Thanks! Glad to see that I'm not that abnormal. It's very reassuring to know that babies have survived without matching parasols...!!

Yes tribpot, I had the same thoughts on decorating nurseries but we moved house a few months ago and it was previously owned by people in their late 60s with a passion for floral embossed wallpaper and garish bright floral carpets...

LOL Aviatrix, glad I wasn't the only one with no carseat! Re the dressing gown business, the midwife who carried DS down to the front door of the hozzer for me said, "you're not the first woman to leave her in her nightie and you won't be the last!". She said that even when DHs do manage to bring clothes to go home in, they are quite capable of bringing in a pre-pregnancy posh frock and wellies, or something else equally unsuitable ...

With ds1 started decorating his room with 3 months to go (Was a new house and I always said he'd be in there from the start). With 2 months to go dh put together the cot we'd had given to us by a friend and the crib (dh's old one) was delivered by my PIL. With 1 month to go our order (incl. the pushchair) arrived from mothercare online. This included the basics and over the first week that ds1 was here dh went on daily trips for bits and bobs that we needed (I'd bought as little as possible and had underestimated the effect of runny bottoms and sickly possets).
With ds2 I rearranged the boys room with 3 months to go and bought some nappies, formula for emergencies and new bottles and expressing equipment at 1 month to go.
Didn't buy any fun stuff for either ds beforehand, and with ds1 in particular we got loads of nice pressies. They don't appreciate it to start with anyway, and once you've had them a while you have a much better idea of what they need - so why waste your money when you could be watching the discovery channel!

I'm only just og so clearly not buying anything just now, but all being well, our plan is just to save save save rather than buy buy buy, so the money is there when we need it nearer the end. Hopefully!

I am actually PG not OG!!

Am 17 + 3 so early days but too superstitious to buy anything until at least 7 Months (although have done net research and a list of to buy)... having had 2 m/c already I'm actually superstitious even about buying maternity stuff. Although starting to need it -have kept it in the bags with receipt just in case.