What do I need to buy?

[Babybear1117]

Someone please feel free to link me to a thread I’ve missed if this is somewhere else!

So I found out about 3 days ago that I’m 3+ weeks got ny booking in appointment Monday 😊

My next worry is how we are going to afford everything we need to buy! So if you all have any ideas please let me know so I can make a list to budget for!
So far I’ve added:
Pushchair
Car seat
Coat bed
Bedroom furniture
Moses basket
Clothes - not much
Changing bag
Bottle steriliser

Cot not coat! Haha

There are really good lists online if you look at websites for mothercare, mamas and papas, etc.

If you’re getting a Moses basket, you can put off the cot for a little while and you don’t need nursery specific furniture. All our stuff is in a cupboard in the spare room/nursery for now. We might get a chest of drawers for her at some point but it’s not a priority.

eBay has really good deals on second hand cribs and cots, you just need a new mattress. There are lots of secondhand clothing bundles and grobags too. Good luck!

@redavocado thankyou! I’ll have a look on the websites and yes I was thinking a chest that’s wide enough for a changing mat etc on top! I’ll have a look on eBay. I’m not too worried for clothes as I know we will get a lot as presents. Thank you

Ahh good plan. I’m a little clumsy and cheap so I’ll probably be changing DD on a mat on the floor!----

@redavocado why not! I’m clumsy too so I may steal this idea hahaa

You've got pretty much everything covered.

When I was 3 weeks, it didn't sink in I was even pregnant never mind making lists lol.

I personally wouldn't buy anything big like pram, cot etc until the 12 weeks dating scan.

It's not as much as people make out preparing for a baby, I've bought what I can second hand and in sales.

@cherryontopp hahaha I wake up and don’t think it’s real still but I want to be as prepared financially as possible at least if I budget for everything not necessarily buy anything until I’m 5months but then I’ll know what prices I need to pay xx

Just make a list of essentials and then make a list of extras that you would like to suggest to family as gifts. I was lucky and got our cot and pram from a family member but a lot of things we got second hand! Moses basket was second hand, got a clothes bundle off a colleague so we have more than enough. Things like a thermometer I got a fancy 5 in 1 one in the sale but I was adamant I had to have it 🙈 bedding etc you can get cheap in the likes of asda, aldi have newborn nappies for 99p at the moment which I think is amazing! Also I didn't start buying until maybe 7/8 months as I'm so unorganised but it's definitely easier to buy as you go along! Try charity shops or car boot sales for things like a baby bath if you wanted to use one, congratulations and hope all goes well, don't let yourself get overwhelmed like I did!

Side car cot. Saved my sanity.

Sling- NCT close Caboo is good.

@jessiecat27 it doesn’t feel real yet but im going to try and stock up on little bits along the way and then buy one big thing each month after Christmas trying to be as prepared as possible so we don’t have to buy all at once. I’m pretty certain that both our parents will want to buy one big thing each ie car seat/pushchair (we are pretty lucky in that we both have amazing families) so I’m not too worried about those too! Thank you and the same to you!!
@silenceisadistantmemory okay fab I’ll look into them both! Thankyou xx

If your buying a Moses don't bother with nursery stuff yet, my dd is 4 months and with us in our room and won't be moving for a while we haven't even started on her room... we have a next to me crib depending on what you're planning on spending they are around £180 but are bigger that a Moses so are in it for longer she's out ground her Moses already

@mehhh oh great idea I’ll have a look at some I’m sure i can pick up a cheap Moses Basket anyway as one of my friends has recently had a baby. Thank you and hope all is well with your daughter! X

Congratulations!

Maybe consider a baby monitor if you think you'll use it?

I think you've got most bases covered. I'd recommend looking at Ikea for furniture - our cot was from there and really reasonable, they have lots of the basics (including the classic highchair for later on).

@helly29 completely forgot about monitor!! Thank you!! And I’ll take a look thanks xx

Slightly off topic but the very best thing I did when I was pregnant was do a breastfeeding course. I didn't breastfeed my first as he was in scbu. I learnt everything I needed to know about what was normal and when they have growth spurts etc. It was invaluable and I breastfed him without any issues at all.

@calamityjam I didn’t even realise you could do that! Thank you I’ll speak to my midwife about it on monday x

Its done through sure start and LA leche league

@calamityjam okay thankyou!

When we had DC1 everything came from ebay (I hadn't discovered FB local selling sites then!) The only thing he had new was his car seat as I refused to even consider a 2nd hand one. I also loved my close carrier/sling - can't wait to get a new one when DC5 hatches in May :)
Breastfeeding saves you a fortune in bottles/steriliser/formula etc.
Also agree that nursery furniture can be bought after baby has arrived - they don't need a special bath etc.
Have you considered washable nappies, especially if you're hoping this will be a first child of a few?

@Babybear1117 no worries!! It was a good buy! Congrats and good luck!! X

I’ve not read all your replies, so sorry if I repeat what others have said, but one way we made big savings is by not buying nursery furniture. Put the word nursery before a chest of drawers/wardrobe and the price miraculously doubles. Standard Ikea drawers do the same job. Ikea are also really reasonable for cots. I think their cheapest is £69 or something.
You won’t use a changing table - a £6 changing mat and the floor/bed is much easier and cheaper!!
Clothes: buy 0-3 months. My baby was only 7lbs but we got no use out of a lot of newborn items as she was too long for them.
Supernarket nappies abs clothes can be very reasonable.
Breast feeding saves hundreds on formula/sterilising/bottles etc.
Ask for mothercare vouchers if people want to but you gifts so you don’t risk duplicates and can get what you need (mamas and papas is quite expensive).
Enjoy being pregnant and try not to worry - everything works out!!
Hope that helps. Xx

I've not bothered with a moses basket. Just takes up extra space imo but then we're in a flat so it's not a problem putting him in the cot when he gets here.

Our for came from Ikea but was gifted to us from family. They refused to let us buy it. (Not an expensive one either)
Our cot mattress in a non brammnded one from ebay. We paid about 25 for it. Maybe less.
Sheets etc all from aldi/b&m/lidl as I refuse to spend 20 quid on 2 sheets argos I'm looking at you
Instead of paying loads for a changing bag I'm just going to be using a large handbag or side sports bag type thing.again, I refuse to pay out ridiculous amounts for one.
Charity shops for furniture but our chest if drawers has been given to us by my sister. She was getting rid of it anyway to make room for some ikea storage for her shoes. Only piece of furniture we're using besides the cot.
Car seat and pushchair were donated to us from a friend who didn't need it anymore. It still has a 5 year warranty on it.

Mind you, we're on a really tight budget (DH earns less than 12k a year) but we've still managed everything.

@Purplelynny17
@deaddoorposrt
Thankyou for your replies my plan was to just get a chest of drawers, I have three jobs and at one of them we sell furniture and it’s not ridiculously expensive either so hoping we can just get a big chest of drawers to put clothes nappies baby wipes etc in!
I get where you’re coming from a lot of places bump up the price just because it includes the work baby or nursery! Me and my mum are both bargain hunters so I’m sure as soon as we tell her she’ll be on the case

Just buy the essentials and don't go too crazy! For my first I spent hundreds on anything and everything I could find. Half of it we didn't use or she didn't like or she grew out of before we could use it!

Congratulations OP! You seem to have a pretty comprehensive list. My only advice would be to ditch the 'nursery furniture' totally unnecessary and always overpriced, and how long is a miniature wardrobe going to be used for really? A chest of drawers with enough space for a change mat on the top is all you will need, and will last until the baby leaves home! Get a full sized wardrobe once they are older and actually need to hang clothes up, less risk of them pulling it on top of themselves that way. We got given so so much stuff when we had DD that most of it didn't even get used. Just buy the basics, which it looks like you have listed, anything else can be ordered and delivered in a few days if you suddenly realise you need x y z.