A list of things to buy for first time parents! Hope this helps

[WhyTheHeckMe]

I just found an email that I've sent around to a few people that they've found really useful, a lot of people may not agree so feel free to add any extras or comments if you don't agree. Bear in mind this was aimed at a winter baby :-) hope it's of use. I'm pregnant again and I'm so glad i have this!

CLOTHES FOR WINTER
Necessary

• Short Sleeved Vests
• Babygrows (with integral Scratchmits, the ones we got without mits barely got used)
• Hats
• A few packs of scratch mits (we didn't use them much as they don't stay on)
• Bibs
• Snow suits (for out walking in their pram really as they're not allowed to wear them in the carseats)

Optional

• Cardigans (we got lots and he just never wore them! Maybe as he was a boy?!)
• Outfits - see below
• Long Sleeved Vests
• Socks - only need once they're in outfits

Long sleeved vests weren't really useful because they say in the winter, babies should wear short sleeved vests and baby grows so they don't overheat. We bought lots of long sleeved vests and he didn't wear them.
We also bought lots of proper 'outfits' but honestly for the first month or so, they just wear babygrows (also known as sleepsuits - I didn't get the difference and there is none! Probably obvious to everyone else haha) So all the outfits went to waste. They are asleep so often and you will probably barely leave the house initially, so its pointless putting them in anything else really.

BABY BEDDING

Necessary

• Something to sleep downstairs in - probably Moses Basket
• Cot for Nursery
• Mattress for Cot
• Fitted Sheets
• Cellular Blankets
• Baby Sleeping Bags (get 2 or 3, these have been a god send. In winter they need 2.5 tog and wear with sleepsuit and short sleeved vest)
• Cot Mobile (not really needed for a while)
• Something for baby to sleep in in your room. You can use your Moses Basket from downstairs but is a nightmare to keep carrying and they only last about 3 months. The Snuzpod we bought has been brilliant, costs around £220 including mattress but lasts a lot longer. Then if baby does outgrown moses basket, at around 3 months you can start putting them to bed upstairs anyway

Optional

• Cot Bumper (some links to SIDS, but still widely sold and they stop baby from hitting their head. We got a breathable mesh one)
• Sleepyhead Deluxe - mimics the womb, large pillow. Has been amazing! Costs about £100 from John Lewis but most women from my NCT group ended up buying them. The transition from cosy womb to large, open matress is too much for most babies! Wont fit in Moses Basket so only buy if you plan on getting baby to sleep in something bigger such as the Snuzpod (or cot in your room)

NURSERY

Necessary

• Cot (a cot-bed is a good long term investment, they don't cost that much more. Ours was around £180 and in the East Coast range which is sold widely but also in Asda)
• Chest of Drawers
• Baby Monitor (we have the Angelcare Movement Monitor that comes with a Sensor Pad. Highly recommend. Also has a thermometer and nightlight built in. Other people love video monitors but we decided we'd spend our lives watching it!)

Optional

• Cot top changer (doesn't really get used that often but a life saver if you end up having a c-sec. Cost around £30)
• Changing Station / Chest of Drawers with Change unit on top. - I personally wouldn't recommend these. They're expensive and can't use once baby rolls over (which was @ 9 weeks for us!)
• Gro Egg - really useful for giving you the room temperature. Glows either Blue, Amber or Red depending on temp. Doubles up as a nightlight
• Nightlight - if you don't buy the above
• Rocking Nursing Chair (we used allll the time for night feeds)
• Baby Coat Hangers (Ikea do wooden ones really cheap and they're lovely)

BATHING & CHANGING

Necessary

• Nappies (plenty of size 1. I bought Micro too which i didn't need (for if the baby is around 5lb or less!)
• Nappy sacks
• Baby Wipes - honestly don't bother with cotton wool and water. Total waste of time you'll be there forever especially with the awful tar-like poos in the first few days. However the hospital will only let you use Water Wipes (sold in Boots for about £2.50 a pack. They're very pure. Use them for a month, then switch to a standard sensitive baby wipe (Mamia / shops own are fine)
• Nappy Rash Cream (we use one called Weleda Candula Nappy Cream and metanium are great. Don't get on with sudocrem one bit
• Changing Mats x2 (one for downstairs / one for upstairs)
• Basket to put all your nappy change stuff in
• Hooded Towels for Baby
• Bath Thermometer
• Sponges
• Nail Clippers or Files
• Baby Massage Oil / Shampoo / Bodywash - ANY BRAND BUT JOHNSONS! Notoriously terrible for babys skin as they're so perfumed. I ignored this advice and ** developed awful rashes for days till we stopped using it. Asda own is good
• Cotton pads for wiping babys face and eyes (don't use balls, they shed like mad)

Optional

• Baby Bath (we've used ours a lot, still use it now. Others say they're rubbish)
• Baby Comb
• Bath Support (for when they're in the big bath)

FEEDING

Necessary

• Lots of Muslins

Optional

• High Chair (for when u need it. Ikea are great and cheap and used in loads of restaurants)

IF YOU BREASTFEED

• Breast Pads for Leakages (you'll need these anyway as when your milk comes in you'll know about it!)
• Lansinoh Nipple Cream (trust me!)
• Nipple Shields

IF YOU ARE EXPRESSING TOO

• Breast Milk Storage Bags
• Breast Pump (Medala Electric Pump is brilliant)
• Steraliser (Tommee Tippee Electric one is fab and comes with all bottles / teats / Bottle warmer etc that you'll need so no need to buy anything else! This is the same for if you choose to forumla feed, it literally comes with everything)

IF YOU BOTTLE FEED

• Steraliser - as above
• Also if you plan on bottle feeding from the start, i think you have to take your own formula and bottles to hospital as they only provide them if you can't breastfeed for medical reasons. I'm sure that's what they said to me!)

FOR YOU

Necessary

• Maternity Sanitary Pads - get the maternity ones not normal ones. They're absolutely massive and hideous but they soak up a lot!!
• Cheap big pants - I bought them from Sainsburys, a pack of about 5 black size 14 pants. You'll be so grateful for comfy knickers!

Optional

• Nursing Bras if you breastfeed (your boobs will be huge and hard for a few weeks, but then go back to normal size once you're milks calmed down so don't buy too many huge bras. I made that mistake and now none fit me as they're all too big)

The rest of the stuff for you is under the hospital bag bit!

OUT AND ABOUT

Necessary

• Travel System (you get carseat / carrycot / pushchair all in one. These are great as when baby falls asleep in the carseat, you don't have to transfer them to a seperate pushchair, just put the carseat straight onto your wheels)
• Changing Bag (get one that includes a fold up change mat)

Optional

• Sun blinds for the car
• Sling for carrying baby in (can't recommend one as my Baby Bjorn really hurts my back)
• Toys to hang off carseat / pushchair
• Mirror for car to hang off the back headrest so you can see baby in your rearview mirror as they're rear-facing (I recommend the Hauck Mirror which you can buy off internet)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Bouncer (just to sit them in and give you a break, they don't need to do anything fancy as long as you can bounce baby to sleep!)
• Playmat (Mamas and Papas Stargaze one is brilliant for keeping them entertained as has twinkly lights)

NEXT IS WHAT I WOULD PUT IN YOUR HOSPITAL BAG!

FOR YOU

• Lip balm (gas and air absolutely dries your lips out)
• Throat sweets (as above)
• Phone charger
• Hairbrush
• Hairbands
• 10 x pairs of cheap big pants
• Paracetamol (the only form of pain relief you can take till you're 4cm dialated)
• Ear plugs (for if you end up on a shared ward after)
• Facewipes
• Drinks Bottle with BENDY STRAW! By far the best thing i took in - needs to be something your partner can just hold while you sip without tilting your head back!
• Carrier bags (for bringing dirty stuff home)
• Flip flops for shower
• Nightdress for labour (preferably one with buttons down the front if you plan on breastfeeding. Ysou dont wear hospital gown unless you have c-sec)
• Nicer pjs for after birth
• Loose, comfortable going home outfit
• Birthing plan / Maternity Notes
• Maternity Sanitary Pads (10 or so)
• Dressing Gown
• Slippers
• Nursing Bras (1 or 2)
• Breast Pads (10 pairs or so)
• Nipple Cream
• Wash Bag
• Toothbrush / Toothpaste
• Shampoo / Conditioner
• Face Moisturiser (skin can get dry)
• Thick socks
• Dark Towel (from memory i don't think they provided any towels!?)
• Tens Machine (I didn't use one but some swear by them - you can hire them or buy them)
• Money
• Snacks (crisps / chocolate / etc. I also took pots of 'Just add water' Energy Porridge. Absolute godsend!)
• Glasses / Contact Lenses

FOR PARTNER

• Phone Charger
• Clothes (he should wear layers. It'll be winter but can be really hot. My husband wore a jumper and was roasting. A casual shirt is ideal as he can have skin to skin with baby too which is lovely for bonding)
• Toiletries
• Handheld fan (to use on him and you!)
• Change for the carpark
• Camera

FOR BABY

• Vests (I'd take 5)
• Sleepsuits (I'd take 5)
• Scratchmits (if not on babygrow)
• Hat - absolute must
• Blanket for baby to sleep under in hospital
• Blanket for carseat
• Snowsuit
• Water Wipes (1 pack)
• Nappies (probably 20)
• Dummy
• Nappy sacks
• Changing Bag
• Car Seat

What I did was had my main bag, but also had a 'back up bag' in the car with extra clothes / nappies / toiletries / breast pads / maternity pads etc incase i stayed in longer than 24 hours (which I ended up in for 5 days in total so was totally worth it!!)

Great list, but honestly it doesn’t have to be that much i bought a lot for my first baby and that list still has more!

I didnt go for a maternity/babywearing coat with my little one - they seemed to expensive when I already loved the coat I had. I got a jacket extender panel from Zip Us In - wayy cheaper than a whole new coat! x

I have three DC and no experience of the hospital only allowing water wipes... maybe that varies area to area or the rules have changed since I last had a baby (was almost six years ago tbf but I equally can’t imagine people where I live buying water wipes as opposed to cheaper options like pampers or even supermarket brand.)

Personally all I found absolutely vital for my three DC was:

Pram- I liked both icandy and bugaboo. Smooth to push, I liked the fact you could have a carrycot and car seat option and liked the fact they can be rear facing.
Lots of babygrows and vests in 0-3 for me, all the newborn stuff went to waste as my smallest was 9 lbs 6, biggest 10 lbs 3 . So if there’s any possibility of your baby being a big ‘un make sure you have lots of 0-3 as well as NB. They only really wear babygrows for the first couple of months ime so there’s no need for fancy outfits and definitely no need for bootees...
Nappies. I used disposables with my first born but reusables with the next two. I had approx 12 reusable nappies and used disposable liners when they were tiny as their poo really can’t be scraped off reusable ones. I also used reusable wipes with the next two but just bought boxes of pampers nappies and wipes with my first.
Snowsuit if they’re born in winter (none of mine were but the first was early March so I did use his for a month.)
Car seat obvs. I liked maxi cosi as it was compatible with my prams.
Baby Bjorn bouncer. I tried swings which my DC hated, this bouncer was the best thing I ever invested in tbh.
Moses basket and stand. You can get two as I did for my first- one for upstairs and one for down. Or you can transport the same one up and downstairs which is better economically (or they can sleep in the carrycot of their pram, let’s face it..)
Breast pump and bottles. Bottles are useful for pumping but also if breastfeeding doesn’t go to plan, which it doesn’t always! I preferred electronic breast pumps to manual ones which hurt and were extremely tedious.
Blankets- they only really need two or three. For some reason people love to buy babies blankets and a lot of them go to waste.
If you are planning on BFing then definitely invest in nursing bras, breast pads (LOTS OF THEM!) and Lansinoh nipple cream...
Optional:
Baby sling. Babywearing isn’t for everyone but I loved it and found it incredibly useful for times when I was busy pottering around the house and had a fussy baby that didn’t want to be left alone.

Honestly I think for a newborn, that is about it.

As for your hospital bag all I found ‘vital’ was:
A nightgown to labour in. Slightly more dignified than wearing a Tshirt and trousers and needing to take the trousers off... I just had a cheapo primark one I didn’t mind getting ruined.
Biggggg knickers. No need to buy special ‘disposable’ ones. Again, I just got massive black primark ones.
Big pads. You can get the maternity ones but they’re expensive and I preferred Kotex night time.
Lip balm- gas&air dries your lips out something chronic.
A couple of changes of clothes just in case/a change of pjs.
Three babygrows and vests- take 0-3 as well as NB if you may have a big baby .
A few nappies and baby wipes (though the hospital do provide them if you fall short).
Nipple cream
Your phone and charger
Purse
Snowsuit if the baby is born in a colder month

I think that’s it in all honesty. All that I can remember anyway.

Everything else really is optional. As long as they have nappies, clothes, food and a warm safe place to sleep that’s all that matters.

Thank you so much for posting this! I didn't know where to start. Copied and pasted. : )

Thanks OP. This list is just what I'm after!

Thanks so much for this list :)