The smaller things to buy

[ExpectingFirst]

Hi, I was just wondering if anybody had made a list and what was on said list regarding what to buy for baby for like bath time, creams, medicines etc? I've got no idea what i'm going to need!

Thanks :)

A baby wash of some sort (we used simple baby lavender on hair and body). A sponge/flannel if you don’t want to use your hands. Nappy cream (sudocrem or a more natural one like burts bees), nail clippers. Medicine wise you can’t give to a newborn but at some point in the future you’ll want calpol. Wipes/nappies/nappy bags. Cotton wool. Lansinoh for you if you’re going to breast feed but it’s good for things like dribble rash too.

Other stuff that’s handy - a really long phone charger and a night light for night feeds

As above plus Muslin cloths, bibs, organic massage oil for after the bath helps when newborn skin is peeling. Ear thermometer highly recommended too.

nail clippers (although some people bite the nails to keep them short)
washed my kids in plain water for months
lavender oil to go in a bath for you (helps with healing)
Maternity pads and something soothing to go on them - I love witch hazel gel
breast pads if you're planning on breastfeeding
saline nasal drops or spray (spray is easier to give) for if they get all snotty with mucus
have some sort of nappy rash cream on hand in case - sudocrem worked fine for ours, I've seen others recommend bepanthen
a drinks bottle for you, particularly if you're breastfeeding, to make it easy to stay hydrated
more nappies than you can possibly imagine one child needing

for when they are 3 months old upwards - calpol (mine have been bad teethers), snuffle babes (which is a kind of baby vicks rub), olbas oil to put on a muslin in their room - also to help with stuffy noses if they get a cold or similar.

A baby thermometer. Don’t wait until sick baby at 3am - like I did.

The best thing I could recommend which I didn't actually buy until after baby was born is sleeping bags. Amazing.

Infacol in case baby gets colic. Maybe snufflebabe for colds and whilst sudocrem is good the yellow metamium is very good for if you get really bad nappy rash

"more nappies than you can possibly imagine one child needing" - made me lol, didn't even think of how many nappies I should buy! Definitely stocking up on those. Heard good things about the Mamia Aldi ones.

Thank you for all your replies, I shall add all these into my notebook on my list to buy! :)

I personally wouldn’t buy loads of nappies - different brands fit different babies differently. I’d buy a few small packs of a few brands and see which one you get on with. Also seems to be the law that the minute you stock up on nappies they grow out of them and need the next size up

Studies on Infacol show it’s no better than placebo www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2013/04/before-you-try-infacol-try-this-blog.html?m=1

Oh thats so interesting @inneedofalieinnow I never thought infacol was effective!

I swaddled by daughter from birth which she loved, you can buy lovely cotton ones

Organic almond oil is lovely for after the bath to massage into their skin, very relaxing before bed (and nice for your skin too)

Energy bars for 3am night feeds!

A thermal cup with a lid so you can drink hot tea without fear of spilling it on their heads!

If you don't have a baby bath yet, I'd highly recommend the Angel care bath support - you can use from their first bath and they are totally secure so you can be hands free, my daughter was in it until she could sit up, totally brilliant.

Don't buy too much. You can overprepare and you don't end up using everything. I would just wait and see what you end up needing and pick it up later.

As long as you have somewhere safe for them to sleep, something to dress them in for a few days, something to clean up their poo, something to feed them, somewhere to put them down and a legally approved car seat, you're good to go. Everything else is subjective and one person's essential is another person's rubbish. You can always pick things up later.

Buy some nappies but not loads, you'll find you and baby get on with some more than others.

Don't need bath stuff- nothing but water for the first month (and longer, we didn't use any bath stuff, cream, shsmpoo or wash etc) until DS was more than 18months!

Our best things have been vaseline- only two incidences of nappy rash in 18 months (one was my fault for giving her broccoli) and a Shnuggle baby bath which fits in the kitchen sink.

Also, never underestimate the power of one special soft toy. Bun is king in our house!

Nasal aspirator (the ones where you put one end in their nose and suck through the other end)
I got mine from Morrison's and it's been so handy!

Tommy tippy healthcare and grooming set (come with hair brush, nail clippers, nail files, thermometer etc)

Dummy clips (NOT the beaded ones)
It's so handy not having to bring a load of dummies out because baby has spat them on the floor

Lansinoh nipple cream (if you're planning to breastfeed)

I’d buy a few bits of stuff like cream etc but not too much as you never know if your baby will react badly to it; same with baby wipes etc.
There’s no harm in buying calpol although you can’t use it until they’re a bit older and any other Medicines I’d buy as and when you need them

Snot sucker and saline drops.

If you're using disposable nappies is worth buying a few small packs from different brands. One of mine pee'd through anything but Huggies and the other one has severe skin reactions from nearly all brands except Boots and wipes were a complete no go (she has scarring 5 years on as a result of these reactions, not just a bit of a rash!) so we used cloth nappies and wipes.

If you're using cloth check Facebook to see if you have a nappy library nearby to try before you buy as with disposables, not all babies fit the same shape.

Calpol and a syringe.
Someone bought us a sort of plastic holder to put the baby in the bath which was great.

Don't get bath stuff (advice is plain water at first), wipes (same - use cotton wool and water) or loads of nappies.

Invest in a good in ear thermometer so you don't end up panicking in the middle of the night that your baby might have a temperature. And lots of lansinoh if bf.