What have I missed?

[CailleachBheurh]

Money's pretty tight and we're going to have to be really on top of budgeting to make this work so I want to make sure there's not anything I haven't thought of.

Our list so far is-
Before baby is here:

• Basic clothes in at least first size and 0-3 months
• Cot, mattress and sheets
• Car seat
• Buggy
• Bouncer seat
• Baby bath or bath support
• First aid kit
• A few toys

After baby is born

• Nappies and wipes
• Replacement and bigger size clothes
• Breast pads
• Baby vitamins
• Bottles, steriliser and milk if breast feeding doesn't work out

What have we missed?

Any money saving tips would be much appreciated as well

Anyone?

Any baby vitamins you need you will most likely get free, and tinies don't need toys, they are interested in everything- the whole world is new!
Also ask around re hand-me-down's. Me and three friends have been rotating the same batch of 0-12m baby stuff for about 7 years now! Remember people will give you stuff too (our rotating kit now is so big that if the next person has triplets there will still be plenty...)
Re breastfeeding, with the right support it should work out just fine- but you might have to be quite pushy to get that support. You will get lots of conflicting advice. And it's definitely way cheaper! So worth paying a lactation consultant if needs be, you'll save it back compared to formula. (Ps- it may well just work easily without any support! That happens too!)

Not sure if you already have these things but:

Changing mat
Nipple cream and nursing bras if you're planning on bf'ing
Maternity pads
Changing bag
Muslin cloths (you will never have enough of these!)
Dummies if you're planning on using them
Moses basket if you can't fit cot in your room
Blankets or sleeping bags for sleeping, and blankets for pram/car seat

Somewhere for baby to sleep downstairs for the first few months for naps etc so he/she can be in same room as you.

I'll come back if I think of anything else!

Monitors

I'm a first time mum to be so am pretty clueless, but one thing that keeps getting recommended to me is a baby pod (like a Sleepy Head, but there are cheaper alternatives) or a bedside connecting co sleeper cot (it connects next to your bed), this is because you might not have the baby sleeping it a proper cot from day 1, and these are easier as you can just roll over and feed them, and not have to physically get out of bed and pick them up (but also no risk of rolling on them)

In terms of saying money, not sure if you've seen the 'Bounty' app, they have special offers on there for all things baby related.

Good luck! I'll be following this thread!

Following this thread!! I'm feeling extremely unprepared as a first time mum!

I'll be borrowing maternity clothes but I don't feel comfortable borrowing baby stuff in case it gets ruined. I will be buying second hand as far as possible though.

We need to stick to essentials so things like next to me cribs aren't really an option unfortunately.

Nursing bras and nipple cream is a good shout

We needed tiny baby, then new born and now 1 month but DD is/was small (she's 3.5 months now)

A baby carrier so you can still do a bit of stuff when baby won't be put down, mine one you tie and was £25.

Baby towels?

Straight jacket/baby swaddle thing (DD has just out grown the gro snug and we are screwed until we find a good replacement) I only go one as they are fairly expensive

My baby is an incredibly sicky baby so this doesn't apply to most I think but disposable bed pads save the sheets and make late night clean up quicker

We have washable wipes, never really got into nappies but wipes are great and I've never run out and it's cheaper in the long run.

I use a video baby monitor to do stuff in another room when she's sleeping for short periods.

Vest tops to wear under your normal tops so you pull outer top up and vest top down.

We had a starter kit or four bottles and a dummy, she took the bottles at first then stopped, she's currently ok with a different brand so when you get bottles while breastfeeding don't get loads. And I just sterilise with Milton.

I have used near 300 breast pads by now, I don't like the wet feeling of washable ones but my use has slowed no that I only leak while actively feeding.

Don't worry I literally ordered stuff on amazon before we left the hospital, as long as you can basically Feed, sleep, clean, clothe, travel (tbf we used a taxi without a car seat) you'll be fine

My partner and I are both small people so some tiny baby clothes might be a good idea

I don't like the idea of a baby carriers partly because, with my height, I don't think it would be very comfortable but mainly because I've heard they can cause hip problems.
I will look into which ones are safe for baby's hips though and try and keep some money aside for one just in case

I didn't have a baby bouncer so if you are trying to cut costs I wouldn't bother with it. Same with a baby bath or support. Can use the kitchen sink or get your partner to do it in a normal bath if you struggle after birth.

Clothes
Nappies
Wipes
Nursing bras
Maternity pads
Cot of some kind
Car seat
Buggy/sling (sling might be cheaper option to start off and can go to a sling library to check some out)
Blankets for sleeping

I'd wait to get a monitor as if baby is always in the same room, you won't need one initially. Changing mat is great for clean up purposes as are nappy bags (Tesco value or something) but I'm not sure they are a necessity.

I got way too much for dd. Thankfully most was handed down.

If you're looking for something for baby to sleep in for daytime, take a look and the babyboxco.com - you watch about 20mins worth of videos and pay £9.99 for delivery - they send you a baby box with a mattress like in Finland (or you can collect if near. I did mine the other day, about a 4-6week wait.

We bought as much as we could second hand - check out Facebook Marketplace, eBay and NCT sales. We got a pram/buggy that would be £900 new for less than half that, for example.

I thought the bouncer would be a cheaper alternative than a crib for baby to sleep in the living room but I'm in Scotland and I think we have a free baby box scheme here that I'd totally forgotten about so I'll have a look into that.

It is not recommended that you let babies sleep in chairs/ bouncers.
The angle means the scrunch up and can have trouble breathing.
The baby should sleep flat when ever possible.
Like if they fall asleep in there car seat move them into a crib etc when you get in.
As bits you need, most has been covered.
I would look at charity shops for a buggy/pram. We get lot in amazing condition in charity shops around me.

Rather than a Moses basket that will only do you a few months, Asda do a compact cot for £55 and the mattress is £30. I wish we'd have seen this before we got the Moses basket. Baby is measuring 90th centile so I suspect we won't get much use out of his basket.

eBay bundles are the best thing to look for for clothes and Facebook pages. My friend got so many bags of clothes £10 a time, put them on a hot wash and they were great.

I've taken to already buying clothes/coats etc in sales in bigger sizes. My nana bought baby a coat in 12-18m as that's when it'll be winter for him, and it cost he £7 in the Asda sale.

The same also applies for prams. You'll get some good travel systems on eBay that you can give a good wash down. I personally would have bought our pram second hand, it was DP who wouldn't. The only thing you need brand new is the car seat.

Do you have Aldi where you are? Their nappies are rated highly and the newborn ones cost just 85p a pack. We plan on buying all of baby's nappies and milk from there providing he isn't allergic.

In terms of the "nice to haves", whilst I've bought them, if I was on a budget, I wouldn't be bothering with the things like baby towels. Just wrap them up in a normal towel as long as they're warm and dry.

Blankets - Primark is your friend!

Oh if you're in Scotland you are fine- the baby box has all the essentials! You can add the nice to haves as they come up.
Re slings- only the dodgy high street ones cause problems with the baby's hips. You will get a decent stretchy wrap in your box, which you tie round yourself, so will therefore fit your exact body perfectly. If in doubt visit a sling library for help, and they will sort you out with one that fits you and your baby just right.

The Scottish baby box will be perfect for baby to sleep in for the first few months, it also has some clothes, a travel changing mat, stretchy wrap sling and other bits and bobs.

It might be worth keeping an eye out on fb selling groups for bundles of clothes, folk often have them up for sale and they are outgrown so quickly when they are teeny that it's a good way to pick things up and not break the bank.

The babybox has a few essentials. Your midwife should give you the form, I sent mine off last week (29weeks pregnant)
Facebook marketplace always has all sorts of things like prams, bouncers etc and lots of bargain bundles of baby clothes, but I would wait until baby arrives and you know which sizes you need.

You might be entitled to this too -
www.mygov.scot/pregnancy-and-baby-payment/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAn4PkBRCDARIsAGHmH3cQFrIqlP9x2HvkXr_VmWsNNIvIzIwEaZ38jaMnTPBran0ukiw_m-gaAhT0EALw_wcB
Worth checking