Baby stuff, equipment etc - views on where to start, what to buy and when! Thanks!

[MrsMcJnr]

Ladies ? clueless first timer here the more magazines I read and shops I go to the more clueless I feel! Any tips on what I should be buying and when would really help. For example, electric breast pumps ? seem expensive and obviously only needed one if I find I can BF but will I really be able to go and get one after the birth or should you get all that stuff in advance? Baby clothes ? I?ll need to wash them all won?t I so need to do that in advance? Also worried about the cost implications. Thanks in advance for all your tips! I?m only 14 weeks so suspect you?ll all tell me it?s too early ? I just want to be prepared

I really have to pass on a tip which my midwife now says she will pass on to all her ladies. When my best friend was in hospital after having DD she had to send her husband out for more supplies of maternity pads, unfortunately what he came back with were TENA lady incontinence PANTS!! And they were fab, they're quite expensive (about £7.00 from all supermarkets, you'll need the super ones) but having also now used them myself I swear by them. They are just like wearing a discrete nappy, they are incredably soft for all those sore bits, with a very strectchy waist band (brilliant for my c-section scar) and the best bit, when you change them you just tear down the sides and chuck the whole thing away. I told all my NCT class about them before they gave birth, they all used them and swore they would all tell their friends about them. I wore mine for at least a week as I unfortunately had to have an emergency c-section and the ultra soft wais band came up quite high so didn't rub.

Also I didn't know the sex of my baby so bought loads of cream babygrows etc but when she was born I just want ed to put her in all the lovely pink things everyone had bought her, so I would just by minimal cream/white and then get extras when you know what the sex is.

The Tigra Bath seat was brilliant, no one prepares for you for the delicate slippery little thing you have to try and bath and this just gave me more confidence. I also couldn't lift the baby bath full of water to empty it!

The Mamas and Papers rocking chairs are expensive but great.

I sent my mum off to get my breastpump when i needed it urgently, if you have family around they will be more than willing to help out and run errands.

Finally, this sounds really sad but whilst on maternity leave I cooked up big meals during the day (chilli, bolognaise etc) and froze them into portions. This meant all DH had to do was stick them in the microwave and i ensured that I ate healthily in first few weeks of breastfeeding and steered clear of the all too tempting take away.

Good luck, I'm now thinking I'm ready to do it all over again. DD is 17 months.

XXX

can deftinately reccomend the mamas and papas rocking chairs (for baby that is) about £75 new, i bought one on ebay a couple of weeks ago, but only £8.00 buy it now and about £8.00 postage, but i had one last time and found it invaluable, has multi positions, so baby could fall asleep in it and you could lock it to stop rocking and lie it down.great when you need to nip in bath or shower.oh and carry handles and folds flat when not in use.

also would agree with whoever suggested those nighties for babies, 2 for £7.99 in toys r us as i have been searching everywhere and couldnt find them, just bought mine today

Whatever you do, don't spend 50 quid on a change bag - they're always really heavy and bulky - I gave up on mine after a week.

Instead, get a nice big pretty beach bag (plastic hence wipeable), preferably one with at least one pocket with a zip (for purse, keys, mobile etc). Then get a £7.99 folding change set from Blooming Marvellous (other places do similar ones but that's the cheapest I found and it's great).

I'd second all the comments about borrowing whatever you can and not buying any clothes except vests and babygros. Don't go mad on toys either, especially not cuddly little animals, as you'll get given lots of those.

My other top tip would be to take a (recent) mother with you when you go baby-stuff shopping and, if possible, take a child with you when pram-shopping. Get the shop assistants to demonstrate everything and experiment to see what's right for you.

Finally, if money is tight, go out to the shops to test everything and decide exactly what you want to buy, but shop online because you can get huge savings and don't have to carry it all home!

Good tips there aliguard

I have found my older sister really helpful when going baby shopping as she dispenses fantastic advice like "wtf is a nasal aspirator? wait...you have to suck the snot out of their nose? EEEURGH NO!" lol

Seriously though, a lot of the crap these places sell is so unnecessary, you only have to look at the "essentials" list in the mothercare or babies r us catalogues to see that they play on our guilt and fear as new mums to make us spend a fortune on stuff we really don't need.

My best advice: Look at this fantastic and lengthy thread on moneysavingexpert.com where they show us how to buy for baby oldschool style

Borrow as much as you can, and accept any offers of help you get. One of my best buys was a tommee tippee nappy wrapper, you only have to empty it once/twice a week and stops all the smells, although the refills can be a bit pricey. We get through about one a month. The fisher price kick and pkay chair is fab, bought mine on ebay for a tenner, ds loves it.
Its well worth checking ebay and other second hand baby sites, as lots of baby equipment/clothes gets very little use. Good luck x

Hello, Just written a list of 'essentials' for a friend, and was very short! we have just had our second child.

Agree with the second hand, freecycle comments. Didn't even get round to putting my breastpump together until my first was 6 weeks, so not really urgent to get one.

Old sheets cut in half work well for cot and pram sheets. Supermarkets fantastic for baby gros and vests, baby towels etc. Ikea do a changing mat for about £4, and also value furniture if you can't get any for free.

Recommend lots of muslins (supermarkets sell these) Real nappies, can buy these on ebay, and they really will save you money. Think the trial packs are a good idea. Some councils will give you a voucher to buy real nappies, as you are helping them reduce waste into landfill.

You really don't need much stuff to start with, all they do at the start is eat poo and sleep (and grow out of stuff)

Don't buy newborn/0-3 month stuff at anywhere other than tesco/asda. They grow out of stuff so quickly that you want to go cheap. £2 for 3 vests and £3 for 3 babygros at tesco.

Ask everyone you know to keep clothes up to a year if you have space. They grow out of them much faster than they wear them out before they start crawling. I had loads of stuff up to 3 months that people had given me but a lot less in bigger sizes!

Don't bother with a breastpump in advance. If you need to get one, you can buy them on ebay. My avent manual one is perfectly adequate but don't buy boots own brand - really inefficient and mine broke.

I kept an eye out for bogof offers in the last few weeks before the baby and just loaded up on nappies, wipes etc.

Did anyone mention buying lansinoh? It's fab for putting on yr nips before and after bfing to prevent cracking.

skyedog- you cant buy reusable nappies on ebay anymore, unless they are brand new. A lot of MNers sell them on the for sale boards, or you can buy 2nd hand through the nappylady website and others.

has been said before, but get some big pants in case of emergency c-section (can get in Mothercare) - by v close to yr due date so you can return them after if unused. Motherrcare alsoo do some great semi-disposable knickers - you can wash them a few times but they're cheap and you can throw them away after a few wearings.

Also, get LOTS of maternity pads - the big, thick old-fashioned type - what I didn't realise is that if you have stitches you need to chnage your pad every time you go to the toilet - you end up needing about a packet a day. Also, the pads are good for cushioning the wound..

i heard someone say or saw someone say something about an nct sale what is it and were do you find them

Still going? will catch up!

I'd say when you do see a good deal on baby wipes or sudocreme at supermarket then it's always worth stocking up.

I did buy creme coloured sleepsuits and vests and used them all until DD grew out of them (which didn't take long) then I bought more girly pinky stuff. Don't bother with actual clothes, and the baby will be happiest just being in snuggly soft sleepsuits.

We did buy a bouncy chair when DD was about 3 weeks and wish we'd have had it right at the start. It was a vibrating one and she loved it.

Shopping for a buggy is rather a big task and you may not want to do that once your in your later stages. We made a mistake and bought a really nice looking 3 in 1 from M&P which just didn't suit us at all - we wanted to take Freya into parks etc and the wheels (being non blow-up) were useless.
We bought a phil and teds after that and never looked back - it was more expensive but the build quality is so much better than the one we first had....

We did buy a M&P bath seat and it was much better than the baby bath. After that, when DD could sit happily we bought a bath seat from Argos at something like £8 and use it every day. So, don't bother buying a baby bath or those useless baby towels with the little flap. Just wrap your baby in a soft big towel (which you already own no doubt) and this'll do the job much better than the baby towels..

Hope this helps

haven't read all thread, forgive repetitions.

We hired an electric breast pump when we needed it. Buying one is definitely too expensive.
We got months of use out of our moses basket, because it was a big one and ds a small baby - it was really useful to be able to have him in the same room for naps.
Clothes - accept or borrow hand-me-downs, go to second-hand shops, look on ebay if you're of that persuasion (am an ebay-phobe myself).

Essentials IMO:
sling or baby carrier with good support (e.g. Ergo (with newborn insert), not Björn)
sleeping bags (grobags, don't they call them?)

Wastes of money:
Steriliser - pan on the hob does the job.
baby bath - kitchen sink, later big bath.
baby wipes - get those 10 packs of cheap white flannels from Ikea. 60° wash is more than enough to get them clean.

Oooh and forgot to say, instead of those changing stations, we bought a long drawer unit (8 drawers, 4 side by side) and still use it today. The drawers hold all the baby bits, inc sleepsuits, and other supplies plus the top is big enough to have DD layed there, and also a box of baby wipes, a few muslin squares, 2 open packs of nappies and the nappy creme. Then I'm not constantly moving away or bending down to get these things. And the drawer unit is a really nice modern peice of furniture (and we bought the matching wardrobe too!)

Hi

To all Mum's, Nanna's,Grandma's Auntie's or anyone who wants to purchase anything from Two left feet trading as Two right feet I ordered a buggy for my neice in october 08 and nothing arrived when contacting them they told that I could'nt phone them regarding the order as they only accept emails I paid the the goods and I waited until end of October but still othing arrive so I cancelled the goods still waiting for my refund even though I had paid through pay pal they only deal with any queries within 45 days so becareful ladies its now Jan 09 and I am still waiting so watch out for this horrible company they also have ccj against them that has'nt been satified