Baby Items ... Help?

[Marty93]

Hi all

hoping for some experienced mama's / papa's / carers here to help me out. I have created a bit of a checklist of things that me and OH need to purchase in readiness for our bundle of joy to arrive (not until January!), I feel like it is a bit early to start HOWEVER, like the idea of spreading cost over the months rather than rushing around at the end :)

So far we have listed:

• Nursery furniture (cot, wardrobe, drawers and changer)
• Moses basket / something to sleep baby in initially when it is in our room
• Pram / travel system / car seat
• fitted Crib mattress sheets / pram sheets
• baby bath (? is this a necessity or just more of a luxury ?)
• bouncer / swing
• perfect prep machine (I am going to be bottle feeding)
• bottles/steriliser
• room / bath thermometer
• baby monitors
• night light
• changing bag

I haven't included things such as clothes and nappies etc. on this list just trying to think more of equipment and gadgets.

Is there anything that you have bought that were an absolute godsend and things you bought that you just didn't use?

I feel like I'm missing loads of things and as this is my first baby I just feel really overwhelmed with it all! Lol. I know that as long as we have the essentials then we will be fine, but I just have a bit of OCD and like everything to be well organised!

thanks in advance! :)

xxx

That list looks good. If you get a Glo Egg that is a room thermometer and a night light in one.

The only thing I would add is a sling/newborn carrier as they are invaluable when the baby is tiny and wants to be on you all the time. The Baby Bjorn one is good or you may prefer a wrap type sling. Also, not a necessity, but I got an Amazon Echo (Alexa) and have found it invaluable while feeding, changing nappies etc! You can put the radio on, play a quiz, check the news and weather, play lullabies etc, all hands free.

In my experience some of these things are unnecessary (thermometer, baby bath), and others you can absolutely wait and get once baby is here. In many ways this is better as your house wont be cluttered up and you can see babys personality and likes/dislikes before you buy.

The monitors you wont need until baby is 6 months old as they are supposed to sleep and nap in the same room as you until then. Similarly they wont use a swing/bouncer until they are a couple of months old (they can lie on a play mat or be held/in a sling). Re: nursery furniture, again they will be sleeping in your room initially so this can definitely wait, and i would strongly recommend not buying any baby-specific furniture (except the cot), but instead investing in things that baby can use as they get older. Mini wardrobes are a complete waste of money. Night lights can be useful for night feeds, but get a red light not white light so it doesn't disrupt yours/babys body clock.

Things I didn't know I needed, but ultimately couldn't live without - a baby carrier (hana stretchy wrap, we NEVER used our pram), a sleepyhead (expensive, but our lo slept in it for naps and at night for 7 months and it improved her sleep amazingly), a standard backpack instead of changing bag (ideal if you use a baby carrier), washable/reuseable baby wipes (cheeky wipes, SO MUCH BETTER than disposable wipes and way cheaper).

Good luck xx

Blankets, Cellular blankets, changing bag, baby flannels, hooded towels (Asda George £7.50 for 3), muslins, bottle brush, dummy's.

Id get a cheap baby bath as it wastes less water but when your baby has a poop explosion all up their back you won't care about the baby bath 😂

GloEgg was great as PP said thermometer and nightlight in one.
Wouldn't bother with a baby bath, the angel care bath seat is a better option (or just in the sink while they're tiny!)
Some pre-made formula bottles, great to keep in the changing back for on the go or in the night when you just want to lay in bed and feed.
Baby sleeping bag, they were a God send and I'll be using them again this time round!
Gripe water think they've changed age limit to 1month + but do check before hand.
Don't overload on the same brand of nappies as you may find they don't suit baby or they get a reaction.
Ewan the sheep or a white noise style toy - I used to have an app on my phone called "Seal Sitter" that played white noise it was amazing!!!

The list you have looks pretty good so far though OP

Having a baby bath makes life easier. We had the skip hop 3 stage one, it has a mesh thing for baby to lie in so you have your hands free. It was well worth it.

Sleepyhead or similar - definitely worth it.

We used a sensor pad/monitor from birth despite the fact that DS slept next to my bed for 6 months. I liked the reassurance of it alarming if DS stopped breathing.

Next to me cot - so easy having baby right next to you, can comfort without getting up etc.

A sling, how I managed the first 5 weeks without one with DS I have no idea. Got a Close Caboo and it was amazing, he nodded off to sleep in it easily and I had hands free to get stuff done.

Oh god yes, a Sleepyhead! This was hands down the best thing we had for DD. We borrowed one and had to give it back. Ended up buying a Sleepyhead Grand on Facebook marketplace which has saved our bacon!

On the subject of a baby bath, if you're happy with a basic one I got one reduced in Aldi for £3 last week :).

I am due in January and gone a bit too mad - so mad it makes me a bit anxious, but everything I've bought has been reduced significantly so its been really hard not to buy! However me and my husband both felt - if we have the pram and the cot/crib thats all we need for the first few weeks then see what we get and then add things like breast pump (not that you'll need if you're bottle feeding) and the baby monitor.

Things Im buying now are more wants than needs - little sleeping bags, sleep aids (I really want a cute penguin lol) and today I picked up a thermometer and first aid kit from the lidl baby event for a good price x

The best thing I bought was a sling. It was only £15 (karrime) and I wear it every day. My ds is now 10 month so money well spent!

Was told no need to buy a moses basket if your travel system comes with a pram style attachment, it can be used instead.

I would also recommend an angelcare bath support they were great with my son

You can only use the bassinet from the pram as a Moses basket if it's rated as safe for overnight sleeping- it's to do with ventilation in the base I think. Just check when you're buying your pram before you invest in a basket as well, but baby will get much longer out of a bedside crib.

I would get a baby bath- we're getting the lend of a shnuggle one from DSis but you can get them cheap enough off eBay or fb marketplace. It really was lovely bathing her babies in it (I always volunteered!) as the footprint is small enough to put in the kitchen sink which saves your back, uses v little water, and the bum-bump keeps them upright so they feel secure even when tiny.

I've also got a cheap change pad for downstairs and a fabric nappy caddy thingy from TK Maxx for storing nappies, wipes etc in our living room so I'm not going upstairs or unpacking the change bag at every nappy change.

You really don't need a wardrobe. I wouldn't get a baby monitor before as the baby will be in the same room as you to start off with. We loved our sleepyhead and nappy bin as it saved our kitchen bin full of nappies.

Zip up Sleepsuits are the best thing invented for newborns as it makes changes super quick.

My work bought me a star wrap which was great as it could be used in the car seat in the Winter as you shouldn/'t put them in the car seat in a pramsuit or coat.

Please read the advice on the lullaby trust website before even thinking about buying a sleepyhead or similar. The only safe coy is a clear cot.
We got everything in advance and set the nursery e up, I'm glad I didn't have to build furniture with a newborn. Is but a full size wardrobe with a drawer and put an extra rail in it. We also liked the angelcare bath support and so did DS. We had a next to me instead of a Moses basket which only last a few weeks and we've just stopped using it at seven months because he pulls himself up on the sides.

Your list looks pretty good. Tricky thing is it v much depends on the baby! For example PP have mentioned a baby sling/carrier and sleepyhead being invaluable. Well for us DD never really liked the baby Bjorn sling we bought at vast expense so only used it a handful of times when we went somewhere where it would've been really awkward to take the buggy. DD is now 8 months and I'm about to give it to my SIL who is now pregnant. It was a waste of money.
We never bought a sleepyhead on the basis they were really expensive. DD slept in a cheap Mothercare Moses basket in our room and then a basic cot in the nursery. She never needed a sleepyhead.

The things that have proved essential for us was the perfect prep machine. We bottle fed and it's a game changer. Get the day and night one if you can. Having a bottle the right temperature at any time you need one in 2 minutes is amazing. The other thing we have found well worth the money was our angelcare video monitor. We bought it for day 1 and used it even when she was still sleeping in our room - it meant we could keep an eye on her through the evening when we were downstairs and at night I had the sound off but used the video to see her in the dark. Sounds silly but makes finding a dummy in the Moses basket much easier!
We also bought a cheap 25 quid basic bouncer off Amazon that was far more use than the fancy swing thing. The bouncer was light so we could move it from room to room and I managed to have showers and get other jobs done whilst she was happily batting at toys!

Because all babies are different and you have no way of knowing what your LO will like I'd get as much second hand as you can to save money. There's loads of baby table top sales you can go to.

Oh and I agree with others ,don't bother with nursery furniture. Obviously get a cot - we have Mothercare Balham cot which was reasonably priced and not too big for our small nursery. But otherwise I just got an old chest of drawers, painted it white and slung a changing mat on the top!

Congratulations and good luck! X

thank you everyone - I'm glad that I haven't missed out anything obvious!

With regards to things such as nappies, clothes, etc. I left them off the list as otherwise my post would have been as long as my arm!

Will deffo look at the GloEgg - seems silly not to get it as its a 2-in-1 light/thermometer!

with regards to not needing a wardrobe - our house isn't great on storage and the set we have ordered (yesterday) came with a wardrobe for the same price as a two-piece set, so figured we could do with the extra bit of room to shove packs of nappies in and other bits and bobs :)

it is so difficult deciding what to spend the money on, especially when you don't even know if LO will like it or not! But tbh, I know a lady whose son would not sleep anywhere apart from his car seat. how stressful!

thank you all again for your added suggestions and putting my mind at ease that I am not a complete imbecile when it comes to baby's lol!

If budget is tight do you have any furniture already - no need for special baby furniture, I preferred to use the sink to bathe my babies, saves the back! Never owned a thermometer or night light either. We used the carrycot off the pram as a bed. Not sure what perfect prep is, sounds like a gadget nobody knew they needed (why not try breastfeeding so much cheaper). Didn't use the monitor but we lived in a flat. Buy what you want but remember they are trying to get you to part with your cash, I had no money so it was on a shoestring, they are grown now so I can conclusively say it didn't hurt them.

We got a wardrobe with our nursery set and it's been handy for storing nappies, wipes etc in the bottom of, as well as clothing for future age groups- I can see what we have pretty much at a glance. It also means when she actually needs a wardrobe we already have one!

In the first six months, the things we were most glad to have were the change table (I'd initially dismissed it as unnecessary but was very glad we bought one anyway after ending up with a c-section), a travel system that suited our needs, and a Snuzpod (co-sleeper crib so baby is right next to you and no need to bend).

We were given the following, which proved really useful:

• steriliser (I had planned to breastfeed but we had to mix feed for a long time).
• Gro egg. Very reassuring if you're prone to worry about temperature, layers of clothes, etc.
• Star wrap. Lovely for the car and the pushchair.

We cracked and bought the following as we went, and found them useful:

• Sling - I went to a sling library and borrowed a couple before settling on one and buying a second-hand one. Definitely recommend this approach unless you can get a cheap one as they can be pricey and you don't know what will suit your back after birth.

• Baby bath. Saved our backs no end. Will be looking into bath gadgets this time as recommended up thread!

In terms of bottle feeding, you might want to ask on the infant feeding board but my experience is that some babies prefer different tests to others so you might want to start off with more than one type and see how you get on?

OP I am in your shoes, so have gone on recommendations from all the mummies surrounding me (I am the last one to have kids). My list is as follows (not including clothes):

Next 2 me crib and all the associated bedding
Travel system (tried and tested at baby show)
Baby bath towels
Muslins
Gro Egg
Angel care bath thingy
MAM bottles
MAM 3 in 1 steriliser
MAM breast pump
Reusable wipes
Reusable nappies
Disposable nappies for hospital
Monitor for when baby is asleep upstairs and we are downstairs.
Was given an Ewan the Sheep and a Lula doll

Also have my hospital bag sorted.

OP ignore PP pushing you to breast feed. Feed your baby how you want. I'm hopeless on breast feeding knowledge as I only did it for 4 weeks but happy to help if you have any specific questions on formula feeding. Feel free to message me x

Ps. Think I've missed a trick on the Gro Egg. Never even heard of it but everyone on this thread seems to be a fan, oppppps!

I loved getting all the stuff for baby. It was a very exciting time.

If you plan on breastfeeding, a breastfeeding pillow was invaluable for us.

Sling, yes, yes, yes!! God send. DS didn't really sleep in his moses basket. Apparently I was the best mattress.

Cellular blankets

Muslin cloths - millions of them

Oooh I also found sterilisation wipes v handy for out and about. You can however get a handy carry ball to sterilise stuff like dummies. That was handy.

Gripe water and infacol just in case.

A white noise machine just in case you have a non sleeper.

Swaddling blankets? And learn to do some swaddle moves (vids on YT) - DS loved swaddling but I did his with his arms out.

Those are the things I could think of off the top of my head. Most likely you won't need it all but it's reassuring to have it all there and nest beforehand.

When you get the clothes, you'll love washing it all, drying it, ironing it and folding it away... I did anyway... love the nesting!

My best buys have been a sleepyhead, close caboo - you can buy secondhand for about £15/20, angelcare bath seat, fisher price bouncer.

Both my daughters have hated the Moses basket, gro egg I found pointless it’s not bright enough to use as a night light in my opinion and it just makes you obsessed over the temperature.

Also muslins whatever number you buy double it

Wouldn't bother with a baby bath, the angel care bath seat is a better option

Agree with this. Never understood baby baths (or using the sink). You still have to hold a slippery tiny baby and try to wash them with one hand. Angelcare bath support means you just run a shallow normal bath and can put them in supported and hands free.