When to start buying baby items

[Sprinkles07032020]

Hi ladies,

When would you start buying for your baby? I know loads don't buy till near the end but I'm so eager to start buying things I can't resist!

Any tips on baby must haves?

First time mum so need all the advice I can get please 😘😘😘

We got over excited (plus planning makes me less stressed) so we started after the 12 week scan for the big stuff. But we did get a few bits of clothes earlier

Years ago we started Getty bits from around 15 weeks. Mostly to spread cost out.

So things like pram one month. Car seat next month. Etc

Mainly after the baby had safely arrived.

We got some clothes, a Moses basket and a sling beforehand, plus muslins, breast pads, maternity towels and nappies/wipes. The rest all waited until we had more idea what being a parent was all about.

Even a car seat waited until eldest was about a week old (but I had a very reliable person to borrow from for trip back from hospital, if you don't have someone like that then that is something to get beforehand of you need it for trip home)

Not a lot until after 20 weeks. I did buy the curtain fabric as Designers Guild had a warehouse sale. But big stuff I waited and for clothing waited until after we knew the sex and then didn’t buy much. Maybe superstitious I guess.

I delayed getting most stuff until fairly late, week 39 as I was booked for inducing.

I got the pram at week 18 as it was second hand but the brand I wanted for a great price - made my husband agree to hide it until much later on.

Car seat, baby box (free) rather than basket, some nappies and some clothes are really all that is needed. The rest can be picked up once baby arrives.

Congratulations

I only bought a Moses basket and sheets and blankets, sling, some baby grows and nappies. I never bought a pram or a car seat at all, because I would never use them. There was nothing else to buy. Don’t go overboard and buy a load of stuff that you will never use.

I'm 19 weeks and have bought a chicco crib/chair gizmo secondhand off ebay for a fraction of the new price. It's barely been used! It was super local to us and such a good deal that we couldn't really pass it by. I think things like that are worth looking out for - just hide it away til later on. Definitely don't spend full price on things like prams and nursery furniture - ebay/Facebook marketplace is a godsend!

I'd also agree with not buying too much, and would recommend saving your money for maternity leave!

After 20 weeks I started getting essentials if there was a sale on - nappies, maternity pads, breast pads, creams etc. I bought some new clothes at about 30 weeks, but not much, just a few baby grows and vests. The rest has come from friends & family or pre-used baby sales to see us through the first few months.

Apart from a new Next to Me cot from the grandparents, we didn't buy any new furniture. From friends and family we also got 2nd hand pram, car seat, bouncer, carriers, Moses basket, and lots more all for free. It's all in good condition and the brands I would have chosen anyway. The pram and car seat alone would cost around £1000 new!

We stayed, well i did by 12 weeks... Well 14 really when we got pram.

I think best to start early you can spread cost out, spend less time running around heavily pregnant.

We haven't really got anything practical. Just pram, clothes, baby gym/mat and a swinger. Still need to get lots.

I started after my 12wk scan with DD1. I agree with buying the bare minimum before the baby is born, but by starting early you can save a lot of money by going to nearly new sales, watching Ebay/Facebook marketplace, and waiting for sales. You can set searches on Ebay/Facebook for specific things which is easier than having to constantly check, if you are after something specific eg a particular buggy.

We brought the car seat at around 17wks because it was on offer. Pram was brought second hand last week and just looking at sleeping arrangements. DH and I have made life harder by selling the house and where the baby will come home to is a current mystery 🤦🏻‍♀️

Buy things when you want to. As horrible as it sounds, something can go wrong at any stage of pregnancy so no point holding off until X weeks "just in case"

I kind of spread it out. I bought a few baby grows when I was about 15 weeks I think - and then more clothes after 20 week scan. Moses basket, blankets, muslins etc when I was about 25-30 weeks and the rest of the more practical stuff (pram, bottles, nappy bag etc.) after 30 and even 35 weeks. I didn’t want the big stuff cluttering the house way before we needed it and if you buy it all in one go that’s all the fun gone at once!

I started after my 20wk scan ,got my pram at 24wks im now 27wks started getting bits every week.get cot etc when im about 30-33wks. Get when u want its hard not to buy its a exciting time xx

We divided things up roughly by trimester, or loosely into three categories:

1. before 12 week scan
2. second trimester or before 20 week scan
3. third trimester or after 20 week scan.

Before the 12 week scan, we bought stuff for or changed stuff in the house that we wanted to do anyway, regardless of baby. This gave a nice timeline and it was all stuff that felt helpful anyway, as either the things we bought weren't baby-related but mighr make our lives easier when we had a baby (like a microwave) or the changes we made (like painting the downstairs toilet) were things that we wanted done anyway but might get pushed to the bottom of a to-do list if there was a baby around, so good to get done before.
I was quite nervous before the 12 week scan (still am, honestly) and it was a good way to feel I was getting organised without buying baby stuff. The only baby things we bought were two vests, which we got to mark the day we first heard her heartbeat!

Between the 12 and 20 week scan / in the second trimester, we agreed to continue some of the same types of things and did a bit more prep. without really buying many items - we cleared out and painted the baby's room, researched and chose (but did not buy before 20 week scan) a travel system/pram etc. Bought a changing bag. Bought a couple of very neutral vests and one adorable pram suit. Chose curtains. Researched cribs and narrowed it down to a top three so we can see what deals there are. We know we're having a girl but we wanted to keep it quite general still.

We decided to buy big items mostly in the third trimester, but start earlier from the 20 week scan to allow us to spread the cost a bit. We actually got the pram at 21 weeks when we saw the one we wanted on a great offer. Ordered the car seat too as part of a package deal. That's one of the most expensive things we'll buy so we'll take a few weeks off from big things left like crib/cot/chest of drawers, but may start to stock up slowly on things like nappies from now.

No idea if this is helpful to you, but staggering the purchases into stages really worked for me and let me feel I was still planning and getting excited early.

I was about 25 weeks before we bought anything.

I bought everything clothes wise the afternoon after my 5 month scan where I found out the sex of baby. All the other things I bought gradually so j could have excitement each month with either assembling a cot, fitting a car seat, practicing putting push chair up etc ... Haven't had to buy much since, early stages they really don't need alot

I planned on not buying anything till 30 weeks.. The idea was we would work on getting house sorted etc and consider baby at a stage it felt safe to buy for them...after looking at things I wanted from 20 weeks...
In end bought at 28 weeks some major items in the sales... Big reductions.

Buy a couple of premie sleep suits and vests. DD was 6lb 4, full term but the newborn stuff swamped her! We went straight from the hospital to Asda as we had nothing to fit her!

I got way over excited with DS1 I needed EVERYTHING and I needed it there and then 😂. I had everything by the time I was around 20 weeks! I'm now 22 with DS2 and have not bought a single thing yet. I will start buying probably in the next few week. As exciting as it is don't go mad as most things you won't even use/need x

Im 15 weeks and so far ive bought the pram as it was 2nd hand for £100 as opposed to buying it brand new for £500 further down the line. Also have all the baby clothes I'll need for the first few months i won't buy anything else till baby needs it ie playmat highchair etc. Just need to buy a sling and cloth diapers now but that can wait too