When to start buying

[Katie12346]

I've just had my 12 week scan and everything is okay so far, I've always thought this was the point in pregnancy you were supposed to wait for to start buying, but a part of me is questioning if it's still too early?

I'm not talking huge things like furniture etc. but maybe clothes and small items, or is it more sensible to wait until 20 weeks? Or even later?

Also when did people begin decorating their nursery? Looking at cots/prams etc.

I'd love to hear from other mums about when you thought the time was right :)

So I think I've left it a little too late to be honest. I'm nearly 29 weeks and bought my first "little" things earlier this week. I'm genuinely starting to run out of time for the bigger stuff (although still OK for now). Having said that it's all pretty easy to find and turns up within a week so I think it will be OK. Getting a list, working out your budget and doing the research on what you want is probably more important. There's a lot of stuff and it adds up! We're also not having a nursery to start with - they won't need it until at least 6 months and the only space in our house is our guest bedroom which also doubles up as an office in lockdown. Once LO is here we'll figure out what we need to do but keep the space practical for us for now especially as hoping parents will be able to visit and they'll need somewhere to sleep. Some of this is because previous losses have made me nervous (despite all being before 12 weeks), some of it was just wanting to get Christmas out of the way first and some of it was wanting to get a plan before I bought anything!

I think I read a survey somewhere that said most people buy their pram etc between 20 and 30 weeks (ish). I might just make it into that window!

Honestly I don't think there is a right time - it's whatever is right for you.

I'm 18 weeks and have bought a few little outfits and a baby blanket

With my first; I bought the cot and nursery furniture at 34 weeks but only because I moved house then ... I bought my buggy at 25 weeks as I saw a good deal on it

I’m 18 weeks, I did by my travel system not long after my 12 week scan because I saw a good deal. I’ve not really bought much else yet though, I’ve put a list together and I have done a list so I know where I’m getting things from. I’m planning on starting getting things together slowly from 20 weeks so I’m not rushing at the end 😊

I would say maybe buy the odd we bits but i would defo wait till the 20 weeks scan and then spread the buying out after that over the next 4 months. In saying that I seen a pram and the place it was in was having a one day sale where you got a car seat free so I had my pram ordered and 14 weeks lol! Ive really only started buying clothes, muslins, bibs etc now and im 23 weeks.

I’m 25 weeks now. I got my travel system around 14/15 weeks but only because it was on discount, I got it for well under half the price!
Only other things we have right now are a couple different baby grows we’ve picked up in Morrison’s because they looked super cute.
Do you plan on finding out the sex? If so, I’d say wait till you’ve found out before buying clothes unless you prefer gender neutral

After 24 weeks.

I got my pram & car seat in the boxing day sales when I was 14 weeks!
Been picking up small bits and pieces since then if I see a good deal (swaddles, little outfits)
I have a week off work when I'll be 23 weeks so going to make a start on the nursery then. Worth noting that lots of big things are out of stock or on pre-order because of Brexit/Covid so give yourself plenty of time.

We had our 12 week scan a week ago and I'm wondering the same thing! But we need to do a LOT of work to the house (the "nursery" will need to be gutted right back to brick and replastered/carpeted etc) so think we might have a few little jobs to do before getting anything big we'd need to store... my reward for DIY will be a shopping spree!
But bought a couple of bits from M&S baby section to celebrate the scan as this is our third attempt (a jumper in the sale and a little elephant rattle toy), and just because it's nice to start thinking about nesting!
Just need to get up the ladder and renovate before my bump arrives

Whenever you like. With my first I didn’t get a thing until I was 7 months.

I wouldn't get anything until as late as possible. I'm superstitious and wouldnt even have baby stuff in the house. We got it as late as we could, the month before my due date. All we had at home was what we needed for the hospital, the other few big things we got were at my mums until after the baby was born. Also we only got the bare minimum of what we needed as we didn't want to find out the sex until the birth. All we had before was crib and bedding, car seat, pram and clothes and essentials for hospital. Everything else (bouncy chair, playmat, swing, bath, changing mat and box, toys, clothes and so on) we got after when we knew if we were buying for a boy or a girl.
I'd never set anything up either.
Our baby was not well when he was born and was in NICU for 12 days. Walking out the hospital with an empty car seat was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Then at home going into the bedroom seeing the empty space where the crib should have been was hard enough, if everything (crib, pram, toys, changing stuff, clothes were there set up it would have been even harder.
Plus I hate nurseries anyway, they're not necessary at all imo, so no need to set anything up.

Dh is very superstitious so we didn't buy things until nearer 30 weeks but I did loads of research on line and made loads of lists and saved £ before hand so it was basically just a case of I big order/shopping trip for everything

When you do a big shop, chuck a pack of nappies and wipes. You will go through so many. I bought enough during pregnancy to last till 4 months old! I found a guide to how many of each size on Google

Well I started buying little bits before I was even pregnant 🙈 we struggled for 3 years to conceive so I found if I bought little bits it gave me hope to hold on to that it would happen. So I’m probably not the best one to give advice 😂 but I’m 10 weeks pregnant now and I’m suprised I have not bought much since I found out. But the plan is to start on the nursery and go shopping for the bigger things after the 20 week scan which will be at the end of March. Hopefully lockdowns will be lifted by then so we can actually go in store.

Personally I'd pick up little bits on offers from now as it'll save you money. The big things, wait until you reach the 3rd trimester unless there is a great offer on something. Nappies. If you're getting disposable make sure you get stock of sizes 1-3 so you are covered if baby grows faster than expected.

I'm 14 weeks, doing some research and making lists now but won't buy anything until after the 20 week scan.

After 20 weeks for me.

We bought things week by week to spread the cost a bit from about week 22 to week 30. It also gave us a bit of time to shop around deals.

Probably started buying smaller bits from about 12 weeks but didn’t make a special trip out for anything, just picked up a pack of vests or wipes in the supermarket or an outfit when we were getting clothes for DD/DS’s. so we’ve got loads of clothing items and to be honest I didn’t really notice the cost adding up or those bits.
Hospital bag stuff is mostly packed, I’m 32 weeks now and I’d done a bulk order about 2 weeks ago of bits.
Bigger bits we’d done a bulk order of pram, car seat, cotbed etc from a shop near us at about 16 weeks, where it’s been stored until we collect, hopefully in the next week so we’ve got it here if needed. Xx

I’m 24 weeks this week so will think about starting to buy a few bits in the next 6 weeks maybe. I’m a midwife also so spend most of my time anxious about what can go wrong - always knew I’d be very superstitious because of that. There’s an up to 10-12 week wait on the travel system I have my eye on so may have to bite the bullet and order that sooner rather than later.

I bought nothing at all until my third trimester.

I’m 19 weeks and am planning to start looking at the main things like pram, car seat and Moses basket after 30 weeks, will probably aim to have them in the house for about 35 weeks. Partly because I’m hopeful that the shops will be open again then!

I have started knitting though

@AfterGlow87 I am shocked that travel systems have such long waits!! Is that normal do you think?

I would personally wait until at least your 20 week scan to be buying things for baby.
Although a friend bought and put up her pram and crib a week after her 12 week scan which I find a little odd?
I guess it's up to personal choice but there is plenty of time to get everything you need, just relax make your shopping list and then when you feel ready start ordering bits 😊

15 weeks and I'm not buying anything until after 20 week scan.

Even though I have seen brilliant deals.

After 12 weeks I wanted to wait for 20 week scan, after that I wanted to wait for viability at 24 weeks. Been slowly getting bits since then. Definitely more on the cautious side though, not knowing the sex makes it easier not going OTT with clothing etc