October 2021 - part 2

[Kona84]

@happyVibsxo
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@Jl2020
@jessica86shropshire
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I added anyone from the last page of comments please tag others

@MyGrassIsBrowner aww glad you're also feeling better now :) yes I think we should all be starting to feel much better now 🤞🏼

I haven't bought a single thing yet and I won't be until after iv had my scan on Wednesday, if all is ok with baby I will probably start buying little bits and would love some recommendations and tips please😍 I always hear first time mums end up buying loads of stuff they actually really don't use so it's not worth it 😂 xx

Yes tips are welcome! Don't want to buy things that are a waste as I hear many first time mums do!

First thing after my NHS scan will be buying a sweet little outfit. I already take a detour in the supermarket as it would be rude not to look at the clothes lol

@Jl2020 @Juicytoot287 welllllll you've come to the right person hehe! I'd love to be able to help you ladies! 😁

Well I'll start by saying definitely invest in a next to me crib, they are really handy, I've got the Snuzpod 3 which we bought off FB Marketplace for £50 and it was hardly used. No way was I paying £200 new lol. I recommend the Snuzpod as its got a tilt option for if your baby happens to get reflux.

Next is if you're going to formula feed, tommy tippee day 'n' night prep machine.... absolute GODSEND. Literally cant recommend that highly enough.

Dont bother with these bloody sleep pods (sleepyhead deluxe etc) they really are fricking useless and a total rip off. Also can lead to SIDS so bare that in mind.
Personally I wouldn't bother with a moses basket either, most babies hate them and they're only in them 5 mins. My DD used to nap in her pram basinet and it was amazing at getting her to sleep as you put the pram next to you and rock it, we did it until she was about 4/5 months old.

BOTTLES... there are so many... so so many and it's a total mind fuck. I will tell you now, tommy tippee bottles cause reflux. My sister is a pharmacist and she has so many mothers coming in saying their child has reflux and the first thing she asks? What bottles do you use? It's always tommy tippee so she tells them to stay away.
MAM bottles are good but we use Philips Avent natural and they are bloody amazing and reasonably priced

As for a pram/travel system.. if you can go in the shop and try them out, do it. Also, dont be tempted by high end or think that cause it's more expensive it's better cause it couldn't be further from the truth!!! I bought a stokke xplory v6 latest model, cost me £1500 for the full system, yeah it looked amazing but it was the worst pram I have ever pushed in my life. Sold it for a mere £500 as I needed to get rid and they de-value the moment you buy it.
So many people rave about icandy and they are pretty amazing quality prams. I dont recommend cybex or bugaboo, they are flimsy and mega expensive. Total con if you ask me.
But as I say, try them out if you can and get a feel for it as some prams are AMAAAAZING to push and others are clumpy and stiff to turn etc.

Also as for clothes, sleep suits when they're young. The amount you change them during the day, you get to a point were you need them in and out of clothes quickly and sleep suits are brilliant, especially the zip up ones! I buy so many second hand clothes for my DD now as she's only in them 5 mins and it's better for the environment! 👍
I CANNOT wait to raid some charity shops this week!!

I also have an angel care bath seat which are brilliant and again, you can buy them fairly cheaply now! I'd also recommend the baby dams for the bath, saves you having to fill the whole bath up at bath time. I bought all my DDs nursery furniture off marketplace super cheap (I love a bargain, can you tell? 🤣) got a brand new IKEA wooden cot WITH mattress for £30 I was absolutely buzzing haha!! X

Oooo reading these tips with interest @MyGrassIsBrowner thank you!! How many sleepsuits etc do you reckon a FTM needs to buy in each size? I have no idea how many times they'll need changed thanks to poop/sick etc in the early days 😂

@mooloop not a problem!! I wish I'd had someone to give me these tips when I was expecting hehe.

I had about 20 0-6 sleepsuits. In the early days I was changing my DD maybe 3 times a day sometimes more, we always had a wash on as well just to keep on top of it all. Think I had about 10-15 muslins too which are handy as hell! And of course some cotton bibs but to be honest when they're sick it tends to end up everywhere anyway. X

Also wouldn't bother with a changing table, waste of space, you change them wherever is convenient. Get a good wipeable changing mat with high sides (the wedge ones are good) we just used to change DD on the dining table or the floor or the sofa! You're that tired the last thing you need is to be hoisting them up somewhere high to change them.
Also sleep when baby sleeps, I literally cannot stress that enough. Me and my DH took it in turns doing 4-6 hours shifts too, so we both got to catch up on some much needed sleep.

I can't advise too much on breast feeding as I was utterly useless and I didn't feel like DD was getting enough from me, it was a total kick in the teeth but when I put her onto formula she started sleeping through and it was honestly bliss. I did buy a breast pump though the Bellababy one from Amazon, it's really good and again reasonably priced! They're a pain in the bum to clean/steralise though haha!

Also wipes... we've used water wipes from day one and they're brilliant. They are a bit more pricey than shop brands/pampers etc but they are so good so would highly recommend those too. Also I found Pampers the BEST nappies of all and I've tried so so many brands. Pampers for me were the least likely to leak. Although poonamies will happen regardless 🤣 I did have to throw a few sleep suits as they were literally coated in shit and unsalvagable hahaha!

I know that was awfully long and I apologise for taking up a whole page nearly lol! I hope it helps or at least guides 😊 if you've any other questions throw them at me I'd be happy to give you my opinion! X

@MyGrassIsBrowner oh my goodness! Noo need to apologise here. Screenshotting this now as it is all a minefield and I have heard what you said about the prams and value , will try and get in some shops i think whilst they are open so i have at least some idea. In my mind its like having a trolley at asda with a bust wheel if you dont like your pram, so definitely want a good one!

Thank you thank you thank you x

@Juicytoot287 That's where I went wrong with my pram I didn't try any out and they all push so differently. If you do find a pram you like always worth looking on FB marketplace if you use it and eBay and get one second hand at a much cheaper price. When you spend over a thousand pound on a pram you barely want to use it incase you damage it, but that's daft as they get battered when you're taking them in and out of the car anyway! X

Great tips @MyGrassIsBrowner the only thing I would say about the changing table is that we bought one of those bedroom sets (cot, wardrobe, chest of drawers) and the chest of drawers was belly height for me and came with a detatchable top that doubled up as a changing table with mat, I loved it as have dodgy knee and saved me keeping getting up and down and didn't take up any extra space x

@Missreginafalange ahhh yeah I forgot about those! They are great but then you're limited to it being upstairs which can be a pain, but is so handy for upstairs changing for bedtime though. Would deffo recommend a second changing mat for downstairs though 😁 x

That’s amazing @MyGrassIsBrowner thank you!!

Is anyone booking a private 16 week scan?

@MyGrassIsBrowner thankyou for all those tips have just screenshot them all haha. I seen my brother is selling their tommy tippee prep machine for £10 but because they don't know I'm pregnant yet I'm hoping they haven't sold it by Wednesday after the scan 😂 I swear prams and car seats and things are a minefield so many to choose from! Xx

Aww you're welcome ladies!!!!
As for carseats, we just went for the Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix with isofix base, again, reasonably priced and has served us very well. Also, with most prams you can get adapters for the Maxi-Cosi carseats so they're quite universal in that respect. I'm glad I can be of help hehe. I wish I'd had someone to give me all of these tips I would have saved so much money. X

oh ok, did you not worry about a travel system all together then?

@Juicytoot287 personally i found the car seat I wanted based on safety and practicality, then found the pushchair/system I wanted and just made sure the car seat fitted using the correct adapters. Most seats are compatible with most pushchairs. For example I have a bugaboo fox pushchair (I love it and wouldn't change it 2 yrs on, I know someone further up didn't rate it but all personal opinion) then I brought the cybex cloud z and base car seat (which lasts til almost 2 but is an infant carrier!!)

@Juicytoot287 you can buy full travel systems, so pram chassi, basinet, upright seat and carseat! There are so many online but I'd definitely recommend trying some prams out in r/l if you can x

Glad to see you liked the Fox @Jelliestogether I've been eyeing that one up online! Planning to go into some shops to test a few out of course though.

When would everyone recommend going to look at/to start buying car seats, prams etc? My mum is so excited to go looking with us 😂

Hey ladies I posted in an October group last night then saw this one... thought I would come say hi.

I'm due my third (and complete accident!) Baby 2nd October.
I also have a private scan tomorrow cant wait to find out what we are having we have two girls already. I'm not bothered either way but just want to know :)

Hope you ladies are enjoying your pregnancy so far, mine has been fine, I've got a weak stomach and still gag at stuff which is not like me not pregnant! Is there a mix of first and second+ babies in here?

Also on the travel system... I used it with dd1, from mamas and papas (spent ages choosing it!) Then ended up buying a bugaboo bee as it was just easier to get around in... mum still thinks these are in her garage (10 years later 🤣) dd2 hated the car seat and pram I ditched it after a few months and just used slings. This time I'm not bothering and going straight for a sling, I will get a cheap stroller when he/she is 6 months ish incase we need it.

@mooloop I love it but obviously everyone has different opinions. Definitely go to a shop and try lots out. We didn't buy anything major with our first until after 20w scan and even then we just ordered the pram but nursery furniture and everything else after 24w. Again there's no right or wrong