Do I need to stock on any meds?

[charcb]

Not sure whether I need to get any medicine for babies before they arrive. I've seen calpol used by mums and vitamin d multivitamins. Would you need this from the start? Is there anything I should get ahead of baby being here?

Calpol can't be given less than 2 months old (and not if the baby is born before 37 weeks - which caught me out as my twins were premature 😬) but worth having a bottle in the cupboard ready for when they are old enough

Also I bought gripe water, infacol and snuffle baby and vitamin D drops

If you breastfeed you'll get free vitamin drops to give too

If you breastfeed you'll get free vitamin drops to give too

What?! I’m bf 4 month old and was told to head to boots for drops by my HV - £10!

Buy a baby medicine kit - they usually have things like thermometers, baby nail clippers etc. Baby Calpol and neurofen ready for when they are older, infacol, vitamins for you, vicks vapo rub, Sudocrem.

Congrats!

I've never heard of getting free vit D drops. Think I could have got them cheaply from the children's centre if I'd phoned them up to ask about them, but just picked them up in Tesco on 3 for 2.

Formula has vitamins added so you won't need them unless breastfeeding.

I used infacol too. Depends how rurally you live and if you have a partner - I wouldn't stock up on it unless you will find it difficult to get to a shop.

One thing I really wish I'd had was a bottle of premade formula. DS was born early Saturday morning. I breastfed that day and was in absolutely excruciating pain by that night. But as it was then early Sunday morning I had to wait until the first shop opened to send DP to get some. I remember the pain of feeding him over that night in the same way as I remember full blown labour without gas and air for a short while. He was diagnosed with a very severe tongue tie the next day.

You don't need to stock up before baby is born as vast majority of stuff isn't usable before 2 months but I would recommend getting in cold treatment stuff in the first month, vicks plug in, albus oil for kids/snuffle baby, etc. My eldest got a terrible cold when she was 8 weeks old and we had nothing in at all. Remember after being up all night dashing to the nearest town but it was a Sunday and options were seriously limited. I think they also recommend calpol for their 8 week jabs too (they'll give a dose and then you give 2 more at designated times). It might not be the 8 week ones, as some jabs need it and some don't.

You don't need to buy calpol brand though Tesco and the pharmacies do their own brands at half the price.

If you are planning to breastfeed I can't recommend Multimam nipple compresses enough for those first few weeks. Infinitely better than Lanolin etc. They are pricey so my HV recommended cutting them in half and I kept them in the fridge! God send!

Vitamins only if he or gp recommend them.
Calpol or other brand you can get in ready but 1 bottle will last quite a while, they have a very low dose once old enough to have it.

HV not he

I was glad of getting a kit together as part of baby prep but as others say you can't use a lot of it straight away. The things we used most in the first few months were:

Infant Calpol (Asda is half the price and tastes better apparently!). You need this on hand for vaccinations as well so may as well get some in.
Infant nurofen but not til teething started tbh
Sudocrem
The old fashioned gripe water that smells of flowers- Woodward's?
Metanium but not straight away
Snufflebabe(Vicks for babies)
Calpol vapour plugin thing and refills
Saline nose drops for a little bit older
The baby care kit with the nail and hair stuff
A better thermometer than what was in the little kit
Very small syringes (5ml) as found these easier to give Calpol

With the drops and vitamins for mum they were available cheap from the hospital or childrens' centre, I think you could get them free if met eligibility criteria.

Those vapor plug in things...
Olbas oil, pop on some cloth and hang in the room out of reach of baby. Much cheaper alternative.

Calpol, sudocrem and an instant read forehead thermometer. You can't use the Calpol right away but when you want it you really want it!

@Barneybear11

I was exclusively breastfeeding twins and the HV would bring round vitamins all the time just said to drop her a text and she'd drop them off - apparently as a breastfeeding mother you get them free in my area?

yes to vitamin d
and good point from pp about a thermometer, snot sucker thingy and nail clippers.

Had baby 2 months ago and got free Vit D drops in Bounty pack from midwife as we left. Breastfed babies should have them (though can't say I bothered last time round) so don't wait for GP or HV to recommend as a pp said. I also have never used a plug in or whatever when my older child got a cold so again would disagree with that but it's just personal choice. Like a pp I found it reassuring to have one bottle of premade formula in the cupboard - didn't use it this time but better knowing it was there than the mad dash yo the supermarket last time when baby was breastfeeding but not well enough.

Some great tips - will make sure to add these to the list of things to buy!