12 years have passed - what are the must haves nowadays?!

[Redpanda21]

Haven’t had a baby for 12 years so feeling like a complete newbie at this. Can’t actually remember last time.

What do I need?
What are the must haves?
I plan on breastfeeding (didn’t last time), what do I need other than my boobs?!

I’m only 12 weeks but like to plan and budget.

Nursing bras and tops if you're breastfeeding!

Do you think you might want to express? If so, pumps and bottles are worth considering.

Congratulations!

If breastfeeding, breastpads (bamboo washable ones are fab) and lansinoh cream. An emergency pack of ready made first infant formula bottles if you're not near shops. Loads of muslins. Phone numbers for breastfeeding support like la leche league.

Something to sleep in. Moses basket or crib if you want for the early months. I borrowed an old swinging crib for DC2 after wasting money on a next to me type crib DC1 hated. I spent £30 on a second hand cot bed, and around £60 on a new mattress.

Baby sleeping bags are great. Aden & Anais swaddles were a revelation with DC2. Really helped with settling to sleep in the early days.

Zip up sleep suits for night time. 'Sock ons' are great, no annoying lost socks.

A basic bouncy chair, they haven't changed much.

Some form of sling but it's worth going to a sling library to see what you like. I started with a stretchy wrap and swapped to a buckle carrier or onbu as DC got heavier.

A pram and car seat.

Good luck

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These bras are great.

I liked reusable pads I bought a multipack off amazon. You’re washing baby clothes anyway so it’s not extra washing to stick them in!

Lanisoh cream is a saviour in the early day’s.

I think I’m going to buy a “love to dream” zip swaddle, it’s a swaddle with arms up position, which my first would have loved but I didn’t have one at the time!

Second a basic bouncy chair I know so many who bought the Mamaroo expensive one and baby has hated it!

Mam bottles if expressing or doing formula at any stage, they are fab!! And Kendamil formula if you want to switch from breast, I did at 4.5 months with no tummy troubles and had a very happy baby. It’s quite new to the market but palm oil free and made with full cream milk so it seems to digest better with babies! Handy to know x

@Redpanda21 - great thread - 11 years for me and everything seems to have moved on so much. Thank you!

Thank you

@chippedchocolate can’t believe the amount of changes either! Madness!

I've had babies in 2000, 2009, 2011, 2019 and 2021. So have seen a few changes 😂

Haakaa pumps are brilliant for expressing the odd bottle. Bedside cribs like snuzpods are popular, i really like them as my older ones hated moses baskets. I really found it useful to have a decent breastfeeding pillow (mybrestfriend pillow is the one I have)

Good luck

Other than nursing bras & breast pads, don’t bother with special breastfeeding clothes - just wear a vest top with another top over it & pull the top up & the vest down 😊 Make sure you gave a comfy chair to feed in & stash a box of cereal bars, dried fruit & other healthy snacks next to it.

A stretchy wrap sling is super handy but other than that & car seat, nappies, clothes & crib you don’t really need much else!! My eldest is 11 but I have another two in between & expecting no4- things haven’t really changed massively x

We are in a town house (moved since having DC x 2) do I need a next to me nest / equivalent upstairs and a crib / Moses basket downstairs? I'm debating between ELCS and VBAC, and currently the stairs are worrying me...

I've got a 4 year gap and feel your pain in not remembering anything... I'm sure it's like riding a bike... it'll all come flooding back! ;-)

Sleeping bags are definitely a game changer - and although they are more expensive, I think the gro bag ones are worth the extra money as they are so much longer than the supermarket ones... which means they last longer!

Zip up sleepsuits seem to be a real luxury too!