Nursery furniture - looking for some advice as a FTM!

[iloveorange]

Hello, currently 6 months pregnant with first baby and starting to seriously consider stuff for purchase. We (DH and myself) live in a flat (one floor) with two bathrooms, one large and the other is the ensuite which is the one we both use for everything. Baby will be sleeping in our room for at least first six months, but will have her own room for clothes and maybe hanging out sometimes (we'll see how that goes). Here's what we're thinking of buying, either new or second hand:

• Next to me crib (Snuzpod or Chico Next2Me) for first six months. Probably new as second hand means we have to buy new mattress and protector, so it comes to almost the same price and there's risk of item being wobbly.
• Adult-sized dresser (IKEA Malm) for all baby clothes
• IKEA cot (Gulliver) for when she's bigger
• Changing table. I know this is controversial, but I have sciatica and would rather not have to bend down very often. Changing table would also be a place to store nappies, a few clothes, etc. The idea is to have this in the big bathroom as that way we can have a waste bin there (normal bin with lid, we already have a spare one) and access to water for quick wash if needed. Thinking of buying this second hand as I'd need to buy a new changing mat anyway, so don't see the point in buying new?
• UppaBaby Cruz + Carrycot, probably our biggest expense tbh
• Baby wrap for carrying - should I get this second hand? We'll be getting a sturdier carrier for when she's bigger but the idea behind the wrap is to babywear in the home, as it looks like a lot of newborns enjoy cuddling a lot?

This is really it for now. Thinking of buying some sort of play mat thingy so that she can chill out on it and play with gym later on. If we buy SnuzPod4 we can use that as a day-time moses basket, if not we can always use the carrycot that functions as a pram.

As for clothes I've bought vests and babygrows (Newborn-3 months), a few hats, a couple of shirt+leggings outfits, all second hand, and also bought a few muslin blankets (smallish).

I'm also considering baby swaddles (the ones that come with velcro) as somehow I don't think I'll manage to swaddle with a good old muslin like the pros, and I've heard swaddling works well in getting your baby to sleep.

Is there anything I'm missing that you would think essential? Especially big purchases. I'm going to try to breastfeed so I don't want to buy anything feeding-related until I know what will work for us, but maybe I should have a bottle on hand and some formula just in case?

Would welcome any advice, I don't want to feel like an idiot 6 months down the line and regret buying X or Z. Also if there's anything that was a life-changer for you, please let me know! Definitely could use any advice :)

Thank you in advance.

We have an ottoman storage bench in living room. That currently fits 95% all Ds toys fine still and he’s almost 2. So I wouldn’t worry about large toy storage yet.

I'd suggest a cot bed rather than a cot - will last longer and you can just take the sides off if she suddenly starts trying to climb out overnight (as my nephew did!).
I'm nearly 6 months and got a lovely East Coast cot bed with large storage drawer for £30 on Facebook Marketplace. Obviously will be getting a new mattress.

You’ll be the best judge of where you’ll be changing her, but if there’s any chance at all it’ll be in two locations, get another mat. You’re going to be busy with your hands full!

Oh and good point on the cot bed above

@AwkwardPaws27

I'd suggest a cot bed rather than a cot - will last longer and you can just take the sides off if she suddenly starts trying to climb out overnight (as my nephew did!). I'm nearly 6 months and got a lovely East Coast cot bed with large storage drawer for £30 on Facebook Marketplace. Obviously will be getting a new mattress.

A cot-bed would have been ideal if we were to stay in the UK for longer than 2 years, but that may or may not happen, it's a bit up in the air. We unfortunately don't have a car, so it's making getting things second hand a lot more of a pain .

That sounds like a bargain, though, good catch!

It's worth keeping an eye out - the person we bought it from delivered it (we have a Mini; not great for collecting larger items!).

Changing tables etc are ok when they are not mobile but once they are rolling and beyond more often than not it's a bit of a fight to keep them on the mat and the right way round. I would reconsider on the changing front as you really do not want baby rolling off the changing table and I say that as someone whose baby did. From that day onwards we only ever changed on the floor at home.

@TheFishWillSeeYouNow

Just thought of another, get 2 bottles and some cartons of ready make formula in, just in case. When it's 3am and you're all crying and she can't latch and is over tired, it's amazing to just have it to hand ready to go.

I 100% agree with this. At 3am after trying to get then 2wo to latch with bleeding, cracked and blistered nipples this was a life saver. Suspected tongue tie but he grew out of it. There were tears all round. DS has had a handful of bottles but other than that I ended up breastfeeding. I don’t agree with the poster that said having bottles is a bad mindset. Having the ability to feed your hungry baby is a positive thing. I was told I might not be able to breastfeed but I did. But it’s not necessarily as easy as some people would like you to believe.

Thanks everyone for your tips and advice - so valuable :)

We in the end won't be doing the changing table thing - shocker - as my husband pointed out last night that the lighting in the bathroom (where I was planning to have the changing table) is too harsh and LO would be really disturbed by it (it does feel disturbing if you look up directly). So we'll do the dresser + changing table combo, AND a Kallax to store more stuff.

Thanks everyone again!

Hi FTM here also.

One thing I noticed you didn't mention is a car seat? Unless you are within walking distance of the hospital or having a home birth you need one to take baby home in.
You can get those travel systems that have a car seat included with the pram. Recommendation is a new car seat or one you know the exact history of. The car seat and/or travel system can be quite expensive.

Sounds like a good plan

Also, don’t panic too much. With DD I felt like we needed everything on hand before she arrived, and for some things (emergency formula, dummies, all the ‘I’m at the end of my tether’ stuff I thought I’d never use) that’s helpful. But unless you live in the outer Hebrides or Amazon ceases to exist between now and your DC arriving, if the worst comes to the worst, you can buy something and have it rock up the next day. We didn’t buy those Velcro swaddle things but after a couple of bad nights we ordered some at lunchtime on a Monday and they were with us for Tuesday bedtime. Better than buying mountains of stuff in advance that you never actually need.

Sorry obviously I don’t mean that in relation to furniture, more like buying a second changing mat etc!!

You'll need to secure the Malm to the wall

I never changed dd in the lounge, i always went upstairs and used the changing table. You will need to buy the plastic style changing mat to go on changing table anyway.

It's also worth knowing that if you do need to supplement with formula you don't need a bottle for a newborn. A syringe, teaspoon or shot glass might be more advisable - especially if it's a one off or occasional thing.
I have been there struggling to breastfeed at 3am in the morning with a screaming baby. Knowing how to hand express would have helped me more than formula.

We have the Ikea Gulliver - it does change into a cot bed by removing one of the sides so if you're still planning on getting that then you're sorted

@JLQ1020

Hi FTM here also.

One thing I noticed you didn't mention is a car seat? Unless you are within walking distance of the hospital or having a home birth you need one to take baby home in.
You can get those travel systems that have a car seat included with the pram. Recommendation is a new car seat or one you know the exact history of. The car seat and/or travel system can be quite expensive.

We don't have a car, nor planning on getting one (we live in London). I was planning on taking a short Uber ride and hold baby in my arms/carrier? It shouldn't be a journey longer than 10 minutes as the hospital is pretty close to where we live.

Would that not be an option?

You definitely can't take a newborn baby in a car without a car seat - it's extremely dangerous. We're also getting a taxi but bought the cheapest car seat from about £40 from John Lewis. It will be useful if we need to take taxi rides in the future as well, plus for when family visit.

I definitely wouldn't take a tiny baby in a taxi without a car seat OP.

If you speak to local taxi firms they may have car seats available to use, or you can look into hiring one. Or do you know anyone that you could borrow one from? But if you are likely to take the odd taxi journey buying a cheap one that fits with a seatbelt is well worth it.

@ButFirstTea

You definitely can't take a newborn baby in a car without a car seat - it's extremely dangerous. We're also getting a taxi but bought the cheapest car seat from about £40 from John Lewis. It will be useful if we need to take taxi rides in the future as well, plus for when family visit.

As stupid as I might sound, I didn't know this - my mother insists that I can just take her with me in the car? (I guess that's what they did back in the day as my parents didn't have a car either).

But you're right, the NHS does advice to get a car seat even for the hospital-home trip, unless you take public transport or walk (we won't be able to walk, that's for sure). We'll already have a stroller and a baby carrier, so maybe public transport is feasible, but then again, depending on how labour went I might not be up for that...

Damn, I really wanted to skip the car seat purchase as it feels so dumb when you don't have a car (and rarely take taxis). Our families live abroad (well, technically we're the ones living abroad) so we will need a car seat when there, but we won't be able to fly with ours anyway so we'll have to buy another car seat for when we're back home.

I think it is legal for a baby to travel in a taxi without a carseat, but some taxi firms will provide car seats. Must be plenty of people in London who don't have cars so probably you can get advise from them on best options.

Saying that we didn't have a car when our baby was born but it was still useful we had a car seat to occaisionally travel in someone else's car.

@TheFishWillSeeYouNow

Just thought of another, get 2 bottles and some cartons of ready make formula in, just in case. When it's 3am and you're all crying and she can't latch and is over tired, it's amazing to just have it to hand ready to go.

I agree. And a small manual pump. A friend of mine took hers to hospital and used to try to express some milk while her baby was in incubator 🤷🏻‍♀️ it's good either way

List looks fine. Very similar to our set up when we had baby 1 in a 2 bed flat. We only ever changed in baby's room, even now we live in a house we always bring now toddler upstairs to change.

We didn't have a separate changing table and just used the top of the chest of drawers - we go this one from ikea www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/bjoerksnaes-chest-of-5-drawers-birch-70407299/ and still use now.

Have you thought about where toddler is going to nap when not in the next to me? We got a moses basket for day time naps but you could probably use the carry cot for the pram.

feels so dumb when you don't have a car (and rarely take taxis). Our families live abroad (well, technically we're the ones living abroad) so we will need a car seat when there, but we won't be able to fly with ours anyway so we'll have to buy another car seat for when we're back home.

Almost all airlines will transport a baby car seat for free even with an infant on lap ticket

Could your husband take the baby back on public transport, while you get a taxi alone? I can see why you want to avoid buying a car seat for one trip then having to store it just in case you need it again.