Absolute must haves for baby?

[CJones11]

I'm due my second in 3 months time. Everything feels so long ago since my first and I really need to start buying for this baby.
What are your absolute must haves?

I had a stretchy sling (got free in baby box). Was really good and only takes a day or two to get the hang of it. Would recommend cheeky wipes for reusable wipes. For nappies we use tots bots during the day (mixture of their wraps + pass and all in one's). We started using at 11 weeks old. As a previous poster says it doesn't have to be all or nothing- try buying 3 or 4 nappies first and give them a go. Then get more if you like them. We used disposable nappies for night time. If you are breastfeeding then I would get the purple nipple cream (lanusol?) and some breastfeeding vests- all you need is a cardigan over the top. And breast pads (I had washable ones). And sleeping bags are great, would use 2.5 tog over winter.

That should say wraps and pads!
www.totsbots.com/category/bamboozle-day-two-part-nappy-system

No “clothes” just loads and loads of cheap multipacks of baby grows of various sizes.

They wash and dry fast, so cheap if they are covered in poo/vom can be disposed of rather than faffed around with.

Comfy and keep feet warm, easy to get on/off.

Just easy, easy easy which is what you need.

Muslins, billions of them...

Be aware that a lot of 0-6 month sleeping bags are actually a bit too big to start for many babies (including mine, totally average birthweight). Tommee Tippee do 0-4 month ones that work for most brand newborns but of course don't last as long, or you'll want a back-up for first few weeks - could be cellular blanket, a big muslin for swaddling if you can manage that (too faffy for us), we also got on well with velcro swaddle blankets (Little Seeds do nice ones, not too pricey) - she slept better in those than the sleeping bag for the first 8 weeks until she suddenly took an objection!

Changing mat with raised sides and end to use on the bed for night changes, saved us multiple times when she weed mid-change! (Position babies head at "open" end so any wee just runs down to the closed end and can be soaked up with a muslin)

Love this and wish you had of told me this 8 years ago.

Pay attention OP and congratulations

Slight derail as I'm in a similar situation.

I didn't need millions of muslin cloths last time, but maybe I was lucky and didn't have a particularly sicky baby! Definitely don't understand buying £££ ones. Cheap and cheerful will do!

Also found sleeping bags really REALLY annoying when breastfeeding in the night. They are just so long and flappy, and get in the way! I've bought a few swaddle wraps for this time.

See if you can go to a sling meet/borrow from a sling library. I have used 3 or 4 slings so far (baby is 9 months old) so as baby grows different slings are better.
Tula has a good reputation.
There are probably sling groups on FB (are we allowed mention FB here?)

I'm surprised at the number of people saying muslin cloths because I didn't use one with my first 🙈 but I certainly will get some for this time around.

A sling library is a great idea, I'll google my nearest one and try before I buy:)

Love the advice for reusable nappies not having to be 'all or nothing'. Breastfeeding tends to lead to very watery poo in the first few weeks so I think starting with disposable but trying some reusable as they grow will suit us best. The wipes I can try from the very start:)

Ive also just discovered reusable breastpads, wow 👌 I fed my first for 2 years and 4 months and didn't know about these! I have my old breastpump still ready for when it's time to return to work and I can pick up some bottles or whatever when we cross that bridge.

I didn't buy any 'confinement' apparatus with my first born i.e. bouncers. Just used the form mats with a soft play mat on top and lay them on the floor which I'll do again!

I definitely feel less overwhelmed seeing so many of you saying you don't need much, so thank you!

Not all babies need muslins.
I never used them with my babies- no need.

safe coffee cup with a straw so you can drink and hold or drink and walk etc.

I love my ergobaby embrace carrier if you need recommendations. It's soft like a sling but has buckles like a carrier so easy to do up on your own and feels more secure to me than a typical sling. Not sponsored by them 🤣 I just have a 6 week old and I'm finding it a life saver!
Apart from that just some nappies and sleepsuits and somewhere safe for baby to sleep is all that is needed.

Muslins have so many uses though. I stuck one down my top and then tucked it in baby's moses basket as kind of an extra top sheet and it helped him settle as it was warm and smelled of me!

I found normal baby sleeping bags to be a waste of money with a newborn - still haven’t used most of them at 3 months and won’t get a chance to use the summer ones now. I would look into swaddle ones instead that create a swaddling effect but are safer than using a blanket (no heavy layers and can’t be kicked off). My DD naturally slept in the arms up position and has slept really well in Love to Dream. I liked the idea of the Tommee Tippee ones where you can have the arms in or out but DD didn’t really like the arms in swaddle position. There are lots of Love to Dream available 2nd hand and they have a good resale value so wish I’d brought them in advance rather than buying new to get them quickly.

Not too much else was essential for the first few weeks other than clothes, nappies etc although we’ve quickly accumulated lots of crap now.

I did find disposable change mats pretty useful for containing and getting rid of poo explosions with minimal effort even though they are very bad for the environment.

I agree with needing lots of muslins as my baby is a messy feeder and also has a lot of reflux. I also use them when pumping.

Moses basket with lots of sheets and mattress protectors.
Disposable change mats. I appreciate you’re trying to reduce waste but these have been invaluable for me.
Sleep suits that are easy to put on (with buttons/poppers all up the front) and feet and hand covers.
Good steriliser - I use Milton cold water one.

I bought so many muslins and for my baby now 11 weeks old and have used one.

Toomee Tippy Prep Machine if bottle feeding

A good nappy backpack so your arms are free

Onesies that have the two zips it makes changing a 3 nappy so much easier if you just have to get the feet out

Dont but socks I have a drawer of them and don’t use them due to her wearing onesies with feet covered

on the disposable changing mats if anyone is interested, we used terry towels as cheap reusable changing mats. I looked at reusable changing mats but they were pretty expensive, a terry towel is just as good! and so cheap you can have a few, just keep chucking in the wash every time they get dirty. we used it over a standard changing mat. so the standard mat for cushioning and the terry towel so that they laid on fabric rather than cold plastic and so that anything could be mopped up as necessary!

We have always used a muslin on top of a standard changing mat- muslin can easily be chucked in the wash when it gets dirty / wet. Also if baby pees mid change the muslin soaks up the wee rather than it going everywhere & all over baby.

Definitely not necessary but I found a bath support seat really useful - we had the Angelcare one that supports baby lying back in the bath. I remember the early days of bathing our daughter required two sets of hands: one to hold slippery baby and the other to actually wash her! I think second time around my husband and I won't be able to do this because we'll have our daughter to look after too, so this seat will really help make bathing the newborn feel safer!

Baby carrier. Not all babies like them though. Also very long IKEA shoe horn so you don't have to bend over or sit down to slip on shoes. Very useful before and after pregnancy. 😁 Plastic one broke after a couple years, metal one is more durable but I didn't like it as much.

This. Baby just needs to be warm and fed

I would suggest not to spend too much money on fancy accessories. I had baby wrap and sleeping bag none of which was even used. My kids were to wriggly and would only fall asleep on tummy. So it all depend on baby. I don't fancy walking with baby in sling, find it uncomfortable, I had baby carrier only used handful of times and my second was too heavy to start with ...it was like torture lol. With my third one I will be shopping a lot of second hand like buggy or cot. With lots of those new fancy micro buggies they outgrow fast it's better to buy used, resell and replace couple of times.

Interesting to read how we all - and our babies vary. One person's "must have" doesn't get used by another.
I would buy as little as possible.
A car seat to get baby home. Some clothes, some nappies,

Things I didn't use with my babies were

cot
pram
bottles
changing mat
sleeping bag
muslins.

Luckily I didn't buy any of those things.
You don't need much in the early weeks especially.
After that I really enjoyed taking my baby shopping to baby departments in stores- a place where everyone stops and coos, and a generally have good baby changing feeding facilities and cafe if you need them.

Re. sleeping bags I would get the cosy Grosnug. I had the light Grosnug for my summer baby and I buy one for a baby shower gift for every new mum I know! It is brilliant.