what will i need for newborn?

[trishpops]

bit boring but i thought this would be the best place to ask.....this is what we have got, what other essentials should i get in preparation for baby's arrival?
we have nappies, muslins, bottles, breastpump, plenty of clothes, cotton wool, sudocrem, babywash, sponge, towel, cot+mattress,bedding, moses basket, car seat, pram/buggy thing, blankets and sunshield for car as baby due in may.
i stil want to get other things like nappy bags and thermometer, but is there any other essentials you can recommend?

A sling! A sling! We got a stretchy wrap and both DH and I wore our DD in it from a week old. Ideal for helping her sleep, going out, and keeping her close and cuddled.

I bought a lovely swing from boots, i think it was a take along swing, fisher price and reasonably priced at 45.00 i used it until she learned to sit up at which point she tried to climb out of it!! I sold it to my neighbour who was expecting for 20.00 it was only 4.5 mths old and i wished i'd have bought it straight away, it was a godsend and i used to take it up if i wanted a bath and then i could see her but she was kept amused!!

bouncy chair as we had no idea where to put DS and you can't buy enough of those maternity sanitary towel type thingies, it was a bit of a blodbath for me (eek- too much info, sorry)for quite a long time.

i didn't bother with a breastpump til later on though, i think they recomend you don't use it straight away and you may find breastfeeding is not for you for whatever reason and you'll have wasted the money on the pump. mind you, i did buy a bottle steriliser as i figured baby would take a bottle at some point even if i was breastfeeding.

i ended up using both

All you really need is breasts and/or formula. Even nappies are a luxury in many parts of the world. We all do it but WHY do we spend so much on "stuff" when what they really need is love and food.

We got one of these. www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90064436
Can't call it an essential I suppose but ours was very well used for night feeds as gives just enought light to see what you're doing clearly without disrupting the day/night routine by turning on bright lights. Its brilliant as its fully portable once its been mains charged. We used to keep it between mine and DH's pillow and then used to just turn it on when DS woke for a feed as a newborn. Would throughly recommend (and have been to all my expectant friends!). We got the green one but a friend got a red one and said it didnt give enough light so stick with green if I was you. HTH Good luck.

Thanks Daisynova... 59 quid???! Well.. it would have been nice.

Hi, can I ask a question of all those giving advice... I've been looking at both swings and bouncy chairs (I guess to get one of each would be excessive ). Any views on which is most practical/useful?

fisher price vibrating thingy think it's called 'kick and play'with an arch over the top. you can remove the arch (DS was a bit freaked out by it to start with) but those vibes were a lifesaver. he was a really difficult baby to get to bed so sometimes in sheer desperation he'd sleep in that with a blanket over him, vibin' all night til the batteries ran out think it must be the same effect as taking baby for a run in the car, movement and vibration being soothing. make sure you get a chair with a removable cover so you can pop it in the wash if baby is sick on it.

oh yes, and one more thing, removable mattress covers are a lifesaver, again, you can bung them in the wash rather than scrubbing a mattress. i got one that zipped round the top of the mattress and was waterproof. the mattress set cost quite a lot but was well worth it.
basically, the mantra is, buy anything you can bung in the washing machine

hell yeah - soopermum!

The things I found very useful with DS1 (and still use some of them 2 years on!) were:
Monitor (still use)
Nappy bin (still use)
Changing table
Bouncy chair
Sling (still used until i got too preg recently!)

I have just about got everything organised this time (I hope!). I am due in a week

you sound really organised! i wouldn't bother getting a room thermometer if you are getting a monitor as most of them have thermometers on them anyway! also i worried myself sick as ds was born in mid july of really hot summer and whatever we did the thermometer refused to move off "too hot!", but ds was fine and thrived in it!

good luck and will look out for the birth announcement

large bath sponge that you lay in the bottom of bath rather than faffing around with a baby bath that you won t use fo rlong anyway..mothercare do them..ive used them for all three of my kids..have you got a bouncy chair fo rbaby to lie him in if he needs to be upright more rather than moses basket

bitofadramaqueen i think they are both equally good but from experience of both, i would say the swing seemed to settle my dd2 much better and gave me a chance to get dressed and have a bite to eat!! It also depends on what type of a budget you have!!

Would say that LadyVictoriaetc...list is great but only 2 sheets would be tricky with a sicky baby or just one who possets a lot. Tiny moses basket/ crib sheets don't cots much and if you have 4 you'll cut down on laundry a fair bit.

Thanks bitcat. My main problem is that my DH graciously accepted someone's kind offer to buy us a very nice bouncy chair but I really want to get a swing! The swings I like are a bit more expensive than the bouncy chair the person enquired about. I'd feel way too cheeky saying no now, but wondering if its too excessive to go ahead and get the swing anyway.

My current reasoning is, if we get a swing that's good for travelling we can say we got that for visiting relatives etc and keep the bouncy chair at home. I can always come up with a good excuse for buying something I dont really need!

An essential thing? A sense of humour and patience (oh alright thats 2, you'll need them for all the 'if I were you.......' comments and all those people who just happened to read in a magazine that blue babygros were likely to cause gender confusion and that 'you should do that, because thats what celeb x did'! On the serious side if you are planning to use reusable nappies, get a good bottie barrier cream like Smellie Ellie. I've used Kushies Ultra nappies on both my boys, fab reusables - all in one so no faffing about with wraps. And tea tree oil to soak the dirty nappies, smells nice and is antibacterial

Dont bother buying an expensive change table Ikea do a fab one that's really cheap and you can buy an inflatable changing mat to fit on. Such a good buy we bought two! Saves backache from bending over. Oh yes and maybe think about an area downstairs for nappy changes other than in baby's room (assuming it's upstairs). I found it helped to have everything to hand to save endless trips upstairs during the day. Those night lights that fade/give just a little bit of light (enough to bf/change baby). Metanium nappy cream is fab if baby suffers from bad nappy rash. I think Moses baskets are great but try to borrow one as only last about 6 weeks. Definitely baby sling - best place for calming baby during first few months when all else fails! Oh, and don't buy too many first size nappies if using disposables, they soon grow!!

don't know if anybody has added the following - they're what I wish somebody had told me before me first was born ...

for you:

• witch hazel ... use it on your sanitary pads - it's really soothing
• tea tree oil - put a drop or 2 in a jug full of (tepid) water, and pour it over your bits every time you go to the loo
• a stock of clean cloths / flannels by the loo to help with the first poos
• lactulose (you can get it from the pharmacy) - a great poo softener - to make the first poos less traumatic
• big cheap knickers from asda / tesco - better than paper knickers, as they're softer - you can also have a grand throwing out ceremony whe you (finally) get rid of the monster sanitary pads
• lots of big sanitary towels - not necessarily all maternity pads, although their bulk is rather cushioning on your sore bits

for baby:

• a tub of aqueous cream ... the only thing you need - you can use it in the bath, and as an all-purpose cream
• 1000s of muslins ... and then a few more!

hmmm ... shall think of anyhting else ...

I think all you really need are nappies and breasts ! but the basics are 1.cotton wool to use with water to clean botty,
2.nappies
3.sleepsuits and undervests-6 of each
4.moses basket for daytime naps or other bed if not co-sleeping,but co-sleeping is easier and nicer once you get over the first few panicky weeks.
5.couple of blankets
6.a sling
7.breastpump and a cabbage and homoeopathic remedy phytolacca-all these are fab when your milk comes in-pump to ease engorgement a little bit to help baby latch,cabbage for comfort it does help,really! and phytolacca if mastitus threatens.
8.carseat
9.weleda baby oil is great for sore botties!
10.nursing bras?

apart from hospital stuff like STs and nighties there was nothing else I needed in the early weeks.Oh the phone number of a good lactation consultant in case you need help.(la leche league very helpful) good luck!

bitofadramaqueen i think if you can afford it and it's what you really want then go for it..a little of something you don't need is good for you especially if it gets you those precious few minutes to have a shower or maybe have a bite to eat!! And in my experience it's never a good idea to argue with a pregnant lady!!! As i say i got quite a nice little swing from boots but i think you can get them from argos too!! reasonable at about 45.00, and can be folded for storage and travel!! Good luck with it!!

Oh yes and the cover on that swing washable and could also be bunged in tumble drier!!

Thatnks for the tip again Bitcat! Will look into that. It is great to know what the essentials are, but if you cant be a little bit frivolous with your first when can you be . (See, again with the excuse to buy something you dont need!).

I love Sudocrem, it always cleared up my boys' nappy rash in mega quick time and I have even used it on myself, great for chapped hands.

Other suggestions:

Good quality hand cream, as your hands get so dry from all the hygienic hand-washing. I like Boots Expert, lotion or cream.

Avoid anti-bac handwash as that is drying too. I actually use Johnson & Johnson top-to-toe wash with pump as it is v gentle!

My baby needed swaddling so I used a cot sheet for this. When he outgrew the need to be swaddled we switched to grobags which he still loves, he's now 16 months. I got lightweight ones for the summer.

Braun digital ear thermometer, ours worth its weight in gold. have just gone out and bought a new one as ours now knackered from 4 1/2 yrs of use!

BT monitor worked well for us and has the room temp on it too. If I was buying again I would prob get one of the ones where you can see them sleeping as well tho as thats reassuring when you daren't go in in case of disturbing them.

Avoid:

loads of baby toiletries. little babies only need a bit of shampoo every now and again.

expensive pram. borrow or buy second hand and get a nice lightweight buggy for 3 or 6 months+ - I love the MacLarens

Spending loads of money on nice clothes, they just grow too quick and you'll get loads of presents anyway or you can get lovely quality second hand stuff off eBay hardly worn.

Lastly don't forget you can get great bargains from eBay and NCT sales!