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?

oh yes and ditto a swing - neither of my babies liked being put down unless pram/buggy in motion and hated baby gyms for first 3 months and I couldn't bear to leave them to cry. ds2 had most of his naps in a sling leaving my arms free!

sling not swing!

Going back to the baby bath thing (see Monday) I used calendula baby bath from weleda. It worked really well and their nappy cream was good.

The other thing I had were reusable nappies. Although I didn't use them with my second the cloth bit came in very handy with nappy changing to dry off having used cotton wool. They don't disintegrate in the same way.

It might be useful to have a couple of dummies in a drawer somewhere as well. You don't have to use them but at least you have them there when the baby is screaming at 3 in the morning..just a thought.

girliemum you are quite right, i would def put some dummies away just incase..my ds1 wouldn't take 1 was always heaving on it but dd1, had one and it was a godsend as she did cry much more and more often than ds1!! I'm glad you thought of that, it never entered my head, very good advice!!!

BITCAT we put 2 dummies away and never needed them but we got them out on a few occasions!

seconding the braun ear thermometer and also the BT monitor - we are expecting ds2 and have just got another bt monitor for his room.

has anyone said a good pile of muslins as an essential? useful for everything and then as cleaning rags when they get too grey / sick stained to use as muslins

I would get baby nail scissors. Nobody told me that my daughter would be born with long sharp nails and cover her face in horrible red scratches before I could buy any nail scissors to cut them. Baby nail clippers are lethal, my neighbour lent me hers and I cut my daughters fingers. I remembered to buy all the bath stuff except a sponge or flannel.

you sound v organised :-)
i would recommend looking up your local
La Leche League group and going along (thats if you intend to bf?) www.laeche.org.uk

good luck for may

ok heres my two penneth'

at least 8 muslins - wash them first otherwise they are rubbish at their job

breast pump - I found the Avent Isis manual one the easiest - also the electric ones are very noisy and hard to position.

milk storage bags

always ultra night time

dark towels and sheets

Neals Yard balm

gentle washing powder

arnica

good luck sweetheart x

Sorry to add a question, but I'm due in 5 weeks and interested in the same info...

I've seen arnica tablets mentioned on a few threads. Are these better than cream and does anyone know what strength to use as I found them in Holland and Barrett's yesterday and they came in '6' and '30' which seems like a massive difference to me.

Any advice welcome...

Cheers

DONT GET BABY MONITORS TRUST ME YOU WILL HEAR YOUR BABY CRY I HAD SOME SUPER EXPENSIVE ONES AN MY BABY IS 4 MONT5HS AND THE BABY MONITORS HAVNT BEEN OUT OF THEIR BOX

get clothes with built in scratch mits. An absolute must.

THE AMMOUNT OF THINGS I HAVE BROUGHT AND NOT USED IS UNBELIEVABLE. COLD WATER STERILISERS ARE A WASTE OF MONEY. STERILISING FLUID GIVES BABYS ORAL THRUSH THAT SPREADS DOWN BELOW. AS I FOUND OUT THE HARD WAY MY POOR DAUGHTER HAD IT FOR WEEKS. I TOTALLY AGREE ABOUT SUDACREM WASTE OF MONEY TRY BEPANTHEN ITS GREAT

yeah my daughter has a temper built in scratch mits are a must with newborns as standard scratch mits fall off such tiny hands. THIS IS WHAT I USE MOST....
BIBS
CLOTHES
SOCKS FOR COLD FEET EVEN UNDER A BABYGRO
JUST ONE SNOW SUIT THEY GROW TOO QUICK
STERILISER
BOTTLE BRUSH
DUMMYS
CHANGING MAT
NAPPIES
WIPES LOADS OF EM
BABY BEDTIME BATH GREAT STUFF
BATH THERMOMETER
COT
A FEW SHEETS N BLANKETS
CHANGING BAG
PUSHCHAIR
AND A CAR SEAT

FionaB27

I don't think arnica pills come in different strengths - I used the boots ones and you just dissolve in mouth, as many as you can and as often as you can (instructions are enclosed). Also I think you can start taking them while IN labour, but check with you m'wife. After birth I used cream on my sore below bits and ate the pills and personally found they helped heal up and de-bruise.

Also for the general thread I would recommend (for you) your favourite ST's (BIG box),
black cotton pants (more comfy than disposable pants, and so much more attractive, plus they wash out easily and can be used again),
LOTS of your favourite squash / soft drink (not cola though - too much caffeine)and a BIG container to drink it from,
a board book of nursery rhymes to sing / say to yourself and bubs in the wee small hours, which they can then play with as they get bigger,
small box of sea salt to make calming baths with - small handful to a bath IMO,
face cleansing wipes as they can help you feel fresh in a jiffy and can be used on other body parts,
your favourite wicked foody snacks (I had a HUGE box of luxury chocs) just in case you feel the need,
an effective LED plug in night light (not the feeble glowey ones) - it makes night feeds easier (IMO) as you don't have to wake up the whole house or yourself/bubs with bright lights.

A book we've found fun (and sometimes useful) is "the new father, a dad's guide to the first year" by Armin A Brott, but this is a frippary and not a necessity.

Waste of time - bath thermometers. Someone bought me one and it always gives a poor reading, an elbow is much more effective!

And don't forget lots of supermarkets are 24 hours these days or internet shop, so you should be able to pick up anything you feel you need, plus keep things like pumps and bottles in their packaging until you need them, then you can return them if you find you don't need them..

Good luck and have fun! When you get visitors, make sure they make YOU the tea and run around after you and the bubs, not the other way around. And get lots and lots of rest after the birth (ok not something you can easily buy ) - the dusting and washing will always be there for another day...

Just to add I loved my water steriliser and my kids never had thrush. It was invaluable when it came to weaning as I could pop utensils, bowls and ice-cube trays in it (for freezing tiny food portions) without warping them through over-heating! I used a microwave steriliser for the bottles as it was v quick.

also need the monitors as can't hear the kids in my house when downstairs with the TV on, or outside hanging out washing, gives me peace of mind.

we never used our bath thermometers!

be prepared to try out diff sorts of nappies as all babies are shaped differently and nappies can leak, ds1 was a huggies baby and cd wear shops own too but ds2 can only wear pampers! would recommend using disposables for newborns then switch to reusables if you want to when they stop pooing so much. get through loads of nappies in a day (mine pooed after every feed, that's every 3 hours-ish) and you don't want to make extra work for yourself.

My first was born 3 weeks ago and these are the things I sent hubby out for in first few days:
Maternity pads (you'll need more than you think, I liked Mothercares slim pads)
Paracetamol and fibogel
Arnica (pharmacist said not to use gel/cream version on broken skin - ie stiches - and recommended the 30 strength pilules)
Washable breast pads - much comfier than disposables
Bibs ++ - saves a lot of sleepsuit changing!

Also, I don't think you need a bath stand. We put the bath on the draining board and fill from kitchen tap. Saves back - no bending over or picking up bath full of water. Also our kitchen is the warmest room in the house. Come to think of it, don't know why we don't just bath her in the sink...

Am using washable nappies (totsbots fluffles - enormous bottom!) and she also poos after every feed or more, but I don't feel so bad doing a washload daily as throwing away a nappy 5 mins after I've put it on.

Get some bottles of lucozade or similar for labour - keeps fluids and energy levels up, you won't feel like eating.

We used a sponge bath insert which stopped them slipping all over the place in the bath and costs about £7 from mothercare. Can use in big/little bath and was very simple.

And remember - you can actually leave the house after you've had a baby. You might not go for long shopping trips, but particuarly if you have a friend / partner / mum etc you can go to the shops soons after for anything else you might need. and catalogue / internet shopping is great. And you can despatch mates to pick things up for you too.

Put your feet up and relax - make the most of just being pregnant!

Hi there, I found that I didn't really need anything essentially for the baby, but I did need some things for myself and thought I'd share them with you here - hope you find my 'list' useful!!

Try and get a very squashy sports water bottle - a litre bottle from volvic would be ideal. It's for squirting warm water on your bits, after you've had your baby. Very soothing with warm water and a bit of tea tree oil. You might find it hard to 'go', and the warm water will help with the bruising. After you 'go' you won't want to use loo roll so the water is great. If you've had a cesarean birth, you can put salt and tea tree oil / lavender in it and clean your scar with it. Arnica 200c for bruising and shock is essential and Belles perennis 200c for a cesarean birth recovery. Phosphorous powder 200c to recover from anesthetic and morphine.

Another thing I found an absolute MUST is Soya Leicithin. you can get in a health food shop or chemist - capsules and granules. It emulsifies the fat globules in breast milk and stops you getting mastitis or blocked ducts. Absolutely essential if you're planning on breastfeeding.
Lansinoh lanolin ointment/balm for nipples is also essential. A poppy cushion is great. Also ask them how to breastfeed lying down in the hospital, before you come home. It's essential that you know how to do feed your baby before you come home. if you're going to bottle feed, ask them how much formula etc.

I know there could be a lot of flack for me by saying get some infant formula and a little bottle with infant teat, or a feeding syringe in the cupboard. You might end up mixed feeding, as I did even with the best will in the world to exclusively breastfeed - my midwife advised not to give my DD a bottle before 2 weeks and before 5 - even with expressed milk, to avoid nipple confusion - my DD happily took a bottle of expressed breast milk (some babies don't as the want the boob only). which brings me to breast pumps - if you can hire a hospital grade one for a month at the beginning, to get your supply up.

Get the number of a lactation consultant, before you have your baby. Find if you can a breastfeeding group and go to it before you have your baby. Get some numbers of the other mums there.
Find a cleaner if you can.
Freeze some dinners - more that you think you need - I was in hospital for 10 days and my DH ate all of the ones I had prepared before I even got home with babs... and no.. he didn't cook and freeze some more..

Blackout curtains are a godsend, especially if you have a non-sleeper like I had. Also cotton wool and water is all you need for a tiny newborn's sensitive skin. I didn't put anything on my DD's skin till she was three months (and then it was silcock's base). Get a few packs of baby nappies and then more of the size 1. You'll change your baby about 10 times a day for the first few weeks - it's really unbelievable how many you can go through!! I always used nappy bags and disposed of them in the bin, and didn't have a huge smelly nappy wrapper taking up room.

Try out your baby seats and buggies before yo have your wailing baby in your arms in the hospital carpark!!!!

The book The baby whisperer by traci hogg is a brilliant book. Read it before you have your baby, and get your partner to read it also!! It has a really great section on types of babies, different cries and what they mean, and on routines. Genius.

Hope all this helps, I found that I didn't need any things for my DD, but I needed them for breastfeeding and for my recovery in the first few weeks. I bought the baby equipment after I'd recovered, and after I'd met my baby and knew what would suit us best.

Good luck!!

Homeopathic remedies come in many strengths, 6c 30c and 200c. The attraction with them is that they work and they can be used during pregnancy, and birth and after wards for recovery and breastfeeding, without harming you or your baby.

I got my 200c strength remedies in Nelsons Pharmacy. www.nelsonshp.com/general/opening-times.html offer a mail order service and they deliver.

They have brilliant birth kits with all the remedies you will need for birth and recovery and breastfeeding.

HTH

Loads and loads of bibs. Have 9 day old and am getting through about 10 bibs per day.

I would agree with Coolbecx about getting in contact with the la leche league and finding out about groups etc. I didn't with my first but I did with my second and I found them really helpful.