Best brands...what do you suggest??

[makecakesnotwar]

First timer planning on buying: breast pads, disposable nappies, creams, lotions and potions, bottkes, formula, breastfeeding bras etc. I'd appreciate recommendations if you have any....

oooh - shopping!

why not sign up for all the online clubs and get samples before you buy the big packs. also i planned to b/f but was so ill i couldnt but i had bought every b/f'ing item going. DH then had to rush to shops to buy formula etc etc. he bought 6 avent bottles and a big thing of SMA to find DS was sick on SMA and Aptimil suited him and he couldnt suck in Avent bottles and we have to replace them with MAM (which are fantastic)

so dont buy loads - wait to see what your baby prefers. it will save you listing loads on ebay later.

the only thing to stock up on is breast pads as i leaked from about 25weeks til about 2 months after DS was born

hth

Hi,
I used Pampers New Baby nappies to start with then went over to a biodegradable brand called Bambo which are very good. You won't need much in the way of lotions and potions for the baby, just warm water and cotton wool are recommended for washing for the first few weeks, when dd got to around 12 weeks I started using the Earth Friendly Baby range of soap and shampoo which are fab. I used Avent bottles/bottle warmer/steriliser and was very happy with them, Avent is widely available which was a bonus as I was able to get new teats etc in the supermarket. Formula I used was Hipp Organic which suited dd well.
I can also heartily recommend Palmers Body Oil as an all-over anti-stretchmark moisturiser, smells gorgeous! Oh yes, stock up on good sanitary towels for post-birth, i liked Always Maxi.

Thanks for the advice...

I found huggies nappies awful, pampers nappies the best.
Breast pads - I found Lansinoh the best.

Anita for nursing bras, Dr Bronner for baby soap and Green and Blacks for chocolate

nipple care cream from the active birth centre - cannot recommend it enough, its wonderful - start using it a couple of weeks before the birth and you're nips will be in fine form for bf

their other stuff is nice too

breast pads - washable cotton ones - soften on cracked/chewed nips and can be used over and over again

cow and gate organic formula but used once girls were bf for at least 6months so can't recommend new born stuff sorry

Breast pads: I use Sainsbury's disposable ones. Get them ahead of time as you may well leak!

If you intend to BF then I wouldn't bother buying bottles, formula etc -- I wasted loads of money on things like bottle warmers which never got used.

Nappies: I found Pampers Newborn the best at that age.

Creams/lotions/potions: a newborn baby doesn't really need any of these. Can just bathe in water, although J&J bath stuff makes them smell nice it can be very drying.

The main things you need in the early days are a sling, the TV remote and a freezer full of ready meals

Kamillosan for sore nipples (I didn't get them but used it between every feed to start with at at first hint of anything)

Lansinoh washable breast pads - disposable ones don't fit properly and just go soggy and disgusting

Bottles etc - tricky. My ds would only take Nuby knobbly teats but that was after a few months of exclusive b/f. My sister swears by naturalatch Tommee Tippee teats. Bottles doesn't matter - most are standard size. My dd never took a bottle at all!

I found Kamillosan made DS throw up vile-smelling yellow sick!

Breast Pads - I used Lily Padz and swear by them. You only need the one pair and you can be bra less if you want to be with them. Amazon sell them but also other places on the internet.

Lotions and potions: olive oil from the pharmacy for dry skin

Creams: Sudacrem for nappy rash

Just water for bathing

Wipes: I found 'Huggies Pure' to have the least stuff in and the only ones to have zero effect on my DD's very sensitive bottom. All the organic / earth friendly ones set her off in to bright red bottom world.

breastpads - johnson's
I used Kamillosan too for sore nips/nappy rash but only Metanium will do if it's really bad
sanitary pads - the allways purple ones with wings
water for washing and cottonwool for pooey bum
used a few Avent baby products but mainly kept to water as dd's had quite sensitive skin

Don't even think about cheap nipple pads - a combo of Lansinoh washable and Avent disposable worked for me, with Lansinoh nipple cream - complete lifesaver.

Get a load of cotton wool and a little plastic to and tail bowl for the changing table - you won't need anything else to clean small botties. I used Waitrose Bottom Butter rather than Sudocrem on DD but they have discontinued it - think Green Baby do a similar thing, just solid olive oil really, very gentle and sorts out any rashes without chemicals.

I have used Moltex bio disposables since day one (after experimenting with a few other eco brands) and they are absolutely fantastic. Little Green Earthlets stock them, as well as biodegradable nappy sacks and natural baby wipes for when baba is a bit bigger.

I BFd until 7 months but also expressed milk and used Avent milking machine, bottles, teats and steriliser - all fine but agree don't buy millions of anything until you see what your little one prefers. When I did switch to formula I was v cautious cos of allergies and ordered some crazy biodynamic organic stuff from Germany - company is called Holle and you can get their stuff from Ulula.co.uk

Got breastfeeding bras from NCT and various other places. Like all bras, try on loads to see what's comfy, and don't buy too early.

Good luck!
Pinchy xx

Man there is so much to think about! I have reusable nappies, but have been advised not to use for the first week or so until things settle down...

I am sure I saw the bottom butter in Waitrose only yesterday, Nearly bought some funnily enough!

Bottom butter is lovely stuff but didn't help DD when she got really sore through teething and antibiotics though - didn't even touch the sides.

Bottom butter is lovely stuff but didn't help DD when she got really sore through teething and antibiotics though - didn't even touch the sides.

alnother vote for tEsco own nappies for newborns. Ds did up to 10 poos a day for the first couple of months so each nappy was only on for a couple of hours and Tesco are suitably cheap but also soft

Can't believe this hasn't been mentioned already - disposable knickers! Granted they're not the most attractive thing ever, but you'll be grateful for them post birth

I second HeathersMummy - I bough loads of very cheap ugly knickers - comfy and I was happy to throw they away.

Tescos own nappys are superb as well. If you are formula then DO NOT get an electric bottle warmer - they take forever. A good buy if you get out and about is the flask type bottle warmers you just use with hot water.

Don't buy loads of one formula as I tried three before I found one my son settled on.

I have a fab breastfeeding bra from emmajane - brought online at www.figleaves.com it is incredibly soft and silky, and was great on sore nipples in the first weeks. Another vote for lansinoh nipple cream - expensive but you'll only need one tube, and it saved me when I was crying at the thought of feeding my DD.

Another supporter of Tesco Nappys here. We started with pampers then huggies, boots, asda, sainsburys and they leaked.
Tesco ones were soft on his bum and NEVER leaked. I'm still using them for bedtimes now

Tommy Tippee breastpads - Lilypadz are fine but awkward to put back after feeding if you're out

I use real nappies so can't help on that front - means I also use washable wipes (much better than cotton wool)

Lansinoh for sore nips
Palmer's Cocoa Butter for stretchmarks
Waitrose Bottom Butter (now back in stock, Pinchypants!) as a barrier cream
Sudocrem / Metanium / Benpanthen for active nappy rash

Think about not having bottles or formula in the house if you plan to bf - it can make it too easy to give in when you might have got through it. Instead have the phone numbers on the righthand side of Hunker's Blog...

If you are a D cup or bigger at the moment go straight to Bravissimo and get measured - you may buy your bras from elsewhere (H&M are attractive and good value) but they will get you in the right size.

Huggies nappies I found the best and most absorbent. Kirkland nappies (Costco) also good.

Aloe Vera cream was the best thing, hands down, for nappy rash. It's miracle cream actually, use it for everything.

Bottles - Dr Browns. They are by far the best anti-colic bottles I found. And the formula that worked best for DS was Aptamil.

I think waitrose have a great choice of decent baby toiletries, chemical free/organic etc. But I've only ever bothered with baby wash (earth friendly baby) which does as shampoo, and some calendula cream for nappy rash, v.dry skin.
I use washable wipes with camomile tea and both my boys have no rashes or problems now ,they're also much easier to clean bottoms & faces with than disposable wipes.
I bought these ones from ebay and they're lovely, flannel on one side and fleece on the other.