What are the baby basics?

[CatDean]

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Minimum things are:

Vests and sleepsuits (M&S, Boots and Tesco do cheap multipacks) - get them all in white for easier washing. I would get at least 10 of each because leaky poos can mean getting through a lot of clothes each day.

one hat

One warm jacket for going outside

muslins (lots)

4 blankets

4 fitted sheets for whatever he will be sleeping in (again, white and cotton for convenience)

Somewhere to sleep (cot or moses basket)

Car seat

Sling or buggy (which does not need to cost a fortune)

Nappies and wipes

(Breast pump, bottles, steriliser, depending on how you are going to feed him)

I think that's pretty much it for necessities. They just need something to wear, some way of getting home and somewhere to sleep. You can, if you want, use a folded up towel on the floor as a changing mat (although these are not expensive) and I used to wash my DD in the sink with a flannel wrapped around the taps.

Don't bother with a moses basket - take one side off a cot and put it against your bed.

Also don't get too many newborn size clothes unless you're expecting a tiddler. It will be a winter baby so get lots of cheap or secondhand sleepsuits and vests, a couple of jumpers, scratch mitts, hats and a little coat - size 0-3 months. You'll probably get loads of clothes as presents so don't buy too much.

Get a couple of warm growbags for sleeping - supermarkets and Primark do cheap ones.

Are you going to breast or bottle feed? You'll need all the necessary equipment.

For you - lavender oil (mix with a spoonful of milk in your bath), about a million maternity pads - you'll only need the thick ones for a couple of weeks, then normal 'value' night pads will be ok.

Oh, and lots of muslins - you can never have too many!!!

They need more than anything else lots of cuddles, and you can give your baby that no matter what budget you are on.

The rest - food, sleepsuits, nappies, pushchair, car seat if you have a car, somewhere to sleep.

A lot of it depends on your lifestyle. To be honest I found half the 'essentials' suggested were unnecessary

For this baby I have:

Pram
Cot
Muslins
Couple of neutral first size outfits (I found you get given loads you just end up with an overkill of clothes you can't get round to wearing before they have outgrown them)
highchair (but this can be bought later)
bouncy chair or swing (this wasn't as essential for me with my first but now I will have 3...)
Car seat (if you will use a car obviously)
cot sheets
I used baby sleeping bags instead of blankets from newborn
1 shawl or blanket (again I got given loads)
1st size nappies
bottles if you plan to bottle feed and steriliser (I just used a vegetable steamer for the odd time I used bottles (cheapskate))

will have a think and carry on

Cuddles, kisses, patience, love, boobs, blankets and a gazillion nappies.

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The baby will need...

Somewhere to sleep- so a moses basket/crib if you like but I didnt bother and just put DC's straight into cot. Cot sheets probably 3 would be enough ( one on, one in the wash and one clean IYKWIM). A couple of blankets.

Feeding- if you're planning on breastfeeding you wont need much at all. An expressing machine might be useful but you can always wait till after the birth and see if you need it. If you're bottle feeding- formula, bottles, steriliser.

Car Seat- very important. You wont be able to leave the hospital without one!

Pram.

Toiletries, nappies, changing mat etc. I didnt bother with a baby bath just got a moulded seat to go in big bath. You can really spend as much or as little as you want on things like this but you can get away with a bit of baby bath, sponge, cotton wool, nappy cream and nappies.

Clothes. Get bare minimum especially if you dont know the sex of baby. You'll be bought outfits etc as presents. So maybe 6/8 vests and babygros. A couple of cardigans. Something warm for baby to leave hospital in including hat.

Remember as long as you've got the essentials you can always get things you might have forgotten after the birth.

Tip - don't get actual vests (ie no bottom bit) - I did as they seemed to be in all the lists of essential items.... DS is 2.5 and he has NEVER worn a vest, ever...

Also, if you're on a budget I would advise you avoid buying a pram/travel system and borrow one if at all possible. Then when you have the baby you can make a more informed decision over what one to get. I know so many people who have ended up buying multiple prams as the one they got ended up not suiting them for some reason. We borrowed one from a friend and that worked really well.

don't buy outfits in newborn size! Baby will live in sleepsuits for the first few weeks. If you plan to breastfeed to bother buying loads of bottles/expensive sterilising equipment - it will be wasted. If you do plan to breastfeed just get a couple of 4 oz bottles for emergencies - and you can use Milton tablets/liquid - much cheaper.

Don't need a cot bumper/quilt - just some cellular blankets.

Don't bother buying any toys/play gyms or anything yet - baby won't need them for a while.

Have to disagree with CuppaTea - I found the moses basket invaluable! You can always get one second hand or maybe borrow one as the baby won't be in it for all that long. I just loved being able to move him around when he was asleep, put him down to sleep when we were out at friends' places etc etc.
The really big muslins were also brilliant - you can get them on ebay really cheaply.
A few swaddling sheets to - nice warm soft ones.
Lots of good ideas above.

As many muslins and bibs as you can afford!

A baby is a very cheap person depending on which way you approach the process. You could buy all the crap recommended and decorate the nursery from top-bottom in M&P coordinating range or you can do it on a budget.

Breastfeeding is free.
Washable pads rather than disposable, breast and sanitary.
Car seat only essential if you have a car.
Go on ebay and buy a 'lot' of baby clothes, then wash them when you get them, you will be unlikely to notice they're second hand.
Washables/disposable nappies
Muslin squares are 10 for a fiver in mothercare and will mop up most baby leaks etc.
This time of year you may want a snowsuit.
Sling
No cot necessary if you co-sleep. Moses baskets are a waste of money as are baby baths and their ilk, take the baby in the bath with you.
Pram not essential if you baby-wear.

Depends on how tight your finances are really. hth

Don't buy anything new if you can help it.
Cots, prams can all be bought from adtrader and most people will include bedding etc (I did when I sold mine)

I think car seats and mattresses are the only things to buy new.

oh yes - forgot the baby bath - total waste of time imo - get one of those terry towelling liners that baby can lay on - then once sitting you can get a bath seat/ring.

Also you don't need a baby box - any plastic box with lid from pound shop/woolworths etc will do the job just as well.

And don't get loads of wipes - perfumed toiletries - they are really unnecessary for newborns - cotton wool and water much better

Personally I just take the baby in the bath with me.

If you are on a budget hit ebay!!

There you will find slings, bedside cot, breast pump, a reclining chair for baby have daytime naps/play in, for clothes hit Matalan and Primark, and Ethel Austin if you're "oop North". Cloth nappies will save you a packet, I used muslins for the first couple of months with a fleece liner and waterproof wrap, ebay is a good source of these too.

Don't bother with; a moses basket, a baby bath (just get in the bath with the baby, the water doesn't have to be tepid, just not hot), baby lotions, soaps, washes, oils and so on, babies only need water to keep them clean, changing station, baby wipes (full of chemicals, yuck! wet face cloths do just as good a job and you can pick them up really cheap in bundles) sterilisor (breast pump and bottles in the dishwasher and rinsed with freshly boiled water is enough when you're bf).

Keep an eye on Mothercare/Toys'R'Us/Halfords etc and try and get your car seat in a sale, we got a Britax First Class for under £100, which goes from birth to 4 years, so it was a serious bargain. For your pram aim for a simple 2-in-1 style, rear facing so that you can see baby and they can see you, lies flat to begin with then sits up to form a push-chair as baby grows, again, check out sales and promotions to grab a bargain.

Also, ask people to give you vouchers, either Argos or Mothercare etc as Christening presents, we bought all kinds of things this way.

I'm another one who'll disagree about the moses basket, ds fitted in his until he was 5.5 nonths (actually he could have gone on longer, but I lent it to a friend) which gave us time to save up a bit and buy a cot.

I disagree with people about the baby bath. We got ours from Ikea for about £3 and used it for ages.
The trouble with threads like this is that what is essential to one person is a waste of money to another.

If you are on a budget I would wait and see what you need. If you join baby groups you'll find that a lot of people give stuff away they no longer need, especially clothes. Freecycle is always a good bet too.

NCT sales are always good but they don't hold them that often. Worth finding out when they are though.

I would thoroughly recommend Tescos for cheap nappies and baby clothes.

Pram/pushchair: people waste a lot of money on travel systems and then later on get a McClaren (sp?) buggy anyway. We decided to miss out the first bit and got the only McClaren buggy there is where the seat goes completely flat so you can use it from newborn. A lot cheaper than a travel system and takes up no room in the car. Its the only one we have had and will be using it for number 2 as well.

Hi Most of the supermarkets do very cheap good quality baby sleepsuits and vests.

My best tip is I found muslins not very absorbant so I bought a stack of terry nappies v.cheap. They were great for mopping up milk/sick and can be put on hot wash. I also used i as a changing mat if i was out.

Car boots are great for prams and moses baskets. This time round I am buying a great 3 wheeeler off a friend for £40 and I'm being lent a moses basket.

about 1/10th the baby things you think you need

lots of washing powder

sky +

food you can prepare and eat with one hand

What on earth is a baby box?

Good point Mrs Badger. I remember saying in the past that the 2 most important things we bought in preparation for our first baby were:

1. A decent reliable washer/dryer (although I appreciate that a lot of people don't want/can't afford the dryer). I didn't appreciate how much this would get used.

2. Dimmer switches for bedroom lights. When getting up for night feeds the last thing you want is a bright light and the baby will learn the difference between night and day more quickly if you keep the room as dark as possible when feeding at night.

I think a baby box is a plastic box to keep all your baby's toiletries in. I could never work out why you'd need one. At most DS had a sponge and a bottle of head to toe wash for the bath, which we kept on the side of the bath and then some bum cream which we kept on the changing table.

Don't buy any clothes other than vests and sleepsuits, you will be given tons. I didn't have to buy any clothes for DS until he was 6 months old.

Put the word out that you are looking for 2nd hand stuff. We got two bin bags full of clothes from a friend of DP's sister who was emigrating to Australia and wanted rid of it. Look at charity shops too, you can get lots of nearly new stuff very cheaply.

Mrshappy- Baby box is box full of baby products creams lotions potions wipes nappies etc. Johnsons do one in purple and one in white.

I have nothing to add/take away as im pregnant with 1st and reading the list thinking ooppps ive probably gone overboard!!

I think avoid Mothercare if you can - they think they have cornered the markey and can be snooty!! Supermarkets for clothes and ebay for bigger things.