Yikes I'm having a baby in 8 weeks. Any advice on childcare books/places to buy cheap stuff for nursery..

[Mirry71]

As it says in the heading really...just suddenly occurred to me that I'm going to have a baby soon. EEK.!
Anyone got any good recommendations for a book to read about looking after the LO (not really a Gina Ford type but think there should be some kind of routine...)
Also where in these credit runch times should I be going to buy decent nursery furniture that won't break the bank?
Any suggestions gratefully gratefully received

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book - baby whisperer? But to be honest I reckon going with what feels right for you is the best way. Not sure routines are always going to work esp in the early days, wouldn't have done for us anyway, baby and you will find your own routine falls into place IMO, however that's a whole big debate!
furniture - don't go for specifically nursery stuff, eg IKEA do some nice white shelves which we filled with fabric storage boxes, much cheaper, and just had an ordinary wooden chest of drawers. Freecycle always has people chucking out baby stuff.

I second the vote for Ikea for nursery furniture, lovely and affordable.
DH got the book "The Baby Owner's Manual" for Christmas and it is very funny but also practical.

do not buy books - borrow lots from the lib and then buy the one or two that 'speak' to you (I liked Libby Purves' How Not To Be A Perfect Mother)

Don't waste cash on a matching nursery 'set'. Baby clothes are tiny and don;t need to be hung up so a chest of drawers is all you need. And if you start with a moses basket (the cheapest JL one is the least offensive-looking) you don't even need a cot yet so have time to poke around the sales. And rememeber old pillowcases make perfect moses basket sheets - just shove the mattress inside and tuck in any spare.

The Ikea £3 inflatable changing mat is ace.

Don't buy a book, just MN ! But the best advice is to feed whenever they seem to want it (crying, rooting etc), clean the other end whenever pooey or every 3 hours or so, and get some sleep whenever possible.

Join Freecycle and get baby bath, moses basket etc from there as they don't last long.

Def apart from a cot, don't buy specific nursery furniture as it's way too expensive. You don't need anything other than some baskets to chuck clothes in anyway

Hmmm, am very against book buying, as they made my life after baby very stressful!! you want them to fit into the books routines and stuff, and for my lo it didnt happen. I kept thinking, why has she gone to sleep again after feeding for half hour, then diagnosisng probs that werent there with the books help. I can honestly say it spoilt my enjoyment of my first baby, i should have just gone by instinct, fed when hungry, changed when dirty. With my next one, im just going to spend my time with my boobs out lo latched on, with a nice cup of tea!!

We had the cheapest set of ikea furniture for dd, i think the cot was £35 including the mattress and it was great i want to use it again realy ( i like bargains ) but we've been given an all singing all dancing m&p one.

I'd really recommend Ikea for nursery stuff, their highchair is supposed to be great too.

As for books, i never found one i got on with once dd had arrived, i found them all bloody patronising.

I would highly reccomend kiddicare.com when you need to buy stuff. They have lots of bargains.

I liked the Miriam Stoppard book for Frist time parents - it was really practical, didn't preach about particular methods or regimes etc, and treated you as if you knew nothing (we didn't!!) Pictures of how to put on a nappy, dress a baby etc

EBay!! Best for cheap, second hand but good stuff and you can resell it after you've finished with it...

oh yes, and Kiddicare good for getting good carseats cheap in last years' fabrics

My favourite book is Our Babies Ourselves by Meredith Small. It's a look at the anthropological history of parenting and baby biology and was far more useful than any baby manual i ever read.
Good luck!

oooh thank you all great ideas!

Mumsnet told me everything I needed to know!

The Baby Book by Dr Bill Sears and Martha Sears. Excellent.

You don't need nursery furniture.

Cot, chest of drawers maybe (or just a drawer in yr ch of dr)...err that's it.

Don't be seduced by changing tables, baby bouncers, fancy shelves yada yada yada. Just fills up the space.

Ebay and NCT nearly new sales, majority of baby things don't need to be new. My dd's have never had a a brand new bed, cot, toddler bed and single bed have all been 2nd hand and you couldn't tell.
Baby book I liked the best is Baby Love, by Robin Barker. She's an Australian midwife and I found the book full of common sense advice. The books by Kaz Cooke are good for a laugh as well

Don't buy changing table or baby bath, they only last about 3 months. You can buy one of those little fabric seat things to put in the main bath really cheaply - they last for ages.

Second Miriam Stoppard book, I used that on and off til dd was about 2!

IKEA highchair is fab. I've got a pricier one and DS gran has the white IKEA as a spare, and IMHO the IKEA one is much better.

I second Kiddicare for carseats. My DS has never complained that his car seat is soooo last year!!

Don't buy any books unless you have time to rea them and take on board anything that is in them. I bought one, never got around to reading it and now have no idea where it is.

All you will need furniture-wise is a cot and a chest of drawers. Baby GoodBits is 2.5 now and he still doesn't need anything more. However we did buy a baby bath because it made me feel more comfortable, could have survived without it as well though.

Lots of good places mentioned here for bargains - there really is no need to spend loads. Good luck