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don't let me waste my dosh

29 replies

squirmyworm · 02/02/2004 22:22

Hellllp I'm about to waste loads of money on a spree. Having spent hardly anything at Bluewater Shopping Mecca today my switchcard is fighting its way out of my bag to do some internet pavement pounding....

To stop irreversible damage being done to my post baby bank balance please advise on the following.

  1. will a bottle warmer make it more likely that my ds will finally decide that an avent teat is not the work of the devil? If so which one? Is the Lindam cooler pack/warmer any good? (£30) would it be a good way to keep ebm cool once I've expressed it at work?

  2. hooded towels - a pointless rip off or a great invention in the cause of post bath/swimming snuggledom and avoidance of howling?

  3. when swimming are trunks with integral nappy de rigeur or do 4 month old people swim in just a swim nappy?

  4. what does one use to stop ones cot bed mattress getting repeatedly peed/posseted on? the cheaper the solution the better!

  5. the best way to store littlun's ever increasing supply of toys, books etc in his nursery is.....

PS don't know if anyone else has yearned after those cute monkey/chick/pig suits in Gymboree but today they reduced them by 40%...

OP posts:
popsycal · 02/02/2004 22:25

lol squirmy!!

  1. bottle warmers - hmmmm - not used one.....carried a flask of hot water around for months - £2.49 from asda
  2. hooded towels - o liked them - they were bought for us - but probrably a rip off....
  3. ds wore just a swimming nappy for a bit then bought him cheap tesco swimming shorts to wear over swimming nappy
  4. cot mattress - still to disciver that one
  5. ditto
stupidgirl · 02/02/2004 22:29

Can you not get waterproof mattress covers for cot mattresses?

Oh, and I had some hooded towels made me for me which were good as they were bigger than average (standard bath towels with a doubled over piece of toweling attached along the long side IYSWIM) and so lasted longer.

aloha · 02/02/2004 22:34

I never heated bottles. I think it is a trap! And I know because once when ds was feeling poorly (at nearly two) I offered him nice warm milk, and now he INSISTS on it - and this was a child who never had warm milk in a bottle. I kept my expressed breastmilk in a normal picnic cooler bag which I already had. We didn't use the hooded towels, just our normal family ones. Special towels are a total waste of money IMO. I bought my son a pair of cute checked briefs with poo-proof lining (not a nappy-type lining) and much preferred it to swim nappies as it didn't get sodden and heavy and looked MUCH nicer on! I don't think I had anything special to protect ds's mattress. I think it had a zip off cover (from Ikea) put a folded over sheet over the normal sheet under ds's head if he was particularly sicky/drooly. IKea do shelving which you can put plastic boxes into which is good toy storage, but we just have most stuff on the floor. My advice? Don't buy anything you don't have to. The amount of money I wasted on so-called essentials doesn't bear thinking about.

fairydust · 02/02/2004 22:37

We had a basic boots bottle warmer and avent insulator.

But if i had another would def get Lindam as you can keep one upstairs for night feeds.

Hooded towels had lots and again found them really good - mothercare were the ones we got.

We brought dd a swim suit and used huggies swim nappies.

Use a matteress proctor - we got a my first quit set - and that included one. (from argos by the way)

zebra · 02/02/2004 22:38

Can't comment on bottle warmers; my kids drank EBM cold.

I like hooded towels, but truly are unnecessary.

Just stuck my babies in a swim nappy under a swimsuit. I will sell you a swim nappy cheap if you're innterested -- hint, hint!

You can buy a waterproof cover (baby shops (Mothercare or local independents) sell them in cot sizes, Boots well them in single bed sizes, but made out of nylon which is nicer than vinyl, and can be wrapped around the cot mattress) very cheap. Definitely worthwhile purchase.

Storage is a personal preference! We put toys in produce boxes scavanged from market on open wooden shelves purchased at B&Q.

fairydust · 02/02/2004 22:40

have just brought this for the nursery - wish i'd have brought it months ago it's brill n holds loads of stuff.

www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=1751&productId=93178

sorry no good at links

gingernut · 02/02/2004 23:01

OK squirmy:

  1. Buy a small cool bag and some ice packs to keep your ebm cool. Much cheaper, and can be used for transporting food later (when baby on solids). I have a Thermos `Weekend' one which keeps stuff cool for ages. For warming bottles I took out a small flask of hot water and a plastic pot (it was a Tesco's fresh soup pot - perfect size). For home use I warmed bottles in microwave (don't tell anyone). But as others have said, it's best to try and get them to take it cold!

  2. Hooded towels - has been answered.

  3. We use washable swim nappies. Ds has never pooed in the pool so I don't know if they actually do contain poo though!

  4. We bought a Mothercare cot bed mattress which has a washable zip-off top cover and I also bought some waterproof mattress covers from John Lewis. Mattress was quite expensive but worth it as we found the mattress covers were not totally sick-proof (I'm talking the quantities of sick they produce when they have a violent tummy bug here). For possetting use a draw sheet (a small sheet placed under the baby's head) - this works when they're little and don't move around much and means you often don't have to strip the bed completely. Grobag has often saved bed from wee (ds regularly out-wees his nappy at night these days).

  5. Good question!

CountessDracula · 02/02/2004 23:12

re cot matress, I have one from Mothercare where the top zips off and you can wash it. Very handy.

bea · 03/02/2004 09:18

cot mattress - what i used to do is use spare cotton blankets and just lay underneath dd where the possetting / ickiness is taking place... (tuck in if a squirmer...!) then hopefully when dirtiness occurs... just whip off and place another one underneath... reducing the need to change the whole mattress!!!

good luck... but i can thoroughly sympathise with the need to spend money!!! am on maternity leave and online shopping has a huge magnetic pull!!!!..... must.... re.... sist...!!!!! arghhh!!!

jmg · 03/02/2004 09:27

Re the cot mattress - on my ds's bed we just put one of the big pampers care mats under the sheet - this would work equally well on a cot. If there is any wees or posset you can just whip it off and put a new one on!

aloha · 03/02/2004 09:48

I gave formula at room temp - ie put boiled water into a sterile bottle and then added the pre-measured powder when needed. So it's not fridge cold, but not warm either. Ds never minded at all.

Twinkie · 03/02/2004 09:52
  1. I was a bad mum and used the microwave!!!
2. Thought they were a complete waste of money to be honest - just used a normal towel. 3. Always just a swim nappy until she was about 1 year. 4. You just have to change the sheets everyday!! 5. Throw all the toys away all kids need is a telly to watch and they are happy for hours!! (Am off to Ikea today to buy a big rattan toy chest for DDs toys and got to get er some shelves for her room too for her books).
Kittypickle · 03/02/2004 09:56

Same as Aloha with the bottles of water then adding formula. What about trying a Tomme Tippee nubly teat instead of an Avent one ?

Hooded towels - DS (20 weeks) is pretty big and wriggles so much they don't seem to be big enough to contain him, normal ones seem to do the job much better.

Kooshies swim nappies - was given one & was good but went swimming with a friend who's baby DD was also in one, she pooed and it leaked, not pleasant!

Not sure about the cot mattress & storage I just have plastic containers that I store in wardrobes, cupboards etc.

Bron · 03/02/2004 10:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sb34 · 03/02/2004 10:05

Message withdrawn

Blu · 03/02/2004 11:36

DS likes hooded towels and it calms him down after the tortuous hair washing ordeal, and he looks very very cute snuggled up in them...but not an 'essential'.
The 'coolmax' zip-on removable covers for mothercare mattresses do stop them sweating, which can be a problem for non-breathable mattress covers.
Toys are an alien force with a life of their own, and will mutate to foil any solution you think you have found.

GenT · 03/02/2004 13:04

The best and fastest thing to warm a bottle in I have found is the styrofoam cups they have at Asda's cafe. It holds heat better than a glass or warming container. I would put a cold bottle in and pur boiling water around, let it stay for a min or two and ta-dah a nice warm milk.

When we go out, I fill one of dd's bottles with 8 ozs. hot boiled water, another with cool boiled water. By the time she needs it, it is warm for her to drink. Then I just add the formulae. I carry a jar of formaulae that has about 4 feeds (8ozs) in it.

If it is nearly time for her to have a feed and we are going out, we take one ready for her to drink.

I don't think you should be too bothered about having the milk always warm, because they do tend to not drink the milk in on ego at times, if they are thirsty, they will drink the room temp. milk.

I tend to not carry a handbag or baby bag but instead a nice black knapsack, the more comparments the better. Not one of those the kids use for school. More like a trendy messenger type. I put changing mat and nappies one section, wet wipes in one of those tupperware type containers, cotton buds, cotton wool for emergency facial cleaning in a ziplock bag, hand lotion, bonjela, gripe water, lip balm in another, and the bottles and formulae in the largest section. My chequebooks and filofax fits into another section. That is all I need for baby and me.

I found some brilliant plastic containers that fits neatly under her cot. About 24 x 14 by 7 ins high, and those hold nappies, extra car seat covers and those welcome packs and stuff you come home with or tend to get in the post. Nice and compact.

I have made several fitted sheets that coordinate with our bed linens and change them as often as they get dirty. The mattress can be wipe cleaned, so that is a bonus. Flannel and all cotton sheets works well for us.

The above probably doesn't help but it does work and I hate carrying loads of stuff and seeing stuff all over the place.

Thomcat · 03/02/2004 13:34

Bottle warmers - well once I'd stopped b-feeding I bought an Avent double one. I'd make the formula with water that had cooled and then then shove it in holder more for something to carry it around it and felt like it was keeping it fresh more than anything else. It never really bothered lotti what temperature she drank her milk at. i also used it for when she was on solids. I'd cook the food, put it in little container while it was really hot, go out for the day and she had warmish food to eat when she neede it.

hooded towels - Lottie would shrug off any towel I put round her on even dressing gown so found them great on holiday and after swimming.

cossies with nappies - never worked out how to get the nappy into the cossie I had! Swimmers were much easier.

mattress - ? yet to be there so don't know

storage - I have a big wooden blanket box in her room and a cupboard that we have shelved and use that too. How about those boxes on wheels for under the bed?

handlemecarefully · 03/02/2004 13:50
  1. I didn't warm milk. Just took a bottle of pre-boiled water and added pre-measured powder separately (you can get a nifty little container with spout, purposely designed for holding pre-measured formula from John Lewis' for circa £3.99). Alternatively cartons of ready made SMA at room temp?
  1. Whilst expensive I find the hooded towel useful for swimming - dd can wear it and keep relatively warm whilst I can get dried off and dressed before subsequently turning my attention to her

  2. DD has a cossie, but no reason why not just a swim nappy if preferred

  3. Waterproof cot bed mattress covers - available from most 'baby shops' (again got mine from John Lewis)

  4. Dunno!

StressyHead · 03/02/2004 13:58

message withdrawn

squirmyworm · 03/02/2004 21:32

dear everyone - thanks SO much - what a clever and inventive lot you are...loads of ideas for me to be cracking on with.

Zebra I'd love to buy your swim nappy - how do we go about this? I've never spoken to anyone 'off line'...

sb would love to try the warmer and towels - are you coming to the godstone meet up or am i imagining this?

OP posts:
Hulababy · 03/02/2004 21:39
  1. bottle warmer is useful for home use only, we just had the Mothercare one. Quicker to use in the night but useless for travelling
  1. ours were bought for us but I liked them; only suitable for snuggling with babies though so don't last that long.

  2. I got DD a swim nappy - the sizes last for 6 months approx. and are less than £10 a pair

  3. Our mattress had a zip off panel that was washable

  4. IKEA - loads of storage boxes, even ones shallow enough to fir under a cot bed

Blackduck · 03/02/2004 21:43

Okay my 2p worth...

  1. bottle warmer - my ds takes it at room temp...only if absolutely freezing (he's bottle fed) do I take the chill off..
  2. hooded towels - no - Large towel (try Tchibo.com and buy the micro towels - dry in a second, soft, warm and cheap...)
  3. no experience...
  4. muslin squares under the head - whip out and wash...
  5. ...yeah I'd like the answer to this one.......!
bluebear · 03/02/2004 22:27
  1. only gave room temp bottles so never needed a warmer 2)hooded towels only fitted ds unti he was a few months old and it's a bit of a fiddle using them.. prefer normal towels to be honest 3)just a swim nappy unless swimming outside (on hols) when they need a sun protection suit on top. 4)I use a moses basket/pram size sheet tucked in sideways under the head of baby, easily removed in case of posset...never had a pee that escaped the sleeping bag.. worst damage was when I vomited into cot when putting ds to bed (didn't forsee that one) 5)we are using a large cardboard box left over from when we moved house.. this is a really bad idea.. do not do it... am going to ikea asap to get a load of plastic crates and get them organised honest.
bluebear · 03/02/2004 22:29

re: bottle warmer
My friend orders a pot of tea with extra hot water when we're in a cafe then sticks the baby bottle in the hot water jug.