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What to buy for Newborn

58 replies

dueinjune · 10/02/2008 10:13

Hi Everyone

I was hoping someone might be able to help me??
My baby is due end of June, (we found out he is a boy) and i am clueless about what we should buy for him to wear. Everyone we have asked has said that he will just be in sleepsuits and bodysuits for the first few weeks and that we should just buy a few basics until we know his size. We feel stupid as we dont actually know what babies wear!!
So far we have bought a pack of 6 white sleepsuits in Newborn and a pack of 7 short sleeved bodysuits in Newborn. We have also bought a pack of 3 scratchmits. We also have a few sleepsuits and bodysuits in 0-3 months. Do we need to buy a couple of Newborn hats and socks? Also we are unsure as to what the bodysuits are for? . Do they go under sleepsuits or on their own and should we be buying short sleeved, long sleeved or sleeveless as it will be summer? We have heard that you get a lot of outfits given as presents so to hold off from buying them. Any help would be much appreciated .

OP posts:
nappyaddict · 11/04/2008 16:46

oh my i can't believe i forgot about tights. even ds wears tights under his trousers in the winter instead of socks so he can't pull them off. doesn't really work in the summer unfortunately

oh and next time i would just buy a few reusable breast pads and then wash them. i bought 2 whole boxes full but only used a few cos i didn't leak after the first week.

NorthernLurker · 11/04/2008 16:53

That's quite a list nappy addict - I do have to say I consider socket covers, stair gates and a fireguard (if you have a fire obviously) to be essentials - but you do have 6-9 months to buy them after the baby arrives

Notquitegrownup · 11/04/2008 16:59

Nappyaddict - did you really buy a wipeswarmer?!

A friend gave me a tube of metanium as a birth pressie for ds1. It's wonderful stuff, of which you need to only use a tiny dot for nappy rash. That tube lasted two dss! I now buy a tube for any friends giving birth

nappyaddict · 11/04/2008 16:59

no ... where does it say i bought a wipes warmer???

nappyaddict · 11/04/2008 17:23

oh and btw baby wipes are a complete waste just use water or olive oil for poohey ones.

Notquitegrownup · 11/04/2008 21:01

Ah sorry - it's on the things I didn't bother with list! Thought it wasn't the sort of thing you would admit to lightly on MN!!

theUrbanNixie · 12/04/2008 01:22

get some Lansinoh in if you want to breastfeed saved ds' nursing relationship, did Lansinoh! great stuff!

Metanium is good but we use Kamillosan as you can smear it on very liberally and provide a good barrier against wet nappies.

other than that just hold off buying tons of stuff! we bought loads of cute little outfits for ds and ended up not using them as it was such a faff!!

misboo · 12/04/2008 09:02

For our first DS we hardly bought anything but still had stuff we didn't need!

For our 2nd (due in May) we have:

6 sleepsuits,
6 vests,
one pack nappies,
2 hats,
some scratch mitts and bootees (all the clothes came from marks and spencer in 2 x 10 piece sets - £12 each in white - great value!)
1 blanket,
moses basket with sheets and stand,
breast pads,
muslin squares,
sling,
some new towels as ours are like sandpaper
a brand new washing up bowl for bathing baby over (you won't need to wash them all over for a while, just wipe under their many chins! and it does your back in lifting/emptying/leaning over a baby bath)

All we had left over from DS was the moses basket!

When people ask you what you would like for a present ask them to come over and clean your kitchen/ bathroom for you after you've had the baby - it is much nicer than another teddy bear!

Or M&S/Tesco vouchers so that you can spend them on nice ready prepared fresh food you can stick in the oven so you don't end up even more tired from eating junk food.

You really don't need much, you can always send someone out to fetch more clothes or order them online if it came to it, and you will enjoy taking out your baby to show off!

Hope you have a lovely time, just enjoy it!

LouiseAnn · 12/04/2008 13:33

Only get what you really need. Look round at home to see what you have already got. Tea-cloths do instead of muslim squares. Towels can double up as blankets. Definitely don't buy top and tail bowls, as said above, use any old bowls.
And people will buy you things and offer to get you things.

emkay · 12/04/2008 20:14

I used Kamillosan instead of Lansinoh - it's a completely personal thing but good to know you can use one thing for two (very different!) purposes.

The only emergency purchase I had to go out for that I couldn't send someone to get for me was a bra to wear at night. I hadn't got one that pulled over the head without clips at the back that really supported my boobs when lying down. The daytime bras were no good. Think very comprehensive sports bra style! If you have a lot of milk and need breast pads 24 / 7 then you need a bra to hold them in place! Logical, but I hadn't thought of it! And they say easiest way to end up with saggy boobs is not to support them.

pretty much anything that the baby is missing someone else can run out and get for you - so much of this is personal choice that no one really, really knows what they'll need before baby arrives.

Oh yes, and other thing I forgot in mad dash to pack hospital bag during labour were clothes for me to come home in! Had to wear some stuff I'd sweated into on my way to the hospital. Sure you've already thought of that!

nappyaddict · 12/04/2008 20:15

nothernlurker - sorry missed your post before. we've never bothered with them cos our stairs aren't in the living room they are off the hall so we just keep the door to the hall shut. he has been going up and down the stairs since he could crawl at 11 months and has only fallen once. i don't like fireguards cos ds pulled one over on himself at a friends. instead we just say come away from the fire - hot and that seems to work - did the same things with sockets although he has only tried that a few times. ds could always pull them out so there wasn't any point in getting any. an electrician told me you don't actually need them in england cos of the way the plugs are designed. something to do with the way they're earthed and the flaps that have to lift to let an object in.

chefswife · 12/04/2008 20:49

How about the old school Russian peasant way? two milky breasts, two cloth nappies, one to wash, one to wear, one warm blanket to wrap him up tight and cosy and a couple of good songs to sing to him. Just kidding? I?m getting all advice I need to from this thread too.

KMUN · 13/04/2008 17:44

I'm a fan of wait and see, we found there were practial things to do with our home that we'd overlooked, so shopping after having the baby was both necessary and enjoyable.

My must haves (before the day):
Mothercare 10-pack clothes starter kit in white.
3 extra sleep suits in 0-3 month
3 vests in 0-3 month
An outdoor set (over-trousers and coat or thick knitted cardi with hood) 0-3 month
3 x bibs
Pack of muslin squares
1 cellular blanket
2 x scratch mits
1 pack of nappies
1 pack of wipes
1 bag of nappy sacks
1 bag of cotton wool balls
Moses basket and stand
2 x moses basket fitted sheets
1 changing mat
2 cartons of ready-made formula (in case)
2 bottles and teats
1 soft towel + face cloth
Car-seat

Every thing else can/will either be gifted or can come later

MrsBadger · 13/04/2008 18:15

less than you think

and if you can get bodysuits that wrap round rather than going over the head they are fab (dd wore sleepsuits with nothing under for ages because they were so much easier to get on)

OzJo · 14/04/2008 08:34

Stating the obvious here, but you will be able send someone to the shops once the wee boy has arrived. I did a similar panic first time round, then twigged....CAN also buy stuff once they're born. The irony was we were in Darwin, Australia, and the baby needed nothing but little vests as it was so humid, and we had all this gorgeous stuff people had sent from the UK, she never got to wear!
Newborn essentials...nappies, sleepsuits, somewhere to sleep, and alot of love & patience. Good luck!

theUrbanNixie · 14/04/2008 08:44

MrsB you've set me off all broody now, remembering the little wrap round vests we had for ds!

H&M are a good place to get them - they're nice and funky and not too expensive!

Josie57 · 14/04/2008 09:24

Hi Due in June

Come and join our antental thread as we have lots of ladies who are also due in June - me included!!! It's a good place to get information and advice or just have a rant about all the little things that are niggling you! We're a friendly bunch! Hope to see you over there soon.

Link is posted below:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/2290/502242?ts=1208161281065

SchnitzelVonKrumm · 14/04/2008 17:17

"A cotton hat for when it's in bed"

if i had half of nappyaddict's list i would a) be broke, and b) have to move house

Buckets · 14/04/2008 17:23

Would disagree with an all-in-one pram suit, they are a PITA to get on and off and as a new mum you will be paranoid about overheating. Folded blankets are far more flexible (and you can keep a spare in the basket underneath if your baby is a sicky one .)

Travel grobags are great (sleeping bags with 2way zip and a vent/zip at the back so you can strap them in the carseat or pushchair) so you can stay out late at friends/relatives/festivals/camping.

Re changing mats: turn the changing mat upside down so there is a wee-catching rim at the foot not the head. Babies tend to wee in this direction so I don't understand why the pretty pictures are always the other way up .

mazzystar · 14/04/2008 17:23

blimey

ds arrived in the world a couple of weeks early and we had a few sleepsuits and vests, some nappies, some muslins, and a sheepskin. we'd borrowed a car seat.

we'd ordered a cot and pram but they hadn't arrived and had to borrow from neighbours. we bought things as it occured to us we needed them.

i honestly honestly truly would wait and see - you may get a big baby, or a surprisingly small one, people will inundate you with stuff for the child to wear and play with.

Buckets · 14/04/2008 17:30

Another vote for muslin squares here too, my kids use them as security blankies/cuddlies - much easier and cheaper to replace when they go missing than some unique expensive stuffed animal!
If you can get a few old terry squares or prefold nappies off someone too, you'll find a billion household uses for them once your baby arrives (or you could even use them as nappies.)

nappyaddict · 14/04/2008 23:17

why would they need a hat for in bed?

mymblemummy · 15/04/2008 00:22

Nappy addict, do you have shares in Mothercare?!
Due in June, the problem with other people's recommendations is one person's absolute must-have essential is another's white elephant. I've been guilty of recommending a couple myself. Fine for me, but useless for friends. My own pet hates were the top and tail bowl, and the nappy bin that looks like a small Dalek - how did I fall for those?!
Clothes: bodysuits and sleepsuits are best; in the early days you won't have the energy to be bothered with fancy outfits. I'd double the quantity you have - nappies can leak especially when you're not used to them, babies get sick on clothes and sometimes you're just too tired to keep up with the washing.
0-3 is a better buy than newborn -it's a lot easier to dress someone small, wriggly and unco-operative in something slightly baggy and babies grow so quickly. My very dainty daughter wore newborn for less than a fortnight and when my son arrived we didn't even bother getting the newborn stuff out of the labour bag - it was already too small. NCT nearly new sales are a great source of baby clothes and you don't have to be a member to attend.
Scratch mitts I found to be hopeless - one flap of the baby's arms and off they flew. A health visitor recommended putting socks on their hands instead - much more effective.
Muslin squares you won't regret, very cheap and invaluable for dribble, sick etc. They can also be handy to pop over a little boy's bits when changing nappies, you won't believe how far they can wee, or how high.
A car seat is a legal requirement unless you don't use a car.
Other must-haves are nappies, whether disposable or cloth - and modern cloth nappies are brilliant, no folds, no pins, no buckets of sewage and much cheaper in the long run. Cotton wool and/or wipes for washing baby's bum, and plain water's fine -lotions can dry out their skin.
Food, whether breast or bottle, if breast a nipple cream like Lansinoh is very soothing if they get sore. If bottle, you'll need about seven bottles, a brush to clean them and a sterilizer - bigger ones are best because you can get more done in one go.
What else? Some sort of cardigan/jacket and a soft hat, and a couple of cellular blankets for the car seat.
The safety stuff - socket covers, stairgates and so on - can wait a few months until they are approaching mobility.
I think that's really about it - everything else is a matter of your lifestyle and personal preference.
My own personal must-haves are: pouch or ring sling for pottering with baby indoors, Baby Bjorn Active carrier for outdoor trips, portable cradle seat that you can cart from room to room, wipe-clean changing mat, changing rucksack, soft baby gym and plenty of dribble bibs. Oh, and a Lindam night and day bottle-warmer for upstairs (cold, draughty kitchen three flights down).
I don't have a pram or pushchair, cot, crib or Moses basket, baby bath, room thermometer, bath thermometer, baby monitor etc. Nothing against them, I just don't need or want them.
Enjoy your baby, it really is true about the time going so fast.

tallbirduk · 15/04/2008 19:24

I am curious - if you don't have a cot, crib or moses basket - where does your baby sleep mymblemummy?

I am currently trying to decide what to get for the baby to sleep in, so am very curious about these things.......

Buckets · 15/04/2008 20:24

I'm guessing her dc co-sleeps until agile enough for a proper bed (or longer)? My dd was in a single bed at 19months so it's not that long.