expecting baby in Jan

[smelly]

Hi guys,

My wife is 14 weeks pregnant this will be our first baby and i would like a bit of guidance as to what i need to buy.

What do you consider to the essentials things to have for a new born. I really have no idea i mean, buggy, Moses basket, nappies - what else??

Cheers,

Smelly

[GoNz0]

grab all the freebies from the bounty book and tell your friends who have kids, you will soon have a house full of 2nd hand stuff and it saves you a packet !

ebay the other stuff based on collection only.


umm wet wipes and nappies along with a moses basket and your sorted

oh and pack the hospital bag at 6 months, Kirstie went into labor at 7 months, I went into hospital day after day with carrier bags !

[Rob_B]

- Muslins...best invention EVER! Buy loads of 'em!
- LOTS of wipes as Gonzo mentioned. Nappies obviously
- Bath stuff ie soft sponges (no soap/etc for young babies though)
- Cotton mits to stop them scratching themselves.
- Baby monitor, we had an Angelcare & it saved my wifes sanity.
- Some sort of bathing seat/bucket thingy.
- Swing chair, not the bouncy ones that sit on the floor, on of the bigger cradle type ones, used to send ours off to sleep a treat!
- Medicines, ie colic drops, infracol, then thinking a bit further ahead teething powders/gels and paracetamol/etc

Don't forget to think about what happens when you get home from the hospital, work out what you're going to do about sleeping arrangements, feeds (if bottle then get all of that stuff sorted, if breast then maybe useful to have a backup of some formula as it isn't always easy)

[GoNz0]

never used our baby bath after 2 months, Lucy takes a shower with dad in the mornings

[fuddam]

best idea: use what your parents did, i.e. don't bother with the zillions of marketed products that are 'essential' for your baby's needs. Somehow the world got on without them for 10,000 years with no ill effects



Use common sense, and baby wipes. Much cheaper, and no worse off. I've had 3 kids.

[chadders]

Bepanthen - having gone through nappy rash and the trauma it causes, with all the other stuff not working (and I mean all alternatives) a smear of this on a clean/dry bum to prevent the ring sting. Stick to cotton wads and water, not wipes at first - skin reactions can happen as every baby is different, try one and leave it to see if you get any side effects. Was a few months before we could use wipes on his peachy backside. First sign of nappy rash, lots of fresh air bum time.

2nd hand toys advice spot on, you'll soon see the dissapointment after you splash out on shiney new toys that they either don't play with, or play with just a second or two, do a search for NCT sales.

Although I would reccomend a "Galt Giant Soft Book" - ours and others really liked it.

Don't be afraid of being a "time-waster" at your Doctor's, if in doubt go!

Don't be afraid of ignoring advice, "mum knows best" - she's just tired and doubts herself.

Have a look at your local child services, look for the post-natal groups where new mums (even 2nd, 3rd time around ones) go and meet up. Tell wifey not to worry too much, yes there'll be chavs but hopefully other new mums like herself, ones she clicks with and they form their on weekly meet up.

[chuckskull]

Congratulations.

[jim]

Freecycle is worth a try, always people getting rid of baby stuff for nowt

[Funkstar]

Get a baby sling. Much easier and vastly cheaper than a buggy. My better half littlest one much preferred her sling to a buggy anyway, at the age of two she now prefers to be on our backs in a little back pack thing than her current buggy (buggy is good when you go shopping though).

Not all baby wipes are the same. Charlotte can be sensitive to even the big brand "gentle" wipes at times, Jackson Reese wipes however are amazing (but expensive).

Oh, and congratulations

[smelly]

Thank you for all the comments guys, I've got quite a bit to be getting on with here. No doubt i'll be back

I've had to put my name down on the local nursery as they have a waiting list of about a year!!

[GoNz0]

check out the local nursery, i picked one about a mile away as the local one had a small clear bag in the car park with an unknown white powder in it and the manager stunk of fag smoke, we did not stay long

[chadders]

Be fully on your guard with nurseries, personal recommendation is the way to go. Always, always turn up un-announced, if they turn you away for any reason - never go back!

Was bath time last night, reminded me to mention the Mother Care Aqua Pod - rubber bath mat with seat - it's a bit pricey but you literally end up picking up the bath trying to remove it, and there's a built in little duck thermometer that says "too hot!" which has always been spot on - handy reminder when tired.

[razer121]

Aw congrats dude get yourself used to sleepless nights now and you will be sorted a kid is the best thing ever but wow it's hard, i cannot really suggest anything else others have done it already! Although being the male try and make sure your not shunted out and speak as much as possible at every antinatle app. Well done again mate!

[smelly]

Thanks Razer, I've been along for all the Dr appointments and scan so far and i intend on doing all he NCT meetings as well. It'll end up with me looking after the baby for much of the time after 6 months anyway as the nursery is on site to where i work. I know 3 other couples that have their child in the nursery from my department alone. And the building is literally 2 mins walk away. £200 per day though. Nope yup you're right per week phew

[Moby-Dick]

£200 per day !!! surely you mean per week ?

[angeleyes]

Nappy sacks! Get lots of them. They are seriously handy. You can obviously put used nappies and wipes in them, but they also double as something to carry soiled/wet clothes in and a handy toy when you child gets older and manages to pull them off the side and proceeds to empty the whole packet on your floor!!

I didn't use the baby bath much for the first couple of months, i just used the top and tail bowl and cotton wool.

Another call for a good monitor, we've got a tommee tippee one and on that first night at home from the hospital was one of the only reasons i actually managed to get any sleep. My reasoning being if she did stop breathing then the alarm would wake me up in time.

We brought a sling, but i never used it. I suffered with some back problems after carrying our little one for 9 months so she was always in her buggy.

Bottles, sterliser and some kind of formula are a must i was determined to breast feed, but it didn't happen and the fact i already had it all meant that someone wasn't having to rush out and buy it on the day i came home.

A couple of packs of babygro's and vests, people tend to buy outfits rather than that type of thing.

Moses basket, changing mat, soft towels/muslin's to put over the changing mat.

And depending on your personal preferance, dummies. My sister wanted to use them, but forgot to buy them, so i was rushing about just after my nephew was born trying to get hold of some for her.

Oh and get some big white £1 knickers from Asda. They won't be for the baby but are nicer and cheaper than the disposable ones you get from Mothercare etc. And if there is any chance of a c-section get them as big as possible as they won't rub on the wound.