[Closed] What are the 'essential buys' for a 1st baby?!

Napisan for getting out poo stains, or just buy all yellow clothes

Second the nasal aspirator

A swing, it's the height of lazy parenting, but means I can put her down in it to do some chores

Breast pump, steriliser, and a couple of bottles, helps when the missus is engorged and nice to give you a chance to feed the baby/take over to give her a long needed undisturbed bath

Lots of cheap vests and baby grows they will get ruined with poo stains and something cheap can be cut off. Oh and on the baby grow note, don't get side button ones get ones the button all the way up the front, they are a nightmare to get off when you have poo leakage

More than two changing towels, poo explosions are a common occurrence

Spotting a common theme here?

Join up the huggies, pampers and boots clubs for loads of vouchers and freebies

And join freecycle, it's a serious money saver, just picked up enough clothes to last our little girl until she's 2!

Don't get dummies

Agree with joining clubs - we joined all the nappy and food clubs we could find for freebies and discount vouchers. And make sure you get all the goody bags from Bounty.

Congratulations on your baby! I'm expecting my first in March and just wanted to piggy back your posting to ask if anyone's got any reusable nappies they no longer need (Stockport/North Derbyshire Area)? Thanks!

use your own instinct and don believe all the hype. John Lewis did a good baby list - where you get to go in, try things out (buggies etc) and then devise the list - there was no pressure, and lots of good advice (such as dont buy this, its just gimmicky etc)

Lidl nappies are good for the money - ours has used all the way through - cost about 5 quid for 50 - he's nearly 2 and we have just started toilet training, which to carry on the poo theme is fun

second hand always good - we did 2nd hand buggy (bugaboo - was about 1/2 price of new, moses basket, lots of 2nd hand clothes etc) - the only things I wouldnt buy second hand would be car seats

good high char (but not an immediate neccesity) - somthing that wipes down easily, has a removable tray etc. Ours was John Lewis, but we also have an ikea one with removable legs ffor when we go to peoples houses in car ro on holiday.

nice picture books etc for when they are a bit older - we love Goodnight Moon - very good for soothing due to the way its written

good luck

congrats mate, were expecting our firstjune 6th... long way to go yet and still a bit paranoid talking about it..

do you have any mates that have recently had babies?

we already have a load of 'hand me downs'

car seat
pram
high chair
lots of clothes

then again you may want to buy all new stuff, i dont mind hand me downs

ive really noticed recently as im getting used to the idea how snobbish some mates are, well snobbish is probably too storng a word but some buy eveyrthing from asda/tesco etc while other only buy in mammas and pappas/ Gap for kids and sort of 'give a funny look' when other mates have cheaper clothes on...

each to their own i guess 😉

[url= http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplayA_121_10751_-1__3619_10001_ ]baby bath support sponge[/url] - no baby baths to store and frees both hands so you dont need to struggle with a wriggly fish intent on drowning its self. cheap too!
[url= http://www.kari-me.com/ ]
Kari-Me sling[/url] - not exactly cheap considering what it is but has a number of benefits over the more complex arrangements. easy to use, comfortale for the smallest baby and easy to shove in a bag. our monkey spent very little time in his buggy!

Baby bath dam - a dam to convert a normal bath into a short one. Move it as the baby grows, means that the bath never needs filling and no baby bath to buy 🙂

Got one for sale also 🙂

£20 posted ono

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sky+ in the bedroom for when you and/or the missus are up half the night feeding/trying to get the baby to sleep. 3am tv is crap, and you'll of missed all the decent stuff that was on earlier.

Without reading the avove:
microwave steriliser
Lots of wipes
Calpol
a lightweight fold up alu buggy (avoid the 3 wheeler heavy ones that are a "system")
resolve to ignore junior at 3am in the morning when they are just trying it on!

For out and about some "Tommee Tippee Storage Pots"
[code] http://www.boots.com/en/Tommee-Tippee-Closer-to-Nature-Milk-Storage-Pots_998963/?CAWELAID=367310555&cm_mmc=Shopping%20Engines-_-Google%20Base-_---_-Tommee%20Tippee%20Closer%20to%20NatureMilk%20Storage%20Pots [/code]

Simply idea but you take your sterile water & milk powder out (unmixed but both measured) and mix when needed. Helped us get out and about without worrying about feeding time.

One of those "Jungle Gym" mats for them to lie on.
Aldi wipes were good.
See if you can find a Stoke Trip Trap high chair. Expensive but they turn into a stool. We are still using ours.

Stoke Trip Trap high chair - wish we'd done that from the beginning

one of the bouncy chairs. We got the fisherprice rain forest bouncer.There are loads on ebay. Its wkd and plays nice tunes that dont irritate you. This was invaluable as it was such a good place to put him whilst you got on with a few bits around the house.

Sounds obvious but make sure you have 5-10 frozen meals made up in the freezer. I thought what a load of rubbish when people told me to do this. When I got out of hospital and home I thought Damn!!! why wasnt i a bit more organised

Earplugs and noise cancelling earphones so the worker in the house can sleep.

Not so much something to buy, but something to do. If you have squeeky floorboards near the baby's room, screw them down! You probably don't notice them now, but both you and the baby most certainly will notice them at 3.30am after trying to get the baby back to sleep since 2am 😥

One other thing get your missus something nice, vouchers for shopping or something like a spa day or somesuch. It's proper graft for a few months and after a rough night springing a nice little surprise might really cheer her day up.

I'd also get Gina Fords book not everyone likes her methods but they worked for us and they boys were very contented and slept well.

Oh, and a good bed time routine.

sky+ in the bedroom for when you and/or the missus are up half the night feeding/trying to get the baby to sleep. 3am tv is crap, and you'll of missed all the decent stuff that was on earlier.

Not at 3 in the morning there isn't 🙂 We ended up watching loads of the last away ashes series with our first, it was the only thing on allnight.

a case of chardonnay and a nanny.

Oh and get some bibs when you're breastfeeding you and baby both make a heck of a mess, we go through a couple a day but saves numerous changes, due to wet grows.

Second the pre cooked meals, I did a 10 day supply and it was a life/sanity saver.

And above all do what feels right for you, I co slept after the 4am feed as it meant we both got more sleep, now she tends to happily fall back asleep on her own.

Enjoy it and good luck

Not own any books then? Personally at 3 in the morning I'd not bother opening my eyes enough to do either though. Then again we're weird and old-fashioned - our only TV is in the living room.

And make sure you have helpful friends/relatives our mums made us lots of meals to reheat (similar suggestion to above preparing with meals in the freezer) and don't turn down any offers of help! And to contradict the screwing floorboards down suggestion - we went with the 'make lots of noise' option - makes sure they will go down when there is noise in the house. Tonight we were vacuuming straight after bedtime 🙂

Regarding dummies - have an open mind. We have twins and one has never had one, the other wants one most of the time

Because early on Evie wouldn't settle unless she had a bottle in her mouth (even if she wasn't feeding) so we tried it and it worked - she settled. Izzi always was better at settling.

Loads of good suggestions above. The ones that I could recommend:

The Kari-Me sling mentioned above is very good. My wife used it loads, during the day she would often attach the baby and carry on with normal things. They do out grow it after 8 months or so, but up to then it is good - as long as you can figure out how it works...

Loads of new born baby vests, you will get through loads of these each day. Don't buy lots of nice 0-3 month old clothes, we found lots of people bought the baby these as presents anyway. You are better off saving your money and buying them nice clothes when they are a bit older.

While you won't need one for a while we have found this very good as a travel cot: http://www.pushchairs.co.uk/acatalog/travel_bed_moss.html#a484 It packs up small yet forms a very sturdy cot. We have used it all over the place.

Ear plugs are good for when it is your turn to get some sleep. And the comments about recording TV are very true too, you do end up awake at very odd times.

A temperature & moisture controlled cabinet for storing that Orange 5 frame away. 🙂

From the Wife...
Samsonite Pop-Up baby bed. Simply ace. Fully zipped in, ideal for stop-overs. And stopping over is a doddle when they are really small.
Angelcare Monitor. (The one with the sensor pad). I know, probably unnecessary but reassuring.
If you go down the soother route, & PLEASE DONT FEEL GUILT IF YOU DO, Boots sell a little perspex box for microwave sterilising them. If you cant find one let me know, I'm sure we have a spare somewhere. Both ours had soothers, & both gave them up without a fuss...to Santa & Easter Bunny.
Electric breast pump if you choose that method. Do whatever suits you. Midwives can be very very pushy but it has to suit you. My wife struggled but all credit to her, she stuck at it & both of ours had over 9 months of the good stuff. If you ever feel like dropping her a word for some support, I'm sure she'll be glad to help.
If your planning any more get a Phil & Ted now. Wish we had done.
ISOFIX is nice but if the seats are staying put for long periods dont pay too much extra for it.
And join some groups now. My Wife has a whole new circle of friends thanks to the groups she joined, & over 4 years on they still meet up weekly. (And long may it continue...thats one of my riding times).

And dont get too tense if your up at night, it wont go on forever, it gets easier & as a Dad I loved the 3am cuddles...proper bonding time etc.

And enjoy.

Baby Bath Dam?
FFS!!
what a load of bollox that idea is! they all love to swim, simply support their head with one hand an let them do laps!

Get a PS3 - they sleep a lot (well mine do/did anyway)

Skim read the above and there doesn'e seem to have been much mention of washable nappies.
We use Motherease onesize nappies, we bought 20 in 2006 when littlelister#1 was new, then another 8 when #2 came along in 2008, now we are using them just for #2.
Seriously, the amount of money you save by not buying nappies every week is astounding. We've done rough estimates with our friends next door who also have 2 small ones and they drop SO much money on disposables every month compared to us.
We do use (nature baby) disposables for nightime but during the day the washables are ace.
Yes, our 'leccy bill will be bigger, but when you're doing so many washes compared to prebaby days then it doesn't make that much difference.

You can also get washable wipes called cheekywipes and they have saved us another small fortune.

Email in profile if you want more info (mrs lister was a real nappy advisor for pembrokeshire council until recently).

GW - it's so you don't use unnecessary amounts of water. Jnr's not going to be doing lengths for a while!

mate, they can swim from birth.
and you'll be using loads more water once you have kids.. 🙄
Bath it in the sink if you're that bothered! 😉

You're not one of those earthy types that sticks a brick in their cistern to save the planet and lets their house stink of pish/shit coz nothing flushes properly are you?
😛

Enough on the baby bath comments - assuming we can work out transport she has one on the way. Personally I reckon it's easier on the back than having to bend down into a full size bath, but she can make her own mind up.

Start with my tips.

Get plenty of mattress sheets for the cot / crib, and then stack them up interleaved with protecters (the nappy companies do absorbent paper ones or you can use older style plastic / rubber sheets.) When small, babies regurgitate milky stuff a lot from experience and changing bed clothes is a task you don't want in the middle of the night. This way you can peel off the dirty one and the protector underneath while the wife changes clothes / growbag as necessary, and deal with the washing in the morning. We still do it now for the occasional nighttime accident.

Second - try to offer up nice easily portable and relatively common soft toys. You can't predict which will become the favourite but far easier if it's Piglet from Winnie the Pooh rather than that unique one that your parents bought from a market in Botswana when they were on holiday. Because [and whisper this bit] then you can get a spare for when it gets lost / left at a friend's house at the other end of the country. Owning 2 incarnations of 'Donkey' has saved my bacon on more than one occasion. Although when we did actually lose one of him we had a nervous bidding war on ebay to get another backup!!

Now my moan:

Midwives can be very very pushy but it has to suit you. My wife struggled but all credit to her, she stuck at it & both of ours had over 9 months of the good stuff.

Good point this, and I could write an essay on it - but to try to keep it short, our first started on the breast but never took to it and after nearly a month of cracked nipples / support from Laleche / NCT / various other helps finally my mum practically demanded we give a bottle of formula. My wife was mortified as if she'd failed and was terrified of what the midwife would say when she came round. But to our surprise and later annoyance, the midwife admitted she was under huge duress from her bosses to meet targets on getting mothers to breastfeed and as the wife seemed so determined even though the midwife thought that a bottle was needed she felt unable to suggest it because it would have shown as a miss on her record. DO WHAT SUITS YOU AND BABY BEST.

I didn't post it up there, I was just clarifying it's use. Looks a pretty good idea to me. Can't say I've ever thought of letting Jnr swim in the bath, I just take him swimming instead. 😀

And buy PJs and a decent warm dressing gown for yourself and your wife - you will spend most of the first 6 months wandering the house in the middle of the night.

muslins? those bits of cloth? why?

Read the book by Gina Ford, think I'm not going into that "every 15mins regimented lark" and then use it as a guide to get the baby sleeping through the night except when you wake her up to feed her (and the weening one is very good too). Worked a treat and meant if the baby was crying it was due to a soiled nappy or she was ill (and not tired/hungry) took loads of guess work out of being a parent and meant we could travel loads.

You pretty much have the minimum.

microwave bottle steraliser jobbie.
babywipes.
inflatable baby bath.
vasaline/sudocream/bepenthan/oilatum.
blackout blinds and comfy chair in nursery.
those grow bags are ace, can't rate them highly enough.

those grow bags are ace, can't rate them highly enough.

Muslins - pretty much essential I would say.

Wow! Thanks guys! Tons of great info and advice here!

Its a bit daunting, but I like having all the info up front and it's really encouraging to find that so many people are so willing to pass things down or sell stuff cheap.

Just for those who don't seem to realise - I'm the Mum! Not the Dad - I know it's rare for STW, but there are a few of us! Not to worry though Mr. MM will be made to read this entire thread and especially the bit about buying the Mrs presents!

Aracer - thanks for putting an end to the great bath debate - it was getting a bit catty, wasn't it! 😉 Oh and please thank your wife for the advice.

FWIW - I'm definitely up for trying breast feeding and really hope it works out for us, but appreciate the advice of not being pressured by the Midwife - my friends have said the same and it's awful how some of them were made to feel like they'd 'failed'. Makes me cross.

I feel like I want to reply to each persons comments and say thanks, etc. but there are sooo many - so please just know that I've read them all (and will probably read most of them over several times again) and do really appreciate all the advice and personal experience you've shared. I know I can read books - but nothing beats good honest opinion from folk who have been there.

Anyway, I'm waffling now - just wanted to say thanks really...

If you can get them still, those finger size sample packs of Sudocrem, great for keeping in the car, or with you while you are out.

those finger size sample packs of Sudocrem,

And when you are at your lowest ebb in the middle of the night just remind yourself of how wonderful he/she is and how much brighter things will feel in the morning.

Ohh, and if you have the space, make a little workstation in the nursery so you don't have to go up and down stairs during the night. We had a little beer fridge which we used to keep bottles cool and took up all the bottles/powder/hot water/wipes etc we needed for the night feeds.

If you are breastfeeding spend the extra on an electic pump - my wife got the Modela Twin (does both at the same time) so halves time needed and can be had for around £75. We then sold ours for £60 on Ebay when we were finished. In an emergency once we had to buy a hand-pump and it really was utter rubbish - in itself it would have been enough for my wife to give up on breast-feeding/expressing if it was the only option.

One thing I would absolutely recommend is to find out when the NCT nearly new sales are in your area. I've been to 2 and picked up pretty much everything we needed for the first 6 months for under £100. Also, Freecycle is great for this sort of thing. You post what you want and let the offers come to you!

With respect to bed linen and sick - we just stretched a muslin across the cot where Junior's head was and this meant if he was sick all we had to do was replace the muslin, not all the sheets.

We started using a steamer for sterilising but have found using a tub filled with milton solution much easier.

All the comments about breastfeeding are spot on - I think you'll know very quickly if it's not for you.

If the little'un has a cold, we put a couple of drops of Olbas oil on a flannel and put it over the radiator which saves on the plug-in vapourisers.

If you're near an Ikea some of the stuff in there is quite cheap.

We use an old courier bag for everything as it's good for access if you've only got one free hand.

Lots of good suggestions above....

Ignore advice and do what works for you. (Within reason.)

Things we never bothered with: microwave, sterilising absolutely everything, books recommending hyper-set routines.

Things we found really useful: breastfeeding, Nature Boy/Girl nappies (way less rash issues with these), a sacrificial hoodie that I wore over my work clothes, adjustable baby seat.

The tub with Milton (or cheap alternatives) is a good idea and especially good if you are expressing as all the bulky bits take up lots of space.

If you end up just bottle feeding (as we are doing now we are weaning ours two) a microwave one is great as you can take it with you anywhere you go much more easily than a heavy plug-in one.

Whatever you do though, choose a system and stick to it - the steriliser will be designed to take the corresponding bottle etc so it just works together that bit more easily.

We also use thermal bags to keep milk at the right temperature so we can mix it up all ready then bath the girls and give them their milk straight away. Also good for when you are out and about.