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New baby essentials
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Generally, my parents put a folded towel at the bottom of the sink over the plug. You're meant to do that even with the special baby baths anyway, rather than rest their bum on the plastic (and you can't hold their head&shoulders out of the water with one hand, their bum with the other, and still manage to wash them
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True, though I deliberately didn't want to leave anything essential to be a gift from anyone; so lists of real essentials really are needed!implausible wrote: »...and they also presume that people aren't going to buy you anything.
I mean, this was my list (comments in blue, real essentials in bold):- Moses basket (gift from a friend)
- Clevamoma sleep positioner (lives in the moses basket; in the travel basket, we use a cellular blanket folded and scrunched under him. Useful, not essential)
- Cot bed (Hasn't been touched yet except as a changing station, but bloody useful for that. We could have left this for six months though)
- 2 fitted sheets for cot bed (again, could have been left for months)
- 4-6 cellular blankets (definitely a win. If anything, buy more)
- Crib bumper (Had this on the list, then came across the research saying not to buy one under any circumstances and why, and scratched it from the list in a hurry)
- Baby wipes (We'll wind up using them on baby eventually, but so far, they've been more useful to wipe baby's poop&pee off us and clothes than to wipe them off baby)
- Vaseline (Bought two large tubs, thought it overkill. Bought a third tub yesterday. This goes on the essentials list)
- Diaper cream (Bought a jar, haven't opened it yet)
- Baby lotion (Bought some, but you're not meant to use it for the first few weeks)
- Cotton swabs (Bought loads, used lots, but we started using the square baby cotton pads a lot more often, they're far easier for cleaning while changing diapers. The cotton balls are still far better for bathtime, for cleaning the cord&navel, and for when he pees mid-change. Both should be on an essentials list).
- 2 packs newborn nappies (Lasted us most of the first week. But we just bought the first ones we saw; we later bought a pack of each type to evaluate the different brands)
- 6-12 burp cloths (Bloody useful, but if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't buy a single burp cloth or washcloth, I'd just buy thirty muslins instead)
- 2 nursing bras (You're told not to buy more because sizes change after birth)
- 2 packs nursing pads (Came free in the breastfeeding/breastpump kit from Tommee Tippee)
- Lanolin ointment (Forget the tubes from mothercare, buy the little jar types from the chemist, it's easier to get the lanolin out - it's like beeswax, not cream)
- Breast pump (Tommee Tippee kit had lots of useful stuff in it, including small bottles; you're told not to use it for the first two weeks though, to get practice in breastfeeding)
- Formula (I got the powder, a tray of the ready-made cartons and two boxes of the ready-made pre-sterilised bottles. We've not touched any of it, but that doesn't mean it's not an essential. We were lucky, and baby took to breastfeeding well; but out of the six or seven babies in the ward, he was the only one who did so. If baby had been a c-section, or hadn't been calm enough, we would have needed the formula and the La Leche League be damned, the kid comes first.)
- 4-6 bottles and teats (Forget the 4oz sizes, just get the 8oz size and half-fill them. This ain't rocket science!)
- Steriliser (Even if you're breastfeeding exclusively, this is still getting a workout sterilising the breast pump, soothers, the nozzles for the nasal bulb and so on. Doesn't have to be a fancy electric steam yoke - and I think Khannie said he'd just have gotten a vegetable steamer anyway if he was doing it over - but you need something right from day one or two at home)
- 5-7 onesies (We've used most of them thanks to the warm weather)
- 3-5 one-piece suits (We've used only one or two of these, because of the warm weather, but with the cold snap coming...)
- 3-5 sleep suits (Yup. Definitely needed for our lad. Avoid anything you can't close easily - a single line of snap fasteners from one leg to the opposite shoulder is the easiest design we've found so far)
- 3-5 vests (Used all through the first ten days until the cord fell off. We got five of the little kimono style ones with velcro closures - plain white and cheap - and changed them daily and wore them beneath all the other clothes to stop the cord rubbing off the outer layer)
- Antiscratch mittens (we got three pairs. Only one stays on, and it looks for all the world like large socks. So don't buy these; just get more socks and use them. The longer the elasticated bit, the better)
- 2-3 hats (You definitely want one for the hospital for the first day or two. After that, our lad wouldn't wear one for more than a minute - we think it was because he was on internal monitoring and had a stitch in his scalp afterwards, but for whatever reason, he's not worn a hat since day two except for the few minutes after bathtime and even that's a struggle)
- Fleece suit (Unused so far, but glad we have it with the cold coming in)
- Bathtub (See the above comments about sinks Ours was a gift; I'd have no issues with using a sink though)
- Bath thermometer (my wife and the holles st. nurses swears they can use their elbow for this; anyone who ever learned to throw a punch with their elbow probably subscribes, like me, to the school of thought that you don't lower a newborn genitals-first into a body of water whose temperature you've measured only with the least sensitive bit of skin you've got... so for me the bath thermometer goes on the essentials list)
- 2-3 baby bath towels w/hoods (We got two of the clevamoma ones and two "normal" ones - to be honest, both work great, I can see how the clevamoma ones would be worth the money if bathing baby alone, but when there are two of you, either's good. And yes, you need this in the first few days, though you really only need one - it can go in the laundry and be back fast enough to use for the next bath)
- 2-3 washcloths (never used for washing, so far. They currently go under his bum during a change to catch the worst of anything so the changing wedge covers last more than 12 hours Frankly, don't bother, just buy more muslins. You don't use anything but cotton balls in their baths in the first week anyway)
- Baby bath soap (bought some, haven't used it at all under instruction - water only for the first 2-3 weeks. After that, I assume it'll be essential )
- Baby shampoo (Same story)
- Baby grooming kit w/nail clippers (Bought it, needed it, still too scared to use the clippers )
- Nasal bulb (Been useful once or twice, but we've been lucky to miss the runny noses so far)
- 5-7 pairs socks (buy more socks. Not just for feet, they make excellent scratch mittens)
- Baby safe washing powder (essential, but you don't see it on the lists so often for some reason)
- 8 receiving blankets (the US lists all recommend these; we've never even found them here. We use cellular blankets instead, and they're enormously useful)
- Thermal bottle carrier (Didn't find one; got given one as a gift after the birth as part of a nappy changing bag)
- Nappy pail/bucket (Essential. This was a tip from Baby's godmother - basicly, buy a 12 litre mop bucket from heatons or somewhere, fill it with 2-3 litres of warm water and some dettol, and keep it by the changing station and any soiled clothing or muslins or changing wedge covers or whatever go straight into it (you might also get a cheap wooden spoon to push stuff down into the dettol). That way the poop and pee-soaked stuff is safe to leave for a day or so until you can do a 'biohazard wash' )
- Dettol (I guess you could use bleach in a pinch, but dettol was what I was raised with... either way, it's an essential)
- Milton (bought in case the fancy steam steriliser broke)
- Infant car seat (Can't go home from Holles St. without one)
- Stroller (not needed in the first few weeks so far, but we got ours as a package deal in the sales for a Phil&Ted's Explorer which some friends had recommended - and so we got the infant seat, the stroller, the adaptor that lets one plug into the other, and a bouncer seat kit for the second seat in the stroller and a travel cot, all for a decent price)
- Baby thermometer (Essential. We went with a pacifier oral model and a rectal thermometer that came as a set from the Philips Avent range; bought on ebay, cheaper than the infrared and temporal artery ones, and according to the medical studies on pubmed, more accurate and reliable than them too when there's a fever. We had one overheating scare on day four, and I'd have paid ten times the price for the pacifier model and still been happy with it at that point!)
- Eyedropper (used for vitamin d3 drops, used daily)
- 5 soothers (ignore the dissenters, keep a few in the steriliser. If you can get a case that keeps them sterile, even better; keep two by the changing station. It calms our lad down a lot mid-change when the temperature change hits him - even with the room's heating on full, when you take off that nappy, everything gets a bit chilly for boys Also, our guy likes to soothe himself a little when dropping off to sleep - he spits out the soother inside two minutes, but is asleep by then)
- Changing wedge & 4 covers (Has seen huge use by us, but keep a few covers because they do get pooped and pee'd on even with the muslin under his bum and have to go in the bucket within 48 hours of going on the wedge)
- Car window sun shades (vital if it's sunny, but we also put up the carrying arm of the baby seat and taped a cellular blanket over as an awning (not a full canopy and mom was right there watching) because the day we came home was the second day of pure sunshine, which was lovely for everyone but not for us who'd forgotten to buy a sunhat and couldn't find one anywhere on the day)
- Baby monitor (Bought a webcam. Haven't used it yet as he's not out of our bedroom yet and won't be for a while)
- Baby carrier/wrap (Got the Baby Bjorn Synergy carrier and a Moby wrap on the recommendations of the thread in here; have tried both. He's too small for the Synergy yet, but it's comfortable enough - as far as we could tell in the 30 seconds we tried before it became obvious he hadn't enough head support. The moby wrap was shockingly good, though putting it on takes a few minutes practice and it doesn't keep him as vertical as he'd like. If I had to do it over, I'm not yet sure I'd ditch the Synergy, but it wouldn't surprise me if we did later. Either way, not essential because we're huggy parents in the first days anyway)
- Night light (Hugely useful. Ours is one of the groegg ones thats also a room thermometer - really useful)
- Play mat (Used twice so far - tummytime's been on my chest or the bed so far)
- Tallboy cabinet (really useful to store stuff)
- Blackout blinds for nursery (He's not in there yet, so they've gone unused...)
- Swaddling blankets (really handy in the first week or two, and still in use, but the special ones from mothercare aren't vital, cellular blankets do the job just as well, and the nurses on the ward will show you how)
- Nursing pillow (essential!)
The list was huge, we got everything on it bar the receiving blankets, and only the moses basket was a gift and we went asking our friends if anyone had one of those. It was way too much stuff (see the notes) and even at that there were things we missed and had to get after the birth (though to be fair, some things - like the hats - we couldn't have known ahead of time):- More nursing bras
- Hospital-style maternity pads
- Nipple shields
- MORE COTTON PADS! The big square ones. We now have a few thousand of them and we'll get through those in a fortnight at this rate.
- One of each brand of newborn nappies. Pampers seem to be the best post-cord, but the huggies have a nice scallop out of the waistband for the cord before it falls off - the rest all do the job too, but they stood out.
- Steak. Salmon. Fresh food. Mommy has to eat right, Daddy can survive on beer and chicken
- Mens PJs for mommy - breastfeeding nightshirts are crap things that look awful and make breastfeeding more awkward.
- Nursing tops. Mommy loves the Baby-B ones and they're cheap enough, but there are loads out there (BabesWithBabies, GlamourMom, etc) and mommy doesn't have to dress like it's 1950 again just to nurse...
- Lots and lots of hand sanitisers. Carex are nice and small; Miltons good but don't inhale till your hands are dry or you'll disinfect your lungs; Tommee Tippee are nonalcoholic so we use those when changing him but you have to airdry your hands for the last few seconds or they get sticky.
I'd also add pubmed and google to the essentials list; I thought I read them a lot before our lad showed up, but I read them a lot more today, and usually a lot more urgently
Oh, and a lesson learnt by mommy and our lad's other godmother - if mommy has to go on antibiotics, baby gets the runs. Baby also gets gas a lot, as babies do. This gives baby an effective range of approximately four feet if he times things for mid-change when his bum is in the air sans nappy.
Daddy has since added an old kitchen apron to his changing station, and dares anyone who laughs to carry out a nappy change without it 0 -
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Well, my point was actually that my list was too long
But it was strangely soothing to have a list of things to do rather than just, y'know, wait...
I've added to my list after it quite alot actually: most of my list is a list for my hubbie to go buy things and where to buy them once babs gets here! 0 -
True, though I deliberately didn't want to leave anything essential to be a gift from anyone; so lists of real essentials really are needed!
Hate to be devil's advocate but I'm going to disagree with a few of your must haves! This is just in our experience though, and with the added benefit of hindsight!
Formula - Speaking from my own experience I wish I never had it. I was breastfeeding perfectly in hospital not a bother then on my last day leaving the hospital the new nurse on shift said she though my baby needed a top up and that I should buy some formula 'just in case'. Cue me rushing to the hospital shop and buying a tray. It completely undermined my breastfeeding confidence and knowing it was in the house and at hand made me more stressed and more likely to top her up. I was a first time mum, and the nurse said she needed it so who was I to no better? Anyway it led to supply issues for me which led to me supplementing and I ended up giving up breast feeding a lot earlier than I wanted to. I now know better having researched breastfeeding one of the most important things is having confidence in yourself and partner that you will be able to succeed. I mean if worst comes to worst baby will have to wait until morning to get some formula if absolutely needed but mum will have some valuable time to consider if it is what she really wants. I wish I had had this.
Bottles/Steriliser/Breast Pump: I would wait until baby is born to get these next time. Unless you are bottle feeding from the start it isn't necessary to have at the very beginning. It can be a big waste of money too getting a breast pump that 1) isn't used if bf doesn't work out or 2) the pump doesn't suit. PHN's have pumps available for mum's to bring home and try out to find one that suits them before forking out! I ended up with 2 before the third worked out for me. Trying in the beginning would save a lot of dosh! Steriliser is good for soothers though or you could always use milton tabs in a basin of water for the first while.
Night light: Not really must have IMO. We left the bathroom door open a crack for feeds/changes during the night so as not to wake baby fully if it could be helped. This can work just fine without having to pay out for another gadget. Some baby monitors have one built in too so that could be worth considering.
Nursing pillow: I never had one or had need for one. I did get a lend from a family member for a while but found it very finicky and uncomfortable to use. Again, just my own experience with this. I have heard some of the pregnancy pillows can double up. Could be a money saver to get one that does both if you are investing.
Lansinoh/Lanolin Ointment: I have a tube still brand new in my press, never needed it. This can be bought very handily in the chemist so I wouldn't buy until you need it.
Bath thermometer: Again another one you can double up on. Brother max do a 3-in-1 thermometer that does room temp, water temp and baby all in one go. Saves buying gro egg for room, bath thermometer and separate baby thermometer.
Changing wedge: We used a big bath sheet folded over in four. Worked perfectly, soft for baby, easily washed and no need for covers.
Baby Towels: These are great for the newborn stage but once my daughter reached 8/9 weeks she was too long for them. I would just buy smaller than normal towels that are small enough for baby.
I agree whole heartedly with:
-Muslins
-Cotton pads - Better than balls IMO as you can tear them smaller if needs be, saves buying 2 products.
-Cellular Blankets
-Breast Pads
-Sanitary Pads (big green unattractive hospital ones are best in my experience)
-vests, onesies & hats
-vaseline
-hand sanitiser0 -
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That's not devil's advocate, it's just more data!Hate to be devil's advocate but I'm going to disagree with a few of your must haves! This is just in our experience though, and with the added benefit of hindsight!
I actually agree with what you said, and it was our plan A from day one; but sometimes stuff doesn't go according to plan (my mother couldn't breastfeed after one of us was born because of an infection that needed antibiotics that weren't compatible with breastfeeding (this was in the 70s, but even today it'd be the same story because things got serious there for a while)). Formula was always plan B for us in the event plan A couldn't work for whatever reason. I do think though, that if I had to do it over, I wouldn't buy so much; I'd just get the pre-made sterilised bottles and if we had to go to plan B we'd have those to tide us over till I could go buy the full lot.Formula
Breast pump? Definitely. Bottles? Well, they were plan B with us, like I said. Steriliser? No, I'd get that from day one - it's too useful for things like soothers and nasal bulbs and such before you ever have to use it for bottles. But I wouldn't get a steriliser - I'd follow Khannie's advice and get a vegetable steamer instead. (I think it was Khannie!)Bottles/Steriliser/Breast Pump: I would wait until baby is born to get these next time.
Ours actually doubles up as a surround-pillow for him when he's snoozing in the bed while mommy eats tea and toast and daddy surfs the webNursing pillow
We've tried pillows and other cushions, but it really is just very useful for us. Plus, cool lumbar support when daddy uses it in his chair
LuckyLansinoh/Lanolin Ointment: I have a tube still brand new in my press, never needed it. Thing is, we needed ours at 0300 the first time, so I was glad we had it to hand! Mind you, we've been told since that a little breast milk can just be rubbed in as a natural lanolin substitute, so I guess it's not really *that* essential... though I'd leave the final call on that to mommy
I've seen that one, it got great reviews; I just prefer to have the room thermometer for the bedroom as the groegg, I find it easier to read at night. But hey, everyone finds different things easier!Bath thermometer: Again another one you can double up on. Brother max do a 3-in-1 thermometer that does room temp, water temp and baby all in one go. Saves buying gro egg for room, bath thermometer and separate baby thermometer.0 -
Ok, I am starting to have a very long list!!
Tell me, no-one has mentioned bibs or dummies, are they not needed? Or only needed when the little ones are older?
My mother is dying to see if I use dummies with our Little Miss, as when I was a baby I hated them, and when i was slightly older I used to steal them from other kids/babies and throw them away
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Tell me, no-one has mentioned bibs or dummies, are they not needed? Or only needed when the little ones are older?
And I just bought six more tonight5 soothers (ignore the dissenters, keep a few in the steriliser. If you can get a case that keeps them sterile, even better; keep two by the changing station. It calms our lad down a lot mid-change when the temperature change hits him - even with the room's heating on full, when you take off that nappy, everything gets a bit chilly for boys Also, our guy likes to soothe himself a little when dropping off to sleep - he spits out the soother inside two minutes, but is asleep by then)
We got a pack or two of plain white bibs too, but we've not used them at all yet. When we start bottle-feeding we'll probably find them essential though!0 -
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just a tip - if you buy dummies, buy a brand/type that you KNOW you will get again in a multitude of shops...We got a set of dummies, since lost one, and cannot find the same ones again anywhere! ;-( (it's very odd, actually - got a tommee tippee cherry dummy, but the cherry bit is pretty big - all the ones in the shops are MUCH smaller. dunno if ours was fluke, but it;s the only one our monster will take, since he's used to the size. gaaaah!)
we never used hand sanitizer
just washing your hands properly should be sufficient.
Also had a breastfeeding pillow, but found it fairly awkward after a while - not worth the expense, in my opinion (we got ours as a gift so it was ok, but wouldnt rush out to buy one again). Also never needed breastpads - using them as makeup removal pads now to get rid of them 0 -
It's not always easy to do that - getting four or five visitors to wash their hands properly is nearly impossible without being a <bleep> about it (and the vast majority of people don't know how to wash their hands properly and wouldn't bother if they did). We use ours mid-nappy change as well, after the poop is cleaned up and before the vaseline and fresh nappy go on, so we don't accidentally track poop and pathogens through the vaseline. You *could* wash your hands there I suppose, if you don't mind junior screaming for four or five minuteswe never used hand sanitizer just washing your hands properly should be sufficient.
Right now, I can hear my wife from thirty miles away saying something that sounds like "lucky witch"Also never needed breastpads - using them as makeup removal pads now to get rid of them I think your experience might possibly not be typical 0 -
Not telling anyone to do anything, but we've been told repeatedly that the "disrupts breastfeeding" part of that is just not true, by nurses in Holles St. and two PHNs (who maintain that 90% or more of the women they help with breastfeeding use soothers with no ill effect). And the research seems to bear this out (that study shows that using a dummy had no effect on breastfeeding out to three and four months, looking at 1300 or so children). I haven't found anything about soothers and ear infections on pubmed. There are warnings about dummies from the british dental association, but honestly every time I hear them, I keep thinking of this:I've been reading quite a bit about dummies - that they can aggravate ear infections, and disrupt breastfeeding
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It's not always easy to do that - getting four or five visitors to wash their hands properly is nearly impossible without being a <bleep> about it (and the vast majority of people don't know how to wash their hands properly and wouldn't bother if they did). We use ours mid-nappy change as well, after the poop is cleaned up and before the vaseline and fresh nappy go on, so we don't accidentally track poop and pathogens through the vaseline. You *could* wash your hands there I suppose, if you don't mind junior screaming for four or five minutes
Right now, I can hear my wife from thirty miles away saying something that sounds like "lucky witch" I think your experience might possibly not be typical
hm, maybe I'm not being militant enough about germs - I just use the babywipes to clean my hands inbetween the nappy change (after the old and before the new nappy)...the only problem I have is that the constant handwashing is making my hands really dry...can't win...
re the breastpads - sounds like I am lucky, annoying though as I bought tons of them in anticipation...:P0 -
We're being over-militant because we're still in the first weeks. We don't plan to be this way foreverhm, maybe I'm not being militant enough about germs - I just use the babywipes to clean my hands inbetween the nappy change (after the old and before the new nappy)...the only problem I have is that the constant handwashing is making my hands really dry...can't win... 4-6 weeks, until his immune system is up and running and he's had his first post-hospital vaccinations and then we're going to chill a bit and let him go eat dirt
Don't be annoyed - not being lucky would have been more annoying!re the breastpads - sounds like I am lucky, annoying though as I bought tons of them in anticipation...:P 0 -
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