Formula & nappies??

qwertytlk

Hi, i have 6wks untill my due date and am just getting thw last few bits of shopping for baby and was wondering which formula is the best to use? Sma, cow&gate or aptamil? Also how many newborn nappies should i buy? And i presume i need some cream for when i change his nappy,like bepanthen or sudocream, what should i get in this line?is there Anything else in that department i need? P.s what lotions do i need for bathing, johnsons baby.....oil or wash? Thanks(im clueless!):)

Das Kitty

qwertytlk wrote: »

Hi, i have 6wks untill my due date and am just getting thw last few bits of shopping for baby and was wondering which formula is the best to use? Sma, cow&gate or aptamil? Also how many newborn nappies should i buy? And i presume i need some cream for when i change his nappy,like bepanthen or sudocream, what should i get in this line?is there Anything else in that department i need? P.s what lotions do i need for bathing, johnsons baby.....oil or wash? Thanks(im clueless!):)

Formula - hard to know which one will suit, wait and see what they give you in the hospital and then get someone to buy it before you come home

Nappies - get a pack of newborn ones, he may not need them for long and you can get the appropriate sizes as he grows

Nappy Cream - Vaseline and your choice of other ones, it doesn't really matter unless there's nappy rash, then you'll try em all!

Lotions - Avoid! You just wash them with water for the first while and no need for lotions (in fact even the gentlest gave my lad a rash).

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What I would get

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Infacol
Saline Nasal Drops & Nasal Aspirator
Nappy Bags
Wipes - Sensitive ones
Sweet Almond Oil and a Soft Brush for cradle cap
Bibs, bibs and more bibs.
Muslin Cloths

Ayla

Can't suggest any formulas b/c we never used them with our two, but I know at the hospital they were offering a variety. People usually had their personal preference, but all I can guess is they chose one & stuck with it for a bit.

Newborns poo quite a bit in the early days, so you'll prob want 1-2 packs of the newborn size. You can get more once the wee one's born & you have an idea of their weight. Again, everyone has their preference...I've used the Pampers, Huggies & Asda store brand with my girls & only ever had probs with Huggies.

+1 about Das Kitty's suggestion to avoid the lotions. I would go so far as to avoid the nappy creams as well...I saw loads of women putting sudocream or vaseline on their newborn's bottoms, but personally we never did & never had a problem. It's all about air, which the creams prohibit. You'll find your own way.

For the first few weeks you can bathe in water exclusively. You really don't need soaps (although I know at the hospital they use something). Again, a lot of the soaps/lotions are just commercialism and making the baby "smell good," but they really aren't necessary. I've used Halos & Horns range w/ my girls - it's pure, organic & made of natural ingredients and have never had a problem with skin conditions. But I didn't even start with these until my girls were a few weeks old - it was pure water before then.

Every parent has their own way, and you'll find yours. All the best!

Cat Melodeon

I went with Pampers nappies - he was a big boy and we only ever used one pack of the newborn size. I switched to a cheaper brand later and he got nappy rash almost immediately, but most people can switch without any problems. Don't use wipes for the first while, stick with cotton wool and water, it's much less harsh.

I couldn't say how many nappies you'll need - formula-fed babies poo more than breastfed ones (my lad had a dirty nappy on average once a week) so we went through fewer than you will. Can't recommend a formula either, sorry, although my friend says if you find one that doesn't cause problems, stick with it the whole way through, there's no need to switch to follow-ons etc when they are older. Apparently the stage 1 formulas are better quality than the later ones.

Ayla

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

formula-fed babies poo more than breastfed ones (my lad had a dirty nappy on average once a week)

Wow, wish someone had told that to my girls! They pooped loads

Cat Melodeon

We had funky Fridays - for the first 5 months he only pooed on a Friday, it was mental! Downside was he'd be irritable as hell on a Thursday, but once he did the deed he'd be grand again for the next 6 days. Once we started solids it all came to a nasty end. He still shocks me with what he can produce :eek: We're on the 5+ nappies now and I'm hoping they'll contain him for another few months, potty training is a while off yet!

I was told it was normal for them to poo so little when they were breastfed - your girls must be one of the exceptions (just like I'm the exception to the 'breastfeeding helps you lose weight' rule)!

sillysocks

Dont buy more than one box of formula at a time. We've tried Aptamil, Aptamil Hungry, Cow and Gate and now finally settled on SMA! The midwives in the hospital recommended Aptamil Level 1 as the best starter one to us, so that might be worth trying first. Our little one wouldnt get her wind up with it though so had a bit of trial and error. Not sure if you've bought bottles yet but same goes - trial and error so dont stock up too much on one brand (and dont bother buying smaller ones, just get the 8oz ones because they'll grow out of the smaller ones very quickly)

Get a couple of packs of nappies when they're on special in the supermarkets. If you have a look here you'll see there's not much difference between the size 1,2 and 3, so I think we would have gotten around 1 or 2 large packs of each to start with.
http://www.pampers.ie/en_IE/proddetail/baby-products/new-baby-secure-me-fit/id/1/sectionid/0

I used the pampers new baby ones, but once baby moved onto size 3 I moved to Lidl nappies after reading some good reviews and haven't looked back.

We never used nappy creams unless we needed them, then used Bepathanen (however you spell it!) and the odd time use some Caldescene powder. We used Water Wipes from the beginning, found them brilliant. They're expensive enough but only have water and grapefruit in them so don't cause reactions. Easier than cotton woll and water too. You can often get them on offer in Boots.

Another thing might be a thermometer - the digitial ones can be expensive but I reckon its a good investment as you'll have it for years. We got one by Brother and its great because it takes the temp in three seconds or something so easy to get it with a wriggly baby.

With bibs I found the ones that closed at the sides great because if baby falls asleep in your arms and you're putting him/her to bed its much easier to slip it off than if it closes at the back. Dunnes do them.

Found the small cot sheets in Guineys great too for if baby spits up or gets sick - we throw one over our own legs and the couch etc to soak up any accidents!

Sorry that turned into a bit of an essay!

cynder

Bepanthen is great for nappy rash. Babies grow quiet quick so don't stock up on newborn nappies. Babywipes are also very handy to get tar like poop off their bums. I breast fed my first but used aptimil for the second guy who was 5 weeks premature aptimil 1 is lighter on the tummy than the sma1 and cow and gate1 I used cow and gate with my 3rd baby as the aptimil was too light and he didn't settle with aptimil 2, I used avent bottles with number 2 and used dr browns with number3 didn't find much difference only dr browns took more washing.

cynder

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

We had funky Fridays - for the first 5 months he only pooed on a Friday, it was mental! Downside was he'd be irritable as hell on a Thursday, but once he did the deed he'd be grand again for the next 6 days. Once we started solids it all came to a nasty end. He still shocks me with what he can produce :eek: We're on the 5+ nappies now and I'm hoping they'll contain him for another few months, potty training is a while off yet!

I was told it was normal for them to poo so little when they were breastfed - your girls must be one of the exceptions (just like I'm the exception to the 'breastfeeding helps you lose weight' rule)!

With my lady she pooped every 3 to 4 days she was toilet trained at 18 months because she was in so much pain to poop. She would cry on the toilet saying it's allright it's only poops. It would take her 20 mins to go she was never given laxatives. She breast fed till she was 2 and a half, she was constipated from the age of 12 month to age 2and a half.

RachaelVO

With Formula as was said above, see what happens, it may not agree with baba, but once you do find one and settle with it, get a few cartons of ready made on hand, they are VERY handy. Although I have to admit I never used powder on mine only ever used ready made, I sorta felt that the price difference between the two wasn't that much per week and laziness won through!

Get a good few terri nappies. Not to use as nappies, but they are just so handy for wiping, laying on tables for changing mats, towels etc; They fold up quiet small for your nappy bag too so easy to transport.

I used pampers mostly, but on my son now I use Lidl nappies during the day and Pampers at night. Lidl nappies are one of the best nonbranded nappies I ever used, other shop brands turned into a false economy especially at night because they were rubbish!

Sudacrem is just a gift for nappy rash, but thankfully I never had to use it too much. Sensitive wipes to begin with and then you can always see how it goes. For sterilising bottles steam sterilisers are great, however you can also use a vegetable steamer, does exactly the same thing.

If you are going to use soothers, I would, but some new mums hate them and would rather not use them (there are research reports that suggest that among other things they help to develop neural pathways in the brain) have a few knocking around.

Here are two pieces of advice I would give you though. Think like you're in the military. Eat when you can, sleep when you can, wash when you can, because you will have no idea when you will be able to do it next. Most importantly ENJOY your time with your new baby. You've heard this before I know, but it really does go so fast!

RachaelVO

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

Can't recommend a formula either, sorry, although my friend says if you find one that doesn't cause problems, stick with it the whole way through, there's no need to switch to follow-ons etc when they are older. Apparently the stage 1 formulas are better quality than the later ones.

You shouldn't give first milk after 6 months, reason being is that it's too high in calories. Use the same brand milk by all means, but don't stick with first milk, it's not recommended. It's also the reason you will NEVER see first milk on special, you'll see 2 and 3 on special alright, but you'll never see 1 because its illegal to influence a mother in her choices between bottle feeding and breastfeeding.

xzanti

Re baby's bum, I can't recommend Vaseline enough.. it acts as a barrier, I've used it from day 1 and we've never seen a bit of nappy rash in 4 months.. and he's teething now..

bulmersgal

Dont stock up on any toiletries, i'm still using the same tub of vaseline, sudocream and shampoo and my baby is 13 months now.

I used sma as it suited her, used pampers nappies and they where ok you go through so many at the start but dont buy too many as they grow so quick.

Also just wash with water, i only used cotton wool and water when changing her but did get a little lazy with dirty nappies and used wipes after a few weeks

Tayla

Infacol is brilliant, gets their wind up very quickly.

Sterimar is a nasal spray, IMO it is essential for blocked noses, a blocked nose is one of the most irritating things for babies, I used to just spray this up her nose, she'd sneeze and all the mucus would come out and she could happily breath again. In particular if a baby is used to having a soother they will not be able to suck it comfortably with a blocked nose and they can get very distressed.
http://shop.eumom.ie/Products/Sterimar-Nasal-Spray-%28100ml%29__3401570918561.aspx

Nappy cream, Get some virgin coconut oil in a health shop, it's excellent for nappy rash, cradle cap, baby eczema ,any other rashes you can think of, it's all natural (you can even eat it) and a lot of baby formulas even have it as an ingredient (because it's great for the immune system)

Nicole22

I breastfed for 3mths at the beginning and after that used cow and gate comfort 1 I think it was called. Had no problems. I mostly just bathed him in water. I used sudocream first then overnight it suddenly stopped working and I had to switch to bepanthen. On my second baby I plan on only using a small amount of bepanthen only when totally nesseccary coz I think I used to much on my first, putting it on at every change and he grew to need it, he didnt have many nappy rashes but the problems started when I potty trained him and his lil bottom seemed to have to climatise to the lack of cream! Kind of had to wean his bum of it if that makes sense ha!
On another note Im really surpried that the breast fed babies pooped so little. My guy pooped a few times most days! He fed once an hour all during the day (sometimes less!) and every 2hrs at night so maybe it was all the feeding, he was one hungry baby! It was tiring but I loved it. Plan on doing it longer this time around. I thought it was formula babies that pooped a lot less coz they cant digest the formula as easily

Ayla

Nicole22 wrote: »

I breastfed for 3mths at the beginning ...
On another note Im really surpried that the breast fed babies pooped so little. My guy pooped a few times most days!

After I wrote my earlier comment I checked w/ my husband just to make sure I wasn't remembering the early days wrong, but he confirmed that our 2 girls really did poop constantly (and they were exclusively b/fed)! I've been told different things - (1): b/fed babies poop more b/c it's more easily digested & passes through the system faster, and (2) b/fed babies poop less b/c more of the nutrients get absorbed so there's less waste.

What's real is anyone's guess

Tayla

Ayla wrote: »

After I wrote my earlier comment I checked w/ my husband just to make sure I wasn't remembering the early days wrong, but he confirmed that our 2 girls really did poop constantly (and they were exclusively b/fed)! I've been told different things - (1): b/fed babies poop more b/c it's more easily digested & passes through the system faster, and (2) b/fed babies poop less b/c more of the nutrients get absorbed so there's less waste.

What's real is anyone's guess

I always thought it was breast fed babies that pooped more but it is more runny and water like because like you said they absorb nearly all of it so there is less waste.

Nicole22

Yeah my guy pooped a lot and it was quite watery now that you mention it! He always pooped in the middle of a feed ha! The feeding seemed to really stimulate his bowels!:P