Essential buys

Sarah1916

Does anyone have any tips on essential buys for a new baby. Is there anything you bought that was a waste of money that we shouldn’t bother buying? And anything that you couldn’t live without?
Does anyone have any pregnancy pillow recommendations or stretch mark cream recommendations?
TIA

shesty

You will get lots of replies on this!!!

For us a basic changing table (ikea).Changing is hard on your back after you have carried a baby for 9 months and given birth, your core is not in good shape.Our Ikea one is still going strong, 3 babies and over four years later.

Steriliser.I don't know what your plans are re:feeding but a basic steriliser is always good to have.

Changing mat.

A bouncer.Just an ordinary bouncer, suitable from newborn.We did not have one in the first five weeks of no.1. Because I didn't think it was necessary, but actually it is extremely handy to have.

Mirror for your car so you can see the baby in its seat while you drive.

A maternity pillow is good, even if you dont BF because you can use it for support once baby starts to sit up etc.Saves scattering cushions everywhere.Have done both, recommend the pillow if just for that!!

Extra sheets, blankets and towels.

Waterproof cover for cot mattress

Off the top of my head, they come to mind.

catrionanic

I wouldn't waste much money on stretch mark creams - it is in your genetics whether you get them or not. I didn't use them on either pregnancy and escaped without them, just like my mother. Meanwhile I have friends who slathered up religiously many times per day and still ended up covered in them!

Babies are simple, really. Somewhere to sleep, a car seat, a pram and a sling are your main things. If you breastfeed, you don't have to buy much in the way of bottles or sterilisers. You'll need somewhere safe and snug to set baby down when you're doing things - baby gyms and bouncy chairs are good for that. A mirror for the car is a good idea.

We lived in a tiny house when our first came so we bought as little as we could get away with. No changing table, just a mat on the table or sofa and a wee bag of all the wipes etc. No baby bath - just the sink. No Moses basket, just the cot for night and the pram for naps.

On the other hand though, things which we couldn't get enough of were muslin cloths, blankets, and more nappies and wipes than you can ever imagine you'll get through!

beertons

You can never have enough musselin cloths.

snoopy84

stretch marks:
DON'T scratch! scratching tears the skin instead rub when itchy. I was told this when I was pregnant and i have no stretch marks

snoopy84

we loved our changing table. we bathed him in it when he was small, we used it for storing all his nappies wipes etc, used it for bringing him up and down to the bath instead of carrying him and still use it for dressing him and obviously changing his nappy

Sarah1916

beertons wrote: »

You can never have enough musselin cloths.

Thanks everyone!
What are musselin cloths used for 🀦ðŸ½*♀️

scarepanda

Oh man! We thankfully didn't buy a massive amount of stuff for no.1, coz we were given stuff, but a few things I wouldn't be without are:

Somewhere safe to sleep. We were given a Moses basket, very handy, although not sure we'll buy one this time around. I'm very tempted on just using the cot from the get go. Not decided yet.

Somewhere safe to change baby. If ye are handy at all consider making a changing table. My dad made me a cot-top-changer. I was obsessed with having one. Never considering that 1) the cot has a drop down side, or 2) how quickly baby will go into cot. But by pure luck it fits on an IKEA kallax unit perfectly and I have to say I love having it this way. We had a little shelf above the changing table for supplies and used the 4 boxes of the kallax unit to store the most common clothes so they were always at arm's reach. My back wouldn't be able for constant changes on bed/couch etc and it also meant that all the essentials were always in one place.

Some way to carry baby. I wanted a good quality buggy. Was prepared to spend money on one as it was one of the main expenses we had. We ended up getting a cheaper one and again I'm so happy we didn't spend silly money on one because I became a converted baby carrier and from 7ish months on until recently I wore her wherever we went including abroad. Im pregnant again so can't wear her in front position of the carrier coz of bump and she won't go into piggyback or side position for me. Shes a very independent 2yr old so wants to walk most of the time anyways.

Car seat.

Muslin cloths. I reckon you can't have enough regardless of how you feed baby. So handy for spit ups, as sponges in the bath, covers while nursing etc. Perfect for a nappy bag coz they squish really small.

Steraliser. Again you can't go wrong with having one. Ours was very cheap, but did the job. I breastfed but she got some expressed milk via bottle and I used nipple shields. Technically you don't need to steraliser everything for a breastfed baby, but I always felt better by doing so. Ours was a steam steraliser.

Bouncer/rocker. We bought a very basic rocker and were given a fancy one. We won't bother with the fancy one at all this time around. The basic one was far better and easier to use, more mobile as well for moving between rooms. And baby was happier in it.

And finally, sleep sacks. Our daughter was a wriggler once she started rolling over at night at 4 months. I wasn't convinced of having a sack before that, but they were the best thing for night. I never had to worry if she had kicked off the blanket or whatever.

Edit: I use bio oil for bump, not so much for stretch marks as they are genetic. But I find it the best for easing any itchiness. It was also recommended to me a few years ago by GP to reduce the scar after an op, so it can't do any harm in that regard.

I have a full body pregnancy pillow called a sangol I got it on Amazon. Love it, but my favourite nursing pillow was one from Argos.

beertons

Sarah1916 wrote: »

Thanks everyone!
What are musselin cloths used for 🀦ðŸ½*♀️

Mopping up puke, when they burp up stuff.

scarepanda

Sorry, I know I've an essay wrote above, but I just thought of another thing - a travel cot. It was essential to us, but not necessarily to most people depending on sets ups. We got one from Aldi and it's stood the test. We have 2 dogs and a poorly laid out kitchen with no room to make a play area etc. So the travel cot was used primarily as a playpen. Somewhere we could pop herself once she was too active to stay in the rocker for long on her own if we needed to go outside/cook dinner etc. At least we knew both herself and the dogs were safe if we needed to take our eyes off them. It also ended up being the only place she would take her daytime naps which was handy in another way as the living room is one of the most used rooms in the house. And while we have never been a 'quite' house, madam can sleep through an earthquake now. Only times she will wake to say the dogs barking in the same room as her is when she's dropping off asleep or just about to wake up.

Loveinapril

We got a changing table top on top of a chest of drawers and it was/ is perfect. We use it less now as our son is 1 but obviously it stores his clothes so isn't just taking up space.
I used a sling a lot and found it great as my boy had reflux and wanted to be held constantly- the sling meant I could still get housework done.
We used tonnes of muslin cloths every day (see reflux).
A bouncer was great as we could put him in it when we needed to eat/ pee.
When baby gets a bit older a travel cot is great as a playpen, as mentioned above.
Oh, and the hospital recommend cotton wool and water for cleaning bums for the first few weeks. Don't get wads or small eye makeup remover type ones, try get the bigger ones that are three or more inches wide. They pick up more poop!

Cash_Q

If you're planning to bottle feed, the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep bottle making machine is a life saver. Making them the traditional way is fine, and I did so for about 5 or 7 weeks, but we were given this machine and it saves so much time and hassle. Bottle ready to drink in less time than it takes to boil a kettle.

Bouncer - we just got one today at 3 months and it's fantastic, up to now she's either been lying in her pram, on her baby gym or in our arms when awake, the bouncer is great. We got a basic one for 19euro on Argos and it's perfect.

Wouldn't be without the changing table, upstairs and downstairs. Downstairs we have one with drawers and it holds most of her clothes, bibs, nappies etc. Upstairs we just put a changing mat on top of a deep bookcase that's around chest height, and we have spare bed cloths, vests and babygros on that, plus nappies and wipes. Having had a section, it's really difficult to change baby on the couch/floor etc so changing table is great. Having one downstairs means you're not having to climb the stairs multiple times a day, which is really difficult if you end up having a section.

We recently got a snug cover thing for the car seat which is great, the brand is Ruby and Robin (edit - might be called Ruby and Ginger) if you want to look it up. Baby can't wear coats etc in the car seat and I was so paranoid that she was too cold even on the quick transfer from the house to the car, and especially if slotting the car seat into the pram to walk from a car park into a shop. This car seat cover is amazing, I'm mad about it. Obviously depends on the time of year that your baby is due, but it is Ireland after all, so it'll most likely be cold all year!

Bibs - ones with a plastic back are best as milkor spit won't soak through. Mothercare do a ten pack of white ones that are a great size for newborn. We must have well over 50 bibs, and we've never run out and I can go 3 or 4 days without doing a wash, it's worth having loads.

Muslins - Aldi or Penneys are better than Mothercare, the cloths are much bigger and softer than the Mothercare brand. Again, buy plenty. I've gone through 4 in the past hour (She just spat up a full bottle!)

I have two little baskets on my locker beside the bed, one full of bibs and one full of muslins. We get through a lot of these every night, so it's handy not to have to go looking for them.

Thermometer - buy a good one and have it ready from day one, hopefully you won't need it, but it's essential even just for peace of mind.

Bottle brush and steriliser if bottle feeding.

Moses baskets are lovely but we didn't bother with one as I'd heard they outgrow them quickly. She sleeps in her pram when downstairs and we have a Chico next2me for upstairs.

jlm29

When I was having my first baby, I bought a car seat and Pram, a Moses basket, and the things I needed for my hospital bag, and not a single other thing, and I had loads.
Don’t go mad buying clothes, you’ll be amazed at how much you will be given in presents.
You’ll need somewhere for baby to sit- I have a bouncer that goes up and down that was a life saver, friends bought it as a gift after I had my first baby, and it was great.
The Moses basket was a total waste, my baby was really long, and outgrew it really quickly. I bought a next to me crib for my second baby, and it was a great buy.
If you’re planning on breastfeeding, a feeding cushion was a must for me. I don’t own a steriliser, I never felt I was missing anything.

cyning

Essential buys are going to vary so much from person to person!

I’m on my 3rd and all I want/need (because I gave almost everything away!) is a co sleeper, a nappy bin (which some people hate), a changing table, my slings, a buggy, a car seat and I want a baby hug 4 in 1: mainly for the height. Which wouldn’t have been an issue on the first two but my back sucks. I’m also going to need ear defenders as small lady has a big feis when baby is going to be around 2 weeks old, and between that and birthday parties etc; again wouldn’t have been an issue on the first two. Bibs were a waste with my first: didn’t really drool or spew. On the second she had severe reflux and we double and triple bibbed and had 60/70 muslins. Get a decent thermometer before baby gets here. Or better yet when someone asks what you want tell them otherwise you get oodles of clothes and stuff you won’t necessarily want or need. I breastfeed so just used have a small dody steriliser: a clevamamma one. No idea if they still exist or not!

Digs

Yep it’s all trial and error like pp have said, it varies so much so you kind of have to figure it out on your first. For example I have no use for a changing table whatsoever. My three I just use a mat that’s thrown behind the couch in the living room and I keep everything in the changing bag. What I have used on all mine are:

-Car seat
- bouncer (cheap ones are perfect)
- pram (bugaboo chameleon paid for itself 10 times over, using it for my 3rd baby and still looks perfect)
- sling (wouldn’t be without one - use the boba wrap for newborn and have the isara carrier for later)
- backpack style change bag
- next to me cosleeper (only discovered it on my 2nd, was a game changer for us!)
- good thermometer
- feeding pillow
- Ikea highchair, cheap as chips but perfect
- get the wonder weeks app on your phone, it explains a lot!!
- if you’re breastfeeding get a haakaa pump, cheap but is a seriously nifty bit of kit!
- Muslin cloths ( I love the Ikea ones). Between oversupply of milk and spit up I couldn’t cope without them.

This is my first winter baby so I got a wallaboo footmuff for the car seat and it’s brilliant, keeps her snug. Had no use for it before as the other two were summer babies.

One thing re clothes is quality does pay. I got an unreal amount of gifts on my 1st daughter (so don’t go too mad buying) and my 2nd and now my 3rd daughter who’s 6 weeks is getting a wear out of the same babygros from Next. Theyre still as good as new and I’ll pass them onto a family member!

ETA: we got a gift of a Moses basket on our first. Was useless for us and just took up space

shesty

Actually, I agree with a thermometer.Essential.And I mean like a person thermometer, not a room.temperature thermometer.Babies temps are an indicator of so many things, so it is actually a vital thing to have in the house.

I would have some muslins.As someone said above, our first had silent reflux and rarely puked, but our second and third spat all over the place.At least if you have a few, you can top them up if needed.

Cot/moses basket are a personal decision.If you buy a regular cot try to get one with a side that drops down and a mattress that can be changed to different levels.They don't all have this and it is extremely useful.I would not waste my money on a cot bed if you intend to try to have a second child soon after a first.

I have a Morck blanket in the carseat, it is fleece and just wraps over him from both sides and his feet when you take him out in the seat, and has a little hood for his head.Didn't have it on my other two, but useful for him.

Sarah1916

shesty wrote: »

Actually, I agree with a thermometer.Essential.And I mean like a person thermometer, not a room.temperature thermometer.Babies temps are an indicator of so many things, so it is actually a vital thing to have in the house.

I would have some muslins.As someone said above, our first had silent reflux and rarely puked, but our second and third spat all over the place.At least if you have a few, you can top them up if needed.

Cot/moses basket are a personal decision.If you buy a regular cot try to get one with a side that drops down and a mattress that can be changed to different levels.They don't all have this and it is extremely useful.I would not waste my money on a cot bed if you intend to try to have a second child soon after a first.

I have a Morck blanket in the carseat, it is fleece and just wraps over him from both sides and his feet when you take him out in the seat, and has a little hood for his head.Didn't have it on my other two, but useful for him.

Thanks everyone.

Might be a stupid question, but why would I not bother with a cot bed it planning to have 2 kids close together?

angeldelight

Sarah1916 wrote: »

Thanks everyone.

Might be a stupid question, but why would I not bother with a cot bed it planning to have 2 kids close together?

The older one will still be sleeping in the converted cot bed and you’ll need a second cot for the younger child.

Afaik the cots with drop down sides are no longer recommended due to safety concerns. Definitely get one with minimum two heights for mattress though, much easier on your back when you’re putting them in when they’re small

scarepanda

I think this is true about the drop down sides. Ours had a drop down side because it's the one my parents used. I don't think I ever seen one in the shops when we were looking at stuff for our first.

We ended up going for a proper full sized single bed for madam. I don't really see the point of a cot bed either tbh if you want a second. There will be 2yrs 8mths between ours and we'd have ended up having to get a second one even at that age gap.

A thermometer is definitely an essential. Invest in a good one from the beginning. We got a cheap one at first and it nearly broke my heart it was so dodgy. We ended up getting one that our GP practice uses and is brilliant. I think it was like €50/60 but worth it. I'd also recommend using it regularly so baby gets used to it. Our girl used to play with it when she was younger and ended up loving getting her temps checked which was handy when she actually had one and was crabby coz she didn't fight it.

I've loved all of the IKEA stuff we have so far. Seriously can't fault with anything we have. The highchair is amazing btw! We had a second one and friends who spent a lot on a fancy one ended up borrowing our spare because it was better.

At the end of the day you don't need a whole lot - somewhere to sleep, a car seat, a way to be carried/pushed around, and a way to be fed. After that it all depends on set up in house and life style. As you've seen already some people swear by X,y,z while others would have no use at all for them. Also you don't need to spend crazy money on most stuff, cheap and cheerful is often ideal coz baby will have grown out of stuff so quickly it's crazy, in fact try borrow as much of the newborn stuff as possible for this very reason.

shesty

We actually did get a cot with drop down sides about 4 years ago for our first, from Eurobaby. But we did have to go looking for it. And they actually said it flew out the door whenever they got it in, because most cots don't have them now. I don't actually know if it's a safety thing or not, I just figured it was because it's cheaper to sell the ones with no drop side, so people buy them, but maybe it is a safety thing. It's handy though, no. 3 is currently in his cot pulled up beside the bed with the drop rail down and the mattress on high level, so he might aswell be in a co-sleeper. We went straight to a proper single bed for the other 2 aswell. There was a period though where we had the eldest in her cot and had to get a second one for no.2, as there was a 21 month age gap.


It is all very subjective but keep it basic I suppose, and not everything has to be top of the range!!! The thing you will need most of all is sleep....:D

scarepanda

Ah right! I never had to specifically look for a cot, I knew my old one was in good nick and that's what we intended to use as long as we could get a mattress for it. A drop down was just something I never noticed going in and out of shops.

Shesty, can I ask, what was your set up for bath time? Im thinking of not getting a proper bath this time (another thing that was lent to us with No1), and just bathing them together. But I don't know what the handiest type of contraption would be. There seems to be a few options out there.

Fighting Tao

• Cot and/or crib (moses baskets are too small and so don't last). We got a hand-me-down crib and cot bed. At 5 months the crib was outgrown.
• Sheets for above cot (not waterproof ones as they can increase the body temperature of the baby)
• Sleepsuits, vests and bibs
• Buggy
• Car seat if you have a car
• Anti Colic Bottles
• Steam Steriliser - even useful with the self sterilising bottles
• Formula - even if planing on breastfeeding it is useful to have some on stand by. Our little fella wasn't getting enough from the breast and so needed to be supplemented. In the early days before we had any experience the ready mixed bottles were a life saver.
• Cellular blankets
• Changing mat
• Nappies
• Baby wipes or cotton wool (cotton wool is used for bathing too)
• Nappy cream
• Nappy bin if living in an apartment
• Gro-bags/sleep bags for when they start to roll over

shesty

Eh, newborn we had a basic baby bath-we just put it on the changing table and did the deed!!As the baby gets older, I just put them in the big bath before the bigger child gets in, and hold them.He can sit up now so he sits and i sit beside the bath getting drenched because his favourite game is smacking his fists into the water to splash.I have to fend off the other two some nights but usually I can get him in and out before they go in.If I am on my own, I bath the baby first, pop him in a bouncer on the landing in the bathroom door (now hes big enough to just sit up) and do the other two.It's a marathon session though, bedtime is tough on your own with more than one.

catrionanic

scarepanda wrote: »

Ah right! I never had to specifically look for a cot, I knew my old one was in good nick and that's what we intended to use as long as we could get a mattress for it. A drop down was just something I never noticed going in and out of shops.

Shesty, can I ask, what was your set up for bath time? Im thinking of not getting a proper bath this time (another thing that was lent to us with No1), and just bathing them together. But I don't know what the handiest type of contraption would be. There seems to be a few options out there.

Scarepanda, my second is 10 weeks now and I've never had a baby bath. For the first guy we just bathed him in the sink, but it's kind of hard with a newborn as the sink wasn't that comfy to rest his back against, and the babies are so damn slippery when wet! So I got a bit fed up of that and picked up one of these last week in Mothercare (the bottom one in blue) and it is the bees knees: https://m.ebay.ie/itm/362361984709?ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F5282-53468-19255-0%2F1%3Ftype%3D2%26pub%3D5575403537%26toolid%3D10001%26campid%3D5338343602%26item%3D362361984709%26customid%3Dvms%253Aeb%253Ap%253A362361984709%253BCj0KCQiAmafhBRDUARIsACOKERPu_kfB-b_quEnbtkl1KAwSFJed4gD-m1HWJx8ADjbp_yOKsTKuSskaAqG6EALw_wcB%26gclid%3DCj0KCQiAmafhBRDUARIsACOKERPu_kfB-b_quEnbtkl1KAwSFJed4gD-m1HWJx8ADjbp_yOKsTKuSskaAqG6EALw_wcB%26srcrot%3D5282-53468-19255-0%26rvr_id%3D1801763160782%26rvr_ts%3D04a744631680a6887aa19a24ffb785ff&_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1&ul_noapp=true

It is great. You just set it in the bath and it holds baby really well. He seems very comfy in it too. It's better than a baby bath because you don't need to keep one hand on the baby - so you have two hands free to help the toddler too. It also makes a good wee baby seat on the floor too, as I discovered last week when I forgot to bring our bouncy chair to my parents house and I didn't have anywhere to set him down! And takes up a lot less space than a baby bath too- it just hangs on a hook on the door or the wall. I love it!

jlm29

I just used a basin for the first while, on the kitchen table (very quick dips!!!), and then when mine got bigger I just lay him in the bath with very shallow water. I had something to rest him on at one point, but only used it a handful of times, it looked so uncomfortable!

shesty

Now I'd say that's good caitriona, it's having free hands is the key thing with the two smallies.
We did use the sink in the bathroom the odd time, or alternately I took the newborn (either no.2 or 3) into the shower with me, depending on how things were going!Baby bath only really lasted about 10 weeks or so though, so don't go all out buying one!

Fighting Tao

We were given a bath seat which was fine until they reach a certain weight. Now we use an inflatable bath in the big bath. It’s excellent.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01DZWN3XK/ref=pe_3187911_189395841_TE_dp_1

McCloskey_A

Muslim clothes
Changing table
Got a present of a tommee tippee prep machine for bottle and I love it
Just get the basics in clothes, we got tonnes off people
Moses basket
Tiny tots seat (present and we loved it)

bee06

I’m going to against the grain and give you all the stuff I bought that was never used:

Steriliser - I’m BF and didn’t know beforehand you don’t need to sterilise bottles etc for full term healthy baby.

Bottles - never gave him a bottle in the end. Used a sippy cup for milk when I went back to work.

Bassinet thingy for the travel system. He hated it and wouldn’t stay in it even from the start.

Nursing tops - I just did one vest top under a normal top. Pulled best top down and other top up.

Bouncer - again he hated it.

Bibs - he wasn’t a droplet so never needed them.

Socks for a newborn - he lived in babygros. Didn’t start putting him in pants etc until around 4 months and all the socks I bought were too small.

One thing I wish I had for when he was born is a wrap to wear him more when he was tiny.

Millem

On refection after my second the only essentials are: somewhere to sleep, a car seat and a buggy
If breastfeeding I would highly recommend a tv and netflix in your room to get you through the crazy long cluster feeds

scarepanda

Catrionanic, it was items like what you posted in the link that I was looking at before. I didn't know if they were a gimmick or something that lived up to its description! But I'll have a better look now for something along those lines.

The baby bath that was lent to us with our first was brilliant. There was what I used to call a 'bum stop' built into to stop baby slipping down which meant that you had free hands. I don't think it would work as well this time as I'd imagine we'll stick them both into the bath at the same time and a full baby bath would be too bulky.

Gatica

We had a pop-out integrated bath in the changing table we bought. Our 2-year old only just stopped using it. It took less water and had a seating curve in it so she never slipped in it.
When she was tiny we just used it in the kitchen within the changing unit with a foam bath support (great for slippery babies), as she got older I popped it into the main bath for her.
The changing table started fraying the plastic edging around its foam insides, but I used a colourful duck-tape around it, and it looks cheery and good as new now, ready for the second