Where to shop?

Neil_Sedaka

Spent all day today between Mothercare in Swords and Tony Kealys in Walkinstown.

Child due in 3 months so I gotta be getting it together soon.

I would really welcome any advice on buggys, cots, prams, all in ones etc.

It's a bit of a mine field!

Any suggestions appreciated, thanks.

Talliesin

You don't really need a cot, especially for the first few months of the child's life it's safer and easier to co-sleep. Of course if you or your partner drink much, are on medication that can alter sleeping paterns etc. then co-sleeping is a bad idea (incidentally the first researchers into the safety of co-sleeping concluded it was dangerous, it turned out that the data came from a community with a high usage of alcohol).

We were all for the co-sleeping idea in theory, but unsure of how it would work in practice, so we got a Brio Bedside Cot (http://www.babycare-direct.co.uk/cots.html shows the cot, but I've no comment on that particular vendor) it was great although our second child never bothered with it (though at least it prevents the risk of her rolling out of bed).

If you buy a second-hand cot get a new cot mattress, don't use the old one.

If you drive you'll need a babyseat for the car. Otherwise if there is someone (your parents or whatever) that gives you lifts on a regular basis then they'll need one. (For a start, if you have a hospital birth the hospital aren't supposed to let you leave unless you have one). If your travel patterns are very car-focussed you might be able to make do with a babyseat with a handle for the first couple of months.

ALWAYS BUY A NEW CAR BABYSEAT! Never buy them second-hand, it's just not worth the risk.

If you walk much then a baby carrier might be very useful. We got the Wilkinet and it was great. I didn't actually use the baby-buggy with Sadhbh until she was about 6 months old, although Celine started finding her a bit heavy after about 4 months. (BTW Japanese food is great when you have a baby carrier, as you can keep the child settled with one hand while eating with the other, cuisine that doesn't use chopsticks isn't as amenable to this).
I've also heard good things about the more traditional "slings" (the sort traditional in Wales and Romania as well as other places futher afield) once people got used to them. Other carriers than those got poor reviews from parents I know.
One of the best things about carriers is that you don't need to check on the child's temperature, just lightly dress the child and then put your coat on over the carrier and you'll know immediately if the child is too warm or cold.
That said Béibhinn hated the carrier and would never settle in it.

Tip: Buy a big teddy! Then you can get the hand of putting on the baby-carrier with the teddy without any risks of bumped heads!

If you manage to get by for the first few months without a buggy or pram (by relying on the sling, carrier, or baby-seat) then you will have more flexibility as you won't have the same requirements for head-support as you do with a newborn. You will also have better ideas of whether you want something light or sturdy based on your travel patterns of the previous few months.

Nevyn

we had a Moses basket/ crib for our lil ones, They mostly slept in the bed with us as I breastfeed them but the mosesbasket was great as it was light enough to lift down stairs so I could potter about and get things doen with them asleep in the same room.

Once the night feeds were over and the baby would sleep for 6 hours the moses basket was great for as it was small it could be right beside the bed.

As for what type " travel system " to use it does depend on if you have a car and will need to swiflty fold the buggy and get the baby strapeed in. A small pram is good forthat. But if you going to doing a lot of walking with the Pram a slightly larger one is great and you would be amazed what you can fit under it for getting home.

Once we no longer had a baby but a toddler we switched to a stroller, more light weight as the child would not be having naps in it and it was a nifty folding one so you could keep a good grip on the toddler and fold the stroller with the other hand.

Do take into consideration the size of the room the cot or parm will be in when at home ocs sometimes they can really dominate and get in the way. Hope you find what ur looking for

Neil_Sedaka

Thanks to you both for the replies, we do appreciate them.

We both drive (different cars) so the baby seat is a must.

We also like to walk so I suppose some kind of buggy will be needed.

The moses basket sounds like the best bet, then a cot I suppose.

Any views on sterilizers?

Thanks.

Thanx 4 The Fish

Steam sterilisers are the way to go. Very easy to use and none of that messing about with tablets and water etc.

If you are looking for a buggy, pram and car seat you might consider a three in one, while it is a couple of quid extra, the pram part is removable and can be used in place of a travel cot, the car seat will fit into the bugg so you can take it out and put it straight onto the buggy instead of taking him out and getting him settled elsewhere.

Ben slept in a moses basket for the first four months or so and is now in a cot which he loves. (Extra arm space for those hyper active babies ) The moses basket was great, easy to rock and very light too so could have been carried about except that he slept all of the time in his car seat, which could be rocked, or in his pram.

Talliesin

Originally posted by Neil_Sedaka
Any views on sterilizers?

Depends on usage, though again shops would lead you to believe that it's impossible to get by without them.
Celine rarely expressed so we hardly ever had to sterilise bottles and boiling them for half an hour in a saucepan was perfectly practical. However if most of the feeds aren't directly breastfeeding then this would result in constant boiling and short lifespan for the teats (because it's less exact you have to really boil the hell out of them to be sure, which weakens them) and a steriliser would be more important.

I've heard of people chucking out chemical-based sterilisers for steam sterilisers, but not the other way around.
I have heard that microwave sterilisers always seemed to be in use at the same time that someone wanted to cook something!

Nevyn

We used a milton steriler for the bottles, came in a handy all in one pack with bottles. I did breast feed but once they started teething it was definatly time for that to stop.

One bit of advise if you can if you are using formula get the babe used to drinking it at room temp if possible. Makes live a lot easier
, no boiling kettles or waiting for the bottle warmer to work while Jr crys the house down in the early morning , also makes it easir if you are traveling no stooping looking for some where that can heat the bottle. Check the time stated on the box/packet/tin to see how long you can safely have the bottle made up for with out having to but it in the fridge and make them up fresh .