The baby essentials

Hi all,
I'm hoping for some advice on what "stuff" I need for the baby.
I will be staying with my parents (and their two dogs) for the birth and the first six weeks, then flying back to Vietnam.
I don't want to buy expensive stuff in Australia that's difficult to lug around. On the other hand, there are no safety standards in Vietnam and I worry about the quality of some of the local stuff.
I've already got eight little newborn outfits and six six-month sized outfits (just in case she grows quickly). I hope to find some wraps here and get singlets in Australia. DP is planning on bringing a suitcase full of the local disposable nappies to Australia, because they are much cheaper here.
What are the absolute basics I can get away with? I will hire a baby capsule for the car and maybe buy one to bring back to Vietnam because a pram is not feasible here. I'm pretty sure the dogs will be OK if the baby is on the floor for short periods, although they are getting older now and may be more crabby than when my sister's three were little. A cot and what else? We'll have a luggage limit of 50kg on the trip home but in my current uninformed state I don't really want to be carrying that much stuff.
My sister's youngest is 5, so I'm sure she doesn't have any baby stuff left. I have cousins with young ones, about one and a half, but I think they'd still be using most of their baby stuff. I don't think people will give me or loan me anything, so it has to be buy or hire.

A sling will be usefull.
Have you looked at hammocks? Heaps more portable than cots and IMO they look waaay more comfy. Try googling amby hammocks. You can buy them on-line and they'll deliver it to your parent's place. They have a carry case that most airlines treat the same as a porta-cot.

Nappies wise have a look at the MCN forums - they may or may not be your thing but you may as well inform yourself before you commit to buying a stack of sposies.

Really all you need is arms, boobs and clothes - the rest is optional.

hmmm

I would get a portacot with the bassinet attachment on the top, even better the one with the bassinet and the change table on top. I had one and they fold down small so could go on the plane back home with you. That knocks out 3 things (cot, changetable and playpen). I would be popping bub in one and not on the floor if there are dogs because you just never know.
Capsule hire is good, cheap and much better than buying one that doesn't last long.
What about a wrap or carrier? Or even a pouch :)
Little babies don't need a lot. I got away with bugger all in the beginning, I co slept, used slings, used cloth nappies and breastfed, all I needed were clothes. Realistically you will need a lot more clothes than that. Between leaky nappies and spewwy clothes you probably change 3 to 4 times a day.
I would say 10 jumpsuits, and a few sets of clothes, plus a couple of grow bags for sleeps. 15 singlets, socks to keep little toes warm, a beanie or 2, some baby blankets for the floor and to be swaddled in. At least 10 bibs, I probably had around 20ish and they were used a fair bit to stop full clothes changes.

Everyones different but I would suggest

Portacot- You need soemwhere safe to put the baby down esp when there are other children and dogs around. You can change your baby on the floor or on your bed or on a table with a change mat underneath.

Clothes- for the first 6wks those bonds wondersuits are great. Look on ebay for bundles of newborn clothes. You can get some bargains there.

Bath with your baby to avoid buying a baby bath. You dont need to buy any of the washers or lotions and potions. Maybe just a bit of sorbolene cream which is quite cheap.

Muslin wraps- your baby will be born in late November I see so these would be the best for over Summer.

Sling or carrier- check out ebay. Great for wearing if you are shopping or walking and will also help with settling baby if they are unsettled.

Hi ladies,
Thanks for your advice. I had a look at the Amby hammock and it looks so cute. There's a cheaper Australian-made brand that might do the trick.
I also saw a six-in-one portacot which would be very handy. I'm just a bit scared of portable cots because of a coroners court case I attended a few years ago.
The boobs and arms are ready to go. The clothes I have bought here are the short-sleeved onsies. I think I need something a bit warmer for nights too, the footed long sleeve outfits and a sleeping bag thingie.
If I was in Australia, would someone have given me a list by now? DP and I really don't know what we are doing and we don't really know anyone that's had a baby here.
So thanks again.

The baby shop would have given you a list as long as your arm with all sorts of important stuff like knoee-pads for crawling :p
There are a few lists online.
Have you looked at slings? The hug-a-bub is realy comfy for Mum and bubba.
You need something for tummy time - any clean rug will do or you can buy playmats with crinkly stuff and so on.
Muslin wraps are useful if bubs likes being wrapped.
Bibs are good for dibbley spewy babies but if your baby isn't a dribbler you won't use them much.
Something for cleaning bubs. I don't use anything much other than water for littlies but sometimes they get spew in their hair or similar so you need something for those occasions. Anything that is low on chemicals is good.
A bum cream. The paw-paw stuff in the red jar is nice.
Breast pads for you.
A good camera and a blank memory card for the hundreds of photos you will take ;)