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I thought it would be a good idea to get a post listing all the needs for a new born.
I'm sorry if this has been posted before, if it has please post the link :D
I'm a first time mum and want to buy everything beforehand while I'm still working so I will find it very helpful, as I'm sure others will too.
**What did you buy for your newborn (ie, pram, cot, etc)? What do you personally find a necessity now you have your baby?**
The main things I couldn't live without are; change table with pull out bath (Infa Duo Genius) his cot, somewhere to put his clothes, a sterliser and his bouncer.
:)
Bouncer (rocker), change table with pull out bath with wheels so I can wheel it all over the house for bathing and changing on cold days, sling/baby carrier, and all the stores i got whilst pregnant of disposables, cotton wool and cream for nappy changes so that I didn't have to worry about going to the shop for a while. Oh, and lots of singlets as we seem to have a few outfit changes and blowouts a day.
You don't need all the stuff that the marketers will tell you you absolutely need to be a proper mother ;)
I borrowed a bassinette (at 6 months it was gone because DS could sit up in it and our house is too small to hold onto superfluous stuff!), borrowed a sling (HAB, then later bought an Ergo), bought 2 packets of flannel cloths and had 3 more bought for us by MIL and my sister, two nappy buckets, change surface (lucky enough to have a sturdy massage table to use) with change mat, face cloths, MANY borrowed onesies (many also bought second hand, the rest were given as pressies), many more singlets (can never have enough!), a buggy with baby sling attachment, blankets, beanies, socks and mittens.
If you're BFing, you don't need that much more, and cleaning BFing equipment only needs hot soapy water, unlike formula that requires vigorous hygiene because it's prone to bacterial colonisation due to manufacturing processes.
I tells ya what, you only need as much as you think you do. If you want to have loads of things to deal with, then you will have loads to deal with, but if you want to keep it simple...you can :)
I know lots of people thought we were either miserable or really poor because we didn't have gadgets and equipment that other people deem necessary. My mum, of course, insisted that DS needed a musical rocker so got him one, where I just wanted one of those cotton net things...he never even played with the toys on it till he was walking!
But I digress. Bubs won't think any less of you because you didn't kit him or her out from BabyCo or Baby Bunting ;)
I have to say, aside from the cot and chest of draws (doubles as a change table) I couldn't live without my HAB (Hug a Bub) baby carrier. It has saved us!!! Anything else is just for fun! Oh, in saying that, Nic loves his activity mat (see pic below) now that he is old enough.
Best thing we bought was a Bouncer. We could put Jesse in it when we were having dinner or whenever he was upset and wouldnt sleep or whatever.. it was a life saver at times!
Ah great items girls!
I am going for the less is more approach IK, thanks for your encouragement :)
Kell Do you have to bounce the bouncers physically? Or do they just bounce from bubs bumping about?
No worries, Maz!
Meant to say, too, that we used the bassinette for day sleeps because we co-slept from day one at night. We still don't have a cot. We have a portacot (given free by a friend) but now that DS can safely get down from higher surfaces feet-first, he is back in our bed for day sleeps.
My motivation for simplicity has various facets - cheaper, less consumerism involved, far easier for me to deal with, less to put into storage later.
So much can be bought second hand from kids recyclers and eBay that you'd really need to be locked into an 'everything must be new' mentality to get everything new. Most of my favourite pieces of clothing on DS were bought 2nd hand. Later in the piece, most of my terry flat cloth nappies are eBay purchases (from mummies who converted to modern cloths quite early in the piece, so my cloths were quite fresh).
Our buggy came from a friend of my mum's and our borrowed stuff came from my fire brigade circle - we didn't ask for anything, it was offered and we gratefully accepted. I know some people aren't very comfortable with the idea of borrowing, but being able to give back things we no longer needed really appealed to us.
One thing I would recommend if you don't already have one, is a nice comfy armchair for feeding bubs in those early days, where you just need to lock yourself away to establish feeding. We have some lovely antique chairs, so I'd sit us by the bookcase, next to the CD player and feed while I sang my favourite songs to DS. Even if you have a comfy chair, get creative and make a nice cover for it (for chuck ups, a cover will be a godsend) and create a 'feeding corner'.
A HAB will largely take the place of a rocker, as when the baby is that small it's no strain on your back to carry baby around whilst doing things and they sleep through rigorous things like hanging out washing and changing the rug of a horse!
How exciting! Just talking about it is making me nostalgic...
My wrap carrier (Kari-me - same as a HAB) was the only mode of transport and where DD had most of her daytime sleeps for the first 3-4 months, i only used her buggy 4 times in 5 months! I co-slept part of the night (4am feed- when i wanted to get up) but 8pm - 4-5am she was in her cot. I used an Adiri breastpump from day 3 when my milk came in and though next time i'll be getting an electric one, i really got a lot of use out of that one.
A lot of nappies (we went with Bambino Mio reusables) and nappy wraps, and a lot of neutral baby-gro's as she seemed to need an outfit change 3 times a day at least :) Oh, and our tummy tub - those first few difficult weeks whenever her belly hurt or she was getting stressed, a warm bath in the tummy tub always calmed her down.
B
A portacot! I had mine set up in the lounge for the first few months, just for an extra place to put her, and another nappy changing station.
Bottles - I'm really not a fan of the avent ones at all. Dr Brown's or Nuk are a lot better, although more expensive
Bottle steriliser - I use a microwave one, just what I've found is easiest. Make sure it fits the bottles well.
Muslin wraps - You don't want to wrap bubs in a warm wrap, for fear of overheating, so I've found muslin ones are great. The one's from Target at the like were to small to keep using, so I made my own. Have heaps in case you have a baby with reflux.
Face towels - I used them a lot, and I still use them for little spit ups. They just look nicer than cloth nappies, and you can get them in whatever colours you want. Get more than you think you could ever possibly need.
I wish I had bought one of those little cushions that go around the bubba for support. They seem really great. Bumbo's aren't half bad either.
A play gym/activity mat will never go astray. As will a rocker/bouncer thingy. I hate the Fisher Price ones now that Annika is older, because she just rips the linkadoos off, and I have to hang them up again every 5 minutes.
Clothes, of course!
Try getting a few different types of dummies, orthadontic ones, cherry shaped, or the nuk ones. It took us a while to figure out that the only ones Annika would take were cherry shaped Tommee Tipee ones.
A sling or a front pack carrier. I recommend the Baby Bjorn, it is easy to put bubs in, and doesn't put a lot of strain on your back.
A mobile or toy to hang over the change table to distract bubbas from crying.
Massage gel/oil, for if you feel like pampering your little one. I love the avent one because it heats up a little bit. The Johnson's lavender cream helps to soothe Annika to sleep as well.
Bath stuff - I used a baby support, because I was terrified of dropping Annika. Really helped to calm my nerves. Also, I've found Johnson's bath gear has the best smell.
A couple of different rugs to put on the floor, to make sure bubs is on a clean and safe surface.
Some good mittens. Not the cheapies, because they always manage to come off. Also beanie and a hat.
A pram/stroller. I hate mine with a passion. I got a 3 wheeler jogger, and because Annika can't see me in it, she isn't a fan of it. I wish I had spent the extra cash, and got one that has a car seat, and faces towards me. It would have made life so much easier.
Window shades for the car & carseat
A couple of toys, don't go too overboard. Books are great too.
Nail clippers, hair brush, thermometer, baby panadol, infancol just in case
Breast pads, breast pump, nipple shields, maternity bras, CABBAGE LEAVES, maternity pads, black undies, ice packs
Bassinett/baby hammock/cot
Hope this helps!
Oooh, yes, Jade - window shades! I recommend Window Sox made to fit your model car, you can wind down windows in warmer weather and still have shade and when baby gets to the 'flinging' stage, everything stays in the car! I got mine from an eBay store ;)
There are a couple of articles on the main site.
top 5 things for baby
3 things you didn't need
I thought there were a few more than that too.
If I find the threads I will link to them :)
cot and cot sheets (single sheets work the same) blankets, car seat, bouncer or swing. ( not a must but is helpful. ) clothing wise 000 things.. I wouldn't neccesarily buy 0000 stuf. if you need any DH or someone else can go shopping when bub is born.. Breast pads and even some bottles.. Even if you just buy one. Just in case.. a thermometer ( we got caught out) panadol even though it can't be given till one month
Alot of the others have great suggestions.. Juist a tip though.. get the necesseties and see if you need the extras later..
Muslin wraps!!!! Oh, and for cold weather: Wondersuits, Wondersuits, Wondersuits!!! Magical things........... Daniel lives in his.......... and if you buy them at Target when there are baby sales on, you can get them soooooo cheap........ I bought a whole heap on the last "baby clothes sale" and got them for $6.36........That's pretty good.
I also bought the high chair (one of those ones that lay back) and I could strap Daniel in to it and do stuff in the kitchen and around the house and all I would have to do is wheel him around. A change table is just about he most used item I have. The rocker was great (fantastic even) when DS was a newborn, but I don't seem to use it anywhere near as much anymore. DS spends most time in his high chair playing with the toys on the table bit while I do stuff around the house - he's more at my level and I think he likes that better.
Most USELESS thing??? Stuffed toys....... ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG........ Daniel could care less and probably never will........ next step is probably cars.
Really good thread!! Thanks. Helps a lot for planning and knowing what to expect. Thanks alot for all the info girls.
Muslin wraps, wondersuits, blankets (we still don't have enough), flat cloth nappies, bibs bibs and more bibs, rocker, HAB, window shades, short sleeve/singlet all in ones (the ones that do up under the crutch) that way you don't have to worry about a cold back, baby monitor, heater for babies room to take chill off the air at night.
I'm sure there are more but can't think at the moment. Then as they start to get a bit older there are even more things that you need.
All these are top suggestions and i have to say I agree with them all. I was however fairly cautious about buying stuff until I figured out what I actually would need or want to use. I just put away some money each pay in a savings acct so i didn't have to worry about eating up my maternity leave payments. Most of Darcy's most used stuff was bought after she was born.
As an aside I had to give away all the J&J stuff that was given as pressies cos we both reacted to it, so just be careful if you're sensistive.
I can't live without the sun and rain covers for the pram - or the pram itself!!! And her rocker - was a godsend in the early days when she wouldn't settle. And the steriliser - I tried Milton and made it too strong - shattered my confidence!