How did you prepare for your baby?

What items did you buy, ie change table, cot, basinette, bath etc etc

Was there anything you never used, or wished you hadn't bought? Was there anything you needed and forgot? What was something you absolutely couldn't live without?

We had the cot, baby bath, change table, nappy bin, bouncer thingy and that was about it.

We bought a baby bath...and that was a waste of money...used it for a couple of times and didn't bother anymore. Just put a small amount of water in the bottom of the bath and bathed her that way. It hurt my back to bend over it and hold her at the same time. Especially after the C-sect.

Instead of a basinette and a cot we got just a cot that had a basinette height...great buy, saved us lots of money! And I was always a bit aprehensive of putting such a small baby in the cot straight away but she was fine.

The stupidest thing we got was this bouncer cross basinette thingy that vibrated by safety 1st...it was hopeless and she hated it...and it broke :roll: I was looking at bouncers the other day and it looks like its no longer on the market...I wonder why :lol:

My favourite thing was something we bought later on...a baby swing. OMG that was the best money spent! I couldn't live without it! As I have a bad back I couldn't have her in the sling all the time and there were times when I had to do things...this was great. I could strap her in turn the music on and let her go she could watch what I was doing (well actually at that age she probably couldn't see past her nose :lol: ) and I could see her and most times she would fall off to sleep. Then when she was older (4 mths) it was used as her high chair till we finally got a real high chair at 6 or 7 mths...we were slackers LOL!

If I can think of anything more I will add it later.

*hugs*
Cailin

By the time i was 8mths pregnant all we needed was the baby. We were extremely lucky and all the big stuff was handed down to us by the MIL's next door neighbour.

The cot was given to us (perfect condition), a bassinet was given to us and MIL did it up so it had a cover mosquito net etc. Bassinet also came on a stand that was on wheels which was very handy when Kameron had to sleep by window during the day due to jaundice. Could just wheel him around.

We had a bouncinette given to us, a baby bath given to us which i also found useless, Kameron hated it and much preferred the laundry sink !!!. My SIL passed down her pram, and we found someone with a car capsule that we could borrow for a few months.

I found it easier to stock up on small things when I went shopping each week for example throw in a packet of wipes, or mabye a romper. As I brought everything i wrote down what I had even if it was doubles or triples, so when people wanted to buy us stuff when the baby was born they knew what to get or what not to get. I still have that list too.

A friend of my parents was a day carer from home and just retired a couple of months after Kameron was born so she let me have her portacot and high chair for $50 !!!

Most uselss thing i brought was one of those lights that run of battery and you push on or off. the light in it was so dim you couldn't see anyway, and after a couple of weeks I started taking Kameron out into the lounge to breast feed him so I could watch tele so therefore there became no need for it.

Thing I couldn't live without would be the baby monitor. A great invention specially when I was out in the garden a fair bit on the nice days and Kameron was inside sleeping.

If you are having a baby and ever what to know what was on my list to see if you might be missing anything just send me an email and I will be happy to email the list to you. Cause as I said all I needed in the end was the baby.

Love

LOL, I was a bit like Kathryn in that all I needed was the baby!

I got a Baby Bjorn sling as a present, and love that to bits (easy to use when a pram is a no-go - like shopping centres at Xmas LOL)

Couldn't get by without :

my baby boy!
Baby Bjorn sling
Pram
Tots-Bots cloth nappies
Great expectations nappy Bag (folds right out into a change mat)
Baby Bath, as we don't have a big bath until after our renos...
Angel-care baby monitor (I'm so paranoid)
Zoo pillow
manual and Electric breast pumps and steriliser

Bought a cot that converts into toddler bed and day bed, highchair - use that, turn-a-tot car seat (love those)

Useless to me were the 'bunny rugs' I made Gareth go out and buy the day I came home from Hospital - Keenan outgrew them so quickly, but still loves to be wrapped. And we don't own a change table - just do it on the floor...

You live and learn!

The best thing we spent money on was $350 at Harvey Norman on a infa-red camera/monitor. So we can switch it over to the telly and see what she is up too. Before when the digital monitor went off we would go into her room - and even if she was OK she wanted to get up - or she was bouncing in her bed, playing etc.

So now we can see what she is doing and determine whether she really needs us or is just playing.

The worst thing was one of those Sangenic Nappy Disposal systems thingos.....we were given it as a pressie and in theory it is a good idea but I just got rid of nappies intot he big bin anyway.

I never even took it out of the box!

(I have since sold it on Ebay for a lot of $$!!!)

The best things were:

• The hammock
  An old fashioned bouncinette which we were lent
  A Baby Bjorn which we were given as a pressie

The worst thing we brought was the same as Lucy's when we moved we left it in the UK. The other thing was a sling i found it hard to use after having my c-section it always made me sick.

We had everything by 34 weeks and was very lucky we did as Kimberley was early.

The best thing baby monitor as it told the temp as well.

The best things...hmmm....

sling - our hug-a-bub sling is from newborn and has just been a life saver... we still use it 8 months later...


worst things..

for us the monitor - we can hear Matilda even when she's next door :)

Astrolady, you have missed your calling!

You could charge for that list!! If they have wedding planners, they can have pregnancy planners too and I think that should be your next career.
Yep, I'd pay good money to be that organised for the baby. Do you have a business card. Ha, ha!!

Cheers

Lulu

Well we were very fortunate in that we were lent a lot of the 'big' things, being the bassinette, (and like you Kathryn ours was on a frame with wheels, so it was a mobile bassinette, which was great, sometimes I would forget where I had wheeled him! LOL), the changetable, the cot. I was given three baby baths as presents, but they all came with little goodies inside. I wouldn't have bought a bassinette if it wasn't lent to me,
I would have just short sheeted the cot.

The only big things we had to buy were the Car Seat and the Pusher. I'm also another person who could NOT have survived without a baby sling, it was one of my saviours.

I guess the best thing that we bought, was the Safe 'n' Sound Royale car seat for the little man, he still uses it to this day, and we didn't bother with the capsule, cause I just lifted him straight from the car to the pusher anyway. We certainly have gotten our monies worth from that.

Best bit of advice I can give is to stock up on the small things, like wipes, nappies (especially when you see them going cheap on sales at supermarkets during the week), baby baths, oils, cotton tips and balls etc, I didn't have to buy any of this stuff for ages, as it was either given to me, or bought before Mitchell came along.

I believe you can never go without too many towels and facewashers, they come in handy, and sometimes, you need one for baby, and one for the bench.

LOL Kellie, about the cloth nappies, being the spew rags, I made that comment to my Mum, she was not happy!

I think that I will shut-up now.

Cheers,

Emma.

We too were lent a lot of things. The basinette (also onwheels). While Shayla was little it was fine but as she started to get a bit bigger it became a liitle wobbly (Shayla was the 8th baby to use the basinette) so she came out of that and went into her cot. We were also lent the cot, and change table.

I found the capsulel a life saver as Shayla falls asleep within 5 mins of being in the car so it was good in the fact that we never woke her up to get her out of the car.

Another life saver has been the fold out kiddie couch my parents bought for Shayla. Sher doesn't like the cot but will sleep through the night if we put her on this couch.

Trent loved the carry pouch (kapoochie) as I couldn't wear it as my boobs got in the way. lol.

I agree with Emma re the wipes etc. I didn't buy any wipes until Shayla was 4 months old.

I am currently 21 weeks pregnant and have found this discussion very useful.

We have brought so far, a highchair, change table, 3 wheeler pram, and a tallboy for the bedroom and a rocker second hand as the bigger items and smaller ones we have already purchased as well, a zoo pillow, kappoocci baby carrier (second hand), bottles, bottle cleaner and steriler, SIDS baby thingy that stops the baby from rolling over, cot sheets, fannels, neck comforter, finger toothbrush, safety power plugs. I am also buying nappy wipes every time we do our big shop.

We are being given a cot, stroller, four wheeler pram, jolly jumper, baby monitor, manual breast pump and lots of baby clothes, blankets, spew towels and bibs all from my sister.

We have been lent from a friend a basinette and a baby bath.

I think we are pretty well set up except for a night light. I think we went a big overboard with our own purchases but it's hard to judge what you really need and we are wanting to get things now while I am working and on one wage. We haven't purchased any clothes though but people say they grow so fast so we thought that we would make do with the seconds my sister is giving us.

It's really great to read what everybody else found useful and not so useful... For example I would have gone out and got one of those nappy-bin-sausage-maker-thingies had I not been using cloth nappies, as they sound perfect!

Good to see the slings rate well - LOL Clare and the Boob thing!

It's also a great suggestion to buy all the 'small things' when you food shop weekly.

Has anybody else found the 'Jolly Jumper' any good?

Shayla loved it. She would go spastic as soon as we put her in it. I think we nedded a higher door fram so she could jump higher. She slept well after being in it as well.

Do you have one for Keenan?

No Clare, Keenan doesn't have one.

I put him in one at the recent baby Expo, and the man held him captive there....He wouldn't show me how to take Keenan out, and Keenan clearly wasn't enjoying the experience... I was a bit Pi$$ed off at that - it was like he was using K as a tester, and was really pushing us to buy one.

He kept saying "He hasn't been in it long enough..." but the unhappy face on my little bubba told me that he had! I wasn't going to buy something that I wouldn't use, and this salesman kept pushing - making me want it even less.

Other bubs were loving them though - just not mine LOL!

Suga,

You gotta love the absorbancy of cloth! I use cloth nappies on Keenan. (not to 'wipe him up' though LOL)

I can lend you my jolly jumper if you like. Saves you buying one and Keenan not liking it.

Let me know if you would like to and I will bring it on 22nd.

Clare

Thanks Clare,

He really didn't like it at the Expo, but I'll take you up on the Borrow offer - I can always give it back to you sooner if he really hates it! LOL

busy at work huh? LOL

All mine have loved the jolly jumpers!!! The sling was invaluable for the twins, but hardly used it for #3 LOVE the change table, but only for first few months, til they could roll over, then too scary so floor or bed! After csec loved bassinet as had it right beside bed, so not too hard to get bubs in night

Hey Cailin, we bought one of those safety first things too !!! thought it would be handy to have something at bed height next to our bed for easy access. Never used it, but threw out the box. It's in the garage now full of baby toys.

Friends also gave us one of the safetfy first bouncers that vibrate - and Caitlin was too big for that by about 4 months old ! Glad I didn't pay for that one.

If you plan on breastfeeding, you must absolutely purchase that sheeps wool waxy nipple cream in the purple tube (can't remember what its called :-( I wore the tube around my neck for the first six weeks, it was my best friend. And the curash baby bum powder was good instead of creams and stuff.

Jolly Jumper was prolly the worst buy, used that about twice. Kept the box for that one, shudda taken it back.

Also didnt really need the fancy change table and bath and drawers in one. A nice wooden chest of drawers with the foam matt on top would have been more useful in the long term.

A good high chair is a must - I looked everywhere for a prima pappa on sale, cos i didnt want to pay $300 ! and ended up with a swallow one that did the same things. I could put caitlin in it and turn my back and know that she wasnt going anywhere.

cheers,
barb.