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Okay, we did the top three things that were a waste of money - so how about three things that you are glad you spent your money on for your baby? What was a great investment for you? Add some suggestions and I will set-up a poll - PLEASE CHOOSE NO MORE THAN 3!!!!!
Here's mine:
A hug-a-bub
Pinky McKay's courses (sleep/massage etc)
Books - I had a few but some were lifesavers, again from Pinky, Margot Sunderland, Wonder Weeks.
Oh and BellyBelly to get me through with all my questions, even I was clueless at times :p
My hug-a-bub my ring sling and....my hug-a-bub some more!
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To be honest I didn't really have anything that I bought that I really loved. I did like my hug a bub but could have managed without it. tea just would have been later XD
My boobs, my mum and bb I think have been my top three investments!
Vaporizer - I'd never heard of them until I had kids.
Expensive thermometer that goes in their ears - nothing worse than trying to get a sick toddler to sit still with thermometer under their arm
Close carrier / ergo - love love love. Life savers for me.
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Gosh this is hard. I worked out fairly quickly that babies don't need much.
1. My time in driving to a breastfeeding clinic every week for the first 6months after having my daughter
2. My wrap, ring sling, mei tei, yamo, ergo which enabled me to get my son to sleep and get on with the day
3. My midwife and doula fees for my second birth. Best $6000 ever spent
1. Baby wearing items (Nurture Sling & Ergo Performance).
2. Kiddopotomus (now Summer brand) Swaddle Me wraps.
3. Decent car seat
:)
EDIT: Oh @Kaze....true true! My doula!!!
It has changed for all of my children but I will say;
Hug a Bub. It is now being used for baby #3. Absolutely awesome.
Bouncer. For when I need 10 minutes time out.
Ergo cocoon or Woombie - My DD2 hated not being wrapped and these were perfect for her. I personally preferred the Ergo Cocoon purely because it is cheaper in price.
My hug a bub
Cloth nappies (have saved us so many $$$, and no guilt about sposies in land fill)
change bag/nappy bag
Like a few others some things have changed with each child but my top 3 things used across all children would have to be:
Wooden cradle (on wheels) - babies slept in our rooms in this and I could easily move it between rooms too
Thermometer - the quick one for the ears
Rocking/Feeding chair
My 3 top things:
1. lovemebaby swaddle
2. Bumbo
3. Baby bjorn carrier
Okay I have added a poll to include as many as possible - see how we go :)
PLEASE CHOOSE NO MORE THAN 3!!!!!
My P & T pram - so great with a baby and a young toddler, I agree with the ear thermometer - piece of mind for mama without waking them up and using cloth nappies with J for sure.
Mine were :
Bouncer
Vaporiser
Great car seat
Video Monitor - exy but is fantastic when baby is in own room and you can see what they are up to, especially at night. We still use one for DD who is 21 months and have another for the boys.
Baby Rocker/Glider - fantastic for putting bubs to sleep if they need movement to help them drop off and is my lifesaver with the twins, we have 2 which they sleep in during the day and if a bit cranky I can put them in them, set them going and off to sleep they go.
Ezy combo car seat - goes from ages 6mths to 7 years so no need to have to buy a booster seat when they turn 4, so for the first 6 mths for the boys we have hired capsules as they are easier to use with 2 babies and meant less outlay on something we would only need for a short time.
I voted a nappy/change bag. I purchased a really practical one and it has survived all three of my kids.
I didn't realise I could pick three so our Safe n Sound Meridian Car seat...starts as capsule then turns around to Toddler seat, another one of our baby items that has survived all three children and is still in use.
And our Cot, we purhcased a Boori cot that turns into a Toddler bed later..still going strong.
ETA: BellyBelly goes without saying I reckon :)
i know its not reccommended but the jolly jumper has saved me when i needed 10 mins
cloth nappies for sure
number 3 boobs but we all have those ;)
God I can't believe I forgot the vapouriser. I've only had it going constantly for the last week!
close carrier
Australian made cloth nappies
Heaps of good breastfeeding clothes
it's tough but i think i would probably put my top 3 as:
pram - a good pram that also had a bassinet attachment. a lifesaver in a house without heating & a winter baby. it meant DS could sleep in whichever room we were in & we only had to heat the one room. it never even occurred to me before he was born that he would sleep in it for the first couple of months :redface:
bouncer - meant that i could have a shower without worrying that DS would wake up while i was in there. he also used to bounce himself off to sleep occasionally
books - pinky's books made me feel normal :lol: and they're something i've been able to gift on to other friends to help them feel 'normal' as well :)
Change table
Cot (still being used a few years later)
Bouncer until about 6 months
and wipes and nappies, obviously. But that's all you need for a baby. Pram was useful to a point but is rarely used, glad it was a gift. Baby bath got a lot of use too.
The list doesn't include a lot of the baby essentials!
Where'd you get those? I find they are so phenomenally expensive - like 10x more than normal clothes - I haven't bought a single one. Bit late now of course :) Why doesn't someone start a business selling CHEAP breastfeeding clothes!:
For me it was a bit of a toss up.
1. Carrier/sling - I've had a few and wouldn't be without any of them.
2. Change table - I know many don't like them, but since I've gotten rid of mine I've realised just how much i really did use and love it.
3. Clothes that made BF easier - I never owned a single piece of actual BF clothing, but everything I have bought in the last 5years has been bough specifically with the BF task in mind. No fuss to feed in made it so much easier.
MIne are:
Cloth Nappies
Wraps and
Belly Belly though I have been a member since 07.
Mine were
Floor playmat with the arches that go over the top that have things dangling.
A good pram that converted to a good pusher
Portacot
Mine are a bit different and will probably change with bub 2. DD having hip dysplasia meant she couldn't move around much so the playmat was a godsend for both of us. The pram/pusher saved my sanity when she was in plaster and I was a bit sensitive to her being seen, so we did loads of walking around the neighbourhood. The portacot replaced our bassinet - she was too little to sleep in her own room (this was all pre-six months) and she no longer fit into the bassinet, so the portacot made its home in our bedroom.
But it broke my heart to not be able to use my baby bjorn any more. She didn't fit.
Close carrier ergo
Safe and sound meridian
Swing
Flat nappies (have used them for everything from chuck rugs, bibs, impromptu change mats, the list is endless and we still use them now), a reversible pram and an excersaucer.
I'm exactly the same as Heather72!:
It's taken me a couple of days to vote I was stuck and found it hard to choose just 3!
So in the end I went with...
1- Ergo!
2- Cloth nappies/MCNs
3- BellyBelly
Car seat goes with out saying I thought, but really I couldn't have gone with out one.
Also in the first 4-5months I had a swing/rocker/cradle it was the only place DS would sleep besides with me and was a saviour, but he outgrew it.
The Ergo, nappies and BellyBelly are still going strong! :D
cloth nappies: terry flats and a small (10) selectionof cost effective MCNs has put in in good stead for all DS's nappy needs, perk cloths, change mats, face washers, extra warmth in the pram, and everything else! spent around $150 for a full set up. awesome value, great on DS's skin, and good for the environment :)
glider: a complete God-send in DS's first few months. after a boobie feed and a burp and change and cuddle, I would put DS in his glider with some music on, and he would sleep for hours. as I had birth injuries and needed salt baths multiple times a day, and so the glider was brilliant. It meant I could have him in the lounge or back room while I did the laundry or housework or cooking (knowing he was in sight, but happy and asleep) or within view from the bath while I sorted myself out. But he didn't always have to be in his cot, or the same part of the house, etc.
fast ear thermometer: ah, why didn't we get this sooner?! having to keep DS still long enough to get the reading is stressful for him and for us, and then when you do get a temperature reading, you don't know whether it's lower than it ought to be because it's come out from under his arm at some point, or if it's higher than it should be because he's wriggling and getting worked up, raising his temp!
so I heart these three things :)
- A decent pram. We bought the Baby Jogger City Elite and boy have we got our money's worth yet it is as good as new (ie no issues with it at all!)
- Angel Care sound and movement monitor
- slings :) DD's fave was our Bubba Moe
my top three, of things i bought, and turned out to be very very useful were:
- the Little Squirt (to make using cloth nappies on my child, very easy and do-able, without it, i prolly would have given up on MCN). Using cloth nappies is something i am very pleased we did, on an economical and an environmental level, not just the landfill thing, but also, what came into contact with my daughter's skin.
- breastfeeding clothing that was both economical and modest (clothing lifted from bottom, not from the top), gave me the confidence to breastfeed in private or public, much longer than i would have done, otherwise. I was not comfortable flashing my belly in public, and that's what happened when i used normal tshirts. I found the sales at nuvo maternity to be very reasonable, i agree, there ARE many bf-ing clothes that are exorbitant prices (and many that use the "drop down" design, that i found very revealing).
- 2nd hand "home made in the shed" type wooden changetable (found at flea market). Sturdy, so it didn't collapse or fallover. With storage, so useful. i used this nonstop from arrival to toilet training time, for my very regular pooping baby. Complications in labour left me with a bad back for a very long time, and being able to attend to my baby at waist height on the change table, made such a difference, as did the Turn a Tot carseat (it swivels, so i could put her in the car, facing me, without having to twist my body, to put her in.) They're pricey, but i got a 2nd hand one in good condition.
THings i wish i had bought:
i wish i had been more clued up on slings/carriers etc, i really didn't understand enough to get into that, i bought a few, they didn't suit me and my back at the time, but now i realise there are MANY types - i just didn't know enough to negotiate all that, at the time, in my sleep deprived state.
i wish i had not just THOUGHT about a baby hammock, but had made it a priority. I coudln't find anywhere to hire one, so gave up on the idea. Later when my baby had colic, it would have been great to have had a baby hammock.
I wish i had not gotten so caught up, in the "musthaves" promoted by baby magazines, bigw/kmart/target catalogues - all that plastic/battery operated stuff, that at the time i felt guilty for not having enough of, and later i realised the alternatives, were ones that i felt suited my child better anyway.
I wish i had stopped hoping the people giving us baby gifts, would give us the things i needed/wanted for my baby, and had just bought them myself. My baby didn't need 18 plush toys (with the sticker "not safe for children under three, on them), and no-one is as invested/researched in "what your baby needs, what is safe for your baby" - as YOU are.
I wish i had automated the shopping (both supermarket and fresh produce), with home delivery. Spent the same, but online, with delivery. Instead of hoping i could manage (which i didn't).
I wish i had paid for a cleaner to do the wet areas once every three weeks.
These things i thought of, but didn't act on, worried about money. But not having them happen, caused more stress than it was worth.
I wish i had researched a new washing machine, BEFORE baby arrived. Washing machine (14 yrs old) died when she was two months old, and it was very stressful at the time, using laundromat each evening (me too ill to drive, so had to wait until dh came home), PLUS find time to look at new washing machines.
My priorities, what we needed, changed so dramatically, once baby had arrived. Everyone told me this, but i didn't really get it, until she really did arrive.
oh, and i would not buy a large number of any nappy type, UNTIL baby arrives. I met so many mums over the years, who bought a mega nappy pack, then baby arrived, and the nappies didn't suit. Better to get a few, of various types, to trial on baby BEFORE committing to a large number of any brand/type. It's not economical, if the nappies don't fit, don't have Pootainment on YOUR baby.
Oh! How did I forget about my Little Squirt??!! Yes Gigi thank you for the reminder lol even though I use it every day :D
Also my rocking chair!! Wouldn't have liked to have done with out that! DS3 liked to be rocked, and rocked, and ROCKED. Nearly did my back in the first 2 months, then we bought the 'boobie chair' :p fantastic!!
Being a first time mum my top 3 would be
My Husband.
My Strider Pram. I love this thing and the fact I got it with the capsule seat and bassinette for $600 made it more appealing.
My Fisher Price Rainforest Swing,
the things i wish people had told me more about are baby carriers. I had some cheap Tommy Safari thing and DS didnt like it. I borrowed an Ergo but found that too hot. Now the poor thing just goes in the pram.