Baby Must Haves & Not Needed
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There are so many baby products on the market, but what did you find you really needed and what did you barely use / regret buying? help a new mumma out!
I didnโt use a bottle steriliser I boiled bottles on hob. Just basic needs bouncer chair no basket used travel cot as lasted longer. Second hand most of stuff except bottles. 10 baby grows best etc and not loads of outfits they grow to fast
I went very minimal with stuff for our son. I never bothered with a moses basket as I used the baby box and then he went into his cot bed. He absolutely loved his bouncer and gave me a chance to get things done or just have something to eat! His playgym was also a brilliant buy. I didn't buy a steriliser, I just used a big bowl and tablets, so much cheaper, never bothered with a Tommee tippee prep machine either, I know loads of people love them but I just didn't see the need for one. I found the travel system brilliant as the car seat could go straight from the car onto the pram, so didn't have to transfer him, which was brilliant when he was sleeping. I found sleeping bags to be brilliant, when he was big enough to go into them, as he was a wiggly sleeper and kicked blankets off. I never bought tummy time toys as my son wasn't a fan of tummy time until he got older and by that stage he didn't need them. Make sure you have a big changing bag because you will need it!
I suggest that you buy the minimum that you think you will need and then if you feel you need it once baby is born then you can buy it and that way you haven't wasted your money. That's what I did and I have used everything that I bought for my son.
Are there any particular items you aren't sure about whether you need it or not?
Thanks so much A playgym was actually one of the things I wasnโt sure on, they seem so expensive for a mat on the floor with some bars and I thought the baby would grow too big for it quite quickly (we will likely be having an extra tall boy) so thatโs good to know!
sarahgreen15 I got one a Redkite one from Asda for ยฃ16. My boy used his till he was 15 months. I took the bars off and used it just as a play mat for about a month and then got his playpen as it keep everything contained! You can get some good 2nd hand ones on fb if you want to keep costs down, but his redkite one was brilliant, he absolutely loved it and I thought it was a really good price, especially given how much use he got out of it.
Hi My daughter didnโt buy a sleepy head deluxe with her first baby as she didnโt think she would need one even though all the new mums at the time were raving about how good they were for babyโs sleeping in. Her son wasnโt a good sleeper. So when her second baby was born she was so little and in high dependency for a few dayโs in a heated cot with a cushion similar to a sleepy head deluxe so I decided to buy her one. Her baby Girl is such a good sleeper and Whether it is to do with the sleepy head i donโt know but she thinks it is. Also the Mammaroo is excellent again it is quite expensive but well worth the money, her 2 absolutely loved it. Hope this is of some use to you and everything goes well with you little bundle of joy x
I think I did not buy anything what I regret....
Because we were in lock down the buggy was useless for so long ...
I did buy a lots of things when I got pregnant with my daughter and I kept the things.
I think what is pointless to buy is walker and jumperoo they only good for couple of months.
Do not buy many clothes and the best is to get white so u can beech it.
I think it is better to get chair booster than baby feeding chair. There are always product cost a bit more but they good till year 3 compare to the cheap ones good for 1 year. Always need to check these things.
Someone loaned me a pram which got a lot of use. I had to buy a travel cot (we were going to see his Godfather) but it was used at home for both kids as a play pen and ideal for the afternoon nap. Best tip is don't buy much, and buy TWO identical favourite comfort toy (in-case 1 gets lost or 1 in wash). At Christmas buy two identical santa stockings, 1 to hang up and the other for Mum to fill and do a quick swop, as they get older it gets harder to sneak in and fill up.
I had 7 kids, & there's stuff you start off with, and they dwindle down.(big changing bag?- you end up chucking a couple of bottles, nappies,wipes,& a extra babygro in your own daily big tote bag) changing mats - might buy 2? - end up changing baby on the bed with you, or laid across your lap or on sofa when downstairs- special baby food maker? Its easier to make& mash extra when you do family meals, (without seasoning) then put some of that in little jars or pots.Special Nappy container? Easy to pop in nappy sacks& bin with normal rubbish.There's a lot that as time goes on you realise you never needed.But its all down to yourself & what you find useful and what you don't really.
And yes do buy at least 2 of the 'favourite' toy (or dont get them too attached to one fave in the first place!)
When I was a child, I was attached to a TY cuddly Dalmatian teddy.. he came EVERYWHERE with me and I still have him to this day... only by the time I turned 19, I bought two real life dalmatians the attachment carried on.....
My son doesn't have a favourite toy, he does however have a favourite blanket that was knitted by his great granny and he takes it in his pram/carseat and he knew from the start if I tried to give him a different one. His great granny knitted him another one in the exact same colours and size.
I did find some things were useless... for example a swaddle. My boy was rather big and liked his space so he didnt want to be swaddled.
I'm 7 months pregnant and here's my list for this boy:
Clothes:
Vests, sleepsuits, baby mits(so they dont scratch their face), hats, socks, jumpers, trousers, sleeping bags (I got 2 so I got one spare in case of night accidents), bibs, snowsuit. Most of things I got from 0-3m but I bought some 3-6m too because they grow so fast.
Bath time:
Thermometer (mine measures room temp aswell as bath water temp), hooded towels, flannel, baby wash, baby cream(if needed), tiny bath or you can buy all sorts of bath chairs etc to help you while their tiny, soft brush, baby nail clippers.
Changing:
Nappies, wipes, barrier cream, changing bag (I didn't use baby powder and my son was fine without it), changing mat for home, portable thin changing mat for travel sometimes they come with changing bag.
Feeding:
Depends if you plan to breastfeed for a bit or formula just in case I prepared for both.
Baby bottles with 0 and 1 flow teats, bottle brush, microwave steriliser (it only needs water and I dont want to use tablets etc), breast pads, breast pump, feeding bras, formula suitable from birth, muslin cloths.
Essentials:
Dummies (I got normal ones and night time ones which glow in the dark so you can find it quickly), dummy clips (how many we lost without it), pram + car seat (I bought 2 in 1 so I can swap it when baby grows), rocker (I bought 5 in 1 so I can use it as a sleeping crib first and then transform it into rocker), I'm making play mat myself with some toys and I bought wooden nordic style play gym where I will tie some ribbons and different toys to keep him interested, pram toys, black and white contrast books, baby carrier/sling - it's amazing for short trips to shop or even round the house and allow you to have hands free while baby is comforted next to you, baby monitor.
Other stuff:
This time round I bought jumparound chair because I read that babies strengthen their muscles by doing that, 4 in 1 super seat- it has round tray with toys which spins and converts into a seat with tray or just a seat it was great and my son loved it, I bought some linkees to play and chew, silicone feeding necklace he could play and chew, tummy time water mat again I read very positive comments, I do have moses basket but only because it came in a set with pram, crib or cot bed (plenty of sheets and few sets waterproof ones - my advice for easy night changing put waterproof sheet then cot sheet and repeat again, this way in case of accidents you only need to remove top 2 sheets and its done )
I think it's pretty much it if you would like any more info on anything I'm happy to help
Thank you so much, thatโs a huge help! Iโm pleasantly surprised that I already have a lot of what you have mentioned or have planned to buy it.. the only thing I seem to be missing is waterproof sheets and spare sheets for the Moses basket.. (we havenโt got a cot yet as nowhere to put it in this house so hoping he doesnโt grow out of the Moses basket too quick )
sarahgreen15 oh trust me waterproof sheets and spare sheets are a must have especially when night accidents happen... then you're up at 3am with screaming baby trying to get him changed whilst trying to get his bed sorted asap to get him back to sleep again...
Also if you'll decide to try your baby on solids after 4m or a bit later you'll need a masher or blender is even better, some plastic baby bowls and spoons (bpa free), highchair or booster seat which attaches to normal chair, tiny pots to freeze baby food in, teething toys, toothbrush.
We used real nappies with our son was a lot easier than I thought and saved a fortune compared to disposables
TheresaKelleher I'm trying to compromise this time I told my husband that while we will be at home we will use cloth nappies but when we're out we will take some disposable ones with us because he doesn't want to carry it all home I also bought fabric breast pads.
The best thing I got was the bottle maker it makes the bottle to the right temperature so that you can give it to the baby straight away and saved me a lot of time faffing about especially in the middle of the night
Thank you so much everyone for your comments Iโm having the issue with my partner that he had a son 16 years ago and keeps saying โwe didnโt have that with him and we were fine!โ to pretty much everything - i know we donโt necessarily NEED a lot of things but I want things that are going to make our lives and babyโs life easier! (As long as I can get them for a bargain price )
sarahgreen15 then you have to put your foot down and find a compromise. Yes some things might not been needed/invented yet 16yrs ago but it's different now. Also some things will make your life so much easier as long as they dont cost a bomband you can always look for cheaper versions... if you'll make baby list on Amazon and buy stuff from it for ยฃ200 at least you'll get %10 offand on Amazon I found plenty of bargains for baby anyway. Some things you could buy second hand but my hubby insisted on new...its his first baby
He might not have had them but I guarantee he would have been thankful for some of them! If you think it will be useful, it is at a price you can afford and you have room for it, then I don't see why not! My son was in his baby box (slightly bigger than a moses basket) till he was 9 months, but he was a smaller baby, so if you are expecting a tall boy then he will outgrow a moses basket quickly. You could try getting a compact cot, they are smaller than a normal cot so don't take up as much space.
I know you don't want to hear it- but your partner is probably right! As i said, you learn as you go, but it dwindles down till there's loads you realise you dont need! My youngest is 17 now, and judging by what i bought when i had oldest (1980) to when youngest was born (2003) the list wasnt half as long.
itโs things like a high chair they never had for his son - apparently they propped him up on the sofa to feed him! I have visions of the photos I see of my friends kids eating spaghetti on their high chair and it looking like a murder scene... how does that work on a sofa
sarahgreen15 I agree with you... but if he doesn't want a high chair you can get a seat where he can play with toys while you're occupied also it's not much for back support to be propped up on a sofa... and as for cot I actually bought snuzpod3 for time being. Its smaller than cot and it can be placed next to your bed with quick access to baby as it has a zipper on the side. So I'll keep the moses basket downstairs for naps and snuzpod next to bed there are plenty of bedside sleepers which are not as big as cot and will serve you longer than a moses basket... my son outgrown his in 3 months...
Here are some links of what I'm talking about:
Also,depends on baby too, most of mine didnt like dummies& spat them out.some dont like swaddling, as was said, some like blankets, some prefer sleeping bag,etc etc...and just cause an item exists now that werent then (though most were 17 yrs ago) doesnt mean you HAVE to have it
Caz2 that's the thing its trial and error with each baby... but then again for some things I would rather have it just for ease of my mind... especially with cot deaths etc. That's why I had sleeping bag rather than blankets because I would be too paranoid that baby could suffocate in his sleep... I agree if possible to buy things 2 in 1 etc (pram + car seat). Yes some things are not a necessity but I bought jumparound to entertain the baby while I'm cleaning etc also it strengthens their muscles so it's a win win for me. Neither me nor my husband has parents etc close by so I'll need to make do and entertain the baby while doing everything round the house and keeping an eye on him...
Lilyflower is right,get things that do double duty if you can- (travel cot/naps plus playpen)
My daughter bought 2 bottle warmers 1 for bedroom and 1 downstairs not used any as baby don't like warm milk
jigsawx3x I didnt buy any bottle warmers, formula makers, baby food stations etc...things like that are definitely not a necessity to me and after few months you dont need them anymore anyway. Last time I had electric bottle steriliser. I did use it for a year. But this time round I got a microwave and microwave bottle steriliser instead.
Caz2 and I thought I won't give him dummybut without it he would scream blue murder
jurgita0712 my son is the complete opposite! Wouldn't take a dummy. The nurses tried to give him one in the hospital to soothe him, he sucked it a few times, realised there was no milk in it and spat it out!
MrsCraig wow clever boy but I suppose it depends on the volume of baby's cry... my son was sooo loud... once he cried for over an hour nonstop. He was fed/burped/changed I sat with him in rocking chair he wouldn't take dummy... I thought I'll go insane...but then again all kids got their personality from day oneI read that one lady duped her daughter until she was 3 giving her raisins and telling her its chocolate but her second one a boy wouldn't not eat itits funny how they get...my son pretty much since he was 18m wouldn't sit in the pram he would kick off royally...so...he was pushing it instead
jurgita0712 he just wouldn't take the dummy, no matter what you tried with him, he wasn't having it. I remember one night, it was when he had had the immunisations, he was up for 5 hours and wouldnt stop screaming, he eventually fell asleep on me but he wouldn't let me put him in his cot, so no sleep for mummy that night!
My son loves his pram, although he does like pushing it too. He however refuses to hold your hand, so I had to get him reins! They are funny wee creatures
It was the neonatal nurses started him off with the dummy, they have tiny tiny dummies.@MrsCraig
The youngest,at 950g, the neonatal staff thought it funny to put him next to the biggest baby there, who was 10lb (he was full term but had some feeding problems) then they put his mum and me next to each other when i moved back to ward after 3 days.(also funny, they thought, as she a big tall lady,& im five feet 1" ) @MrsCraig
I didn't give dummy never used bottle warmers when went out would have bottle temperature water in a flask with empty bottles with them powder capsules with correct amounts in. Used the flask at night in bedroom too.
Not essential - nappy bin as still have to empty it and put in the bin outside anyway.
Bottle steriliser
Baby bumpers for cots don't see the point.
4x4 pram a decent pram and carseat can be had for ยฃ100-150
Moses basket -
Essentials - sudacreame
Baby washing brush for bottles
Body lotion is a saviour for mum trust me as is lip balm
Nappies hats gloves baby sleepsuit
Cot matress fitted sheets.
Calpol for when they are slightly older for their jabs 3mths onwards etc
Nail piece set like clippers and hairbrush
Baby bath
Travel cot can be handy to have
Teethers dummy when teething
Baby blender or ordinary blender if weaning and doing your own mixtures for baby.
Bibs
Changing bag this is lifesaver carries everything but kitchen sink.
Highchair
Bouncer or walker
i regret buying a swing, my kids all hated them i ended up having to buy another chair (rocker) and sell the swing. all babies are different tho.
also an electric bottle steriliser! i brought when then it died so i purchased a microwavable one and was so much better!
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