First baby - what do we actually need??

[Meg86]

Thank you all so much! I think we're just going to collect what we can second hand / hand me downs so the baby is ok for the first few weeks then as and when we find we need other things we can pick them up. It is very hard to resist all those cute onesies though!! x

 

[BecciBooo]

My sister has made me an awesome list of things we need; she had her first baby 8 months ago and ended up with so much stuff she didn't know what to do with it all so she came up with a list of things we need:

Changing Mat
Moses Basket
Moses Basket Mattress and sheets
Bath seat
Bouncy Chair
Bath Thermometer
Towels
Cold Water Steriliser
Bottles
Pump
Milk storage bags
Nursing Pillow
Baby Monitor
Room Thermometer
Pram
Changing Bag
Sling
Pram Blankets
Baby Carrier
Blankets
Muslin Squares
Health Care Kit
Hair Brush
First Aid Box

This is tailored for me; I plan on breastfeeding exclusively and using cloth nappies and wipes (which I have a separate list for). I also plan on baby sleeping in my room for a while to start with but I do have a list for Nursery things to get later down the line.

Cot & Mattress
Changing Table
Drawers
Nursing Chair
Toy Storage
Wardrobe
Fitted Sheets

She's handing down all her baby clothes to me so the only clothing I've bought is a Liverpool FC baby grow, vest and bibs

 

[Hollowmama]

So much to get! It’s so overwhelming ��

 

[Nat_lou]

Hi, after reading your post, i feel a little less silly than i did do. Haha.
I'm 14 weeks pregnant, my mum has been so excited, she's been buying everything baby related that she possibly could find!
She wrote me a list, similar to yours, of things that i need to buy. I've brought nothing, yet my 14 week old bean already has nearly everything! Plain white vests and baby grows everywhere! Haha.
Think she needs to calm down now until we know the babys gender. I'm thinking of taking her along to my gender scan, as long as she can hold it together.
I'm going to show her your list and let her compare. She'll probably highlight it all off as to what she already got.
Thanks for sharing your list.

 

[Meg86]

Thanks Becci, that is so helpful! I picked up a few bits in the mothercare sale which was Amazing I think we're slowly going in the right direction x

 

[Orion]

Don’t buy any fancy outfits - stick to vests and sleepsuits. It’s what they’ll be most comfy in to start with and with the amount they have nappy accidents and dribble milk, fancy clothes aren’t worth it.

Also, I didn’t buy a baby bath. I bought a big rectangular washing up bowl for £1 which was great even for my giant baby! And we still use it today to store all his toddler bath toys as I can put them away while still wet and it doesn’t matter.

I found those hooded baby towels a pain too. A soft bath towel was much better to wrap him up in.

Don’t buy any toys. People will buy toys as gifts, and babies don’t need any for a while anyway. The exception would be things they can look at and reach for like a cot mobile and a play mat.

Don’t go overboard with baby toiletries. You don’t need all those baby oils, powders and creams. I found the mum&me shampoo from boots to be lovely and gentle. I used a baby soft sponge and a baby soap (cheap supermarket bar costs about 50p). And I used sudocrem on his bum if it ever looked a little red, and it’s great for other skin problems or cuts. I’ve still got a drawer full of Johnson’s products I never used, and baby powder etc.

And if you’re using formula, don’t buy one of those fast bottle making machines. They’re not as safe as the good old boiling water in the kettle way.

 

[Jamie.d]

nappies
boobs
cot/bedding
sleep suits
sling

...breastpads

 

[Diamond18]

A bed, few sleep suits, a hat, muslins, breastpads, sling, nappies (cloth or disposable) and a car seat.

 

[anajasko]

You won't need too much to begin with as baby will quickly grow out clothes and soon need bigger size bottles.

 

[Meg86]

This all makes me feel better about how much (or little) we have! I guess the beauty of 24 hour supermarkets is we can always pick up anything we wish we had! Thanks

Mx

 

[anajasko]

Great! Wishing you and your little family all the best!