Second time mums - any purchasing tips?

[littlebump]

Hi all

We've been giving some serious thought to what we need to buy for the birth and after the birth, and was wondering if you had any tips regarding what is and is not really necessary (based on past experience).

The sales people cannot be relied upon as they want you to buy everything. An example is do you have to get a moses basket/crib for baby to sleep in to start with (as Mamas & Papas would have you believe), or can you sleep them in the carry cot for the first couple of months (i.e. the removable part of the pushchair that baby lies flat in to start with).

Also, my MIL suggests as a car driver I may not need a pushchair until baby can sit upright, as I may be happier to use one of those sling-thingies (but I'm only small and am thinking the weight may be too much as baby starts to put on weight; also I'm not sure how long babies should spend in those slings...).

Any tips would be gratefully received - I still haven't won the lottery and at this rate baby will be sleeping in a drawer!!!!

Many thanks

LBxx

 

[-Cat-]

hi little bump, sorry I dont quite fit your credentials as Im a first time mum to, but I have also looked into this with the same questions. The answers I was given are: Moses baskets are a good idea as you can keep them with you at all times and take them from room to room with you easily. Most carry baskets that are designed as part of a travel systems are not designed for prolonged use ie not recomended for over 2 hours at a time. I think this is because of the baby is not lying flat in it. Puchchairs are the handy option as like you say doing much carrying even of a new born is going to put stress of your back, bearing in mind the relaxin hormone is still taking affects on your ligaments for another couple of months after the birth. Plus if you go out with a sling you are going to need to carry around all your changing stuff etc as well, where as most buggies provide storage.
The slings are most practical for when you are doing things like food shopping so you can keep your hands free, babies like them as they feel closer to you and can hear your heart and smell you which is soothing.
I have opted for a travel system buggy so that I can use the same thing for tiny baby, car seat and older buggy. Something recomended to me though is that a lot of the time when a baby becomes a toddler, a bit combersome travel system can be a bit heavy and clumpy especially as yor todler might want to walk a lot of the time so its worth perhaps in the future changing to one of those cheapy light weight pushchairs. Or like me opts for a light weight sports model from the start. I have chosen to go with a mamas & papas three wheeler travel system, its one of the cheapest light weight ones they do it the sport one. Also I rocomend going on ebay for stuff, I bought a baby sling in there, it normally retails for £49 and I got it for £11!

 

[littlebump]

Hi Cat

Thanks for the reply and the good tips. Part of my travel system is a carry cot where the baby can lie flat - it looks a lot like a moses basket and is even about the same size in terms of length and width - do you mean these as well when you say not recommended for more than 2 hours?

Sounds like it's not necessarily just over-eager sales people, though I'm naturally suspicious!!!

 

[Kim]

The lie flat ones are fine, it's just the car seats (which are more upright) that they only recommend for 2 hours.

 

[-Cat-]

Here is the travel system Im getting

http://www.mamasandpapas.co.uk/travel/a ... detail.htm

The infant carrier is pictured on its own in the bottom left corner of the page, I have been advised, plus the manufacturers advise that it is not used for upwards of 2 hours at a time as it ristricts the baby from fully stretching out flat as with all travel system carriers in the mamas & papas range. Also moses baskets, cribs and cots all have specially designed mattresses to help with ventilationand air flow etc, where as car carriers are just padding and prbably dont help with air getting to your babies skin, baby mattresses are designed to special safety standards to help prevent cot deaths etc where as car seats are just designed to protect the child in event of an accident.

If you are unsure, perhaps you could contact the manufactures of yours to ask?

 

[littlebump]

Hi Cat

That's loooooovely!!!

The one we were looking at is a little different: -http://www.mamasandpapas.co.uk/travel/traveloptions/signature.htm

So baby can definitely lie flat. In addition M&P sell mattresses separately to go in them - they are the same as moses basket mattresses but shaped for the carry cot.

Anyway, by looking on the website I found that it states the carrycot is "Ideal for your newborns first bed, the padded apron forms a snug footmuff when zipped to the pushchair liner." therefore I think the sales person was being a little overzealous - and he worked for M&P - clearly doesn't know his own stuff...!

Thanks for your response as by referring me to their website it indirectly answered my question!

LBxx

 

i have just brought this travel system and totally in love with it so much so that i am moving in the next few weeks and it has had to go to my nans house so that nothing happens to it in the move lol.
it also has a small carry cot thing that the baby can lie flat in.
http://www.mothercare.com/invt/lx0695&b ... velsystems

 

[-Cat-]

Hi little bump, glad I could be of help. sounds like your travel system will be fine then if it can have a proper mattress in. Im just going to borrow a moses basket from my brother in law, they recon they will just about be done with it by the time my little one comes along. I begrudge spending £40-£60 on one plus beding when its only used for such a short time anyway!

 

[littlebump]

That's exactly the problem I have Cat - don't want to spend a lot on something baby will only spend a few months in. I really wish I had family who had young children but we're the first ones!

 

[Rosebay]

Yeah me too. My Mum said "ask about- people always have baby stuff around" but none of my friends or either of our families have had kids recently other than my sis-in-law and her youngest is 10. I got given a baby bath by a friend whose work friend wanted to get rid of it but that looks like it for hand me downs or lends! I've done quite well in charity shops so far with sleep suits though- even got a new looking Next suit and matching hat at the weekend for £2. Also ebay of course- I've got re-usable nappies from there and a couple of those baby sleeping bags/grobag things. Things on there tend to work out a third-half price so not bad really and the nappies I've got you wouldn't know that they'd been used at all. At the moment I've got a few cheap white plain sleep suits/onesies/vest type things and I'm embroidering cute and cool things on them to make them more fun. By the time I get in from work I'm too tired to do anything but sit in a chair so I've taught myself to embroider a few really easy stitches and got some cheap thread. This is what I've done so far:-

Got the iron on patterns and instructions from here:-

http://www.sublimestitching.com/oneindex.html

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[littlebump]

Wow - they are really cute Rosebay! Well done you! - AND you won't have a problem finding matching accessories - you can have a theme for bedding / babygros etc!

LBxx

 

[Lyn_no3]

That embroidary is brilliant it looks great!
i wish i had thought of something more usefull than soap watching for my lazy evenings now. Maybe you should think of doing your own range and seeling them to help buy some more things for the baby.