I've been working out all of the bits and pieces we need for when the LO arrives and I've been quite surprised at how much there is. I said that on here and was told that most of it is a marketing gimic. This is my first baby so I'm happy to admit to being naive and I don't want to end up buying stuff that won't get used but I thought I had cut the stores suggested list down massively already.

So please list what you consider to be the essentials in the early days so that I can make sure I'm not being mugged off!

I know we don't need a cot straight away because LO will be in the Moses basket in our room but we do need a changing table/storage and the furniture we bought came as a set. We're going buggy shopping on Thursday and will probably get one which comes with a car seat.

Thanks!

I can't really help as I've been wondering the same thing. This is my first baby and I know nothing about looking after one and what they need! I've had a look around shops and been overwhelmed with how much stuff is around! I haven't bought a single item yet!
How on earth are you supposed to decide what to get - what type of pushchair, clothes, etc...I really need a basic to-buy list and just stick to that! I'm clueless!!!

1 Okay somewhere for baby to sleep this can be anything from a pram top to a crib/cot or even a large padded drawer (not really recommended unless you have no other choice)
2 A car seat or you will not be allowed to take it home from the hospital (uk)
3 if bottle feeding 6 bottles a way to steralise and formula, if breast feeding breast pads
4 CLothing min 6 vests, sleepsuits a warm cardi or jacket if due in colder weather
5 sheets x2 celular blankets x 2
6 towel
7 muslin clothes or bibs pref 6-8 min
8 Wipes and nappy cream
9 Most importantly all your love


for the first 2-3 weeks all baby will do is eat sleep and cry, you will want to bath it but you can take it in the bath with you and get OH to take it out and dry it if you prefer not then u can buy a bath or support. As you find the need for things or you think I could really do with that you can go out and buy it giving oyu excuses to go out. But seriously my first came early and I was not ready at all we had nothing except nappies and a pram and other than buying a couople of items of clothes we did not need anything for a few weeks. and also remember that people will buy you things so do not over buy on clothes either.

it is hard 1st time , and as this is my 3rd time i have got to know what i use and what i dont so here is my list , remember everyones babies take to different things . so this is just my opinion from my experience.

cot

moses basket/stand or some sort of seat/crib for when bay is downstairs (my kids wouldnt sllep in a moses at night )

car seat

pushchair/pram/travel system

vests and sleepsuits

blankets and grobags

nappies/wipes etc

bottles and steriliser if bottle feeding

none essential but nice to have items :

monitor - i say non essestial you can get by without it in the begining until baby goes into own room imo.

baby bath/seat - personal preference you either love them and find them useful or hate them and find them more hassle then its worth.

breast pump - if breast feeding and planning on expressing you will want this and bottles but imo wait a few weeks for baby to establish feeding and see how you get on before spending your money.

bouncer/rocker - nice to have to entertain baby but not essential , however i found it quite useful

babygym/playmat - see bouncer/rocker

i have prob forgotten something really important if i think ill add it on , hope this helps .

What you buy for your baby is highly individual! There's tons of things other people buy like change tables, sterilizers, bottles, baby bathtubs, etc etc that I frankly have absolutely no need for but then there's things I do buy baby sling, cloth diapers that other people simple would not use.

Anyways main things are IMO....

Food - You probably already have breasts but if you'd rather not use those then you need feeding supplies. And if you do breastfeed many women get by just fine with no breastpumps or bottles... Manual expression tends to work just fine espeically in the early days and there are many other ways to feed a baby milk supplements other then a bottle. So things like breastpumps are a nice to have luxery item IMO

Bed - I'm a fan of co-sleeping if there are no contraindications... but you want to know that your baby has somewhere to sleep once they come. And as for bedding... and sheet and blanket is just fine... Anything else is just an "extra"

Bums - While there is elimination communication.... If that's not for you you'll either need sposies or cloth nappies.

Clothes - So your little one doesn't have to stay naked... In the early stages I found sleepers to be alot more useful then actual outfits... but again that's a personal choice... And in my experience, very few newborn clothes are actual needed (at least if you have monster sized children like me (8lbs and 9lbs)... my daughter fit into the newborn size for maybe a week.... 0-3months is a good starting size....

Just thought I'd add a car seat (though I do know some non-drivers who never even bothered with that one) and some gentle on the skin baby soap

I found receiving blankets very useful for swaddling and as burp cloths.... I think you uk girls call them something else and I can't think of the name...

Everything else is just a perk.... Not saying that luxery items are a bad thing and I plan on getting a swing and things like that.... But they are not "essentials" and I know many parents who never even bothered to purchase things like a swing or a playpen.

With DS I didn't bother with a moses basket and just used a cot, didn't bother with baby bath, top & tail pail - used the normal bath and just used old icecream containers or christmas pudding pots for top and tail.

In the early days advice is not to use any soaps just use water and not to use wipes just cotton wool and warm water (1st 12 weeks)

We bought a change table that converted into shelves later (ikea) and didn't really use it that much - change mat on the floor or table worked well (had a c-section so at first used the table rather than bend down)

I found muslins a must - they still get used now and DS is almost 3 well worth the money.

It really depends on your budget, if Money is tight just remember all baby "needs" is warmth, love and food.

Thanks girls. I'm pleased I asked now because the lists do seem pretty similar to what the shop had suggested so I don't feel so silly. They did stick on some extra things which I crossed off, like nipple shields (!), maybe I'll find I have problems and need them but I'm not going to buy them 'just in case'. It did sound like it was worth getting nipple cream and using it for a few weeks before the baby comes to toughen nipples up in advance (that's based on reviews rather than what the shops said). But that might just be because I feel quite scared by the idea of breast feeding at the moment.

How many nursing bras do you think you need? The list I had said 3 nursing bras and 2 night time bras but I think I could get by with just 2 in total since 1 can be washed during the day.

We don't have a tight budget (my DH gets given Mothercare and Boots vouchers from work) but I still want to be sensible with what we buy.

i managed with one black and one white my washer is always on so it was no hassle lol

That's what I thought - it seemed like an excessive amount of bras when you can only wear one at a time!

I've already had to get bigger ones for now so I got one light and one dark and I imagine I'll need to buy again in a few months. I'm going to end up with so many bras!!

these ladies have pretty much summed it up with the essentials...don't forget stuff for colic, if you have a colic baby, you will want some thing like Milacon or Gripewater...something to help with their tummies...don't forget a firstaid kit/set for baby...thermometer etc.