what will we need for our babies?

[callmedan]

so im starting a list of what i will need to buy (in 14 months when i will hopefully be around 6 months pregnant - i like to plan ahead! ha )
i know i havent listed even half the things i will need but im trying to get a started list together, this is what i have so far

Moses Basket
Pram
Bouncer
Bedding
Clothes
Nappies
Wipes
Car Seat
Bouncer
Play Mat
Carrier
Bottles
Steriliser
Formula
Muslins
Towels

do you think £2000 will be enough to get most things?
thanks girlies

 

[Yo_Yo]

£2000 will comfortably do it!
I also recommend a sling, and a swinging seat

 

[katherinegrey]

Don't forget clothes and a changing bag, but £2000 should comfortably do it

 

[Mrs Cupcake]

£2000 will be loads. you have bouncer on your list twice (they are v useful though!)

what about highchair? although not needed for a few months after baby is born. also do you need a moses basket? i just bought a pram with a proper carrycot and used that for daytime naps downstairs. i bought a swinging crib for night-time sleeping. they last much longer than a basket.

maybe a swaddle blanket?

you have definitely got the basics listed.

my tip would be to buy as little as possible and then just buy the extra bits as you need them.

dont forget baby grooming kit like baby clippers, thermometer etc. their nails grow very quickly and are very sharp!

 

[lozzy21]

Do you know what you won't need half of that, money was a bit tight when we had our daughter so never got half of the stuff company's make you think you need. Aslong as baby has somewhere to sleep, clothes and a car seat everything else isn't really neccissary.

 

[spicyorange]

A friend of mine just had a baby and she went to John Lewis and they took her through all the things she might want and need, they didn't issue her to buy anything and she said it made her realise she didn't need half the stuff she thought she did and that things like plain bedding is not only cheaper but more practical that pretty patterns...

 

[Urchinia]

Will you consider breastfeeding? That will lower costs significantly! I think for your budget though, you'll have no worries.

Do they have baby showers' in the UK? I got a lot of my smaller items at my shower when I was pregnant. I only needed to buy a few outfits, crib, carseat, etc.

I had a list like yours before I had my first daughter. It felt so nice to be able to check things off the list!

 

[callmedan]

Will you consider breastfeeding? That will lower costs significantly! I think for your budget though, you'll have no worries.

Do they have baby showers' in the UK? I got a lot of my smaller items at my shower when I was pregnant. I only needed to buy a few outfits, crib, carseat, etc.

I had a list like yours before I had my first daughter. It felt so nice to be able to check things off the list!

Yes I am actually planning to breastfeed, however i just wanted to check how much EVERYTHING will cost in case i cant do it! I do want to though but you never know how things will go, just want to be prepared, Im also thinking about cloth nappies as I try to be eco-friendly! So thats something I need to look in to!
Yeah we have baby showers but they arent as big and are usually a surprise so you cant really ask for gifts!

 

[Urchinia]

I get ya! it's always good to plan for the "just in case" things!

I did cloth diapers exclusively from 1 month to 6 months. Once my daughter started solids, I only used them half of the time. I bought them before I was even expecting! I just picked away at making a collection. It was so helpful to have most of them bought beforehand!

Will you consider breastfeeding? That will lower costs significantly! I think for your budget though, you'll have no worries.

Do they have baby showers' in the UK? I got a lot of my smaller items at my shower when I was pregnant. I only needed to buy a few outfits, crib, carseat, etc.

I had a list like yours before I had my first daughter. It felt so nice to be able to check things off the list!

Yes I am actually planning to breastfeed, however i just wanted to check how much EVERYTHING will cost in case i cant do it! I do want to though but you never know how things will go, just want to be prepared, Im also thinking about cloth nappies as I try to be eco-friendly! So thats something I need to look in to!
Yeah we have baby showers but they arent as big and are usually a surprise so you cant really ask for gifts!

 

[Girly922]

I would definitely advise going for a crib rather than a Moses basket. They tend to be cheaper, are bigger, and can swing for when you just need to get LO to sleep. If we'd have bought a Moses basket DD would've outgrown it by now and she's not even 7 weeks yet. She's still got a little way to go in the crib.

Plain bedding is all you need, but you will need several bottom sheets for those midnight changes when LO spits up in ther bed. We got given loads of blankets and only use maybe 2 of them regularly, don't go overboard on things like that. And I find gro bags are so much easier than trying to keep LO tucked in with blankets - she's a kicker. Boots do sleep bags with poppers in the arm holes so you can make the arm holes smaller - suitable from birth.

We haven't bothered with a carrier yet. That's one of those things that you can wait until baby is here, some babies hate them.

I wasn't planning to BF but here I am breastfeeding on demand. We got the Tommee Tippee electric steriliser starter kit in the baby event on amazon so it was only £45. That's all you'll need to start with, you get loads of bottles with it. Formula wise - we just bought an SMA starter pack to take to the hospital. It has 6 ready to use filled bottles and sterilised teats so its perfect for in the hospital. We also had 1 tin of first milk just in case. If you're planning to BF, you won't need more than the 1 tin, as even if you do FF that tin will last a little while! Lol.

We only started with 1 towel, then you get one in your bounty pack. And as they advise not to bathe a newborn until a week old or until his/her cord stump falls off, the 2 was enough for the first couple of weeks.

Stock up on laundry tablets/powder, you'll be amazed at how much washing you have to do in the first couple of weeks!!

And you can never have too many muslins!!

Also, make sure you sign up to all the baby clubs to get all the freebies. We got a bottle from the Avent club, cuddly toys from a couple, a weaning spoon from Hipp, a dummy from another. The list goes on!

We also picked up £10/£15 gift cards from tesco or sainsburys each time we went shopping so that if money got tight while I'm on mat leave, we still have money set aside for nappies etc.

 

[ttc bubby no2]

If planning to breastfed I would suggest not buying formula unless you actually need it. It would be too easy to decide to use it when having a bad night and your milk generally doesn't just disappear so you would have time to realise if you need it.

It is also worth considering 2nd hand items. Although I know what it is like to want to get everything new with your first but I looked back and thought I would have got much better value if I got quality 2nd hand stuff. We have a few facebook baby & kids trading pages for the city we live in so maybe it is worth a look to see if there is one for your area.

 

[MrsMandy]

We also picked up £10/£15 gift cards from tesco or sainsburys each time we went shopping so that if money got tight while I'm on mat leave, we still have money set aside for nappies etc.

What a fab plan!!!!!!!
Will be keeping this in mind for us TTC next year!!

 

[callmedan]

I would definitely advise going for a crib rather than a Moses basket. They tend to be cheaper, are bigger, and can swing for when you just need to get LO to sleep. If we'd have bought a Moses basket DD would've outgrown it by now and she's not even 7 weeks yet. She's still got a little way to go in the crib.

Plain bedding is all you need, but you will need several bottom sheets for those midnight changes when LO spits up in ther bed. We got given loads of blankets and only use maybe 2 of them regularly, don't go overboard on things like that. And I find gro bags are so much easier than trying to keep LO tucked in with blankets - she's a kicker. Boots do sleep bags with poppers in the arm holes so you can make the arm holes smaller - suitable from birth.

We haven't bothered with a carrier yet. That's one of those things that you can wait until baby is here, some babies hate them.

I wasn't planning to BF but here I am breastfeeding on demand. We got the Tommee Tippee electric steriliser starter kit in the baby event on amazon so it was only £45. That's all you'll need to start with, you get loads of bottles with it. Formula wise - we just bought an SMA starter pack to take to the hospital. It has 6 ready to use filled bottles and sterilised teats so its perfect for in the hospital. We also had 1 tin of first milk just in case. If you're planning to BF, you won't need more than the 1 tin, as even if you do FF that tin will last a little while! Lol.

We only started with 1 towel, then you get one in your bounty pack. And as they advise not to bathe a newborn until a week old or until his/her cord stump falls off, the 2 was enough for the first couple of weeks.

Stock up on laundry tablets/powder, you'll be amazed at how much washing you have to do in the first couple of weeks!!

And you can never have too many muslins!!

Also, make sure you sign up to all the baby clubs to get all the freebies. We got a bottle from the Avent club, cuddly toys from a couple, a weaning spoon from Hipp, a dummy from another. The list goes on!

We also picked up £10/£15 gift cards from tesco or sainsburys each time we went shopping so that if money got tight while I'm on mat leave, we still have money set aside for nappies etc.

so much fantastic advice here thank you!!!

thanks ladies given me a lot to think about

 

[RaspberryK]

Food, clothing and love.
I would recommend a nursing chair stool and pillow. A slow cooker. Ready made healthy meals in the freezer. Savings of around 3 months mortgage and bills.
A sling/wrap. A lie flat car seat and an extended rear facing car seat.
A poddle pod or lambskin.
Grobags.
Washable cloth maternity pads, breast pads, cloth nappies n wipes.
Xx

 

[sequeena]

£2000 will more than easily cover it

I have a lot from my son so won't need a lot. Things I will need;

- New carseat
- moses basket and stand
- breast pump, pads, nipple shields, cream, pillow etc.
- newborn clothes relevant for the season (I gave a lot away)
- new dummies
- a swaddle pod type thing (I used a blanket with my son but would prefer the actual pod)

I'm sure there are a few more bits but I can't think right now.

 

[LockandKey]

since you've mentioned you are planning to breastfeed, I am going to suggest getting a nursing pillow. I love mine and have used it every single day with both my babies.

Also going to echo swaddle blankets. I swaddled my daughter until she was 5 months old, and am still swaddling my 3 month old son. The swaddling has always helped them sleep better and longer at night. I also urge investing in a sling as newborns want to be held all the time, and if you find yourself needing to get things done, a sling will keep baby close and you can still do as you need hands free. I've used mine every single day since my son was born.

The only other thing I can add here is get a mattress pad that goes under the sheets, because they WILL pee or poo through everything at least a handful of times before they are out of diapers. A mattress pad is washable, and saves the mattress from those messes. Another thing I've found to be a saving grace was having 2 or 3 of the same thing, like fitted mattress sheets, nursing pillow covers, or changing pad covers. When your LO pees, poos, or vomits on such things, it's nice to have a backup while the dirtied one is in the wash.

 

[SAmummy]

Babies are actually not expensive to start with ... For me it was only once they hit schooling years the expenses soar, but by then things all seem to work out !

After having three kids I would say this would be on my list
1.) stretch wrap carrier .... This saved my sanity with my 3rd and in those first few weeks you don't want to be shopping around of the right carrier. It meant baby could be content while I could carry on and get things done. Didn't even need a pram because of it.
2.) something that your baby can sleep in next to you (doesn't have to be a Moses basket which costs.) we made our own plan and it was great for those first few weeks when I didn't want to be up and down to the nursery.
3.) nappies . I think cloth is a great option and later down the line I wished I had invested in that from the beginning.
4.) swaddling blankets .... Agree with the others about just using plain bedding. Their pooh stains yellow so designer bedding isn't a great idea I think
5.) car seat
6.) basic newborn clothing and a few plain vests and leggings . You get so much given to you that you often end up with too much . Better to wait until baby arrives then in a month see what you still need to get.

That's my list , none of which I have any more because we thought we were done