Your unnecessary & essential baby purchases

[Oddori]

Excellent thread! Thanks ladies

 

[heyyady]

The diaper genie was a complete waste of time- it filled up- I asked hubby to take it down to the trash... every day... for two weeks. I finally hauled it out myself (Was under strict orders to not lift anything and have never used the damn thing since- I buy cheapo zippy bags from the dollar store and toss them with the regular garbage that goes out daily

Zippy bags (Sandwich size, gallon size and JUMBO size ) are a major handy thing to have around-

 

[Bug222]

thanks for this thread!

 

[tinytabby]

Great thread, thank you everyone xxx

 

[suze12]

This is a fantastic thread - thank you to all who have contributed. We haven't bought anything yet, we are waiting until we have reached 20 weeks!

Will definitly be consulting this thread when we start to buy! xx

 

[hawalkden]

must/goods:

A clear 30L tube and Milton sterilising tablets. We did have a Tommee Tippee electric steriliser. Which was rubbish so we got a Avent Microwave one and it wasn't much help. So thought save money and time we'd use cold sterilising and it's amazing. Miles cheaper in the long run .

FisherPrice 3 in 1 stage swinger, rocker and chair. It was pricy £100 but it's worth it and good quality. Amazing for when you want to do the housework and your LO wants to sleep but needs comfort or movement. Amazing speed, time and music. Then when they are older great seat for them to look around. The quality of the whole structure is very good. Recommend it to any new parents. Space wise though for the swinger mode is a little tight if you haven't much space.

vests and babygrows. For the first 3 months. At least. Yes we got cute outfits off friends etc. my LO was born in November and spent most of the winter indoors and even when we went out it was shopping so he was snug in the pram or carseat so he was as cosy as possible also it was pointless with the faffing of the clothing and pants etc when I wasn't going out. So defo ask for vests etc and not so much outfits for presents.

inflatable bath. amazing investment for us. Especially when OH was working late or out etc and LO needed a bath during the day etc. I fill his bath up to the right hight, temp etc and I sit in the big bath with him in his bath. He loves it and it's amazing for taking away with you.

hospital things. the things that aren't needed well I didn't need. I wore the hospital gowns, due to wanting to be naked after two mins of having my tshirt on. Take double what you've packed in knickers and maternity pads. Even if you don't use them whilst in hospital. They are amazing for when you're home and want to be comfy!! don't think you'll be back in your size 8 jeans take baggy pants and hoddy to go home in .

two changing mats. god send one for upstairs and downstairs. I chuck mine behind the sofa downstairs and it's just miles better for when you've got an explosive nappy and don't want to change on the bed during the night !

nappy sacks. sainsburys do 200 sacks for 9p they are amazing and I use them for everything. When out and about sicky or pooed clothes etc and then for the dirty nappies . I also use them for the dog poo !

thing's I didn't end up using or only used for a while..

baby bedroom bedding. I was so adamant that I wanted a decorated bedroom for my lo and whilst on early maternity leave I was shopping one day and ended up in Mothercare and nearly bought everything for the bedroom but i'm so glad I didn't because LO slept in our room for 6 months and we ended up moving house within that time so all the deco would have been pointless! So just terry cotbed covers and LO was in sleeping bags and swaddled so didn't or wouldnt have used the bedding accessories.

shoes. before they are walking, pointless lo kicked his off so he's in socks until he can walk or needs extra support.

I can't think of the things that i've not used or thought was pointless. I'll re post when I remember !

 

[charlie15]

Great thread as a 1st time mum to be I am going to follow for tips!

 

[x-ginge-x]

After reading from start to end BUMP! for everyone else useful thread

 

[MeiaMariposa]

One mistake I've made is to buy a very nice crib without considering if I wanted the matching dresser. In the end, I wanted and bought the matching dresser. However, I wish I would have looked into all the furniture at once to get a better idea of pricing. I looked extensively for a cheaper dresser to match the crib but couldn't find one. Also, I wish I would have known that some places ( Costco for example) sell nursery furniture in discounted sets.

 

[highhopes19]

Things that were a waste for us were:

Nappy wrapper bin- the thing stunk! It went in the sk after 2 weeks, just stuck to cheap and cheerful nappy sacks down the job and ALOT cheaper .

Baby bath- we used it for the first 2 weeks and then realised it was so much easier for Isabelle to bath with us... Paid £30 for it sold it for £5 .

Shoes- Isabelle like her mummy had a massive shoes collection over 30 pairs!! Half of them have never been worn! All they do is full off or she pulls them off and chews them lol.

Scratch mits- kept on failing off so much easier to get sleep suits with buit in mitts

Tommee tippee bottle warmer- complete waste of money either warmed it to hot or didn't warm it enough, sitting in the cupboard collecting dust

Moses basket- for us was a mixture of a waste and yet a necessity iykwim, Isabelle is a tall baby and outgrew it by 6 weeks! I'm yet to know a baby that has actually lasted in theirs till the reccomended 6 months! I wish we either got a crib or went straight to cot

Baby bedding- (mainly mils idea she kept going on about getting her a quilt so brought it for a quiet life tbh lol) I got all matching, I do use the bumper even though some mums don't but reckon this week will be last week of using it,. Other than that sheets and sleeping bags is all we use.

Teddy bears- the absolute Bain of my life! Pointless! Shes never played with or even acknowledged one, they just sit there collecting dust .

- bumbo like the Moses basket love hate relationship.... It was a gift but I'd say if I hadn't of been brought one I wouldn't of rushed to get one. Was great on holiday used as a like a little high chair but Isabelle has learnt to throw herself out of it so thats going very soon!


Stuff we always use or used:

- top and towel bowel excellent for washes INBETWEEN bath days (excuse the capitals blooming iPad). And so handy if she's had a messy nappy Aswell to wash her quickly .

- lots of vests and baby grows, everyone told me don't bother with newborn sizes so I never but belle was born 2 weeks late and weighing 7.5lb, newborn swamped her.... Some 0-3 still fit!

- fisherprice rainforest playmat absolute godsend she would lay and play on that all day if I'd let her .

- Muslins are just soooo handy for feeds,burping now I use the, for dusters .

I know you won't need it now but another godsend is the jumperoo we brought her great for if you wanna eat lunch or do soe housework

 

[YikesBaby]

This is super helpful, I am subscribing to this thread!

 

[vespersonicca]

Thread creator here. So pleased that someone decided to bump this and that a whole new round of moms are finding it useful!

 

[Shadowy Lady]

I'm enjoying this thread quite a bit, thank you for the bump. We've bought most things for the baby already and have been given a tone of stuff. But it's still a good list to have handy

 

[Mummy2Be__x]

Stalking this thread !!

 

[Sarahcake]

This thread is brilliant, I too am stalking it.
Thank you to all you ladies for all your wonderful insights!

 

[yellow11]

Great thread! I'm at page 10 atm, so ill have to cone back at finish when I get a chance. Thanks for all the great advice ladies

 

[Lotiel]

This is a really helpful thread. My baby is 2 months, and we've bought most of the stuff already, but still there's much wisdom to glean!

Since I'm not a native speaker of English, some of the names for item can be confusing so I googled a lot while reading this thread (And I've read it all). I've noticed that some things are confusing even for native speakers, namely British and American variants.
These are the words I've listed so far (I wonder if anything else is called differently on both sides of the Atlantic):
nappy/diaper
cot/crib
pram, buggy - only British, in America it's always "stroller"
dummy/pacifier
vest/onesie
babygrow/all-in-one suit
muslins/receiving blankets

Anything to add here?

 

[vespersonicca]

This is a really helpful thread. My baby is 2 months, and we've bought most of the stuff already, but still there's much wisdom to glean!

Since I'm not a native speaker of English, some of the names for item can be confusing so I googled a lot while reading this thread (And I've read it all). I've noticed that some things are confusing even for native speakers, namely British and American variants.
These are the words I've listed so far (I wonder if anything else is called differently on both sides of the Atlantic):
nappy/diaper
cot/crib
pram, buggy - only British, in America it's always "stroller"
dummy/pacifier
vest/onesie
babygrow/all-in-one suit
muslins/receiving blankets

Anything to add here?

Great idea! I'm an American living in Europe now for nearly 6 years. I used most all of these words now and don't even remember which ones are from where in some cases. I also use entirely different words that are variations from the Finnish equivalents.

 

[Lotiel]

I also use entirely different words that are variations from the Finnish equivalents.

These sound interesting! The same here, with our mixture of two native languages: Russian and Ukrainian, and one universal English.

Anyway, my contribution to the discussion in this thread is the following:
1. It is really helpful to organise a place for your baby in every room in the house. We are using changing pads in the bedroom and in the bathroom (placed on top of the tub, very handy). In the drawing room there is a playmat, and in the kitchen - a bouncer. Nothing in my elder son's room so far, but sometimes we put our baby to sleep there, near the open balcony in the carrycot that we take off the pram. All this allows to put the baby down easily, if necessary, wherever your are. It's also helpful to have something to wipe whatever there is to wipe (babies usually provide this in abundance) in each of these locations: wipes, cottons, muslins, tissues...

2. If you breastfeed it's essential to have nursing bras (several), maternity clothes (a couple) and packs of breast pads. Surely, you can cope without any of this, if you prefer, substituting them with suitable ordinary bras and clothes and cotton wool or something, but specially designed things are so much more comfortable. But it seems a good idea to wait till you actually start breastfeeding to get those, since you can't be sure of your breast size beforehand.
As to nursing pillows - I was given one as a present and found it only helpful if I go somewhere where I won't be able to lie down. I really prefer breastfeeding lying on my side when at home.

3. Dummies might be essential if you choose to use them and if your baby agrees to the plan. But babies are quite choosy about them. My daughter only likes one certain type. I also have a special plastic chain (no idea what to call it) to hold it on to prevent it from falling on the floor when we carry the baby around.

4. There is one magic thing that hasn't been mentioned yet ( I think): it's inflatable neck ring! Babies love those, and their parents also since they can give their backs a rest and the show itself is captivating: this is my daughter with hers on in the photo.

 

[YikesBaby]

That neck ring is so cool. I didn't even know they existed! Thanks.