What couldn't you have done without?

[lollyone]

Hi. I'm only 16 weeks pregnant but we are already starting to think about what we will need to buy so we can budget. My question is, what items did you buy for baby that were worth every penny? I'm hearing so many people say that different gizmo's and gadgets are a waste of money. Any advice from people who have been there would be greatly appreciated.
Ta.

[daffy654]

Don't bother with a small crib or moses basket as the baby will grow out of it very quickly,they are also quite expensive for decent ones,try and buy a cot bed rather than a smaller cot as you will be able to use it for years. You probably won't need a baby monitor either unless you have a huge house or are a worrier.

[FoxLee2]

My son and daughter in law have a five week old son. They were wondering whether to get a moses basket and then a friend let them one and it's really been worthwhile. For instance they came round to us yesterday afternoon and stayed till midnight and the baby could sleep in it rather than be held - I think he can only be in car seat for about half an hour at a time.

I know with a first baby you probably want everything brand new but my advice would be to borrow anything you can as some things are used for a short time only.

[FoxLee2]

sorry that should have been lent.

[ethanryan]

hi lollyone, when i was pregnant wth my first we didnt have much money. we had a simple moses basket, a cot, a pushchair, steraliser, monitors and thats it ( apart from clothes bottles and toiletries)
my travel system was 125.00 from mothercare and i used it for both my boys.
my sil had a baby 3 weeks after me and she brought a moses basket for upstairs and downstairs, big changing unit for babies bedroom, a bath on a stand ect and she never used them, it was always much easier to abth baby by the fire downstairs and get them dressed on a mat, so there was no need for the baby changing unit and bath on a stand as she used the bath on the floor.
my advice to you is stick to the basics, you can always open a savings account now and put as little as 5 pound a week in or what ever you can spare. then if you findd you need something when bubs is born then you can use it, if not get it transfered into an account for bubs for the future

[natalie_1982]

I would say that a moses basket is handy when baby is very small, but not a necessity. Mine cost �5 from a charity shop and was in excellent condition and was a total godsend. Have a look on Ebay as there are usually bargains on there for things like travel systems / prams, etc.

All babies are different and my friend swears by those battery operated swinging chairs and she gave me one she was no longer using but my little girl has probably been in there for a total of about 20minutes in two months! Her little boys will sit in one for hours and doze off. Because my daughter doesn't seem that bothered by toys I have been buying them second hand on Ebay and you can save lots of money that way.

I think you will find that when baby is born you will be given loads of clothes - my little one is 3months now and I have only bought her about 2packs of sleepsuits that I bought when I was pregnant. When she was born we were given a baby bath, bags of clothes to take her up to 2 years old, baby books, nappies, baby toiletries, etc, from people who had had babies themselves and were no longer using them.

Oh, and instead of buying sheets specifically for moses baskets you can use pillow cases, and I can't afford cotbed size sheets right at the moment but I have loads of single bed sixe sheets so am using those and tucking them right under the bed.

My biggest tip though is to start buying early; what I started doing on my weekly shop at Tesco was buy a packet of nappies (various brands and sizes), or wipes, or teats or sleepsuits - something small and reasonably cheap (around �5 per week). As long as you check the use by date you could probably do this with formula milk too, unless you're breastfeeding of course!

Ummm.... and lastly, Primark so lovely soft blankets REALLY cheap. Everyone has commented on my soft and fluffy blankets and they were about �2 or �3 from Primark.

[natalie_1982]

Oh, and don't be sucked in by the likes of Toy 'R' Us and Boots (in my experience) who make you feel like you need a blanket for every occassion and end up buying things you don't need!

Ok, this is my very last thing I promise...LOL. If you join Boots Parenting Club you get a free changing bag, plus those Boots points come in so handy when you are running low on nappies and payday is still a week away! Tesco run a baby and toddler club which you can join with your clubcard and you get vouchers for baby things.

[jennyb69]

hi,
i know exactly ehat you mean. when i had my first daughter i bought everything new and all gadgets and gizmos. my honest answer is that i would personally buy a new pushchair and car seat and cot mattress, anything else would be fine second hand as long as it is in good condition. most retailers sell cots for over �100 when you can find one in your local paper for �25 which will be perfectly fine.
good luck
jen
x

[redcrx]

if baby is to sleep in with you at first but you cant fit cot into your room then there is a swing crib for sale at kiddicare at a good price. Its a lot wider than the old one i had last time and very roomy.

you dont need to buy an expensive steam sterliliser, cold water sterilising is easy.

Buy cheap flannels instead of muslins for winding.

Things i find handy are:
nappy bin (tommy tippee, many places sell it at �15-20. Saves you running to bin every time baby is changed.

If you can, get a cotbed at a good price (i got one at �100 on ebay with mattress, all brand new) as this will last a good few years.

Whatever pram or travel system you buy ensure it lies flat for a newborn, dont just buy a buggy thinking its cheaper.

If you dont want to buy things now then perhaps buy vouchers for the stores you may use each week. start saving those instead in readiness.

[I Love Snow]

Sign up for as many free baby clubs as possible. Oh and also log on for free baby stuff. I've just had 6 free huggies nappies through the door and they came with a �1.50 coupon. I've had loads of huggies coupons, pampers coupons etc. Also log onto the Bounty website as they will send you weekly updates and coupons. Tonight i got an email from them to say that i can print of a coupon for a mother and baby box (worth �10) from sainsburys. The catch is you have to buy a packet of huggies nappies but with my �1.50 coupon it should only cost about �1. Every little thing helps.

[upsydaisy]

Hi lolly - congratulations! I would agree that a moses basket is possibly a waste of money - my boy hated it! If you buy a travel system pram then you may get a carrycot with it. Primark have amazing value/quality kids clothes as do Tesco. It sounds expensive but we bought a Tiny Love mobile for his cot which I still use now (he's 20 months!). (I think it is part of his bedtime routine now) I ended up buying 2 different prams (had a c-section n my first pram was way too heavy) so really do your research on prams and then try ebay for whatever you decide on. xx

[spanner7853]

muslin squares for burping x 100 haha. I had a moses basket but lasted 1 day in it coz it squeaked too much and he hated it. Ikea do cheap sheets and so do Matalan etc I wouldn't buy anything expensive. My pram was the cheapest one in Mothercare �135 and it had a car seat, the base for seat, pram, changing bag, cosy toes and rain cover. All the expensive ones you need to by seperately most of the time. Like Natalie_1982 I used to get bits every week when I went shopping. I will say though. Dont buy too much new baby clothes as they are out of them within a week. Same with small baby nappies. One thing I would say to get is a baby bath that sits on top of your bath, saves your back no end.

[FUZZYBEE]

If you do buy moses basket don't get sucked in to buying the little fitted sheets, they cost a lot. Just pop into Tesco's or cheap linen shop and buy plain white pillowcases they should be about a pound each and can just be tucked in.
I didn't want a monitor, I babysat my nephew once and they had one and it made me more worried !! I am sure I wouldn't have gone upstairs to check him as much as i checked the monitor. I thought the care-mats that pampers make were well worth the money, when baby needs changing in the middle of the night the plastic changing mat can be really chilly. They are also absorbent so if they have a little accident you haven't got to worry about baby getting all wet and smelly as it just soaks it up ( like a big sanitary towel) also good for popping in changing bag, you never know where you might need to change baby as some places are so badly equipped with baby stuff you will at least have a clean space even if it has to go on the floor.