What should we buy?

[Velvetee]

The time is near approaching when I we need to start buying baby things.

Regarding cots. Is it better for a newborn baby to sleep in a Moses Basket or a regular cot? We were just going to get him a cot. If we get a cot, will he feel more secure in one of those baby sleeping bag things, (a Papoose I believe)?

As for prams, I think we would like one of those all in one systems, which converts from cars seat/ carrier to pram then pushchair. What is the best transport system to get? I've noticed lots of people with Quinny and Maxi Cosi systems. Are those brands any good?

Also, as a first time mum, what are the really vital things to have in the first few weeks, clothing wise as well as accessories and any extras?

Thanks

[cazzz1975]

scratch mitts! they normally need them as they scratch their faces a lot
lots of romper suits,vests and bibs, new babies can use a lot of them through being sick, I tended to buy 0-3 months clothes as opposed to "newborn" size as they grow quite quickly

I bought a cot for mine because they grow out of moses baskets quite quickly, but my sis bought a moses basket because she had no room to begin with

[Velvetee]

Thanks Cazz. Are scratch mitts the same as regular baby mittens?

[cazzz1975]

well they are small cotton mitts, not woolly, I do remember though using little socks in the end because the scratch mitts used to keep coming off!

[helianthus]

Hi Velvetee,
I am sadly past the stage of having small babies but I would like to advise that whatever kind of pram or carrier you get, please have the baby facing you. The reasons are
1. If they choke or have a problem, you will see it right away.
2. Babies learn speech from listening and looking at faces. This is vital for good language development. They will not associate communication with a disembodied voice from behind.
Speak slowly and clearly to your baby and do not use silly talk or a high voice. Say what you are doing, communicate by smiling, cuddling and being gentle.
Language is the key to intelligence.
What you do and say is far more important than what you have.
My very best wishes to you and your baby.

[Velvetee]

Thanks Heli, I would definitely get a pram where I can see baby and he can see me. I'm one of those paranoid types who would be worried about choking etc.

[CJ242]

When it comes to sleeping, it's your choice. But I would not recommend a baby sleeping bag!
Make sure their feet are at the bottom of the cot/moses basket and tuck the covers in so they cannot slip underneath.
You will already know the essentials needed.
If you are breast feeding then a pump will be your salvation. It means you can express and get some sleep while hubby feeds at 3 in the morning!!!
The only other thing I would suggest is a baby bath chair.

[mumof3angels]

The problem is with prams Velvetee they should allow you to test drive them before you buy. The best one I had was a cossato travel system for my last baby. It had small swivel wheels which was fantastic as the pram I had for my first 2 was a mclaren and had big fixed wheels. It also seemed to have a slightly higher handle so didn't feel as though I was bending over all the time. How easy it is to fold up and down is quite important as well, especially if you have to do it one handed which sometimes you will. By the way-word of warning- when you go out shopping with the baby in the pushchair/pram you will no doubt hang bags from the handles. Take all the bags off the handles before you take the baby out or you end up with an upturned pram and anything breakable in the bags will be smashed.
Also I swore my babies would not have dummies and my mum said to buy some just incase, which I didn't. The day after my first was born, mr mum went and got some for me.(it's amazing how loud a little one can be at 3 in the morning) So even if you are like me and are positive that your little one won't have a dummy, you might want to get one....just in case.

[k8bailey]

Baby sleeping bags are fab! My daughter is now in her cot and moves around so much that blankets were a complete waste of time. Give her 5 mins and she'd be either, head first under them - not good, or not under them at all - again not good. Also with night feeding there was no need to take her out, with all the blankets to keep her warm, as she was already wearing it!

Babygrows from Next and Mothercare often have 'turn over scratch mits' basically a bit on the end of the sleeve you turn over to cover their hands, this saved buying separate scratch mits, which often fall off.

Bouncy chair - the one I had vibrated, it gave me the creeps but LO LOVED it!

I had a moses basket so that she could sleep in the living room in the evenings, so that basically we could be with her all day but not always holding her.

Muslin cloths......godsend!

Are you breast or bottle feeding?

[redcrx]

baby sleeping bags are only for babies over a certain size, so watch that. They are great though.
swaddling blankets can also be good to help baby feel secure.
I had a cot and swing crib for mine. swing cribs are slightly larger than a moses basket and offer firmer support i find.
If you get a pram that has a carrycot then some are suitable for sleeping in (overnight that is, not naps) we we used that too at times. It has to be a sleeping one though, they have better ventilation.
If you go for a car seat / base unit please be aware that baby should only be in car seat for max 1.5 hours to ensure its spine grows correctly. Ideally they should lie flat so a carrycot is better. Quinny do a carrycot called the dreamii which is compatibe with the buzz and speedi.
find a good baby euquipment supplier and visit and try everything.
I dont know where you are but one of the best Ive found is kiddicare in peterborough. They have a huge website too and a massive showroom.

[redcrx]

this may be of some use. Its the ebay shop for Dorel (the UK distributor for Maxi Cosi and Quinny) http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Babyvalue_Pushchairs- Prams_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ4QQftidZ2QQtZkm they sell ex demo, used (often returned repaired) and also new pushchairs at less that RRP. The used ones will often be in perfect condition with labels on as they replace parts.

if you don get a carrycot then ensure the pushchair has ful recline for baby. some are only slight recline and sutable for 6 months and over.

http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/ser vlet/categorydisplay26_384_10751_14552_brand_s et_-1__10001

[annie0000]

Strangely, I never needed scratch mits for either of my two, so I guess that each baby will be different - I echo the need for plenty of all in one vests and sleepsuits, also rememebr to get a hat for coming out of hospital, it will be summer so a little cotton one will probably be fine.

I had a baby sheepskin for both my boys and I found them really useful - especially if you like to get out and about and stay in hotels or with friends, we found that all we needed to do was roll up the sheepskin and take it with us and the boys would then sleep anywhere and it still felt familiar - when my eldest was crawling, when we were out at friends, we just put the sheepskin in the corner, and when he was tired - he would just crawl over to it and curl up to sleep.

http://www.thewoolcompany.co.uk/Details.cfm?Pr odID=62&category=58&gclid=CLLvven_0ZkCFQqF3god Thpmuw.

I didn't have a meses basket, but i did have 2 cribs - one downstairs ad 1 upstairs, but that was because I borrowed them from family - it was handy though! They weren't too long (maybe 8 weeks old) until they went into the big cot. you can alsways put them in sideways if it seems too big.

Bit out of touch with prams now, but what you need to think about id something that fits into your lifestyle and make sure it fits in your car. We walk a lot and wanted to take the boys up forest tracks and things, so we chose a strong pushchair with large wheels, but if you are more of a townie, then something light and manoeverable would fit the bill.

[Physicsgirl]

We were caught out many times by the changing mat "stealth-wee". We finally decided not to use the posh towel that came with the mat but plonked a muslin folded up under her bottom instead. It stopped the wee from running all over the change mat and soaking the clothes and saved a lot of washing.

Don't spend loads - ebay has great bundles of baby clothes for not much money.

A microwave steamer is brilliant if you're going to express milk or bottle feed.

Good luck!

[lollyone]

Hiya velvetee. Doesn't seem two minutes since I posted a question like this. Now she's 3 months!
Yeah definately plenty of vests and babygro's. Like k8 says, the ones from mothercare with the built in mits are great as its a nightmare keeping little mits on tiny hands. (likewise with socks)
She still is in her moses basket but is moving into her cot in the next few weeks. I know some babies don't take to them though so I wouldn't advise spending a fortune on one. We also borrowed one from a friend so we could have one upstairs and one down. This came in very handy when my husband went back to work as I didn't have to lug it up and down.
She sleeps in a little sleeping bag-I got a few with sleeves in (which seem to be rare) as its been through the winter, from Boots.
We have a Silver Cross 3D travel system, which I can't really recommend to be honest. We've had a few problems with it and it doesn't seem all that sturdy for the money we paid. And its sooooo heavy! Bear that in mind when choosing.
I found the nappy wrapper really handy. We got a voucher to get a good one in the hospital Bounty pack so check that before buying one.
I've only just stopped breastfeeding, but didn't get much use out of my breastpump-found it too time consuming so I was glad I didn't get an expensive one. Some people swear by them for sharing nightfeeds, but we have been really lucky that bubs was sleeping through by 6 weeks so didn't really feel that sleep deprived. (Saying that, don't even know if your planning breastfeeding or not! lol)
We make very good use of the bouncy chair. Don't think we could've done without it. It vibrates and really calmed her down if she was having a grumpy half hour.
I found the top and tail bowl was a compete waste of money.
Fabric bath support is a godsend. Ours is from Mothercare.
Errm can't really think of anything else at the mo!

What I will say though

[lollyone]

feel guilty about your choices. Its your baby. I found that well meaning advice can come across as finger wagging. There are so many things that new Mums are made to feel guilty about, from breastfeeding to bedtimes to prams to babywipes to routines... People were asking me if I'd got her into a 'good routine' when she was 2 weeks old! My head was spinning! Suddenly everyones an expert, but you do what feels right. It took me a good month or so to come to the conclusion to follow my own instinct about what best for her. (most of the time anyway! lol)
Anyhoo, gone on a bit, but hope that helps
Lx

[annie0000]

That's funny lolly - I got a great use of of my top and tail bowl, the kids were using it up until i got them out of nappys and they were nearly 3 by then! I still make my boys top and tail and they are now 8 and 7 (I just fill the sink with soapy water now and give them a baby wipe as a face cloth - they wash their hands and face with the cloth - then wash their bits with it and then throw it away - I would probably do that instead of the top and tail bowl if I had another - which I am not!!!!!

[lollyone]

Yeah my sister in law used hers loads but I bath her every night (helps her to sleep) and wash her face every morning in the bathroom so its a bit redundant. Everyone does it differently, you just get used to what you're used to I suppose ;o)

[Velvetee]

Thanks so much everyone, for taking the time to reply. Your tips have all been very useful.