We have NOTHING for this baby... (1 Viewer)

[Squiggle]

... should I be panicking? I keep telling myself that March is ages away but I think it's going to sneak up pretty quickly.

Mostly we just can't decide on anything.

Want to get a bedside cot with a side that drops completely away, I remember someone on here (_Egg?) mentioned one before but I can't find the thread. The Armsreach Co-Sleeper seems expensive for what is essentially a travel cot, anyone have any experience with one?

Did anyone here go down the reusable nappy route?

Time has just been passing so quickly that I'm beginning to imagine baby dressed in a towel and sleeping in a padded cardboard box!

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

Time has just been passing so quickly that I'm beginning to imagine baby dressed in a towel and sleeping in a padded cardboard box!

didn't do Jesus any harm.(well,substitute wood for cardboard)

 

[Squiggle]

didn't do Jesus any harm.(well,substitute wood for cardboard)

That's true And if we put towel clad baby's lower half we wouldn't need to worry about nappies either, although it could be messy.

 

[ann post]

didn't do Jesus any harm.(well,substitute wood for cardboard)

wait - specifically remember the vatican xmas tune:

::clef::Away in a manger, no crib for a bed::clef::

have you's got a manger??

 

[mark]

Did anyone here go down the reusable nappy route?

we were the same until a month or so before our chap arrived, ie - had fuck all baby stuff. just trust that it will all come together, becuase it will.

we've been using reuseable nappies. he sleeps in disposables, but daytime it's reuseables all the way. it's a complete no brainer as far as i'm concerned. i'm sure we've saved money already and he's not a year old yet. the creche have been fine about them too. i'd highly recommend them. pm for more detailed info.

 

[magicbastarder]

i thought you usually waited till the last month or two anyway?

not necessarily exactly what you're looking for, but this is a friend's blog - nice stuff for kids. her kid is just about a year old now.

http://candepop.tumblr.com/

 

[egg_]

Yeah we have a drop-side cot - one side of it slides underneath completely, which is super-handy for middle-of-the-night breastfeeding, the side of it was permanently slid down while each of the kids were in our room. They're actually no longer available in the US now apparently due to safety concerns

We used re-usable nappies with Isabelle, but not with Heather - there was just so much more washing and drying with 2 kids, and I wasn't working at home anymore and wasn't around to help out as much

 

[Squiggle]

Did you get a cot that was specificially designed for bedside use or was it just an ordinary drop-side cot? Cosatto make a bedside drop-side cot but I can't find any information about how high the mattress would be in it (our bed is quite high).

Just want to try to spread out the costs a bit, to avoid a major shock.

 

[dudley]

RE the nappies, i'd read that by the time you factor in the actual long term costs of the extra detergent, extra water, extra electricity in cleaning them that any environmental contribution is negligible, plus you've the added pain in the bum of all that extra work

for the rest of the stuff, wait til the new year at least and nab bargains in the sales

 

[dudley]

oh, maybe check out the buggy though, there can be a waiting list for some of the fancier ones

 

[Squiggle]

Buggy?! Is a buggy really necessary? They just seem like such a pain in the bum for everyone, blocking footpaths and aisles in shops... we were thinking of just using slings or baby carriers, at least until Bun can sit up in a lightweight folding buggy that won't be an irritation to everyone (including us).

 

[JohnnyRaz]

god, babies these days are fierce complicated.

nappies - pillowcase
cot - drawer.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

buggy-shopping trolley.

 

[egg_]

One for bedside use. Dunno the brand, let me check ...

Cosatto it is. Our bed is pretty high too, and it was fine - you can adjust the level of the base

 

[Squiggle]

Cool! Thanks egg_

 

[egg_]

We used a sling constantly for Isabelle but the buggy got a good bit of use too - if a grandparent wants to take the kid for a walk you can't really expect them to figure out how to use the sling. Plus if there's any complications and you end up with a c-section you're not going to be able for the sling for a while.

I wouldn't bother with a fancy one though, especially if you live in the city

 

[Diddles]

Apart from clothes and a moses basket I didn't have any baby stuff before I had HMB. Just buy things as you need them. Although make sure you 'need' as opposed to panic buying, I bought loads of ridiculous crap that I never used and most parents will tell you the same. Also, ring around your friends first before buying stuff, they may have something lying around that you want.

Our cot wasn't designed to drop down but I unscrewed the side off it and pushed it up beside the bed, but it took me months before I realised that I could do that. Prior to that I just had the cot mattress on a plank of wood with books underneath. The whole arrangement was up against the wall so he couldn't fall off, although babies don't really move for a few months so there was little chance of that. Before that, I had a chest beside the bed with one of these on top:

I still have it, if you think you might use it, you're more than welcome to take it. It's a handy travel bed for when they are real small. We had it in the middle of the bed for a while, but our bed isn't that big so we were hanging off the side. You need them right beside you for a few months, but it's hard to relax if they are in the bed with you. Basically, what you need is some arrangement whereby both you and the baby have to move minimally for feeds at night, but you are always close enough to comfortably touch them and sleep at the same time.

Also, I also have a moses basket and a stand if you want it. You just ned to get mattress for it.

Regarding nappies, I used re-usable ones for five months and gave up. It's an awful lot of work on top of everything else you have to do. You have to change them about ten times a day because they are not very absorbent, and unless you have a drier(which kind of defeats the environmental aspect of having them) they are a nightmare to get dry.

Defo get a buggy, you can buy a cheap one that's suitable from birth, it doesn't have to be expensive. Depending on the outing, you won' t always have somewhere to put the baby down, which leaves you stuck while trying to drink a cup of coffee for example. Or if the baby needs a good sleep.

My friends gave me loads of slings and the day after I had him I was ringing around for a lend of a pram because I wasn't able to walk while carrying him. Even without a c-section etc, your muscles will take a battering. I had loads of slings and ended up buying a baby bjorn one which suited me much better than the ones I was given.

Don't worry about not having anything now, you'll only end up buying stuff you don't need. Just get the absolute essentials and then take it from there. x

 

[Squiggle]

Thanks for all that advice Diddles. Very helpful. I've been talking to the wrong people lately and was starting to feel disorganised. We definitely want to avoid buying useless stuff or too much of anything, can't afford to be wasting money. I did actually take a look at some of the cots we saw to check if it would be possible to just unscrew one side, but it didn't seem to be an option. Will keep looking though

That travel bed looks great, was thinking of buying something like that (or at least one of those baby sleep positioners) so would love to have it.

Which reusable nappies were you using? I've read that some are definitely better than others. The bamboo ones seem to do better for absorbancy than the cotton ones. Different types seem to dry more quickly too, yes, definitely want to avoid using the dryer if at all possible.

So, what would you reckon the absolute essentials are?

 

[coraline]

Hey Squiggle

How are you ?

I think a pram/buggy is essential, slings are brilliant but not suitable for every situation. Some of the Maclaren foldy ones are suitable from birth or you could pick up a more fancy one second hand, lots of people sell them in perfect condition when baby #2 is coming. The Bugaboo Bee is tiny and great for city, public transport etc.

Didnt use reusables, would have liked to but we dont have a drier or an outside line.
If you are buying disposables dont buy too many of the size 1 ones, they grow out of them so fast.

With most baby stuff there seems to be a plain ordinary version and a singing dancing bells and whistles version, if you stick to the normal stuff you'll be fine.

For big things like cot, car seat and buggy you can save loads by ordering from the UK, this site is great : www.kiddicare.com

The Armsreach Co Sleeper is meant to only last about 6 months so maybe not a good purchase, I have heard its not very sturdy too. We used a Moses basket for 4 months and then a cotbed but we are still doing a mix of cot and co sleeping.

I posted a list ages ago, I'll paste it in :

Pram and carseat, most popular and safest car seat is Maxi Cosi Cabriofix.
You can get a base for it or just use the seatbelt each time. Base is much easier but expensive.

We have the Moses basket from all my siblings, dont know if I would have bought one.

Lots of sheets for Moses/crib/cot, they will need changing very often.
3 or 4 cellular blankets.
Grobag sleeping bags are brilliant.

Baby bath and hooded towels.

Lots of muslin cloths for mopping up spitups.

Grobag Egg to monitor room temp, it's bad for babies to be too warm:
http://www.mothercare.ie/ContentBuil...ataId=DA000018

Lots of vests and babygros for the first few weeks.
Try to get babygros that fasten all the way down the front, I got 2 in Next that go over the baby's head and they are rubbish, impossible to put on.

Changing mat, and changing bag for going out.

Bouncer chair, we got this one :
http://www.bellababy.ie/product_info...oducts_id=1380

Carrier/sling : We got one called the Ergobaby which is meant to be the best for the baby's posture...

Highchair, we have the Tripp Trapp which is fab but dear, IKEA do a brilliant one called Antilop for 15 euro.

There is some very convincing research about the link between cot death and the fire retardant chemicals that are used in most baby mattresses.

http://www.healthychild.com/toxic-sl...ds-been-found/

The only mattresses I found that dont have the toxic chemicals are the Sleepsafe range from Mamas and Papas. I dont know if the research is 100% but these mattresses are the same price as the regular kind and easy enough to order in so I'd rather not take the chance with the regular ones...

 

[billygannon]

Muslin cloths... buy zillions of these.