First time mum

HollyGC

Hi
I am looking some advice. I am a fist time mum due in 10 weeks and looking some advice on what to buy for baby ie cot, Moses basket, pram, bottles. What you recommend as essentials? There is so many products out there don't want to be buying stuff will never use. Some people say buy cot and d not bother with a Moses basket or do u buy both?


Thanks

pwurple

There's a thread here with what people found useful...
http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057330315/6/#post93512455

Myself, I borrowed a moses basket. Loads of my friends and family had them stored in attics. I got a cot and a buggy.

A few nappies and some clothes is what I had ready for the baby.

The hospital will give you a list of things to bring to the hospital for yourself and the baby.

Ocean Blue

HollyGC wrote: »

Hi
I am looking some advice. I am a fist time mum due in 10 weeks and looking some advice on what to buy for baby ie cot, Moses basket, pram, bottles. What you recommend as essentials? There is so many products out there don't want to be buying stuff will never use. Some people say buy cot and d not bother with a Moses basket or do u buy both?


Thanks

I bought both and would defo recommend it. We got 11 weeks out of the Moses basket and it was so handy to have it downstairs during the day. When it was retired we used the bassinet of the travel system for naps and we are just about to retire that at 5.5 months. But the benefit of the Moses basket over that is being able to bring it upstairs without waking baby. P.S. We had a long baby and still got decent duration of use for both products. What limited the Moses basket was the width at the shoulders, she no longer had room to move her arms comfortably.

HollyGC

Ocean Blue wrote: »

I bought both and would defo recommend it. We got 11 weeks out of the Moses basket and it was so handy to have it downstairs during the day. When it was retired we used the bassinet of the travel system for naps and we are just about to retire that at 5.5 months. But the benefit of the Moses basket over that is being able to bring it upstairs without waking baby. P.S. We had a long baby and still got decent duration of use for both products. What limited the Moses basket was the width at the shoulders, she no longer had room to move her arms comfortably.

Well we are going to buy a travel system which has car seat, buggy, and carry cot. They say carry cot we getting can be used for over nite sleeping but not sure about sleeping in it all the time? Don't know anyone who would have a Moses basket to lend.
Did u also have a cot upstairs or do use only use a cot when older ie 6/9 months? Sorry this is all New to me.

kandr10

You can get stands for the carrycots so it could basically be used as a Moses basket replacement. You can sleep a baby in a cot from day one also. I did that with no problems.

I didn't bother with the carrycot or Moses basket. I got a present of a swing/bouncer thing and used that and the pram for daytime naps. Even though I live in an apartment I found it handy to have something for the baby to sleep in while in the same room as me. However I was limited with space and didn't want to have too much to store after 3 months use do for that reason tried to keep things to a minimum.

You have to think about your own situation really. For example would you have space in your room to put a cot? If not a crib or basket will be needed instead.

In terms of the likes of bouncer, swing, baby gym those are the kinds of things you may get as gifts and you don't need them right away so you could wait and see how you got on.

For bottles it depends on whether you want to breastfeed or combo feed or formula feed. Always handy to get a starter pack and a steriliser but if you don't plan to breastfeed at all you might want a full set.

For clothes vests and babygrows should do you. You'll likely get lots of gifts so good to wait and see. A few cellular blankets and maybe one cosy one for the pram are handy. Grow bags are good for sleeping so maybe a few of them if you intend to use them.

Good luck with the prep

HollyGC

kandr10 wrote: »

You can get stands for the carrycots so it could basically be used as a Moses basket replacement. You can sleep a baby in a cot from day one also. I did that with no problems.

I didn't bother with the carrycot or Moses basket. I got a present of a swing/bouncer thing and used that and the pram for daytime naps. Even though I live in an apartment I found it handy to have something for the baby to sleep in while in the same room as me. However I was limited with space and didn't want to have too much to store after 3 months use do for that reason tried to keep things to a minimum.

You have to think about your own situation really. For example would you have space in your room to put a cot? If not a crib or basket will be needed instead.

In terms of the likes of bouncer, swing, baby gym those are the kinds of things you may get as gifts and you don't need them right away so you could wait and see how you got on.

For bottles it depends on whether you want to breastfeed or combo feed or formula feed. Always handy to get a starter pack and a steriliser but if you don't plan to breastfeed at all you might want a full set.

For clothes vests and babygrows should do you. You'll likely get lots of gifts so good to wait and see. A few cellular blankets and maybe one cosy one for the pram are handy. Grow bags are good for sleeping so maybe a few of them if you intend to use them.

Good luck with the prep

Thanks. I would have the room for a cot upstairs in bedroom.

Soooky

Hi, I would highly recommend getting a sling for baby - so handy for carrying baby in around the house and they sleep really well while being carried Its also great for reflux. I hadn't planned on getting one but am a total convert now!

Whether to get a moses basket or cot all depends on your circumstances really. We got both but never used the moses basket and only used the cot from 5 months old for naps. We co-slept as we were breastfeeding and found it much handier. We did get a cocoonababy nest though to put baba in while in the bed with us - they're great! The cot we got is a cotbed so hopefully we will get some use out of it :pac::pac:

Best of luck - exciting times for you

lazygal

And on the other hand, I have passed on two slings because they didn't suit at all. I thought they'd be the lifesaver others found them but they weren't. Don't buy what you can possibly borrow is my advice.

pwurple

+1 on borrow. And secondhand stuff is often pristine. Babies barely use things. There are Facebook groups of people sharing baby gear. Cuidiu groups are in most parts of the country.

I think travel systems are overkill as well, the child grows out of the carseat and cot bit very quickly (plus these are cheaper separatly), and the buggy part is usually less comfy/foldable/lightweight than the regular newborn-friendly buggies like the out n about nipper or the baby jogger.

seventeen sheep

HollyGC wrote: »

Well we are going to buy a travel system which has car seat, buggy, and carry cot. They say carry cot we getting can be used for over nite sleeping but not sure about sleeping in it all the time? Don't know anyone who would have a Moses basket to lend.
Did u also have a cot upstairs or do use only use a cot when older ie 6/9 months? Sorry this is all New to me.

Is it the Uppababy Vista you're getting? (I think that's the only one with a mattress officially approved for overnight sleeping.)

Bear in mind that you could probably buy just about everything you need for the baby - including cot, buggy, carseat, etc - for the price of that travel system! I have it, and it's excellent, but if you're on a tight budget it's really not worth the cost, in my opinion.

It was handy alright for daytime naps when he was very small, but what I'd advise instead is to get a normal buggy (one which reclines flat so they can sleep when out for walks), and get a travel cot to set up downstairs for daytime naps. You'll get a much better mattress (important for avoiding positional plagiocephaly), and you'll find it invaluable when baby is older and crawling etc, if you need to go to the loo or leave the room for a few minutes. You can also get ones that come with a detachable changing mat on top (so handy to have this downstairs), and you can get ones with a raised insert for small babies (saves you having to reach all the way down to pick them up or put them down.)

I would also strongly advise against a moses basket - I got one mostly because they look so cute, but he outgrew it quite quickly, and again, you'll get a far better mattress for a cot (or a cot bed is another option?)

So basically I would advise cot from birth for upstairs, travel cot from birth for downstairs naps, no need for a moses basket or for a travel system (just buy the buggy and car seat separately.)

Bear in mind that you can get great value secondhand on just about any baby equipment, however you should buy the car seat and the mattress new. We bought mostly new rather than secondhand, and I regretted it later seeing how little time he got out of so much of it!

WittyName1

I too am a first time mum to be so this thread is a great help.
What age can a sling be used from? And am I right in thinking that a newborn can sleep in a number of places during the day such as in a sling, lying on their parents chest, in a moses basket or carry cot with correct mattress, in a bouncer, in their cot etc.

We are planning on using the carry cot part of the travel system in our room at the start instead of a moses basket. Am I right in thinking I can either bring this downstairs for during the day, or use a combination of bouncer, sling etc?

fro9etb8j5qsl2

Definitely consider borrowing or getting secondhand. With my first, I was dead set on getting everything brand new. I even started a thread here complaining about people trying to pawn stuff off on us, I'm sure everyone who read just rolled their eyes thinking what an eejit I was :pac: It didn't take long for me to realise the error of my ways when I saw how quickly babies grow out of/spew on/break everything

We didn't get a moses basket but we did get a swinging crib, mainly because it was a handy size to fit in our bedroom before the baby went into his cotbed in the nursery at 12 weeks. Travel system I found too heavy and hard to manage so we ended up buying a baby jogger city mini after a few months. Like Pwurple, I was also convinced that I'd get great use out of a sling, what a waste of €80 that was I'd seriously advise anyone considering buying one to go to a slingmeet first.

contrary_mary

I have an uppababy vista and I've used it every single day for lots and lots of walking. I used the bassinet for daytime sleep and walks up to around 5 months. I still love it (but know I'll probably end up with a lightweight stroller at some stage for holidays etc and that will prob end up in the boot of the car!).

Upstairs we put him straight into the cot in our room, and moved the cot and baby to his own room at 6 months. So really I haven't had to pack away any big items yet.

Go to a sling meet and try before you buy. I rented a stretchy sling for a month (€10) and while it was so cosy for a newborn I was boiling in it as it had so much material. I ended up buying a buckle sling which i found suited me better.

I bought nothing major except the pram and cot in advance - everything else can be picked up as you need it.

pwurple

Slingmeet is good advice. My two each suited different slings, they were just very differently sized and shaped and preferred to be held differently. Tricky to buy in advance.

shivers27

HollyGC wrote: »

Hi
I am looking some advice. I am a fist time mum due in 10 weeks and looking some advice on what to buy for baby ie cot, Moses basket, pram, bottles. What you recommend as essentials? There is so many products out there don't want to be buying stuff will never use. Some people say buy cot and d not bother with a Moses basket or do u buy both?


Thanks

My son was too big for the mosses basket after 6 weeks. He was 8lb 12 when born. Next time around we're going to get a crib. Think this will be better as its easier to see baby at night through the rails on the side of the crib but its not too big like the cot would be at the start.

kandr10

shivers27 wrote: »

My son was too big for the mosses basket after 6 weeks. He was 8lb 12 when born. Next time around we're going to get a crib. Think this will be better as its easier to see baby at night through the rails on the side of the crib but its not too big like the cot would be at the start.

If you can fit a cot beside your bed why not just go straight to that?

LegacyUser

First time mum to a 7 month old here.

Regarding bottles/breast feeding - I had a baby who is a great feeder, and started with the breastfeeding grand, but we ended up spending two weeks in hospital once she was born. First week was for her, second for me. We had bottles etc in the house, thankfully - daddy was taking care of her for a bit. When I got home, I was just not physically able to go looking for bottles and sterilisers etc. I'm not trying to scare you here, by the way, just suggesting that maybe you should consider having a couple of bottles, maybe a borrowed steriliser or microwave steriliser bags in the house, and one tin of formula, just in case. Takes the pressure off in those first few days.

We stockpiled nappies, wipes and cotton wool before the birth. Again, not a necessity, but I'm very glad we did as it was one less thing to think about during the hectic first few weeks.

We have an Uppababy Vista. We had the pram part and a moses basket upstairs for a few days, until I realised she would sleep in either, provided she settled right - so Moses basket it was for the nighttime!! We had an old basket, so it was quite big - the new ones are quite small, it's really up to you whether you think it's worth it. Having the pram as your moses basket is fine, but it becomes a nuisance if you have to cart it up and down to your room every night and day, and in and out of the car if you want to go for walks. Bringing up basket, then baby, then bottles etc (if needed) every night can be a bit of a trial!! Other than that we're very happy with the overall buggy and travel system.The car seat part is pretty much the same across the board - they grow out of them after a year no matter what. There's no real escaping that.

We had a sling. It didn't work for us I think the trick with the sling is to start them with it as early as possible - we left it a few weeks and it was probably too late. I have a friend who swears by the Ergo slings, but they're pricey - again, it's up to you to think about whether you want to go for it or not.

We got a cot at 12 weeks when she started bashing around the basket and waking herself up. We did go for a cot rather than a cot bed. It's smaller, but we hope that number 2 mightn't be too far away, and we don't want a situation where we potentially would have to move number 1 out of her bed to accommodate number 2. Also, we have a couple of single beds in the house, so there was no need for a cot bed. She'll go into a proper single bed when the time comes around.

Get a changing table if you can. It really, really saves your back, and mine was aching!!! Somebody recommended to me to get 2 - one for upstairs and one for downstairs. I thought it was a bit ridiculous and we don't have the space, but 7 months in I can see the advantage of it alright (though we're going to stick with 1). Ikea do solid, cheapish ones (30eur-60eur.)

As for other necessities - loads of vests and bibs (babies produce lots of liquid!!). Get a good few cellular blankets, as you'll probably use them between the pram, car seat, moses basket whatever, and then a few spares for accidents. Get a couple of little cardigans for extra layers if needed. Have some panadol and neurofen in the house for yourself, and if you can borrow a breastfeeding pillow do. If you don't breastfeed, it's handy even for supporting the baby while feeding etc - as I said, your back will probably be sore for the first while. Also if you have time and energy, see if you can find out if there's someone to lend you an electric breast pump - not right now, but sometime after the birth. They're quite pricey and you will need one if the breastfeeding works out.

That's all I can think of, hope it helps We took the approach of the less we had to think about buying in those first few weeks, the easier it is. If you can borrow some things, do because babies really get so little use from stuff! Good luck, and enjoy it!