Advice wanted: Sterliser and breast pump for a newborn??

[canadianlisa]

We are in the final countdown now for our baby and seem to spending a lot of money although it doesn't feel like we are nearly ready! I am trying to stretch out the purchases a bit and was wondering if you really need to have a steriliser and breast pump when you first come home with a new baby or if it can wait. If so which kind is best? We don't have a microwave so would be looking at an electric steriliser.

Also is a baby monitor really necessary at first if baby will be in the room with us? As you might be able to tell I am starting to feel a little unprepared :-$

Thanks for your help.

Lisa

[Mellors]

You won't need a steriliser and breast pump if you plan to breast feed. If you do decide to express at a later stage, you can always buy/borrow a breast pump then, or do it by hand? They sell them at the chemist on North Cross Rd, so easy to pick one up.

Re steriliser - I am a bad mummy and always just put my bottles etc in the dishwasher on the hot setting. I seem to vaguely recall they do this in hospitals (in America maybe), and both have mine have survived, so hey ho.

Baby monitor not really required at first, but you will probably find it handy at some point when you go away to parents/hotels etc (the day will come I promise) and baby/toddler is further away from you than at home. I tend not to have mine on at home because I can hear them right through the terraced house. When we win the lottery and upgrade to a mansion I will have my butler turn it on lol.

[trinity]

I agree with mellors that you won't need a breast pump straight away - it takes a while for feeding to settle down and can sometimes be counter -productive to try pumping too early. (In fact I never got on with the darned things and it wasn't until baby no 4 was 6 months old that I really got to grips with it.)

I always used a sterliser for bottles when I used them. Lots of people I know use the dishwasher instead but given how dirty my dishes sometimes are after a spin in there I felt happier with a steam steriliser. I only ever used the microwave ones so can't help with advice on what sort.

I never used a baby monitor. Mine were always loud enough or close enough for me to hear.

[Moos]

Agree with the posters above that a baby monitor isn't needed at first, and not if your baby is in the same room - you might want it for naps or the evening at a later stage, but they're easily available. Digital definitely better than analogue.

I don't think you'll need an express pump right away, even if you're planning to express, unless you struggle to learn to feed and are trying expressing instead. I'd risk it.

However, if you are planning to do any bottle feeding I understand that the advice given in America re: sterilising in the dishwasher is because their dishwashers run hotter than ours. We got an electric Avent steam steriliser which was really good, perhaps there's a good 2nd hand market?

Good luck!

[lorraineliyanage]

I have a Milton sterilising unit that uses cold water and tablets that you can have for free, plus a few bottles as well. These are the sterilisers that they use in hospitals, nothing fancy but does the job!

[Ko]

i have just bought a baby monitor because noise doesn't travel that well in our house and i will have to keep the nursery door shut because older cat loves sleeping in baby cots (which was why puss was re-homed to us by her former family!!) however, there's nothing to stop you trying things out without a monitor first - there is always the internet to order things over once baby is born if you don't feel like going out. many places do free delivery, including john lewis if you spend over ?30. also marks and spencer often does free delivery if you spend a certain amount - sign up to their websites and you get extra offers emailed to you.

if you do decide to buy a monitor, there are a couple of threads on here about good ones to get and the BT 150 seems to be one of the most popular. do a search under 'monitor'. expensive at ?80, but someone kindly on the forum kindly told me it was on for ?60 on amazon, so definitely shop around and try the bt shop online too.

when are you due by the way? :)

[Belle]

Hi,

we started off with the steam steriliser already mentioned, was really good. But if you're not sure about splashing out (they are pretty dear - we borrowed our's) - could you borrow or just get a bottle of milton in? I have to say I was glad I'd borrowed a pump, steriliser and bought bottles as breast feeding never worked out and I was under a lot of pressure to get a certain amount down the little babe. Theoretically in hospital they will have pumps but they couldn't find one when I was in. I'm more relaxed about sterilising now my baby is 7 months but do still sterilise his bottles because it's the milk-loving bacteria that I'm most worried about.

Agree with others re monitor - you might find you can just get it later - BT 150 is really good. We found it useful once we started putting him down at a set bedtime every night (about 5 weeks I think) - before that i don't think we used it.

[Fuschia]

if you need to sterilise anything, put it in a pan and boil it.

i do think a breastpump is useful in an emergency if baby won't latch and you get engorged. though offer any expressed milk by syringe to avoid nipple confusion. pm me though, i'll give you my no, you can borrow mine if necessary.

We never had a baby alamr for our twins till a few weeks wago when we wen ton holiday, as we live in a flat, just left the door open if they wer enapping

[Fuschia]

PS we also have a spare monitor you can borrow if you want, though it's 6 years old

[canadianlisa]

Thanks to everyone for the fantastic advice. The baby Canuck is due the 24th of October so not too long now! I think that I may get the pump sorted as well as a few bottles just in case I struggle with breastfeeding but will leave the steriliser and use the boiling method for now anyways. We only have a 2 bedroom flat so I am pretty sure that we can get on without the baby monitor for a while. Sadly, I don't have a dishwasher anyways so that won't be an issue. It is amazing how much stuff such a tiny person needs!

Lisa

[Fuschia]

Get a mains operated pump, i'd say... second hand.

[womanofdulwich]

See if you can borrow someones pump to see if you can use it first- they do vary and due to my size (very big!) I could not work one and found it easier by hand. Also I used these plastic cup things in my nursing bra to collect milk. When you feed from one side - loads comes out the other side at the same time to begin with and you can use that as reserve collect and freeze in ice cubes.