Newborn items you can't live without?

Hi all,

There seems to be so much knowledge and experience on the Forum that I thought I'd draw upon it with my shopping list of newborn items. About me; first time mum, 5mths pregnant, small apartment, planning on breastfeeding.

Which items/brands have you sworn by and wouldn't do without?

Thank you in advance for your time!

Louise

Lansinoh and nipple shields, the number of a private lactation consultant on speed dial... but hopefully you don't need to use them! :)

xx

Metanium,

a nappy bin (useful esp if in a flat - it certainly doesn't smell of roses!),

baby grows that can be unbuttoned along the side so they don't need to be removed over the head after the inevitable leak,

a sling/carrier,

a freezer stuffed with cooked meals,

(I maybe shot down for this) but a steriliser, bottle & formula just in case the breast-feeding isn't going as planned

A couple of muslins - you'll soon find out if yours is a posseter (sp?)or not - my first wasn't but my second made up for that!

2 kids here. I found that the essentials were clothes (nothing fancy, lots of vests and sleepsuits. Breastfed babies have more BMs than formula babies so there were lots of nappy changes...and vests/sleepsuits are so much easier than cute little outfits which btw they grow out of really quickly). Muslins, plenty of them, they have tons of uses. We had a Sn?zpod both times and I found it amazing for the first 6 months, it meant the only getting up I hsd to do at night was to change their bum.

BF'ing advice: for some women it's hard, really hard even and you might be in pain and also an emotional mess, but if you're invested in it then stick with it. By week 3 or so it gets better, like wasaay better. My nipples were sore, cracked and scabbed with both kids and what worked well was rubbing breastmilk on my nipples and boobs out to dry.

Good luck, happy healthy pregnancy and baby.

Having 2 kids - the best 'item' was Mum/partner/friend who would see that I was sleep deprived and look after baby for a few hours during the day to catch up on sleep.

Plenty of muslins to mop up milk, baby grows in the 'next size' i.e. 3- 6 months (most babies grown out of the 0 -3 months in a few weeks)

First of all, congratulations!

It's tempting to buy loads of stuff, but actually, you don't need much for a baby in the first few weeks. You need somewhere for baby to sleep ( I used a Moses basket but the next-to-bed cribs are supposed to be excellent), a car seat, a sling, some vests and babygrows (at minimum 6 of each unless you want to be washing every single day!) nappies, a nappy bin, couple of cellular blankets, muslins, cotton wool for cleaning baby. Napisan or similar for soaking clothes after a leak. For you, get some massive comfy pants, and the biggest thickest sanitary pads you can find (surfboards as they are affectionately known), lansinoh nipple balm, some meals in the freezer as others have suggested. The rest you can buy as and when you need it

Actually, one of the best things anyone ever bought me was a subscription to Amazon Prime, then when you realise in the middle of the night that you are nearly out of nappies/wipes/washing powder, or you decide you absolutely need to try a bottle/dummy/whatever you can order it for free next day delivery without having to leave the house!

A flask mug thingy that keeps tea/coffee warm for longer was my most loved item. Followed by a jo malone candle someone gave me. Non of those a baby item nor must haves but in those first weeks of chaos it helped me hang in there.

A baby Bjorn bouncer if you can. It is worth the money (and you can get them second hand).

Muslins- you can't have enough

Nipples cream

Cellular blankets

A changing table

I had a really easy time breast feeding and it was still very hard even though my supply was great and my daughter's latch was perfect. The engorgement pain and the process of my nipples toughening up is a lot harder than I'd prepared myself for mentally. Within a few weeks though it's really quite easy so if you want to breastfeed be prepared

A sling. Both my kids refused prams the first couple of months. And I used it a lot indoors too, handy if you have a baby that dislikes being apart from you. My sling was a life saver for this, I could still get on and do stuff with the baby attached to me. I specially used this with my 2nd as my first was only 19-months old when his brother was born.

Apart from that, clothes (mainly used baby grows to begin with) and we liked the Sleepyhead too.

Most unneccessary item in our household - cot. Our kids never slept in it and it just became a big thing used for storage!

for a small flat i can recommend a baby zen yoyo. if you want something a little bigger then the bugaboo bee it good and easy to pick up second hand.

i think you are best to buy a minimal amount of stuff and save the money up while you are working so you can buy things as you need them.

you can rent a sling so you are sure you have the right one before you buy.

i disagree on the nappy bin though - i reckon get a small meta, bin which you line with a basic liner, cheaper and easier to clean!

Thank you so much to everyone who has commented above or sent me a private message. I've already started triaging the list and can't wait to start researching all the recommendations.

Thank you EDF! Louise x

Netflix subscription, wireless ear phones....

And snacks/water easily to hand. Good advice re a thermos mug!

If you are going to breastfeed then a good breastfeeding pillow.... Mine was invaluable in helping baby to get in a good position when I was half asleep and exhausted. I gave mine away after baby1 but have just reinvested in this one for baby2 as I loved it so much http://www.thrupennybits.co.uk/ultimate-range

A comfy nursing chair and footstool!

A red nightlight as red light is less disruptive to baby (and yours) sleep cycle.

Thanks for the additional recommendations above.

I have never read about red light - how interesting!