Q. What is more overwhelming that being a first-time-parent-to-be and walking into a baby store with a thousand and one things to pick from?
A. Not much! Well at least if you are me!
Don't get me wrong I am so excited and want to buy things for our little one but man there are so many things to think about and I hardly know where to begin. Plus when you say "baby car seat" there are a kerbillion to choose from.
I know it sounds silly but it is overwhelming to me, plus I think maybe the 'nesting' hormones are kicking in to - you know like those ones that kick in right after marriage where you just want to pretty up and order your new home together? I just want to get everything together for our little one before I get big and uncomfortable!
So SP and I hadn't brought anything for little Squiggly until yesterday and only then did we buy a few little onesies and singlets. Even trying to figure out how many of these little things I would need was painful! Our little one will be born in December - super hot summer time will have just began.
Can you wonderful bloggers help? I don't know why I am stressing so much about this I just feel a little out of control and daunted!
I need some lists of essentials and approx numbers with maybe a list of things that I don't need to worry about until after the baby is born. Can you help me pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee? It would be so much appreciated.
Thanks ;)
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Hey Nicki, it is full on isn't it! Here's things I found helpful:
1. Check out the list at http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dhgqdr69_5cv9nzjgp - I used this and found it really helpful
2. Don't buy anything unless it's on sale - Target, Big W and Toys'R'Us are always having sales on baby stuff. And keep receipts just in case!
3. If you google any item you're considering buying, you can usually find product reviews online which can help with decision making.
Good luck!
Good suggestions from forums:
http://community.i-do.com.au/index.php?showtopic=15477
http://bellybelly.com.au/forums/nursery-planning-baby-equipment/73962-starting-scratch-list-things-get.html
Hope you enjoy your shopping!
Good idea to just buy things on sale and keep reciepts. Go for plain, a bunch of singlets (maybe 10 or 15) a handful of onepiece suits - with and without legs. The tricky thing about a summer baby is keeping him/her cool so the legless and sleveless onepiece suits are great, but have a few full ones too just incase of the cold. If you plan to swaddle your baby, go for muslin wraps because they are lovely and soft and thin (good for those hot days). Keep in mind that 'bonds' brand clothes are usually a size smaller than others. So a 00 singlet/suit in 'bonds' is the same size as a 000 singlet/suit in most other brands. Don't buy too much clothing because as this is your first baby you will probably get a few gifts of clothing and the small stuff isn't worn for long. This is fun sharing baby ideas, I stumbled across your blog a little while ago and I love watching it to see how things are going/growing!!! Not sure what you plan to do about nappies, but if you aren't wanting to use the disposable kind, there are many cloth alternatives available. Good idea to get a dummy or two (even if you aren't planing on using them :)). Go for the 'happy baby brand they are plain and boring most children I know of have taken this type more easily than other brands. It's good of course to have a supply of nappies, wipes, a good nappy rash cream (sudocreme is great) a bottle of baby bath (Johnsons all in one - good for body and hair). Anyway, I could go on and on - maybe I already have! sorry:) Enjoy this lovely time! Oh, and the huggies website has a list of essentials for a new baby. Take or leave the 'essentials' word. Don't forget that whatever you don't have, you can always buy later on.
Have fun!
Hi Nix,
my suggestion is don't worry about getting a car seat now - hire a capsule for the first six months. They are MUCH easier to deal with (we had a seat for Matty and a capsule for the other two), you can keep the bub asleep when you go places, and just use the capsule as a bed if they are already asleep.
Bassinettes aren't that great, if they are going to be in a cot for a few years anyway, stick them in one straight away - put them down the end of the bed though, so they can't get under the covers.
Have lots and lots of cloth nappies (Even if you are going to use disposables).
Thanks sooooooo much everybody for your super duper advice ;) I really appreciate it.
Anon - would love to know your name if you are ok with that - as I really appreciate all your suggestions - thank-you ;) Thanks for reading and sharing in the fun!
I think a decent quality pram is something worth investing in - especially if you're hoping to have a few kids. Some people fall into the trap of buying something really big with all the fancy attachments - bassinet etc. Then find it's so bulky that's it's annoying to take anywhere. Do your research, work out which one you want, and wait for it to come on sale.
A travel cot is a good thing to have. Many come with a bassinet attachment - which some of my friends have used instead of a bassinet in the early days.
Nothing quite so exciting as a first baby! Happy shopping!
Hi Nix,
My wife recommends this page for what to buy first up, and also Rookie Moms for lots of good advice in the first year.
There's also a couple of other links on our site here.
Aha...I think I've just figured out how to get my name on the comment. Sorry. The name's Alice anyway. A daughter of The Most High, wife to a cool man and mother of 2 little treasures (a super boy who's 4years and a georgous girl who's 4months). As I said before, love reading the blog and sharing the journey!
We're using a bassinette and I quite like it, because I can wheel it into whatever room I happen to be in so bub is always close by. It goes right next to our bed at night which I find reassuring.
Hey Nix - I just wrote you possibly the longest fb email every known!!!!!
Hope it's helpful -chuck out any ideas that dont suit you, keep anything that does...
I can't wait to meet your lovely little baby!!
Welcome Alice and thanks again for stopping by and sharing this exciting journey. Thanks also for all your helpful comments!
I am assuming you don't have a blog yourself?
I agree with Rodeoclown on the car seat. I hired one for $80 for 6 months, and kept an eye out for car seats on sale. I ended up getting one for 50% off!! (a reversable one). I also found the capsule great living in an apartment with stairs, as when bubby fell asleep in the car, I could just carry her up in the capsule (and hopefully she would stay asleep).
Also a note re prams. If you're not sure what sort you want, get a cheapo second hand one. After a couple of months with bub you will have a much better idea of what sort of pram you need. I did this and now know exactly what brand and type I want to get for the next bub (God willing). You figure out things, like making sure its narrow enough to get through supermarket checkouts!!!...much better than going through 2 or 3 prams (and they're not cheap!)
Hey Aimee - thanks for the top tip. Where did you hire your car seat from?
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