Buying for your Baby

This post goes out to all the first time pregnant Mummas! 

First up, Congratulations! 

Secondly, you are amazing! Look at you go, growing a human while you go about your day to day business!

I bet you can’t wait to get alllllllll the baby gear! It’s actually ridiculous what babies apparently ‘need’ these days. I’m not an expert, but I have just had my third and I can confidently say that much of what the baby stores stock, I don’t own, and my kids and baby are great sleepers, eaters, poopers and tantrum throwers. So, if you are like one of my newly pregnant friends who has read all the books, but still at a loss as to what she actually needs to buy, here is my list of necessities. Below some of these items I will have a ‘it’s nice if’; meaning if you wanted to, go ahead and get it as it will come in handy. Some of the things that I mention come with an explanation while others are pretty self-explanatory. 

• A cot

Probably a no brainer here. Your baby will need somewhere safe to sleep. Our child’s cot is second hand (purchased from Gumtree in 2016), and it’s done us perfectly fine. In addition to the cot you will need a WATERPROOF mattress protector (plus 2 spares), and a fitted sheet (plus two spares). You don’t need a quilt set, a pile of blankets or a pillow. 

Do you need a cot that can convert into a toddler bed? Ours does, but we haven’t used it for our first and we won’t be using it for our second. I’ll leave that one up to you. 

It’s nice if….you have a bassinet. It’s smaller so you can have bubs in your room (if your room can’t fit a cot). Keep in mind that you will pack the bassinet up a lot quicker than what you thought you would be because babies grow super fast!

*We haven’t co slept with any of our children (personal choice), so if you are considering this then this point is probably not relevant to you. 

• Nappies

Babies poo and wee a lot! This being said, don’t go out buying newborn nappies every time they are on special, as your baby will probably outgrow this size quickly and you’ll be stuck with a tonne of nappies that are too small. 

If you are considering cloth nappies, I would suggest doing your research and buying a couple in one brand, as well as a box of disposables to get you started. If you like what you see from the first brand you have chosen, then commit to buying that brand. I know that some people like to buy a few different brands to see which one they like best, but I would suggest trying one at a time. 

• A carrier/sling

This would honestly be at the top of my list of things to get. Carriers are great for a baby’s hip development, while also allowing you to get shit done on the days when your beautiful baby just won’t sleep. I’m not going to recommend a brand, as I feel like it’s a personal choice, though be sure to do your research. Some carriers can’t support newborns at all, while others may require an insert. 

• A car seat

What a nightmare it is looking for car seats! There are so many on the market that it makes it extremely difficult to make a decision. Again, do as much research as you can (without going crazy). Safety is obviously paramount here. If buying secondhand, make sure it hasn’t been in an accident. Like most families, we have two cars. We use the brand Mother’s Choice for our around town car as they are safe, however we have noticed that the material doesn’t breathe as well. We use Infasecure car seats in the car we use on longer trips. 

It’s nice if…you have a capsule. Though be warned, it gets heavy very quickly (bubs like to make plenty of gains in the early days), they can be awkward to manoeuvre in and out of the car, and you’ll need an adaptor if you want to attach it to your pram. I do love the way I can carry my youngest into daycare for pickups and drop-offs though, as well as into and out of the house, particularly if she is asleep. 

• A pram

These guys could very well cost the same as your first car. We got ours second hand (seeing a theme here?), and while it’s not perfect, it’s done the job well and truly. When looking, we opted for a double, even though we had no idea how far apart our children would be in age. It meant that we didn’t have to then look again when we fell pregnant with our second child. When shopping, be mindful of the fact that many pram seats won’t be able to support a newborn or infant under a certain age. Also keep in mind that if you have a capsule, you may be able to avoid requiring a bassinet seat. The accessories you don’t NEED for your pram include: anything the sales person attempts to add on! Seriously though, don’t buy any of that until you realise you need it. Otherwise you could be buying something for no reason (which I am sure every other parent has done before you, myself included!). 

• A baby bag

I’ve done the over the shoulder and the backpack and I can hands down say that the backpack is the way to go. Lightweight, functional and they look good on both mums and dads (which was important to my husband!). Avoid something with too many zipper pockets. Instead you want a big zip pocket with different compartments inside. It makes it super easy to grab something out, and put away.  

• Swaddles/sleeping bags

A bloody life saver and totally necessary. These guys remove the need for blankets, while also allowing you to simply zip your bubs up to sleep instead of trying to wrap them like a burrito (as cute as it looks, it’s overrated at 2am). Love to Dream is my choice of swaddle for babies, but there are plenty of great brands out there. 

• A play mat and play gym

My recommendation here is to get a large play mat that is WATERPROOF. You will have all sorts of things land on this mat, so you want to be able to wipe it off quickly without too much effort. A play gym is also a must have. These will help develop your baby’s ability to track and grasp moving objects, gross motor skills and fine motor skills, while also being an invaluable source of entertainment. 

Other things that are a NEED but probably don’t need an explanation include:

• Wet wipes
• Onesies (though don’t buy any, you’ll have a pile of them gifted to you)
• Singlets (though don’t buy any, you’ll have a pile of them gifted to you)
• Muslin wraps (though don’t buy any, you’ll have a pile of them gifted to you)
• Handtowels/burp cloths 
• Swing or bouncer
• A change mat and x2 covers (opt for a material that will dry quickly)
• Nappy rash cream
• books to read!

The following things are on my It’s nice if….

• A change table
• A baby bath/or something to hold the baby in your bath
• Milestone cards (that you can get out at least two days late each time). Wooden blocks are a great choice as they can be reused for the next bub (the 6month+ cards tend to get ripped and chewed on)

Don’t go buying things like bottles, pumps, sterilisers, dummies, humidifiers etc, as these are all dependent on your baby’s behaviour. For example, I went out and bought a top of the line breast pump when I was pregnant with my second, only to find out that she downright refused the bottle. In hindsight, I should have hired a pump to see if she was a lover of the bottle first. You will also find that your baby might only take a particular brand of bottle, so go in search of friends who have already had bubs to see if you can borrow a bottle before buying one. 

While much of the newborn blur is uncertain and wildly unpredictable, one thing is a a definite: your baby won’t remember what pram they had or what they slept in, but they will thrive if you provide them with his basic needs – love, shelter, clothes, food and to feel safe and supported – something that I am certain you have an abundance of!