Baby due in Sept. What should/shouldn't we buy? What brands do you recommend? Other tips?

morse on 25/05/2019 - 13:59
Last edited 25/05/2019 - 14:41

Expecting a baby in September. We're starting to look a what we should buy, and decide on brands so we can get a good price. Thanks in advance for recommendations on brands, bargains, value, where and when to buy, what to wait to buy, etc.

These thing are on the list of definite things to get:
Pram/stroller
Cot with mattress etc
Baby monitor
Nappies (haven't decided on disposable or cloth or mix)
car seat

These are the maybes:
Change table
Breast milk pump (+storage system, bottles)
baby carrier
Wraps, swaddles, sleeping bags etc

Thanks for any advice or other suggestions.

General Discussion

Comments

  • Jazza2400 on 27/05/2019 - 18:50
    +1

    Get a Britax Graphene baby seat. It has isofix for easy install (you don’t know hell until you’ve had to install a shitty baby seat) and rave reviews. Look into extended rear facing – in Aus you only have to rear face until 6 months but it’s much safer to do it for longer (like half of Europe and the US does). No second hand baby seats – you never know if they’ve been in a crash.

    Second hand baby gear is amazing but drop side cots can kill. Anchor your furniture, as bookshelves and tall boys have killed crawling babies in aus.

    If your baby does get sick, use fess saline spray and then the nosefrida. Clears congested boogers like you wouldn’t believe.

    Look into getting your baby meningococcal B vaccines (Bexsero is the brand name). They aren’t subsided by the government/not on the schedule of free vaccines (unless you are in SA) but the stories about the kids who have gotten it are horrifying and the parents never knew a vaccine existed.

    If you are considering circumcision, first watch this (Child Circumcision: An Elephant in the Hospital on YouTube).

    Amber teething necklaces lack an evidence base and are choking hazards.

    Breastfeeding Naturally is a book by the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) and is a concise read that will prepare you for most of the things that could arise, teaching you about supply and demand and knowing that baby is getting plenty. Lanolin is a wonder for sore nipples.

    Best of wishes.

  • shutuptakemymoney101 on 27/05/2019 - 20:03

    In China the women give birth in the paddy fields and then get straight back to work, don't spend millions of dollars on crap you don't need and don't overthink things :-) lol

  • qutee on 27/05/2019 - 20:23

    Congrats OP!

    Prams: I recommend the Yoyo zen pram, we should have bought this pram at the start instead of spending $2K on a Stokke Xplory, it was good at the start but it's really bulky and takes up a lot of the boot space. We ended up buying the yoyo zen pram when my son turned 1 as we travelled a lot, it fits in the overhead compartment of planes. That being said, I definitely recommend a
    baby carrier, we had the baby bjorn one air, we got a lot of use out of ours, travelling on planes especially before my son was one, using this made our lives so much easier. If you do get one, really invest in one, do not go for a cheap option as they may not be hip healthy.

    Cot: We bought a convertable cot, which turns into a toddler bed, we thought it was better for us now as we didn't have to
    buy another bed when he outgrew his cot

    Breast Milk Pump: I used the Medela swing breast pump and I highly recommend it. It was the same brand that was used in the hospital that I stayed at. We bought it in a pack on special. I pumped as well as breastfeed to keep my supply up and I was not really keen at that time to formula feed. If you guys decide to bottle feed, make sure you keep doing it, reason being
    is my son started childcare at 9 months, I got lazy and didn't pump hence didn't bottle feed. When he started
    childcare, he didn't want the bottle anymore and didn't know how to use the bottle, so at the start the childcare
    educators had a real hard time getting him to take the bottle, he finally took it after a couple of weeks.

    Formula: some babies will take a certain brand better than other brands. That being said, try formula brands that are not popular with the chinese, (eg. A2, Bellamy) or else you'll have a hard time buying them. I've had friends drive around for ages looking for a particular brand that was out of stock almost everywhere, and it was distressing because all you want to do is feed your child
    and it was definitely hard to see them go through that. As our son was slow in his weight gain, we were told by our
    paediatrician to feed him a bottle of formula a day, (this was around the time when he started childcare) he recommended the brands S26 or Nan as they have had more research done on them and also have been around longer. I asked him about the A2 brand as I have always wondered if they were better as it was so popular, he told me that those brands were just "fashion" and there is not enough evidence in saying that only having A2 was better

    Also one tip is that if you're planning to send your child to a good childcare centre to start putting them on now, some of the good ones have a waiting list of up to 2 years.

  • bajillionaire on 27/05/2019 - 20:30

    Some councils will install your baby seat for free. Look up if you're eligible before splashing cash on a paid installation service.

  • bmerigan on 27/05/2019 - 22:24

    Re the breast pump, it is useful to store milk so she doesn't have to do every feed, but don't buy it till you need it.
    It may turn out that she has trouble feeding and you end up switching to formula.

    Change table with shelves: yes.

    Wraps / swaddles : yes, stretchy ones are great.

    Carrier: meh. We had a good brandname one and I'd get a sore neck so didn't use it much.

    We had a reversible pram which was great.

  • Phattattak on 27/05/2019 - 22:25
    +1

    I have 2 of the little baby/toddler things are am on the back end of the baby acquisition project, transitioning to the support phase. As with everything I do, options are put in a spreadsheet and trade study performed. Keep in mind, if you want one baby thing, you may look at cheap options. If you're a sadist and go for 2 or more, good products are worth their weight and will pay for themselves over.

    Prams - Personal choice and can be budget limiting. Bugaboo are good (went for the Buffalo) and zero regrets. Keep in mind the size car you need to fit it in and lifting capacity of the mother to be. To be honest, don't bother with prams that have 2 seats, by the time number 2 comes along, the older one won't really care for being strapped in. We added a skateboard to the back of ours and the toddler loves it.

    Change Table - Not an option, you need one. Buy whatever. Thank me later when you're wrangling a baby smearing poo or peeing everywhere….

    Cot/Mattress - Don't bother too much with the drop side. If you can get one that can raise the mattress higher when a new born, then drop when the baby thing turns into a standing toddler thing, it will help.

    Baby Monitor - Yes. With video! They move before they make a sound. Our baby thing uses an angel care monitor with pads. Don't bother with the pads, you just lift bubs out and swear 10 seconds later when the alarm goes off…..though would be handy if there was an issue but that's the dice you roll. Our toddler uses a vtech, cheaper but better video quality. Voice to the toddler is great for telling them off and to get back into bed.

    Capsule/carrier - Yes. Buy one, use it, sell it on after 6 months when its done for probably less than it cost to rent one. ISOFIX all the way. Those car seat installers are praying on first time parents….click it in, pull it tight, move on to spending that $50 install fee on nappies.

    Car Seat - Don't bother just yet. You have 6 months to sort that out.

    Breast Pump - Wait and see on that one…..Breast is best etc, but that is the one thing that should be easy but isn't.

    Nappies - Only went for Huggies. Get a cost co membership and stock up every month. Base price at cost co is about the special price at Woolies, and on special it's good savings. Same with wipes. Buy in bulk, you'll go though A LOT.

    Sleeping stuff - Ergobaby swaddles for bubs. Wrap them tight…and they'll still bloody get out. But beats flailing arms that they wake themselves up with. We tried love to dream, but those little arms kept on being chewed on and keeping them awake.

    Other stuff you don't have but will need:

    Sterilizer/Bottles/warmer - Closer to nature for us, buy a combo and save.

    Nappy Bin - Don't bother with the fancy cartridge things, just use nappy bags. Ubbi bin was good for us and still in use.

    Baby bath - Use less water with a cheap plastic one, quicker to fill etc. Put that in your regular bath, don't bother with a stand that you have to move water to fil and drain somewhere. Buy one of those gardening knee pads too for your knees so you can lean and play.

    Nursing Chair - The mother will say 'oh I need one to feed in'….bullshit. That will be yours at 3am in the morning willing to sell your soul for your baby to sleep. I was dubious, but was a good buy. Buy a cheap faux leather one, fabric will stain.

    Bubs Clothes - DO NOT GET STUDS. The last thing you want is to manipulate 20 little studs in the wee hours, only to find you got one wrong and have to start again. Bonds Wondersuits all the way. Zip them down to get them in out and, and zip them up to expose the poo area for nappy changing. Also don't go overboard. They don't go through a lot of clothes when small, and grow quick.

    Sudocrem - White witchcraft in paste form. No idea whats in it, but works very well on anything that's red on a baby's skin (irritations, nappy rash etc).

    Naps - Personal preference, but we tried to instil a routine. Hard yards at the start, but always had ours sleeping through well before others.

    Bassinet - Probably want one of those too. Get one with wheels so you can shift the sleeping position to wherever it needs to be (e.g. naps in babys room, night time in yours). Aim to get them out of your room and into a cot early so you don't get weirdo attachment issues. Having them in your room early is handy as you'll be up a few times each night.

    The first few months are hell, you'll wonder what the hell you did. Some have it easy, we had bad 'witching hours', from 4pm till 9pm constant screaming…..just triggered my PTSD thinking about it again. But no matter what, you get into a new way of life, routines and it just gets easier. If you go for bubs 2 its just a walk in the park compared to the first because its such a change.

    All the best!

  • John on 27/05/2019 - 22:50

    Re Baby monitor, just get a secondhand android/apple phone/pad as long as it has camera. Or if u have spare one. We use the Baby Monitor app and it works great. You can view the over internet too.

  • shhh666 on 28/05/2019 - 00:26

    Never had to tackle nappy rash. I mean just once when we changed the brand. I had a preemie and had a sensitive skin. Just changed nappies often enough. Nappy rash sure does look painful. I agree with cloth nappies. Wash and change all the time!! You can try disposable ones for first month or so till you get hang of new baby and routine then you can deciede what nappies you want to go with.
    Some kind of change mat you can carry anywhere in your bag. That way you are anywhere, you can just keep your bubba and change..You can line Change tables in public toilets n all.

    Prefer having baby in same room atleast few months. That way you can go to sleep quickly after feeding rather than walking through the house and coming back. My kid never slept well for few years (premie n all) so had him next to me so I could just roll and go back to sleep when he was settled . Saved me some time to catch some sleep.
    For you, as I said, you can deciede for yourself after first month whatever suits you.
    First month is crazy. (Don't worry it doesn't get better but you get used to it by then😀).

    Always wipes and hand sanitizer handy.
    Stretch marks cream for mum.
    (Never got there myself but it would be good)

  • RocketSwitch on 28/05/2019 - 01:25
    • Exercise ball from Kmart $8, the only thing that will stop baby from crying
    • Haakaa silicone breastfeeding manual breast pump, watch YouTube clips on how to correctly use it
    • Breastmilk storage bags
    • Breast feeding pillow, extra support, goes a long way
  • luvafreebie on 28/05/2019 - 09:05

    My biggest recommendation is that if you have two cars and you can afford it, buy a car seat for each car.
    Nothing worse than having to constantly transfer a car seat to another vehicle.
    Congratulations!

  • tolchok on 28/05/2019 - 09:15

    I'd suggest asking a family member or friend (or multiple) to get you a nappy service for the first few weeks. This will take the pressure off nappy wise for a bit and every new parent (including myself just over a decade ago) has really appreciated it as a gift while finding their feet as a new parent.

    I'd also recommend bamboo undie shaped nappies rather than disposable nappies, and possibly having a few disposable for emergencies when you are out and about. We tried both the bamboo and disposable nappies and realised many of the assumptions about convenience and hygiene for disposable nappies were incorrect.

    Non-disposable nappies come with financial savings (which is what this forum is about), they are generally more comfortable for the baby (according to baby forums over 10 years ago) and less likely to cause rash (again, info from forums over 10 years ago, so check whether this is still the general advice), it is also easier to keep the house more hygienic and less stinky (you plop the solids straight into the loo and then chuck the nappy into a bucket of bleach or straight into the wash), also they are better for the environment (and having a kid is likely to encourage you to consider the state of the environment they will have to deal with later in their lifetime).

    We found that when using disposable nappies, the outside bin constantly stank. We also find many people who rely on disposable nappies houses stink because they store the used nappies inside in the rubbish bin. The bamboo ones on the other hand could be dealt with quickly and easily by putting on a load of washing, rather than waiting for the weekly rubbish collection.

  • NotSureIfSerious on 28/05/2019 - 09:46

    Great helpful comments on here, alot of this stuff I had to find out myself!

    Biggest tip I can give is buy a good branded second hand pram off gumtree unless you get gifted one from family or friends. We got an second hand emmaljunga for $150 and its been incredible, they retail for 2000+ new. Its built like a tank and can handle offroad with ease. I've got no doubt it will survive another 10-15 years.

    • morse on 28/05/2019 - 17:23

      Thanks - hadn't heard of emmaljunga, will check it out.

  • anawth on 28/05/2019 - 09:49
    +2

    I couldn't believe how militant and judgemental hospital staff/midwives/other women can be about breastfeeding - and yes, I'm sure it is "best" if possible, but my wife just couldn't do it. The baby wasn't getting enough milk and the stress and pressure put on her to do it just made it worse.
    Our little guy is now one, formula fed, strong, healthy and off the charts size wise. Don't sweat it if you can't do it. If the baby is safe, fed and loved, just (and this is the best advice I received) DO WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU!

    • sam-1966 on 28/05/2019 - 17:15
      +2

      I wasn't able to breastfeed and was so thankful that the nurses were great with me.

      Loving the new phrase - 'FED IS BEST'!

      • anawth on 29/05/2019 - 08:58
        +1

        Definitely much better

  • bloo58 on 28/05/2019 - 10:01

    We had our first in November last year and if I can give any advice it would be move the change table, breast pump and swaddles etc into the definte category.

    A relocatable change table is one of the most handy things you can have, plus your back will thank you for not having to lean over a bed/couch to do changes

    You dont know what kind of feeder bub will be on the boob, so a pump can be super handy, plus it gives mum a chance to have a break, and gives dad some time to bond

    And as with feeding, you dont know wht kind of sleeper bub will be, our girl sleeps better all snugged up in a wrap and tends to wake herself up if she manages to get an arm free.

    • morse on 28/05/2019 - 17:19

      Congrats on your little person and thanks for the advice - I hadn't heard of a relocatable change table.

  • mintysaurus on 28/05/2019 - 13:11

    I haven't had time to read the rest of the posts due to having my hands full with a baby.

    Things I've found really helpful apart from the obvious -
    Disposable change mat cover. We have one always there, but in a disaster being able to just throw one of them out instead of washing everything has made things a lot easier.
    Swaddle bags. I sucked at swaddling & baby would wriggle out. We're using a Grosnug and we discovered it 2 months in. Probably coincidence but baby started sleeping way better.
    Terry Towels. Use them for breastfeeding when laying down to protect the bed, burp cloths and spew rags.
    Bassinet. For the first month when she was always sleeping, we could move it from room to room. She sleeps in the room with us where a cot wouldn't fit, and it makes night time feeds a lot more convenient.

    • morse on 28/05/2019 - 17:17

      Thank you for sharing your very recent experiences!! I think I'm likely to suck at swaddling too, so swaddle bags sound like a good idea.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/05/2019 - 13:48

    Bottles and baby formula for emergencies even if you are thinking of breast feeding.

    • morse on 28/05/2019 - 17:16

      Thanks - good idea.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/05/2019 - 17:14

    Booties.

    Get booties and everything else will just fall into place.

  • AlienC on 28/05/2019 - 22:46

    Not sure if you already have some but maternity pillows are great for keeping babies upright on the bed just don't put them near the edge of the bed otherwise a tumble will be sure to happen.. accidentally saw my baby sister fall twice lol god it is so scary.

    Depending on how your house is set up we used to keep my baby sister in a play pen type construction in front of the tv lol not ideal but yeah.

    I used to play games next to her cot when I was in charge of babysitting her..

    times are changing now so all of this stuff could be all outdated

  • mooie on 29/05/2019 - 07:56

    Congratulations! Me and my partner are also expecting in September.
    I have one key piece of information from family and friends.

    Don't Buy Anything Until After The Baby Shower!

    People will buy you so much stuff, and it would be pointless to double up.
    Because you can ask some groups of friends to join together to get a big present, because I have heard lots of people will buy newborn nappies and stuff that is pointless after a month and you will have too many leftovers.

    Also, Pram advice: I went to the Pregnancy, Children and Toddlers Expo in Sydney a few weeks ago to get a feel of prams.
    BabyJogger prams are massive and expensive once you buy the bassinet and everything. (x)
    Bugaboo are just so expensive and don't have any better features. (x)
    We found that RedsBaby are really nice. Easy to fold, safe, look nice, and pretty cheap relative to other brands. (/)

    Best of Luck!

  • Mancandy on 29/05/2019 - 08:13

    When changing a newborns nappy, use one disposable glove on your preferred hand.
    The obvious benefit is that you're not worried about getting poo on your hands. The other benefit is that when you're finished cleaning, hold the nappy in the glove and wrap the glove around the nappy as you take it off.

    This will eliminate all smells and mess from the nappy without the need of a special diaper disposing bin.
    This method works until the nappy is too large to hold in 1 hand.

  • bl1027 on 29/05/2019 - 11:14

    Congrats!

    Don't forget about yourself and your spouse. Think about how you will care for yourself after the birth - massages, baths, nutritious foods, know the signs for depression etc.

    Also, I strongly believe in actively maintaining your relationship with your spouse, which can fall by the way side with baby. My husband and I attended a couples workshop specifically targeted to new parents and it was really helpful in teaching us how to work through conflict (and there will be conflict! ), maintaining closeness, listening to each other etc. Note that it wasn't about how to change a nappy or bathe baby etc. Highly recommend it.

    Carve out time for yourself to do the stuff that you do now and don't feel guilty about it. 2-3 hours to go to yoga or coffee with friends out of 168 hours a week is less than 2%. Same goes for spending baby free time with your spouse.

    Just do you and what is best for your family. Stuff the judgemental people… and they're are heaps!

  • Yeahjono on 29/05/2019 - 12:09

    Get a City Mini stroller. Reason: https://youtu.be/e9-rLlV7mdA?t=4

    They come on sale every now and then - amazing product for the price

    Compare that to the famous (and more expensive) Bugaboo: https://youtu.be/RANU56Mwogw?t=3

  • lunartemis on 29/05/2019 - 13:21

    Get baby bum cream from perfect potion. It works like a treat especially if you are in a humid climate.

  • Boba on 29/05/2019 - 14:36

    Must have is a baby bouncer (eg baby bjorn brand).

    Useful from 6 weeks onwards. Put the baby down on the chair and then your hands are free to do other chores.

    Also lots of cheap Kmart / Target hand towels or face washers. Use them to line your change table, baby capsule, baby bouncer etc. When things leak, you then just have to wash the towel rather than wash the entire fixture.

  • EvilOverLord on 29/05/2019 - 14:39

    Sure other people have already posted advice, but I'll chime in anyway. Just been through all this with our first, 6 months old now.

    Pram/stroller : Yeah can wait a bit for this. What picked up a good deal from Babybunting, like discontinued model. So if you can afford to wait and see if deals come about, go for it. The whole car capsule that can plug into a pram thing is a bit too much for my liking. Just go with a separate car seat.

    Cot with mattress etc : Just get something sturdy, some I "tested" in baby shops by shaking them around seemed a bit rickety. But yeah, wheels are a good thing to have.

    Baby monitor : https://www.yitechnology.com/yi-1080p-home-camera . Buying an actual baby monitor is crazy beccause they are all overpriced. This thing, has great video, has notifications and can detect baby crying as well.

    Nappies : Disposable. People thing they are going to be good to the environment etc etc, but unless you have a live-in nanny who wants to add that extra chore to their lives of scrubbing baby lava poo off nappies? As someone else said, Huggies at Costco.

    Car Seat : We went crazy and got the most expensive best one we could find. But ISOFIX is the way to go. BigW had an ISOFIX Mother's Choice carseat on clearance last week for $199, which is crazy. I should have posted it here…

    Change Table : IKEA one is good, has drawers you can put in it. Just think about fixing it to the wall now though, you don't need it fixed for a while soon until bub gets bigger, but yeah, plan ahead.

    Breast milk pump : You can rent these beforehand to get expressing started etc. You never know though, as breast feeding might not work out for you. It didn't for us due to birth complications just screwing everthing up, so we ended up with an expensive breast pump that isnt used.

    Baby Carrier : Minimonkey baby sling at first. Then you can move to the carriers. We got a Lillebaby carrier which was the only carrier I could find that you could buy extension's to the waist strap as I am a big unit. https://www.bellaslittleones.com.au/shop/lillebaby/lillebaby…

    Wraps, swaddles, sleeping bags : When you have a fresh squishie, find yourself a velcro swaddle for newborns. Babystudio has good ones. The midwives can show you how to swaddle bub, but man, just a quick velcro and done. Other than that, bonds wondersuits and 2 good sleeping bags cause poo gets everywhere sometimes.

    Other stuff:

    Other bottle brushes are cheap, this is solid plastic so doesnt bend and eventually snap.https://www.bigw.com.au/product/nuby-easy-clean-bottle-and-teat-cleaning-brush-assorted/p/726109/

    When teething start: https://www.target.com.au/p/n-by-trade-3-pack-koolsoother-tr…

    If you have a nursery setup in a room, consider chucking a spare single mattress in there. Been great for me to sleep on if my noising sleeping keeping others awake or for my wife to have a lie down with bubba playing about.

    If you do end up formula feeding, just get like 12 bottles and like 4 of these things: https://www.bigw.com.au/product/dymples-milk-powder-containe… . Cheap, holds 3 measures of formula in each, so you can bulk sterilize and fill with sterlized water and measure out your Forumula so it is all ready to go. I usually do this in the mornings before I head off to work so wife has a good supply built up for the day and doesn't need to worry.

    Speaking of forumla, if you end up going with the "best" formula Nutricia Profutura, good luck finding it in shops. You can order in it 3 packs from Nutricia's own website at mumstore.com.au

    Get some baby panadol and nurofen before bub is out, cause you don;t want to be driving to a chemist at 10pm.

    My hands (skin) got wrecked from washing bottles non-stop for a while there (they are still getting wrecked actually), use some hand cream before it happens…

    Water wipes are good as no chemicals in them, you can order them in bulk off ebay as well which is handy. This doesnt leave my watch list https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Curash-Babycare-Simply-Water…

    Took ages to find a large change mat, this doesnt have padding but it's larger than the standard piddly small things you can buy https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Reusable-Baby-Change-Mat-waterpr…

    If you can find this chair on sale, it is great https://www.catch.com.au/product/ingenuity-smartserve-4-in-1…

    Check on gumtree or Facebook marketplace for things like feeding chairs as there are always people looking to sell them. Other than that, this thing here is glorious: https://www.freedom.com.au/furniture/armchairs-ottomans/all-…

    • RocketSwitch on 31/05/2019 - 22:42

      What's Methylisothiazolinone in the baby wipes? Organic right lol

    • morse on 02/06/2019 - 21:05

      Wow! Thanks for all the advice. Lots of brands I hadn't heard of and things I hadn't considered.

  • mgrowan on 29/05/2019 - 18:05

    Lots of things for a guilty mum: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcnP8uT1FzoUVv3WOpQDF…

  • laura85 on 02/06/2019 - 21:01

    All good advice above. If I can add anything else, it would be to get things done now that are hard to do when you have a pram/baby with you e.g. dentist, hairdresser, trying on clothes at the shops or anything that involves waiting in queues.

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