Hi all!
Very new to all this. Online info is overwhelming.
Baby arriving early next year.
Need recommendations for;
Cot/bassinet
Car seat / capsule
Baby pram
saftey, good value and quality are most important
Happy to buy second hand but need recommendations first!
Thanks OzBs
agree to both uppababy and babybjorn.
We decided on the baby bee duo instead of the uppababy. About $900 and seemed very similar in store at baby bunting and aussie made i think. Happy with the choice.
I'll check out the babybjorn bouncer thanks
Agree. Got the same stuff.
Pram - Redsbaby - Usually go on sale around Black Friday from memory - ~$800 Australian made.
Bassinet - Redsbaby comes with a bassinet, $100 for a stand
Cot - Gumtree/FB Marketplace - Boori - Probably get a new mattress. Most cots should be up to SIDS standards
Capsule - Can hire, but Britax Safe-n-Sound Unity NEOS.
Change table - Gumtree/FB Marketplace, so many options out there.
Good luck!
Reds baby - designed in Australia, made in china.
I have the jive3, its a good pram. Also bought a Baby Jogger Summit x3 and its better for rougher surfaces and running with baby.
I got the Unity neos, its great, fits with Redsbaby.
We bought so many things that turned out to be useless - mamaroo electric rocker, jolly jumper, and a multitude of creams, things for feeding, etc.
Don’t go overboard before they’re out!
Oh yea good point about Redsbaby, thanks!
Agreed, you don't need everything. And save money where you can and get second hand!
Pram - we went Reds baby…great overall and relatively priced (we paid <$1k for bassinet, seat and a whole bunch of extras back in 2018 for their top of the range model).
Cot - went the Boori classic, they’re all mostly good…
Just pick the one that matches your budget and style. For mattress just go basic from Baby Buntings (they try to up sell brands and memory foam etc) at that age it won’t matter.
Just ensure it’s the firm type.
Car Seat - go with either Britax or Maxi Cosi,
I’ve got one of each. Both great, look out for Baby Bunting EBay deals.
I was told after the $300-400 mark the base seat is generally the same it’s colours and additional features (memory foam, added paddings etc) you pay for.
Bath tubs etc, recommended IKEA…a lot of the other items are just a nice to have, my recommendation is wait until baby arrives and see if you really need them.
We bought/gifted so many things we never or hardly used. Set up OzB alerts, that way you can pounce on any sales/deals.
Almost 6months with our 2nd child, first 3 week are the hardest for first time parents. Just remember It gets better!
Enjoy your time with them, they really grow up quick! Goodluck.
Personally speaking we weren’t comfortable with 2nd hand items, unless it was from our family so we went mostly with new.
Other nice to haves, but to musts:
- microwave sterilisers (a lot easier and quicker than boiling a pot);
- change table/station (saves your back);
- wifi enabled speaker, white noise on loop through Spotify etc;
- baby carrier (Ergo baby), despite how forward Australia is with wheelchair/pram access. There are so many locations that it’s easier without;
- baby electric nail file (check on AliExpress)
- Basic bouncer, funnily we got leant a fancy swing type our 2nd pref the basic one
- decent high chair, we went the Star Kids but note food does tend get stuck in the grooves. My bro got one of those wooden ones which is easier to clean but only useful from nearer to 1yr age mark.
- Baby monitor, A basic one from Amazon, as long as you can see and hear baby, the rest are just gimmicks.
- Sleeping bags (vs those muslin clothes, could never do it like the nurses/midwives despite all the tutorials) Aldi do a great range
Oh, to save some additional money…check if/when your council does car seat fitting checks and that way you can have it professionally installed for free.
I don’t recommend doing it yourself, fitting is probably just as, if not more important than the seat itself. They’re about $40-60 for a fitting.
Pram: second hand. Make sure your capsule fits in it and you have the adaptors for it.
Bassinet: didn't use one. We used a capsule
When they were very young they slept in a rocker/bed.
Capsule: ex rental. They grow out of the capsules quickly. My kids lasted 6 months.
Car seat: new 0-4yo we bought.
Cot: second hand Boori and new mattress. Make sure you get the toddler rail side at the time of purchase as a year or two later it may no longer be available. I had to drill some extra holes in their toddler bed side rail to be able to attach it as it wasn't for the same model. Boori sells them separately.
Baby monitor: security camera and rtsp app on phone.
Bath tub: second hand bath seat.
Bottle sterilizer: the cheap microwave one, second hand.
It all depends on your budget and what you think is value for money. Some parents are happy with a $100 pram while others prefer to spend $1000, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Bassinet - only good for max 12 months. Get a reasonably priced one from Kmart, BIGW or ALDI. We have the $150 Aldi one, it's good but only comes instores every few months.
If you can score a clean used one on FB marketplace for around $50, even better.
I also bought 2nd bassinet from FB for the living room. It is the expensive Boori bassinet, but only paid $70. Otherwise it's $250 new, which is a rip off.
Cot - so many on FB marketplace. Obviously conditions vary. The Boori is probably the go to cot brand here, as most of their designs have a drop down rail, which is very useful.
We have an IKEA one and scored that for free, as the previous owner child didn't use the cot at all!
Pram - We use Silver Cross. Quality is very good. Everything feels sturdy, wheels are big. It is heavy, but does not bother me, I want my bubs to be comfortable. It is around $700-$800 but I'm happy with it. I tried a $300 Maxi Cosi pram and returned it. I did not want my bubs sitting it that filmsly wobbly pram.
Car Seat - there are so many to choose from. I narrowed down to Mothers Choice Adore for low cost and highest safety rating for forward facing. I'm yet to buy it as we're using a Cybex Cloud Q capsule for rear facing, and yes this capsule is the most expensive item we have. Paid around $650 on sale. It has high safety rating for rear facing seat (on par with Nuna Klik). It can extend almost flat when not used in the car, I find that feature the best. It's amazing yes, value wise no. Bubs is happy and sleeps most of the time when in the car.
Check out https://www.childcarseats.com.au/ and suss out the seat models
Bath tub: $20 second hand on FB. Came with stand on wheels too. Otherwise pay $100+ for a new one. Bubs will grow out of it.
Steriliser is the only item I wouldn't buy second hand. For hygiene reasons and the sake of $50 or so, for the health of your most previous bubs, just buy a new one.
As you can see, my spend amount varies on the item. What I have discovered in all the hours on comparing products and watching Youtube, there is no perfect list and what to buy and not buy. It's your personal preference that you decide is best for you and bubs.
First, congratulations and I hope everything goes well.
Whatever you buy, especially if second hand, do a good safety check to make sure fingers can’t be trapped in mechanisms, little heads don’t get trapped in cots, etc. Have a search for any safety recalls on goods you are thinking about purchasing and have a good look for damage.
Sydney council has this service to check that child seats are installed properly.
https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/public-health-safety-pro…
Remember to look after yourselves as well as bub.
Join your local buy nothing groups, I have gotten so much baby clothes from there, even bassinets, toys, kids books anything really.
Cot - 2nd hand off FB, got a boori sleigh cot and change table for under $300 great condition. I need drop side as I'm about 160cm and can't place baby at the bottom without literally falling or dropping them lol. Husband 190cm no problems so depends how tall you and your partner are. New mattress
Pram - bought city select Lux for cheap on Amazon, lucky I got a pram that could convert to double as we had another surprise baby 18months later, so think long term. Bought a cheap pram/stroller on Amazon for $100 (slightly better than those $20 ones at big w type) that is lightweight and use that for casual quick trips.
Bassinet - although I had it I didnt bother with it, baby sleeps next to me in bed as I cbf getting up 103847x a night to settle bub.
Capsule - not necessary BUT it is handy to have it you buy the attachment compatible with your pram, you can just click baby in and out or the car easily. Also helps in that you can put them in the seat inside your house instead. Mine was an ex-hire 2013 maxi cosi ap model, $60. Just sold it for $100 lol.
Car seat - you want to rear face as long as possible so look at ERF seats. Babylove Ezy switch (they changed the name recently safe and sound something) around $159 really good budget option. Britax Graphene for a more compact seat so you have more space in the car. Both easy to install yourself takes me about 2 minutes for the seat belt install.
Digital kettle that goes to 40 deg - if you are formula feeding. Very helpful during the newborn stage as the amount is too small to mix around with boiling and cool water. Don't bother with bottle warmers, it takes so much longer and you have to watch it as it can get too hot if you leave it for too long.
Steriliser - microwave type, I'm using Philips Avent, just 2 mins in the microwave. Got it for free from the buy nothing page. Bottle dryers - I use Boon, bit pricey but I like it.
THANK YOU EVERYONE SO FAR! This is extremely helpful!!
Before you buy some things, think about how much time you have to spend on the child. E.g. is Mum taking a couple of years off or going back to work after 6 months. Or are the grandparents looking after the child for a (couple of) day(s), and your lifestyle - mostly sedentary or out the house on your feet a lot of the time.
If active and taking a few years off (perhaps with more to come), you might find a bag more useful than a pram - e.g. we gave ours away virtually brand new because we used a bag and in arm carrying.
Don't buy expensive cots and then try to flog it off for '00s of dollars on FB marketplace (you might not get what you want); Ikea quality is great and you feel good passing it on for free.
Baby on Way Help - Need Recommendations
Get a boy
Why settle for second best :)
Get a Camry then
Bonds baby wondersuits.
yes
Regarding bassinets and cots, I would be careful about what you choose.
SIDS is a very scary topic, and one that should not be taken lightly. - https://rednose.org.au/article/bassinets
On a personal note, we bought a super fancy bassinet for our room (babies should sleep in the room with you for 12months - SIDS precaution). It was great because of how safe it was, but I feel the bassinet I recommend below was just as good, for a fraction of the cost.
However when the baby is tiny and sleeps all the time, you'll find you want a bassinet in your living areas. Babies shouldn't be sleeping for long periods of time in rockers or prams, a bassinet is the safest space.
I would recommend https://www.babybunting.com.au/tasmaneco-rascali-bassinet-wh…
- It is SIDS safe
- Has wheels, so you can take bubs with you wherever in the house (storeys and stairs permitting).
- You can easily rock bubs to sleep!! This is the big advantage, being able to push the bassinet back and forth like a pram, or rock it side to side to settle the baby will be your saviour.
I would also say that a Shusher (white noise machine) is a game changer
https://babyshusher.com/
Very helpful when setting the baby.
Hit up baby bunting, they're pretty helpful in there.
It depends what your approach will be. Is it going to be best of everything only? Or second hand is fine? Spend as little as possible or spend as much as possible? Is looks as important as function? How opposed are you to cleaning things? etc etc… only you can answer.. every baby and parent is different. If you have friends who have finished having kids they will have loads to pass on to you, just put the call out.
https://www.childcarseats.com.au/ is handy but won't have all seats. I would buy new.
If a cot fits next to your bed, you don't need a separate bassinet/co-sleeper. However I found one handy where I didn't have to bend down too far to put the baby…so I splashed out on the joie glider and it's freaking awesome. Love the rocking and the easy down door instead of the bar.
So many prams out there, depends on your budget. I went with a Uppababy cruz because I'm not sure about having a second, and by the time it happens the older one could be walking or standing on the separate board, so didn't buy the Vista as its slightly heavier. But awesome pram if you intend on taking two kids out. Other reason is the big height difference between me and the husband, and the uppababy was the ONLY one with a one handed adjustable handlebar. The others all required two hands/two latches to extend the bar height. With the Cruz its so easy and smooth to use. Love it.
I was given so so so many clothes from friends I don't need to buy anything until they reach toddler age BUT basically any onesies with zips are the best. No going over the head, no fiddling with buttons, no pulling pants on and off for changes…
This post came in perfect timing as I've got one coming as well.
We just bought the RedsBaby Jive3 Pram. It's on sale atm for $720.
Can anyone recommend a rocking/reclining feeding chair? Or where to best get them from?
Can't decide on car seat yet.
A lot of people have used the IKEA Strandmon chair and added rocking legs to it. Super comfortable chair too and can pick them up second hand pretty cheaply on FB/Gumtree. Also has a footstool.
Rocking Legs and other IKEA ideas.
Isn’t there an Aldi one people rave over as well?
That's the other one I was trying to think of! Got a get in quick apparently…
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/interiors/aldis-rocki…
Take a look at your lifestyle, what suits one person, won't suit someone else. I rave about some things, but others hate them and each to their own.
Cot/bassinet
We used the bassinet from the pram for the first few months. We bought a co-sleeper/bassinet and bubs hated it. We went straight from the pram bassinet (make sure it's one that says it's suitable for overnight sleeping) to the cot. Cot was from Gumtree, glad we didn't spend heaps because bubs was a biter when he first started standing and it's got teeth marks all along it now. We also used the swaddle ups from Love to Dream - some babies love them, some hate them! At 16 months we now use the Love to Dream sleep bags and suits. Can often see them on marketplace for much cheaper and often hardly used if their kids didn't like them.
Car seat / capsule
Britax Graphene. Apparently it's slimmer than other models. Others must be bloody huge because I've got a Prado and it still seems big! Didn't bother with a capsule as he was born at the start of the pandemic and we couldn't really go anywhere anyway. Also if mum has to have a C-section she won't be able to lift a capsule with a baby in it for minimum 4 weeks and realistically 6-8 weeks.
Baby pram
We've got the Uppababy Vista, I've said on here a few times how much I like it simply because it's so dammed easy to push, even on rough ground. If you're a shopping centre dweller, drive most places and you live in an area with good smooth footpaths then go a cheap online one, but if you need something that takes a good bit of bashing and you walk A LOT spend a bit more money. 16 months on and I still haven't driven to the supermarket, just an online delivery every 2-3 weeks and the rest I walk as the pram holds heaps. Also the Vista sits high enough that you can push bubs up to the table in a cafe if you don't want to use a high chair. A friend has the redsbaby and the poor thing is looking at our knees!
High Chair
We started out with the Ikea one and out little escape artist ended up climbing out at 8 months and falling out. It was terrifying, I'll never forget the sound of him hitting the ground. We had another one that we were given that did him ok for a while, but I ended up splurging on a Tripp Trapp. Started at one end of baby bunting and put the poor thing in almost every high chair, and even though it was the last one he looked so comfortable.
A couple of honourable mentions…
CORDLESS VACUUM. If you don't have one, you'll thank me later.
Night Light. We have the Vava that used to be on Amazon. Not sure where they are avaliable now but it's great.
Bonds wondersuits. Don't bother with most others. They are crap. Only exception is the $4 newborn ones from BigW - They grow out of them so fast and we had a happy chucker so we went through heaps every day.
Don't buy pretty "clothes", you won't use them until the kid is at least 6 months.
Keep your eye out on Marketplace for bundles and don't be scared of driving to get them (if your restrictions allow). I drove across town for a $35 box of size 0 and $50 of size 1 and there was freaking Burberry shorts in there amongst the Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Country Road. If you can afford it, great - it's really good quality, but wow, $50 for a top the kid will grow out of in 6 months!!
Don't buy toys until after the kid is born. He got a "youniversity" for his first Christmas (google it) and that's all I've bought aside from some op shop finds.
Hope that helps and congratulations and good luck!
Did you get a rocking/reclining chair for nursing at all?
We had an old Lay-z-boy that my partner was given long before he met me that he kept saying he was going to get rid of. I saw it as the perfect nursing chair for the future but didn't want to scare him off!! I found we used it HEAPS but only after about 3-4 months as I couldn't get out of it while holding bubs as I had a C-section. If we didn't have one already we definitely have bought something but I didn't include it because I couldn't recommend anything specific. That being said, some people buy them and never use them and I always see them second hand on marketplace, just be careful as a few have been recalled since baby stuff has been on my radar so make sure you check it's not on the recall list first!
Great first post PeachesK. I came to post this very question (first child due end March) and saw your post at the top of the forum. Thanks everyone else for the info.
Baby anything and ‘good value’ is a bit subjective.
Eg babybjorn bouncer bliss mesh variant goes for 349 at the buntings. That is INSANE money to spend according to a lot of parents but to me it’s worth every cent. Being an ozbargain veteran I got it for closer to 260 after various stacking of offers. It’s still a lot of money.. subjectively.
Pram wise love uppababy vista. Paid close to 1700 for a kit with a minu thrown in. Definitely worth the dosh.