What to buy for babies...

The problem with being pregnant for 9 months is that you have 9 months to spend lots of money on stuff you dont actually need for your baby. But its an exciting time, and with most of this crap being advertised left right and centre you have no hope of avoiding it!
So I thought i'd do a little review of those things that were worth buying and those that weren't.
Unfortunately I'm a bit of an ebay addict, I also like quirky unusual things which aren't a good match!
One bit of advice I will give you is don't start shopping too soon. Or if you can't help yourself, stick to little bits and pieces. People give you a lot of stuff, in my case it was bath stuff and a lot of clothes.
People always buy newborn stuff so if you see nice outfits, maybe buy them in the next size up so you've not got to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe after a couple of months.
So hold back and see what you get given first, if your having a baby shower, have it a few months early so you can see what your given and then have time to do the rest of your shopping.
(I got a lot of vouchers as well which is perfect for getting the rest!)
Ok, 2 bits of advice. Buy second hand. Baby stuff is EXPENSIVE, they know your going to want only the best for your little bundle of joy so they will charge ridiculous amounts for it. Some people would never be seen dead in a second hand shop, me I love them.
Internet sites such as gumtree and ebay are also great for picking up second hand items locally and at least you can see where they are coming from that way.
I bought a lot second hand, especially clothes. Why pay £20 for one baby grow when you can get a black sack full of second hand ones for £10? Of course its nice to get the odd few nice bits but they're not going to be in them for 5 minutes, and when they are they're just gonna poop or puke on them so save your money! Also with clothes bare in mind the season, theres no point in buying 0-3 months snow suits if they're born in June. Our boy is a june baby and has barely worn clothes its been that hot.
In the house its just a nappy, a vest if a bit coolers and shorts and tshirt if we are going out.
Bouncers, swinging chairs, walkers, all those types of things are expensive new but you'll find second hand for £10-20 usually just check they work and are in good condition first. All covers can be washed first.

So i'll start with the good things.

Co-sleeper cot

This thing is amazing! We started with a moses basket and then used a snuggle nest in our bed but this is perfect. I can feed him and put him back to sleep without having to get out of bed. He also sleeps better because he can see us.
Some people think co sleeping is dangerous, but with this baby had their own space and you can't roll onto them (not that you would anyway, I've fallen asleep with Oz in my bed plenty of times and your just subconsciously aware they're there, even when asleep.)
These are about £200 so keep an eye out for second hand on ebay. The only thing you will need is a new mattress which is about £50 on its own.
You can also get the 'maxi' version which is ideal for twins or bigger babies.


Sleepcurve mattress

This mattress is for a moses basket but you can also get them in other sizes. It has a dip where the head goes to prevent flat head syndrome and to help open the air way.
You can buy special sheets for them  but normal sheets fit just fine, don't waste your money.
We use it for the moses basket during the day and also in the cot on the pram.

Delta Baby Shantala Bath

 I love this bath, and even better, so does Ozi. I was expecting a scream fest but he sat there happily, almost as if he was enjoying it! Baby sits upright in the bath as opposed to lying flat, this helps calm them as its how they were in the womb. The water can come right up to their shoulders to keep them nice and warm. The shape also helps keep the heat. My only criticism is that it says can be used from birth, it is near impossible to bath a baby alone, you need two people and I can imagine this will be the case until they can hold their own head up. Also its worth getting a non slip mat for the bottom. But I do love this bath and would definitely recommend it!
We got ours from amazon for £15.99 which may be expensive for a bath but worth it when you see how much they enjoy it!
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delta-Baby-Shantala-Bath-White/dp/B003EBPYNA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1374313560&sr=8-5&keywords=tummy+tub

Swing

We realised after the first few weeks that unless asleep in his cot, Oz was constantly in someones arms. No wonder we couldn't get anything done! I bought this months ago after spotting it in a charity shop for £20 ( they're usually around £80) so we dug it out and its brilliant! He will sit in it quite happily long enough for me to sort myself out in the morning and has occasionally fallen asleep in it. Looking round the charity shops I see loads of these so don't waste money on buying new. The covers can be washed and everything else wiped down.

Tummy with mummy


I cannot recommend this enough. After only 2 weeks of using this Oz can already hold his head up. He is happy to go on it for short bursts at  a time. Not only can they practice their tummy time, theres a harness so they can sit in it or lie on their back making it perfect for massage or changing. It folds down do easy to store and portable. They are about £40-50 I found mine in TK Maxx for £30 but if your baby hates tummy time, id say its definitely worth it to make something thats so crucial to their development more enjoyable for them.

Kangaroo care t shirt

This is a t shirt that also acts as a baby carrier. The idea is to strip baby off to their nappy and pop them in it for skin to skin. This means you can do it anywhere and don't have to worry about stripping off yourself! I thought the idea was brilliant, we've used it a few times and he likes it but the weather is so hot i can't use it at the moment or he'll overheat. This would be ideal for premature babies for which skin to skin is even more important. They are however, way to expensive for what they are, they're about £50 new, I got mine for £20 second hand which I think is just about right. Can also be used as a feeding top after so you'll get your moneys worth I suppose!!

Hospital bag

So we're coming up for a month since our little man arrived, the midwife discharged me this morning and it made me really sad!! Not only did we get on really well and she was a fantastic midwife, but she brought my son into the world, thats a big thing! If I could go through the birth again I really would, i know that sounds crazy but it was the most exciting time of my life, Id waited 41 long weeks for it and now its just a distant memory and it makes me sad!
Anyway I don't want to forget any of it so I thought id post about the little details to, such as what you should pack in a hospital bag, so here goes!

For you -
1. Nighties. I'd pack at least 3. I probably only say that as I was in the hospital 3 nights but I only packed 1 and wore 1 so had to rely on someone to wash and bring them back. I went through about two nighties a day due to blood, baby fluids or cos i was so sweaty from the boiling hospital room! I bought mine during my pregnancy to wear to bed when my pyjamas got too uncomfortable so buy them early on to get plenty of use out of them. Also, if you plan to breastfeed make sure you've got ones that have buttons either part or the whole way down. I got cheap ones from primark, they had the good old granny style ones with about 4 buttons down the front, just enough to get a boob out of! Or a little more stylish long shirt type with buttons up the whole way, these were more expensive but easier to feed with and also great for skin to skin.

2. Pants. Take lots of loose comfy cheap pants, don't bother with the expensive maternity ones, primark high rise a size or two bigger will do fine, again buy during your pregnancy when your normal pants are uncomfortable. I think I paid £3 for 5 pairs and bought 2 lots.
I did buy disposable pants but they were too small but may be a good idea if they fit!

3. Slippers. They don't like you walking round bare foot in the hospital and you don't want to put your shoes on just for a trip to the bathroom so slippers are a must. I bought a pair of flip flop style ones so they didn't take up a lot of room in my bag. Also easy to slip on and off during that first 'whole body is aching' day.

4. A light dressing gown. Not essential as hospitals are roasting but I was glad i took one especially as one of my nighties was on the short side!

5. Maternity pads. I took a pack of 10, they were gone in the first day. Take lots.

6. Breastfeeding bras & breast pads  (if breastfeeding). Depending on how long your in and when your milk comes in. Nothing worse than milk leaking all over your bed!!

7 Toiletries.
Pack a little toiletry bag with toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash, deodorant and a flannel, I've never enjoyed baths, but those few at the hospital were heaven. They will make you feel human again! I also put in nipple cream, a nice natural one by earth angel mama baby which worked wonders in those first few breastfeeding days. I also had a perineal cooling spray again by earth angel mama baby, this is for you bits if you tear / are cut to help heal and make less uncomfortable. Brilliant stuff!

For baby
1. Vests. Pack newborn and 0-3 size. My little man barely fit newborn stuff and thats all I packed so I had to send Mike to get bigger stuff. Also, if your sentimental like me pack a nice vest for his first outfit so you can keep it after or make a shadow box (see my shadow box post!) Pack as many as you can fit in.

2. Babygrow. Same as vests, pack both sizes and as many as you can. If its summer pack light ones, winter, warmer ones. Also look for ones with built in mits, the pairs you can buy don't stay on well.

3.  Mits, socks and hats. Few of each.

4. Nappies. We planned to use cloth nappies but that would be too much hassle at the hospital so I packed some 'Naty' environment friendly ones. Problem was they didn't fit with his belly button stump so we ended up having to ask the hospital for some pampers. So grab a few packs of ones you know will fit. The more the merrier, they go through a lot!

I didn't bother with lotions and potions for babies, all you need for nappy changes is water and cotton wool. I wouldn't bother with oils and baby wash, they don't need it so young.

That was the bulk, I also took a few high energy snacks, a book, magazines & headphones. To be honest a magazine would have done fine, I didn't touch half of it. If I wasn't busy with baby or replying to congratulations messages I was sleeping. Don't take loads of rubbish, you won't use it. Its surprising how fast time goes with a newborn! A phone charger is a must though!

So thats your hospital bag. Its really important to pack one. You may think, ill get everything together when I go into labour to kill time before I can go to the hospital but remember things don't always go as planned. I had a home birth so didn't expect to need it. But as we were rushed to hospital straight away, having it there ready to go was crucial!

Shadow box

So lil Oz is now 10 days old! Time is flying, the birth already seems like a distant memory and being a mummy now seems the norm. But I still look at that beautiful little face and can't believe he is mine, he is the result from all that time I spent with a big bump and giant swollen feet, and worth every second of it. I am totally and utterly in love.
Anyway back to the shadow box. This is my first post-baby craft and i'm glad I pulled my finger out and got on with it, these things aren't as easy to get done with a new baby around but I took advantage of his mammoth sleeping sessions and voila!

For those of you who don't know what a shadow box it (and can't guess by the picture) it is a deep photo frame you can put things in, instead of just pictures.
The frame is about 1inch deep so most things fit nicely in there!
Its a lovely alternative to keeping all these little treasures in a box where they'll only be taken out once in a blue moon. This way they can be seen all the time!!!
What you put in it is completely up to you, i put his first vest and mitts, bits from NICU - heart monitor wire, splint, plaster and info card, both our hospital bands, his footprint, 12 week scan, 4D scan and 1st photo, and a little map of our street to show where he was born.

You can put as much or as little in them depending on what you have.

This was one I made for a friend so I didn't have as much stuff but I think it still looks nice although minimalistic.
I got these from a local craft store for £9.99 each after almost paying a ridiculous amount online so have a good look around. These are lovely gifts for new mamas or you could make them for birthdays, weddings, memorials or other special occasions. The possibilities are endless!!