Baby Essesntials Advice
Help
Was just looking for some advice! I am due my first baby and was wondering if there were any items that people would recommend as being absolutely essential. I have a list of what I need but just wondered if there was anything I was missing. Also any advice on saving money on baby items would be appreciated. I have already looked into getting certain items second hand as I know it is cheaper, but any advice would be good. Want to make my maternity pay go as far as possible!
Best bit of advice I can give you is theres loads of companies trying to sell you so called baby essentials and theyre just not needed. Heres what you do need:
Changing mat
Bath seat OR baby bath
Towels
Toiletries (baby dove is my fav, half price in boots atm)
Nappies & wipes, nappy cream & nappy bags
Bottles + Sterilizer + infant formula (just incase breastfeeding doesn't workout)
A crib or moses basket + 3 fitted sheets and some blankets (cellular blankets are safest I feel)
Bouncer chair OR swing
High chair OR bumbo type seat
Muslin cloths
A few toys
Lots of bibs, babygrows and vests
Coat/snowsuit
If you breastfeed you'll need: breast pads, feeding cushion, nipple cream, nursing bras, low cut tops or I prefer baggy tunics as they keep you covered (dont waste money on actual feeding tops, theyre a rip off)
Car seat (i recommend you buy this new as second hand ones may not be safe if been in an accident)
Buggy
Baby blender/spoons/bowls/cups (from 6months)
Changing bag (bigger is better)
I think thats all you'll actually need, will add more if I missed anything 
don't let companys fool you into thinking you need everything because you don't lol, a lot of items aren't necessary. You can warm bottles in a bowl of hot water, you can hand express milk into a bowl, crib bumpers are just dangerous, travel cots can be hired, you can use the breastfeeding cushion as a sit me up. Jumperoos actually delay walking. Hope this helps 
I forgot to say, most of these items can be bought from NCT sales for very cheap, I bought a lot of things from them, but go with a list else you come out with everything 
facebook market place is also great
Thanks so much! Luckily everything you have mentioned is on my list! I know a lot of things that are seen as essential actually aren't! I already have my pram and car seat as my granny very generously bought it for us. I have looked on fb market place for items, but not bought anything yet. A number of family members have knitted me blankets and cardigans and I will get my baby box too, which will have things in it. I just don't want to waste money on something I don't need! I already have a number of tops that would be suitable as feeding tops, so not planning on buying any.
Sounds like you got it all sorted then follow latest free stuff as well as they often have baby things and on the website they list all the baby clubs. There's loads of ways to get free nappies as well. Join pampers squad and the pampers rewards app. Boots baby club gives you 10points per pound and occasionally a freebie on the boots app. Emmas diary gives you freebies including full pack of size 1 pampers. And if you collect your bounty packs from tesco you get a full pack of size 1 nappys in the mum 2 be pack and full pack of size 4 in the growing family pack 
Tasha042 Already follow latest free stuff and I am a member of loads of baby clubs! I am part of the pampers squad, part of the Boots baby club (I have a free bottle to pick up from them) and I have already picked up my Emmas diary and my bounty packs and I got a free pack of nappies from Lidl too. I was also lucky enough to win a newborn gift set, so I have some bottles already. I have a box filled with baby stuff upstairs that I have gotten free. I am also lucky that I won a £100 voucher for mothercare, so will be getting stuff from there. Just want to save as much as I can on baby items.
Oh wow you've done so well people don't realise how much you can actually get for free these days, companies are all fighting for your loyalty when you have a baby so you can get so much 
where did u win the mothercare voucher?that's amazing i've just started emailing companies this week and already recieved child's farm toiletries
I have gotten quite a lot for free, which I am very pleased with. I won it for reviewing a product. I got a free sample of bodyform and there was a thing with it that said to let them know what you thought and you would be entering into their monthly prize draw to win £100 in vouchers. So I reviewed the product and got an email to say I had won. It is a Love2Shop voucher, so I am going to use it in mothercare. Well done, that is fab!
Oh wow well done mothercare does lovely clothes and their sales are always really good, but I made the mistake of buying a lot of clothes for my first and you need hardly any because so many people buy you clothes lol! Luckily my second is a girl too so we're reusing everything, most of it never got worn the first time round lol x
I am going to buy as little as I can get away with and buy it in bigger sizes so baby can grow into them. Everyone has told me that they never wear everything that is bought for them. I have been looking at second hand bundles of clothing. x
Definitely a good idea second hand baby clothes are usually great condition because they do hardly get worn we wasted a fortune on them, my first is only 3 but in 7-8years as shes so tall. Ive lost count of how many wardrobe revamps shes had! I've learnt to just buy dresses and tights now as they take longer to outgrow lol x
Haha that is a good plan! There are some fantastic bargains out there on second hand baby clothes. I had my growth scan the other day and baby is measuring big, so think I will need to buy some bigger clothes too x
Yes I wouldn't buy much newborn or up to 1month stuff, just a couple of nice bits for their first photos coz they don't wear it long lol. My first was born 7lb 7 and out grew newborn by 1week and up to 1month by two weeks old lol. My second was born 7lb 9 but had bad reflux so stayed small and was in up to 1month for 6 weeks and got through so many clothes because of how sicky she was. But we just used the 0-3 stuff when she ran out of clothes even though it was a bit big, we just rolled up the sleeves lol x
I will be buying everything in 0-3 months and just rolling the sleeves/legs up. My husband was 10lb 12 when he was born, so we are expecting that we will have a big baby! My MIL has bought us some stuff and it is all 0-3 months! x
Aww yes you won't need any newborn clothes if they're 10lb lol. Even growth scans aren't accurate though, my first was measuring big, supposed to be 9lb ish and was just average. I got my midwives to estimate how big my babys felt and they were spot on both times!
I see my midwife on Tuesday, I might ask her what she thinks. As long as I have a few items of clothing that fits, I can easily get more once they are born! x
Due 21st November. I am due a few days after my birthday so my family keep joking that I am going to give birth on my birthday!x
I know, I probably will do! It would be a brilliant birthday present! And as my dad joked, no one would forgot babies birthday!x
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