I went for a wander in the baby isle at Coles on the weekend - YIKES!! there sure is enough stuff there.
Leechboy and I were thinking of starting to purchase stuff now to spread out the cost but gosh there’s so much I don’t know where to start.
Also a friend told me that second hand mattresses are related to a higher incidence of SIDS. We were going to get a second hand cot off our BIL but should we buy a new mattress?
Our basic list so far is the big ticket items:
Cot
Pram
Car Seat
Small cupboard to hold clothing that I can use the top for a change table
But the other stuff WOW, there is like a million different brands of nappies!
I don’t know if second-hand mattresses are dangerous, but I do know that new ones can be purchased at Wal-Mart (I’m assuming you have some equivalent?) for under $50.00. If you can only afford one stroller, go for a deluxe umbrella. It combines the nice features of full-size with umbrella (it’s light, easy to fold and transport, and has a basket in back). As for car seats, get a “convertible”, which works for newborn to 40lb. Otherwise, you have to buy a second one when your little one reaches 20lb.
Good luck with your baby! They don’t need nearly as much as the stores would have you believe.
I started buying stuff for Aaron when I was about 20 weeks pregnant. I knew that relatives would cover major stuff like crib, bassinet, stroller, etc., so I just focused on smaller stuff.
Since I knew his gender, I was able to get gender-appropriate clothes (no green or yellow unless I wanted to get green or yellow, and he does have a lot of non-blue clothes). I’d get a few new outfits every payday, minimizing the cost. I also hit a lot of sales for bigger clothes, keeping in mind the time of year when he’ll be that age. No sense getting a snowsuit that’s sized 12 months when he’ll be wearing that size in the spring and summer. When you go clothes shopping, get clothes in a variety of sizes, because they do grow quickly! (Aaron is now into a 3 to 6 month or 6 to 9 month.) It also helps to have a lot of towels, washcloths, and receiving blankets on hand, and a dozen cloth diapers for burping and general cleanups.
I also got a box of newborn diapers and went down the aisle for the baby Tylenol, alcohol pads, etc. Also, my dad is a pharmacist, and he put a list together for me of stuff the baby might need (like saline for nose aspiration, Vaseline, diaper-rash ointment), and that was a big help.
The reason there is some concern about older mattresses (and cribs) is that they tend to be on the squishy side, and baby can turn over and suffocate. If you can swing it, I’d at least get a new mattress. Crib slats should be 2-3/8 inches apart so baby can’t get his feet, hands or head caught.
True about the car seats, but then the smaller car seats are very convenient for carrying little ones, and if you’re planning for another baby in a couple of years, you’ll need both at once.
I’ve never heard that about second-hand mattresses; baby g had one. It’s quite firm. More to worry about, I think, is probably older cribs with wider spaces between the slats, and blankets and pillows in the crib. All that is a no-no, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now.
There is a lot of totally unnecessary baby stuff out there. (Baby-wipe warmers???) It might be best to collect the basics, and wait on the extras to see if you need them at all. But a Snugli-type thing is very useful, and so is a little sling-chair, though they aren’t absolutely necessary. Oh, and a bathtub. It’s hard to wash a squirmy little baby while bending over the edge of the tub.
As for diapers/nappies, buy only a medium-small package of newborn-size; they outgrow those really fast. You may wish to look into cloth diapers; they’re cheaper and you can get a service that brings fresh ones every week. See this thread for a bit of information about that.
Lay in a good supply of medicinal stuff early, so you don’t have to go to the drugstore at 4am. A bottle or so of baby cough syrup/decongestant, some baby Benadryl in case of an allergic reaction to something, and one of those snot-suckers. They still sell ipecac, but it’s not recommended anymore, so don’t use it unless the poison people tell you to.
Aaron has a baby-wipe warmer, and it helps with diaper rash. Don’t ask me how; it just does.
Be VERY careful about what medicines you get. My father specifically warned me about baby Tylenol with pseudoephedrine (Sudafed; a decongestant). It can either make the baby very drowsy or it can make them very hyper. He also doesn’t recommend cough syrup. You shouldn’t need much more than baby Tylenol (acetaminophen), although I use Vicks Vaporub for cold congestion.
When you visit the pediatrician for the first time, ask him/her what they recommend for the medicine chest.
This is what I have:
[ul]
[li]Infant Tylenol[/li][li]Pedialyte electrolyte solution, in case of vomiting or diarrhea[/li][li]Vicks Vaporub[/li][li]Saline solution for nasal aspiration. (Have a nurse show you how to do this effectively)[/li][li]Vaseline, for obvious reasons. (We do have a tympanic thermometer, but sometimes, ya gotta do it the old-fashioned way)[/li][/ul]
That’s all I’ve ever really needed, and the Pedialyte is “just in case”.