First Time Parents - Essential Items?

LBasil7 on 05/02/2018 - 10:56

Long time reader - First time poster! :)

My Husband and I are due to have our first baby in less then three months time. Looking for advice on what other parents found to be their essential baby items - Things worth the hype / cost and also things to avoid!
With so many products on the market for newborns, and a lot of fear mongering marketing praying on naive parents, it would be helpful to hear others experiences!

Has anyone had the Owlet Smart Sock or similar? (Monitors baby heart rate and movements). Another one of those very expensive products targeted at new parents.

Thanks in advance :)

Toys & Kids

Comments

  • wei13 on 05/02/2018 - 11:16
    +2

    For us there was nothing that’s worth the hype and cost. For a newborn, basically you need to feed it, sleep it, poo it, and dress it. Later on you should play with it.

    I prefer hand-me-downs as they grow out of stuff so fast. If you must go out with it, then you'll need travel stuff.

    Did I mention lots of caffeine?

  • boomramada on 05/02/2018 - 11:21

    Not every babies are the same, but
    products that need;
    bassinet
    cot (don't need for first few months)
    car seat
    play mat
    pram (one that light weight / maybe accommodate second kid?)
    breast pump (depend)

    Baby monitors are useless, baby tend to sleep in bassinet more than cot for first six months.

    • apple2016 on 05/02/2018 - 13:38

      Baby monitors were quite use full for us as we lived in a townhouse and it was easy to monitor the sleep during daytime

      • boomramada on 05/02/2018 - 13:52

        Same here, but our baby don't had a volume control. its either mute or full max so we didn't need to turn on the Baby monitor :)
        Did use it few times, just to see if the baby is up, but heart rate and movement monitor bit is a waste.
        It would be perfect and assuring, if baby slept in the cot :)

  • Ryanek on 05/02/2018 - 11:34
    +1

    Hey congrats on the baby. My one recommendation are the Aldi Baby Wipes. Good quality and cheap.

    • onetwothreefour on 05/02/2018 - 11:56
      +1

      The nappies from Aldi are pretty good and economical too!

    • Some Guy on 05/02/2018 - 13:03

      Just don't flush them down the toilet for chrissake!! We used a "daiper genie" which was excellent. Not essential though.

  • ausdday on 05/02/2018 - 11:35
    +1

    Depends what type of person you are:
    a) My baby will out grow his/her stuffs really fast, I don't mind using pre-owned items
    - Make a visit to Salvos nearby.
    b) My baby is my precious, she deserves her new gears
    - Start listing down stuffs that you think you need for the first 6 months, and start bargain hunting.

  • Quantumcat on 05/02/2018 - 11:41

    My sister had her first 4 months ago, she has never used the cot yet (baby sleeps in bassinet attached to bed) and likewise never used the rocking breastfeeding chair in the baby's room (either feeding her in bed or in the lounge room).
    Also don't go crazy buying clothes, sister says hers hasn't worn half her clothes before she got too big for them. At the baby shower ask for a mix of 000s, 00s and 0s. It is useless to have a hundred 000 outfits, then the baby gets too big before she can wear half of them and you suddenly need to buy lots of 00 then 0 outfits. Also with clothes, get ones with wide or elasticised leg areas - my niece usually outgrows her clothes in the leg area long before the neck or arm areas. And if you plan to use cloth nappies, make sure to get separates not onesies, so the bottom half can be a size bigger than the top half (cloth nappies are a lot bulkier than disposables).

  • o53djz7qTPY4der on 05/02/2018 - 11:45

    Stock up on Huggies nappies when they are $24 at Coles/Big W/Woolies. I tend to buy 8 to 10 boxes in each round of discounts. If baby grows out of them I return unopened boxes to any supermarket to swap for new size. They wont ask for a receipt, I just tell them the missus picked up the wrong box/es.

    • fantombloo on 05/02/2018 - 13:03
      +1

      Depending on the baby's habits you may be able to get away with cheaper nappies (like Aldi versions) for various times of the day and keep Huggies for when baby sleeps the longest or otherwise needs better nappies.

  • tsunamisurfer on 05/02/2018 - 11:51
    +2

    My experience is that the #1 essential thing for a baby are breasts. Thats all they want 0-3m. So thats taken care of.

    The next most important things are :

    • Car Seat (if going Capsule, rent it for 6 months)
    • Nappies (bulk buy when they are cheap) and wipes.
    • Clothes (just Big W Kmart ones are sufficient because they are so easily soiled with unspeakable things).
    • Pram to get around in, watch for Toys R Us / Babies R Us sales.
    • Get an emergency can of formula just in case there is no or low milk supply initially (expect to do trail and error because some babies react differently to different formulas). Or alternatively a breast pump.

    There is no need for any super high tech items like a heart rate monitor unless there is actually a medical condition.

    The only high tech stuff I used was a swing/rocker powered by Eneloops, but some babies will not take to rockers.

  • Halo375 on 05/02/2018 - 11:57

    I have a three month old newborn so here's my advice:

    Portable bassinet - so you can keep them close and always have somewhere to put them down in comfort
    Night vision camera - I used a hacked xiaofang IP camera, really helpful to see them at night to confirm whether they're sleeping safely
    Good change mat - doesn't need to be fancy, just have one big enough as they grow a lot. Good storage is also important.
    Target zip onesies - awesome, comfortable and easy to keep a baby in. We make do with about 4 of one size.
    Good breast feeding chair - make sure the back is upright as that is the position the baby is fed in - not reclined. We tried an ikea Strandmon and that simply doesn't work. We then got an Ikea Tullsta and that's much better.
    Gro-Egg Temp monitor - really great to see the room temperature clearly
    Air conditioning - make sure the nursery is temp controlled otherwise you'll be worrying too much.
    Pre-made meals - worth it. At the end of the day you'll both be really tired, having easy meals is important those first few months. Either takeaway or something you've made and frozen.
    Huggies nappies - definitely the best fit in my experience. Worth it and they're always on sale somewhere.
    Email alerts - Baby Bunting, Toysrus, Babyco - always good to see the specials
    Pram - DON'T GET A PRAM YOU CANNOT LIFT WITH ONE HAND! We went a Baby Jogger City Mini GT and we've been very happy with it. If you're looking at 2 children - maybe the City Select.

    Good luck!

  • Seraphin7 on 05/02/2018 - 12:03
    +1

    Honestly, go for the basics only and see how you go. Most of the "gadgets" out there (electronic or otherwise) got very little use in our house.

    The only things we have found we got real use of beyond the absolute essentials were breast pump (but don't buy this day one, see how you go), an audio baby monitor (with our second baby our bedroom ended up on a different level to the nursery) and a bouncer/bassinet.

  • Mrbean007 on 05/02/2018 - 12:11

    Congrats also maybe a Temp thermometer.

  • Nugs on 05/02/2018 - 12:17

    a good saving for us when we had babies - seconds nappies. not sure how to track down but ask around. we bought ours from independent baby goods shops (not supermarket). we would use them throughout the day and use huggies for night time.

  • akoli on 05/02/2018 - 12:35
    +1

    One thing I don't regret buying is the capsule base that stays in the car that is compatible with your pram… you just unlock the catch lift out the car seat and it clips straight in to the pram frame… you can do this in reverse without waking the baby with practice.

    Other than that.. the basics a basinette for the side of the bed so you dont risk squashing them in bed with you although I fell asleep on many occasion with my kids on my chest and luckily didnt roll over .. as your kid develops you can add to it…or if your mrs tells you you need to get this in a mama hormone rage just get it… I drove all over Melbourne at one point to get a pump that was out of stock found it other side of the city in a knox toysrus.

  • Gravy on 05/02/2018 - 12:37

    If you can stomach the cleanup up and have a bit of extra time, can recommend reusable nappies and they will save you a bunch of dollars in the long run. You can also buy little disposable fibre paper inserts for them to make cleanup a bit easier.

    We generally used a mix of disposables during the night or during some outings and for the first month or two (as the reusables are too bulky on a newborn really), then reusables during the day. You'll probably need 10-15 of them which should cost around $50 tops on ebay. Have a look at https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Reusable-Modern-Baby-Cloth-Nappi… for example.

    Some people like the bamboo cloth disposables, but we found they take a lot longer to dry and ended up with the all in one synthetic that don't require an additional pilcher.

    There is a hidden cost with reusable nappies in the extra water/power/detergents needed but its still soooo much cheaper overall.

    Cheap target style highchair is best we found, easy to cleanup and doesn't swamp the baby like our more expensive one did at first. Have a look at https://www.target.com.au/p/snacka-highchair/59835738

    Oh, we had one of those little seats that you put in the bath to keep baby upright, if you get one check out the suction cups and ask if they are rubber or silicone. The rubber suction cups on ours perished very quickly due to what I'm guessing was reaction to the baby oil we used a little in the water.

    Definitely go wondersuits, probably the zipper version.

    • Mister LoLPants on 06/02/2018 - 09:12
      +1

      we went with reusable at home and disposable for out and about.

      one wondersuits, great invention, get plenty of them, but they are like trying to put an octopus into a string bag sometimes :)

  • [Deactivated] on 05/02/2018 - 12:41
    +3

    Just sleep as much as you can prior to delivery. Don't sweat the small stuff. Love your bundle of joy. Congratulations 🎊

    • Yttrium on 05/02/2018 - 13:01

      This is a mistake.

      You will condition yourself to expect/need 9 hours of sleep each night.

      Then the sleepless nights will be more difficult.

      • singlemalt72 on 05/02/2018 - 13:34
        +3

        Take it from a former shift worker and world traveller - relax while you can - your body will quickly adjust to a new schedule

  • Some Guy on 05/02/2018 - 13:06

    Essential items? Mother's Group and Grandparents.

  • altomic on 05/02/2018 - 13:07

    sudo cream for nappy rash.
    buy a 100 pack of large freezer bags (25cmsx45cms) for putting the really stinky nappies in.

    you don't need a change table.
    Mrs Altomic managed with out a breast feeding chair for all 3 babies.

    we really liked the phil and teds pram. with the optional 2nd underneath seat. (go for used -we sold ours for $80 and it was in excellent condition - we bought for $120 second hand)

  • DarthAntz on 05/02/2018 - 13:44

    facebook/instagram account, camera and complaints to post daily for likes

    And congratulations!

    • kmwa on 05/02/2018 - 18:31

      "facebook/instagram account" - oh you kids, so funny.
      The original version of this was a baby book, where you could record weights and dates, first accomplishments and first words. And stick in photos. It's something you'll treasure, later.
      Something else to stick in is a dummy. As parents-to-be 35 years ago, we said we would NEVER use a dummy. So funny looking back, so idealistic, dogmatic and wrong.
      My number 3 "essential" would be Bonjela teething gel. The look on their face when you rub it into their sore gums is priceless.
      For more expensive items, I would recommend a changing table/unit. Much easier than changing them on the floor on a mat, plus you can store all the baby things in it.
      And a baby bath is easier than bathing them in the sink, or the bath.
      And you'll need some kind of car seat/baby capsule. The one's that unclip from a base are good, you can just lift the whole thing out and carry the baby inside without having to disturb it. I built my first baby capsule out of plywood. It was cutting edge at the time but my wife never liked it, she said it looked like a coffin.
      And get a cheap plastic high chair for when they start eating. Don't even think about padding and fabric covers for your little darling, the little monster will just encrust it with spilt food - honestly, it will turn your stomach!
      Hope it all goes well for you.

  • loadofrubbish on 05/02/2018 - 13:48
    +2

    my first post. I have two kids. for first one we bought everything brand new. for the second one we bought everything from gumtree second hand. especially baby furniture like boori cots are less than 1/2 price ($600 new vs $200) in gumtree. we bought new mattress to go with it. I look up baby items in product review first, then buy from gumtree.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/02/2018 - 14:25

    New parent right now, dealing with a fiesty 3 week old.

    Get a good pacifier. A nice orthodontic one will help. A good pacifier will half your settling time.

    Get a good sling/carrier. Its a serious hassle to use pram most of the time for me (a guy). I would much rather strap my baby on to me and be free to use escalators etc and have both hands free. We wasted money on cloth slings which are quite difficult to use with a newborn due to the lack of neck support. Ended up buying a BabyBjorn yesterday and love it.

    Get some shit to binge watch or have running in the background. Netflix or something is ideal. You will spend many an hour rocking your baby to sleep in front of the TV.

    If you plan on breastfeeding, get Lansinoh, your wife will thank you for it. It soothes cracked and grazed nipples.

    Not a doctor but look into these 3 medical products. Infants Friend, Fess Little Noses and Infacol (after 4 weeks). If your baby has wind, and most babies do, you are in for a hell of a night. My newborn burps well enough but has a hard time farting. Infants Friend has been a godsend, really calms her tummy down. Almost all newborns will also started to get some nasal congestion as their mucosal membranes kick into gear. She sounds like she's drowning in snot just because newborns noses are so damn tiny. Use the Fess aspirator + saline spray to clear all the gunk out. Don't put the suction tube into the nostril, put it just outside to suck the gunk out.

    • Mister LoLPants on 06/02/2018 - 09:10

      if your baby is one that wants a pacifier, by 6 at a time. seriously, they disappear like socks in the washing and you don't want to be hunting around the house at 3 in the morning because another pacifier has done a runner.

  • myfuturej on 05/02/2018 - 14:27
    -1

    I think these monitors are just all hype. They will just make you more anxious, get off google and just enjoy your time with bub. Australia has very strict and over the top SIDS guidelines. My friends in Japan do not even follow such guidelines, and looking at statistics, Japan has second lowest infant mortality in the world, lower than Au. So, just chill out.

    • Mummy2 on 06/02/2018 - 00:11

      For me the monitor made me less anxious (we had one that alarmed if it detected the baby not breathing). I knew it would go off if in the rare event the baby would stop breathing so I was able to sleep without worry/concern from day 1 (despite having the monitor my partner still got up to check on the baby upteen times a night for the first few weeks so didn't help him).

  • myusername on 05/02/2018 - 14:51
    -1

    VALIUM

  • Basil7 on 05/02/2018 - 16:21
    +1

    Thanks so much everyone! We have gotten alot of second hand things already like the cot etc But good to see we're on the right track with other things mentioned :)

  • discountmonkey on 05/02/2018 - 20:30
    +4

    This is going to sound wierd, but one thing different we did was setup a Gmail account for the bubba. Mum and I send our son 'letters' and pictures at milestones and when funny things happen. At some stage, well down the track, we'll hand the account over but until then we're keeping it a secret. You're about to embark on a life long journey that starts with a whirlwind of firsts for everyone. We wanted to keep track of it somehow in a modern way. It makes me happy that we're keeping a chronological journal of sorts.

  • Mummy2 on 06/02/2018 - 00:08

    I found a baby carrier/sling really handy for when I wanted to go out of the house without the stroller e.g around crowded shops or on a bus. It gave 2 hands free to do the shopping.

    What I didn't know at the time was that the soft slings (we had hug-a-bub) can be used from day 1 compared to eg baby bjorn where the baby needs to be a certain weight (which would have been about 2 months old for us).

  • PlasticSpaceman on 06/02/2018 - 07:41
    +1
    1. Good food guide - go to a few restaurants while you can still do that in peace.
    2. A box of decent champagne. Helps with breast feeding apparently. Don't know if that's true, but was happy to believe it.
    3. Speaking of breast feeding, if for whatever reason it doesn't work for you, don't worry - formula is just fine.
    4. Baby monitors are good, but use in moderation. Basically babies make lots of weird noises - frequently they will settle themselves. Going in whenever they make a noise can lead to both tired parents and baby.
    5. Mother's group.
    6. Decent camera - they grow up so quickly, you will want some good photos.

    Have fun!

  • mosquito on 06/02/2018 - 08:02

    Considering looking at Redsbaby for the pram, Australian designed/owned and a reasonable price (chinese made like every other pram excluding the more expensive silver cross of course)

  • sharka on 06/02/2018 - 08:13

    HI
    The things my wife and i would do over are:

    Think about whether you are having future kids.. This helps when deciding a pram.
    You can also now hire infant capsules much cheaper than purchasing.. they will only use them for 6 months before they can be moved to a proper seat.

  • sam-1966 on 06/02/2018 - 08:42

    Re the change table - we just used an old dining table covered with padding and vinyl. Had a set of drawers underneath and a bookshelf on top with nappies, creams etc. Could easily fit the bath on it as well. My sister had one of those flash all in one bath/change tables and it drove her crazy as there wasn't anywhere to really 'put' the baby after the bath as the lid was the change table.

  • Mister LoLPants on 06/02/2018 - 09:08

    We found the baby monitor useful, but more for checking to see if that had gone to sleep, not for paranoid reasons.

    We got a video one, not a 'baby' monitor, as per weddings, add the term baby and the price goes up, but just a simple wifi cam which was good for seeing if they had settled without having to stick your head in, the moment they see you, they wake and wont settle :)

    The best bet was to get immediate things and then collect as you go, and parents with older kids are a great resource as they are always wanting to offload stuff that's had 6 months use or less.

    Main things we found useful were:
    Baby monitor, simple wifi cam (not a 'baby' brand)
    Change table, Ikea had one that hooks onto an existing set of drawers, saves your back
    jump suits
    a 'grab' bag, small bag loaded and ready to go for an hour or 2 outing, so you dont need to spend and hour to get out for an hour

    also… There are sleepingbag type jackets, that have arms free like a jacket but the legs are in a sleeping bag, they zip right down. IF you get these, they are great for winter, but make sure it is the type with a slot for the leg strap of the baby capsule/seat. that way you don't need to undo it and wake them to get in and out of the car

  • Gagus on 06/02/2018 - 11:03

    Separate from your question… appreciate every moment. My daughter is 3 and a half now and it's been a blast but even with my wife and I making the most of it we still wonder where the times gone :)

  • Sensiekatie on 06/02/2018 - 12:34

    Think carefully about why you are thinking of the Smart Sock or similar.

    the medical people don’t have all the answers, but babies who they feel are at risk of low oxygen or breathing irregularities, they suggest monitoring.

    Monitoring movement is not as important as monitoring breathing. That is the vital thing if baby is at risk. Oxygen saturation for some babies.

    If you ard going private, then I would feel that they would do this. If it is public, then if there has been no issues or concerns, you will be discharged very quickly and specialist st contact is virtually non-existent (direct commumication).

  • Goldcoater on 12/02/2018 - 06:03

    Start stocking up on nappies, I'd buy them when they were on sale, check toys runs or bigw catalogues. I used Huggies but I'm sure there would be a lot of other good ones around. I didn't bother with a bassinet, in the first few weeks my son slept next to our bed in a large baby bath with a pillow on the bottom. I did splurge on a lovely wooden cot with couple of set of cotton linen and blanket. Also an elfa change table which became a set of white wire draws inside my sons wardobe. I also had battery operated baby swing, this was absolutely wonderful for settling my son. Stretch wonder suits are easy and can be picked up at Target etc, also a couple of nice outfits. I breastfed but also bottled so had Avent steam steriliser and bottles. I bought a baby capsule and later a car seat. I love the idea of having a baby capsule that can clip onto a stroller base. I Also used Peg Pergo layback stroller for outings (lays back a long way) and didn't buy a pram. I did also buy McLaren stroller for travel. Also had colourful quilted playmat/play gym that was great for tummy time. Also a Peg Pergo high chair.

    What you get depends on your needs and budget. You may already have a place that could accomodate a change mat and not need a change table or you may be able to borrow a bassinet (you don't need for long). Great prams and cots available on gumtree. I also sold all my baby gear (only used for one child) and recouped quite a lot and sold quickly.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/03/2018 - 17:22
    +1

    My baby is 18 months old. Unnfortunately the pram is essential but you don't use it for long as a stroller is much more compact. We wasted a lot of money on soft toys and toys in general, everyone will buy you toys.

    My number 1 tip is buy a pack of cloth nappies, not to use a nappies but to use for cleaning up vomit, spills etc.

    We have one of those baby carrier things for strapping the kid to you, we didn't use it all (but some people do and it may suit your lifestyle)

    Get on to buy nothing facebook pages, so much kids stuff on them, and buy used as much as possible.

    Stay away from baby stores they are a ripoff.

    Baby monitor is essential if you live in a bigger house, but the guidelines say your baby should sleep in a bassinet in your room for 12 months (this is ridiculous as once the baby is crawling it will be able to climb out the bassinet).

    Change tables were pointless we hardly use it.

  • troyww on 22/03/2018 - 23:45

    I agree with most of the above . It's all very exciting having a baby but in reality any idiot can have a baby . Concentrate on raising a productive member of society .

    We had an uber expensive stroller and one that cost $10 . I preferred the $10 one because it folded up to nothing and unless you wer 4 wheel driving it was totally adequate . Our son would fall asleep on a pile of rocks .
    Obviously it didn't look as cool …
    We never had a change table . A chest of draws or the kitchen table do just fine .

    Save your money for when they get older . There are so many more important things to spend money on when they get older .

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