Hi OzBrs,
We have our 1st baby on the way. I am now planning to set up a nursery.
Can I get some advice on if I should purchase a new cot, changing tables etc or should I get a 2nd hand one in a good condition?
What would you have done?
We Have Our First Kid on The Way - Need Some OzBargain Style Advice
accessdenied on 11/03/2023 - 20:44
Last edited 13/03/2023 - 10:46 by 1 other user
Last edited 13/03/2023 - 10:46 by 1 other user
Poll Options
- 13Buy Brand New
- 129Buy Pre-owned (2nd hand)
Comments
father of 3 kids here
2nd hand all the way.
just give them a wipe down .
I never had a change table. remember that you will be getting down on the floor for the next year for your kid , so change nappies on the floor. (obviously on carpet or rug - not on bare concrete or floor boards)
I found the change table to be one of the most useful things I bought. That and a good nappy bin.
But agree 2nd hand if you can. Apart from car seats, which tbh are probably fine but maybe shouldn’t.
Seconded for the change table- literally the most practical thing we had for the first year-year and a half at least. Back saver + good storage. Would definitely recommend a change table with included bathtub.
5 kids and never owned a change table
Father to 4 here, never had a change table also and never had a nappy bin. Floor and regular bin works just fine!
I get throwing diapers on the floor, but changing them in a bin?
@Minimum chips: i think he means changing the babies diaper on the floor, then, throwing the baby in the bin
ah, but if you had a change table you would have realised how poor the floor is!
@dtc: After the second kid we got a change table for $10 from marketplace. If you've got the space in your house, change tables are better than the floor. And then we gave it away to friends afterwards. It definitely gave me more than $10 in value, particularly for the stage where one kid needed to be strapped in so they wouldn't roll into their own poo. Not sure how you'd manage that on the floor. Only thing we bought new were mattresses and car seats. There's so much second hand stuff out there that's really good condition for really cheap, especially cots.
Either is ok, personal choice really.
Most important thing you need is sleep when the baby arrives.
Congrats!
Thank you :)
More to this. You dont tell us what your partner thinks?
Have they approved of your post?
If not you are pissing in the wind. (just as bad as taking a nappy off is some instances which you will discover some time).
If they genuinely want to know, then read the great suggestions here with them.
If i could go back i wouldn't buy a thing brand new. Bought loads of stuff new and most never got used and sold for half the price if i was lucky or got trashed enough and binned. Heaps of like new stuff out there for a fraction of the price. Spent heaps on fancy fun looking toys too… yet he would rather play with a cardboard box.
OP read this..its truth. Some things you buy new but most is a total waste of money given what you can get 2nd hand.
Preowned all the way. These items are time limited so there's no need in buying brand new at stupid prices. We were give a lot of the big items (cot, pram, car seat, changing table etc) from friends who no longer needed them. Saves a lot of money. We also were given heaps of clothes.
Check Gumtree etc because most should be cheap as people are done having kids and just want to get rid of the stuff. Most families want to help out other families.My wife also picked up old school duplo and wooden toys off Gumtree. Once kids grow up families just want to offload stuff.
Congratulations and it's a personal choice, but my bro bought everything new and cry poor and I bought some second-hand and resold them, some made money from the resale or giveaway.
go to sleep now!
awake up in a month
then read comments!depends, if you are planning on a few, you could consider new. buy less to, we went over baord on clothes, they look nice but kids prolly be in a bonds oneses for like 2 years lol
Not a few.. May be 1 more.. not sure yet..! yes def catching up on the sleep :D
Some cots can be converted into toddler bed, so it can used for many years. Was <$300 brand new before the recent inflation.
Brand new car seat though.
Buy preowned and used the saved money towards a cleaning service to free up more time.
Strongly second this. Time to rest will be invaluable when the baby comes. Having less obligations and the positive mental effects of a clean house is way more important than some wear marks on the bassinet.
I also recommend doing a big clean out of any clutter before the birth. Clean counters, organised cupboards etc will make things run smoother and feel better.
Congratulations. If you go second hand make sure the kit is in good condition and that it meets the latest safety standards.
Yes, safety standards have changed over the years regarding car seats and cots. So check the second-hand ones or buy new ones. I would most likely buy a new car seat as cannot tell if it may be damaged/weakened in some way.
Firstly, congratulations.
Secondly, wouldn't it be the Ozbargain way to not have Kids? Saves a lot of money without Kids.True that but the emotions get the better of you sometimes :P.
Thank you though..!!
All of that stuff is good for a year or two, at best. Some you'll find you don't even need at all. A change table is just a table, and a bed or the floor is normally as good as anywhere else. You get used to that anyhow because the change table sure as hell doesn't follow you around when you're out shopping or seeing friends.
Once you have a kid people at work, friends of friends, relatives and neighbors will be falling over themselves to offload stuff they stopped needing a couple of years ago, and more often than not for free.
If you somehow, inexplicably, manage to get through all the baby showers, presents for the newborn and mother, offers to pay for things from parents in law and grandparents, etc. etc. with a gap somewhere in your collection it's literally a 10 minute trip to Baby Bunting and problem solved.
Buy anything now and you run the risk of owning three changing tables and enough baby clothes that you can afford to just toss them out when they're dirty instead of needing to wash.
Get a cat. It will look after baby.
hahaha.. If I get a cat now, The missus will kick me out.
It’s alright, atleast you’ll have the cat.
Wrong missus, get out of it Now!
Watch out for toxoplasmosis
If your partner isn't going back to work for a while, I'd reccomend reusable nappies. I was dead set against it not wanting extra work load but it turned out to be easy and saved quite a bit of money and landfill.
Wall-E will find a use for all those diapers in a few hundred years time.
It feels weird to make an argument against what is supposedly the environmentally responsible choice but…
We tried these and gave up after 5 long months. It's a lot of work. We were doing laundry every other day. The whole process of storing the soiled ones, washing, drying, reinserting the pad, adding a liner doesn't sound like much but it wears you out, especially if you're working as well. There's also the added inconvenience of the liquid and solid leaks - say what you will about disposable diapers but they're pretty well designed these days.
Diapers in landfill is bad, but be aware of the drawbacks to the alternative before you commit to it too much.
A quality pram is a good upgrade to get first. Especially if more kids are planned down the road, get something decent now, rather than go cheap and have to buy another pram later on when you need a double pram or want more features. Quality prams come with kits to convert between single and double pram modes seemlessly. 2nd hand is fine too, a good wipe and few hours in the sun and it's cleansed!
I endorse the sentiment here, but we had three different, fairly costly proms with our first kid before we settled on the model that lasted the next three.
So if you can save by starting with used models, I recommend it.
Second hand all the way. You can get a lot of good product in very good condition for much cheaper than new.
It cuts me to the core to say this but…new car seat (unless you know them). Don't mistake expensive for most safe though. Here is a nice safety comparison website for you to peruse.
Advise
Don't homeschool your kid.
I pop a valium every-time I see the wrong advice/advise.
Don't confuse homeschool kids with the kids kicked out of school for various reasons. Homeschooling is superior to the trashy school system that we have.
I homeschooled to yr 10 then went to school for 11 and 12, the homeschooled kids know how to self learn, top of most classes.OK
Dont top the 'recognising a joke' class though.
I got triggered by the joke, shame on me haha
Check with your friends/circle for hand me downs, i got almost all my baby stuff free from friends and now i’m repaying it back to other friends with kids on the way
Also for second hand- join your local buy nothing page. People (including myself) are CONSTANTLY giving away baby stuff.
OMG! Too late for the FFF rule, just joking.
We did fine with second hand gear, the kid needs to grow up in the real world.
We used a mix of nappies, washable and disposable. The right amount of toys to be in line with a growing mind. Endless personal attention.
Never lock everything out, teach the kid how to jam fingers in drawers untill they try and find their own limits.
Set some money aside for education!!
definitely agree with checking friends, we are done having babies but still have heaps hanging around
Just have a mate having a baby next week and we will probably dump a heap on her doorstep :)One of the things we bought new was a baby capsule with "travel system" that clicked directly into a pram. You dont want to wake a sleeping baby undoing it from the car pod to transfer it into a pram!
If people ask "what can I get" just be honest and say you are saving for a pram and could really use a $20-50 voucher.
I think we had equivalent of these ones (5-6 yrs ago so the model names have changed) and they were really good.
https://www.maxi-cosi.com.au/baby-capsule-mico-12-lx
https://au.mountainbuggy.com/products/terrain + https://au.mountainbuggy.com/products/clip-32
We live in rural area so a bit of suspension and 4 wheels were features we wanted. Not sure how stable 3 wheelers are but think they are fine if you are on footpaths etc all the time.
depending on how big your babys are in your family you might want to avoid 0-6month capsules and get a 0-12 month one, Ive had friends who barely used their capsules and had to get new ones.oh and get a good baby carrier or wrap, we practically wore our second one for the first couple of months (we wouldnt sleep otherwise)
these are always available 2nd hand, just wash them a few times before using
This was the one I had, bought used and then sold on. Probably cost me less than $1c per hour of use lol
https://babycarriersaustralia.net.au/product/intro-offer-new…Look for second hand but check if they aren’t a recalled item. Plenty get recalled as dangerous. Don’t buy very old either.
Second hand if budget conscious.
There are tonnes of stuff available on FB marketplace or Gumtree.
We recently just gave away stuff from the shed like the city and child seats.
2nd hand except for car seat ..don’t buy too many small size clothes they won’t be in them long smallest size i buy is 000 n only a few and maybe 1/2 of 0000 ..market place u can get so many good brand name toys too .
Mmm good advice. OP depending on how many friends/family in your life, prepare to have people spam the hell out of baby clothes as a present idea.
I wanted secondhand stuff but trying to convince a new mother to do so can be a difficult task.
We bought most of our baby stuff new and, having now either sold or given away the things in excellent condition, we probably should have gotten the big items second hand to start with. Would have saved a heap.
Other places to save:
- Facebook buy nothing groups often have big bundles of kids clothes of a particular size (for free). Kids go through clothes so quickly buying everything new is crazy.
- Gumtree or op shops for random toys/books. Kids - especially young ones - have no concept of “new”.
- Lifeline book fairs for books/puzzles, and donate the books back when your kids outgrow them.
- Libraries for books and activities.Yeah my local charity shop has a big pallet box of books and you can just fill a bag for $10. I found a bunch of kids books in there - including hard cover Dr Seuss books etc.
We bought a set of Malm 3 drawers from Ikea, put a padded change mat on top and it was perfect as a change table. Now serves as a regular chest of drawers as the kids don't need nappy changes anymore. We are 165-170cm tall.
But really there's a tonne of 2nd hand stuff out there, just depends if u want brand new for hygiene or pride reasons.Good idea on Malm 3 drawers. Do you mind share how you secure the change mat tightly on the drawers?
No need to secure it. The kid's weight keeps the mat still. The mat was from baby bunting and had sloped sides to keep the child centred. The terry-towelling cover helped with grip.
We bought a box of medical 'blueys' to line the mat for those unavoidable poonamis.
Pre-owned, but replace the mattress if you're concerned. New mattresses are not expensive.
Aldi nappies are pretty good - and cheap. Same with wipes.
Security cameras do the same thing as baby monitors but are cheaper and easier to repurpose later.
I recommend a nappy pail that goes outside or in the garage for poo nappies. If you don't empty the bin every day then they will start to smell.
Get a ton of the old fashioned nappy type towel rags and use them for wiping up stuff. You will do a lot of wiping up stuff.
Get multiple sets of sheets. Expect that you might have to change the sheets multiple times a day if they vomit or wet through their nappies.
I prefer new when it comes to my baby. You don't have to buy designer stuff. Just use Target or Big W. They always have sales on baby stuff. Then you can donate or sell it after two years.
I used a bassinet for downstairs, cot upstairs, a change mat for downstairs, a bouncer to put the baby in so I don't have to hold the baby all day, and a walker and high chair at 6 months.
I'm allergic to dust and dust mites so I don't want second hand mattresses etc. I don't want my baby to have eczema or skin issues. It's up to you to sanitise items given to you if you accept them or buy used items.
For nappies and wipes, just use Aldi or Woolies/Coles branded ones. It's made in Australia so it's the best value in my opinion.
Don't buy too many baby clothes and shoes. They wear 4 sizes in the first year!
I recommend getting a flask for hot water so you don't have to boil water if you are heating up formula or making it in the middle of the night.
If you burp your baby after each feed, the baby won't spit up. My baby never vomited. Not once!you must of been lucky ..i’ve had 5 babies and had to burp during the bottle as they had colic but even though i use to burp they would still vomit sometimes
Here are my tips in point form:
- Second hand where possible
- Thoroughly clean and sanitise items
- Most strollers come apart and can be cleaned thoroughly
- You can also pick many models of stroller up very cheaply from various marketplace sites
- Replace mattresses with new ones
- Ask for(or accept) hand me downs
- Wait for sales
- Pick up a car seat on sale
- use watch lists on Ozbargain, search alerts on eBay, CamelsX3, etc
- Choose a carrier that is easy to use and that you like
- Second-hand is fine - but consider new if you can't find one at a reasonable price. We used a hand-me-down that neither of us particularly liked for out first child.
- Clothes
- Children grow quickly and there is variation between sizes
- If accepting gifts, ask for a size they will grow into
- Kmart/Target/BigW/Best and less
- OP Shops for quality(or cheap) items
- Avoid gendered clothing if having multiple children
- Store anything that can be reused. Quality items will definitely last for multiple children.
- Assess whether you actually need a baby monitor
- Get sample bags from chemists - they are helpful for small packs of nappy cream for out and about
- If you plan on doing cloth nappies:
- Join a cloth nappy group and look for recommendations
- Check if your council offers rebates
- Check Aliexpress/other websites
- Aldi often has some on clearance
- Avoid tacky/plastic/noisy items
- Battery rockers, etc
- Prepare a list of things you don't want from parents - eg: no toys that make sound
- Second hand where possible
Definitely ask your friends with kids. Most of them will have absolutely loads they want to get rid of, for free! You can find heaps of marketplace/gumtree as well if you can stand cleaning it. I do recommend a new cot mattress though. Guaranteed that used mattress has had all kinds of secretions on it. Good luck :) Mine is almost 2 now… you get used to it. For sure sleep in. Who says you have to get up in the morning after multiple wake ups? Just stay in bed and sleep more! It won't be possible when you have two…
Yes ask people for hand me downs. Sometimes they may not offer because may think you will be offended. Easier to just say you are happy to take secondhand items.
Heya Access! Congratulations!
My missus' and I are in the same boat, and have well and truly started our haul of 2nd hand (but still in good condition) goods.
You'd be surprised how many people out there are more than happy to get rid of pre-loved stuff.
And this could just be coincidental, or only because we've only started paying attention, but a tonne of people just leave bulkier baby goods out for hard rubbish..alot.As others have said, just need to make sure all the safety features are working, and if need be buy new liners / mattresses are…not as great. Followed up with a good clean.
And for various items which come with add on's (i.e. a stroller), check if it comes with all the parts you need, or that they're still easily sourced. Older models may be a pain to find replacement parts for. Case in point, just this week we came across someone discarding an older Baby Jogger stroller with 2 seats + bassinet. Works for us…we're planning for two eventually =].Befriending folks at your local OP shop is good too. Ever since they found out we're expecting, they've let us know whenever items come through and will hold it for us.
Also ALDI just happened to have a round of Special Buy Baby Goods a couple of weeks ago, and they're now in the process of clearing them out to make room for new specials. Walked out of the store on Wednesday with a giant stack of re-usable nappies amongst other things.
Meanwhile, got to spend this weekend cleaning that stroller…
I don’t have kids myself but everyone seems to get their stuff off friends and family. (Those that have had enough kids are often glad to give things away to make space!)
Then, if there’s anything else you still need but don’t have after that, go out and buy it.