This is what we've picked up through various sales, offers and coupons over the past few months. Sign up to the various baby clubs and the grocery delivery offers. This lot cost us about 35% of the usual retail price. There's barely a couple of months worth there too.
First time dad...
- Thread starter pgi947
- Start date
To people saying stock up on things.... Wet wipes I can understand, but nappies?? How do you know whether they will fit your child? Seems crazy to me unless the nappies were 90% off or something.
I'd imagine it's much more sensible to just put the money aside for when you know what size/brand to get after you've tried a couple.
I'd imagine it's much more sensible to just put the money aside for when you know what size/brand to get after you've tried a couple.
Yeah, having looked at prices, I think I'll invest in some MDF, paint and glass =P
Soldato
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Lol wut? Your missus pulled a fast one on you there...
Soldato
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I have to say I agree on pretty much everything you've said with the exception of one bit...personally I wouldn't bother with a microeave or steam steriliser, much much easier is a cold water one, you can leave everything in it and it's always ready to go when you are, so much simplier!!
Ok it takes longer to sterilise than with steam...but by the time you've let the steamed stuff cool sufficiently it takes about the same time...
Only thing to look out for is which tablets/fluid you use as some require rinsing with cooled boiled water before use, we use Milton which doesn't require any rinsing and hence is simply a case of take the bottle or whatever out, shake it off and it's ready to go!!!
This is true. If you're unsure of which nappies may be suitable for your child it is certainly worth waiting to try all of the available brands to see which fits best.
If stocking up, consider avoiding the smaller sizes in case your baby comes out at 10lbs and is already a few sizes up
To the OP, as has been said before, you will get advice thrown at you from all directions, some times you may even be guilt tripped down certain avenues by those stay-at-home mothers who get militant about parenting. I'm not exaggerating, there are people out there who will call you cruel for not taking their advice
Do your research, consider your circumstances and use your instinct. Do what is right for your family and your baby. You will know what is right.
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Most mummies are prone to acts of murder if new buggies are not purchased. Same goes for numerous other things (how many depends on the bling factor of your chosen mate).
She is looking after her husband's welfare by demanding a new buggy.
Soldato
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Exactly, I thought that when I saw the picture. Our daughter wasn't long in size one and was ages in size 2, about a month in size three and now at size 5 (10 mths). It totally depends on your childs shape as well, my daughter was quite long when she was born but now has chubbed up a bit.
Plus not everyone gets on with Pampers (they are what we use) and depending on whether you child moves around a lot or wees a lot you may need say the Pampers simply dry or we use Pampers Baby Dry at night which are more absorbent but cost more.
Trial and error and kudos for being prepared, just perhaps look on areas where you can save on things you'll definitely be using (wipes!) We use them for everything from normal nappy changes to cleaning down toys, mopping up sick, wiping sticky hands after eating etc. I used to go in and buy 30 packs at a time.
Thanks again everyone
Fortunate enough to have a Costco membership, so will have a scout around what offers they have next time I'm in as well as taking a trip to Aldi and my usual Asda.
First scan is tomorrow morning, quite excited about it, though thanks to my mother for pointing out twins are very common on both mine and the mrs side of the family
Fortunate enough to have a Costco membership, so will have a scout around what offers they have next time I'm in as well as taking a trip to Aldi and my usual Asda.
First scan is tomorrow morning, quite excited about it, though thanks to my mother for pointing out twins are very common on both mine and the mrs side of the family
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prepare for advice gold. (dad of 2 here, second one was born on Tuesday!):
- clear your smartphone to make space for millions of photos
- buy nappies in bulk but be prepared to have to move a size up very quickly
- buy the cheapest basics Sainsbury's wipes they're best. tescos basics ones are bad.
- buy your missus some nipple cream (seriously she'll need it)
- buy lots (i mean LOTS) of muslin sheets (perfect for vomming etc.)
- don't worry about child-proofing your home. that's 6 months + down the line
- get the cheapo Ikea cot - it's perfect
- get the cheapo Ikea change table with extras
- don't do on-demand breastfeeding unless you and your missus are insane. set times and establish a routine and keep your evenings to yourselves
- relax. relaxed parents = generally relaxed babies. they pick up on worry and stress.
- don't change your routine as much as you can help it. fit the baby in with yours.
- be prepared for your missus to turn slowly into a banshee from hell and get worse until many weeks after the birth.
- get ready for 3-4 hours of sleep per night at MOST for the first few weeks
- sign up for Boots Parenting club. massive bargains on there.
- recommend the cheap Maclaren buggy. everyone uses it.-
- prepare your labour bags ahead of time. (including a man bag with phone charger, snickers, a small flask of whiskey and a sandwich or two). for your missus bag bring small hats for the baby. they need them outside even in a mild summer/spring.
- tkmaxx is good for bottles and stuff like that
- try to keep your missus active through the last phase of pregancy
- stay at home as long as you possibly can manage during labour - i mean until she feels like she'll pop. cause you'll just end up being in hospital for hours otherwise and that's no fun for anyone trust me.
- be VERY NICE to your midwives but speak up if not happy with something
- breastfeeding is really best if she can manage it. remember it can take weeks for the baby and mother to "click" with feeding, during which time that's a lot of hard work and frustration, but then it suddenly works and it's all good. give it time. but don't feel guilty if you need to swich to formula part or full time.
- don't go crazy on baby clothes - family and mates will likely buy you stuff
- if you want to start preparing for lack of sleep, wake yourself up with an alarm clock every 2 hours all through the night until 6am when you need to get up and get on. That'll give you a good idea of what's to come (although that settles down eventually).
- remember that every baby is different and people will tell you one thing that might not be right for you.
- pampers do nappies with a yellow line down them that turns blue when wet. brilliant! saves a lot of hassle.
- baby calpol and calprofen are awesome
- get a breastfeeding pillow. you might need to try a couple. they differ. get one that's not too thin and squishy. small cushions are also good.
- if the fontinell is sunken (more than usual) that usually means the baby is dehydrated. they don't need water - they need milk.
My main bit of advice:
- relax. chill. enjoy the good times when they come. don't stress. keep your eye on the long term and don't get bogged down with bad nights and minor issues, they all resolve themselves in time.
Good luck!
- clear your smartphone to make space for millions of photos
- buy nappies in bulk but be prepared to have to move a size up very quickly
- buy the cheapest basics Sainsbury's wipes they're best. tescos basics ones are bad.
- buy your missus some nipple cream (seriously she'll need it)
- buy lots (i mean LOTS) of muslin sheets (perfect for vomming etc.)
- don't worry about child-proofing your home. that's 6 months + down the line
- get the cheapo Ikea cot - it's perfect
- get the cheapo Ikea change table with extras
- don't do on-demand breastfeeding unless you and your missus are insane. set times and establish a routine and keep your evenings to yourselves
- relax. relaxed parents = generally relaxed babies. they pick up on worry and stress.
- don't change your routine as much as you can help it. fit the baby in with yours.
- be prepared for your missus to turn slowly into a banshee from hell and get worse until many weeks after the birth.
- get ready for 3-4 hours of sleep per night at MOST for the first few weeks
- sign up for Boots Parenting club. massive bargains on there.
- recommend the cheap Maclaren buggy. everyone uses it.-
- prepare your labour bags ahead of time. (including a man bag with phone charger, snickers, a small flask of whiskey and a sandwich or two). for your missus bag bring small hats for the baby. they need them outside even in a mild summer/spring.
- tkmaxx is good for bottles and stuff like that
- try to keep your missus active through the last phase of pregancy
- stay at home as long as you possibly can manage during labour - i mean until she feels like she'll pop. cause you'll just end up being in hospital for hours otherwise and that's no fun for anyone trust me.
- be VERY NICE to your midwives but speak up if not happy with something
- breastfeeding is really best if she can manage it. remember it can take weeks for the baby and mother to "click" with feeding, during which time that's a lot of hard work and frustration, but then it suddenly works and it's all good. give it time. but don't feel guilty if you need to swich to formula part or full time.
- don't go crazy on baby clothes - family and mates will likely buy you stuff
- if you want to start preparing for lack of sleep, wake yourself up with an alarm clock every 2 hours all through the night until 6am when you need to get up and get on. That'll give you a good idea of what's to come (although that settles down eventually).
- remember that every baby is different and people will tell you one thing that might not be right for you.
- pampers do nappies with a yellow line down them that turns blue when wet. brilliant! saves a lot of hassle.
- baby calpol and calprofen are awesome
- get a breastfeeding pillow. you might need to try a couple. they differ. get one that's not too thin and squishy. small cushions are also good.
- if the fontinell is sunken (more than usual) that usually means the baby is dehydrated. they don't need water - they need milk.
My main bit of advice:
- relax. chill. enjoy the good times when they come. don't stress. keep your eye on the long term and don't get bogged down with bad nights and minor issues, they all resolve themselves in time.
Good luck!
Last edited:
Time to unearth this thread!
Little boy arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning, weighing in at a rather hefty 9lb 6!
Thanks again for all the advise in this thread (I'm going to re-read all of it over the next day or so just if I missed something!). Its really appreciated.
We had a hard first night he was home, constant crying, wouldn't settle etc... but we seem to have gotten into the swing of things now, I'm staying up late while the mrs catches up on sleep and I'll grab a few hours in the morning once the coffee & relentless has worn off
He's only up and crying now roughly every 2 hours for a feed/change/burp which I gather is normal, so all happy on that front.
The stocking up thing, we didn't really stock up much of anything thanks to the Asda rollback thing (prices stay at 'offer' prices for 9+ months at a time), plus when stocks are looking low its only a days wait to get something delivered from Asda too
Thanks again GD
Little boy arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning, weighing in at a rather hefty 9lb 6!
Thanks again for all the advise in this thread (I'm going to re-read all of it over the next day or so just if I missed something!). Its really appreciated.
We had a hard first night he was home, constant crying, wouldn't settle etc... but we seem to have gotten into the swing of things now, I'm staying up late while the mrs catches up on sleep and I'll grab a few hours in the morning once the coffee & relentless has worn off
He's only up and crying now roughly every 2 hours for a feed/change/burp which I gather is normal, so all happy on that front.
The stocking up thing, we didn't really stock up much of anything thanks to the Asda rollback thing (prices stay at 'offer' prices for 9+ months at a time), plus when stocks are looking low its only a days wait to get something delivered from Asda too
Thanks again GD
Soldato
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- 11 Sep 2009
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- France, Alsace
Not read all of these in full, but one thing that we believe is really important, and hard to see for the first, leaving the baby.
he/she cries just because they want attention, or don't want to sleep? Don't continue to pick them up. Same with routine. Keep them in a routine. Bed time is bed time. Their bed is their bed. We have friends with bleeding 7yr old kids who won't go to their own bed, and have to sleep with their parents!? They kick off if you put them in their bed, and they don't just put their foot down. This is important from an early age and it's hard to do, especially as your first as you'll feel the need to keep picking them up if they're not settled.
Also, get them used to noise, and sleeping anywhere. If you are too precious with noise, again, they'll be very sensitive to it and wake a lot.
Really helps as they grow up. We have had parties in our place and the kids were upstairs asleep, didn't hear a thing and this was loud.
You'll often think you're not doing the right thing. Sometimes you have to put up with the wailing, stick with it and you'll get through it. Just stick to your guns. It's so important in the long run and your sanity in life.
he/she cries just because they want attention, or don't want to sleep? Don't continue to pick them up. Same with routine. Keep them in a routine. Bed time is bed time. Their bed is their bed. We have friends with bleeding 7yr old kids who won't go to their own bed, and have to sleep with their parents!? They kick off if you put them in their bed, and they don't just put their foot down. This is important from an early age and it's hard to do, especially as your first as you'll feel the need to keep picking them up if they're not settled.
Also, get them used to noise, and sleeping anywhere. If you are too precious with noise, again, they'll be very sensitive to it and wake a lot.
Really helps as they grow up. We have had parties in our place and the kids were upstairs asleep, didn't hear a thing and this was loud.
You'll often think you're not doing the right thing. Sometimes you have to put up with the wailing, stick with it and you'll get through it. Just stick to your guns. It's so important in the long run and your sanity in life.