Geordie George

Congratulations on your pegnancy! I'm currently expecting our second baby (due a week today).

At the risk of sounding completely out there, I'd say work out how you want to parent and then buy accordingly. I didn't want my baby to be in a pram, so we use slings. We never had a crib, as my daughter co-slept with us for the first six months before she went into a cotbed. Bean will do the same. First born was breastfed (I hope Bean will be, too), so we didn't bother with sterilisers and the like. I guess the only real essential is a car seat.

(FWIW, we did get a change table and it was the biggest waste of money! My daughter was a wriggler from birth and by the time she was four months old and able to turn over, we couldn't use it - I was worried about her falling off it. I changed her on the floor or else on my knee.)

quoll

Congratulations!

I subscribed to the minimalist school of parenting when we had our kids (we had minimal money at the time so that was sort of a factor of course!). Both started life in a drawer and moved quickly into a cot (second hand).

Didnt use either a pram or a stroller as they were carried first in a front sling (love those ergo baby carriers - better than the one we had which was in the vanguard) and then a very expensive bushwalking baby backpack.

Clothes wise, I knitted a bit and people gave us the grow suits. We were in the days of cloth nappies but the daughter in law loves the eenee nappies.

Car seat is essential these days and though I was young and supple enough to use whatever was available for changing (usually the floor) I can see that a change table would be good if you have room (Ikea do some quite good and cheap ones). You can use the laundry tub for bathing for quite a while.

Breast feed if you can - does away with all that shenanigans with bottles and sterilizing etc.

Dont bother with parenting books - the kids havent read them before they arrive and even if they did, they would take perverse delight in doing absolutely everything the parenting books says they wont be doing.

Good luck and dont listen to well meaning advice!

moneypenny20

I wouldn't bother with a baby monitor. We got one for First Born but found immediately that both 'mummy and daddy hearing' made the monitor totally redundant. Wast of money. We never had a baby bath either. The husband got in with them (could cope with tepid water better than me) or simply shoved a sponge under the bum and a hand under the head - no problem.

Bix

We didn't have one either but I had to rely on an elbow.

Dreamy

All of ours were changed on my knee - endlessly useful for grossing people out

Congrats to the OP - as many have said already, try and future proof yourself if you're planning on having more than one (or if having more than one is a possibility, whether you're planning it or not!)

Can't really advise on what equipment is out there now as my youngest just turned 16... but one piece of advice I'll give you is never ever have the house quiet 'so the baby can sleep'.. let 'em get used to sleeping through noise.

rasen78

Echo a few PPs. Don't bother with loads of clothes. Both of mine were born in May and the following summers were roasting, so they lived in babygros and all on one vests.

Sleeping bags are brill. You can get different tog ratings so there are ones suitable for day time naps as well as proper bed time.

If breast feeding, invest in good quality BF bras and also breast pads. You can get disposable ones (which I didn't like) or washable ones.

There are a few different lotions out there for nappy rash etc, but my favourites were Bepanthen (also good for sores, burns etc) and Kamillosan (good for sore nipples)

A good play mat is IMO a worthwhile investment. I got this one

http://www.babycarecentres.co.uk/tin...item14133.html

when we were expecting DS (now 6.5) and DD loved it too. I added a set of musical chimes which they loved to kick

I wouldn't bother with a crib/moses basket, but I did find a bouncy chair very useful.

Muslin cloths for feeding, covering, comfort, just about anything

Being in Aus, I would recommend a UV protector for the pushchair etc.

Congratulations on your little bundle of fun

gelato

For us the essential things were:

-capsule carseat with click in 'pram' frame for first few months (we had the graco snugride bought secondhand from a colleague) - this was great and very convenient for the first couple of months
-babybjorn baby front carrier (for before 3 months - we got this handmedown)
-ergo baby front/back carrier (for after 3 months this was essential for us as we live in pram-unfriendly Rome - I tried lots of carriers and this was on the only one which did not hurt my back)
-Maclaren volo stroller for after 6 months (if I could do it again I'd get one of the more expensive maclarens which reclines so that kid can sleep)
-cloth nappies and covers -we used prefolds and breathable plastic covers which I got off ebay plus snappi fasteners and homemade fleece liners (ie I just cut up a piece of fleece)
-baby bathtub - we only have a shower so this is essential for us - wouldn't be if we had a bathtub
-IKEA cot - she's been sleeping there since 6 months
-pack n play - she slept in here (or coslept) for first 6 months
-grobag sleeping bags in various weights
-swaddling blankets for first couple of months - we used muslin squares since she was a summer baby
-baby bodysuits or sleepsuits depending on the season, baby hat, socks etc. (just get a few as others have mentioned as you'll get tons of gifts and handmedowns)
-carseat for 6 months plus
-baby bouncy chair ie. a place to park her when getting stuff done
-breastpump (I had the medela harmony) and a couple of bottles. I breastfed but pumped a bottle every now and then so that I could go out and leave the baby with husband or a babysitter
-nursing bras
-IKEA change table/chest of drawers - essential for us as we both have bad backs and a good place to keep everything
-desitin nappy cream - this was the only cream which worked


If I had another baby I'd probably get a battery operated baby swing just to see if that worked.

Pomster

Oh and we bought an expensive jogger pram which our daughter hated.
So we bought a 'suitable from birth' McLaren and despite our lazy little tyke being 3.5yrs, we still use it a lot. She still has daily sleeps!

It has been on countless planes and therefore treated harshly but was the best few hundred dollars we spent....and still going strong

Shelly Cat

This thread has been so helpfull, thank you so much.

What was not helpfull was medibank in relation to being Pregnant they are about as much help as tits on a fish.

goingau

congrats, i'll second as it's great when their asleep and you want to move them from car to pram to car to home without disturbing them, large three wheeled if possible easy turning circle and go over rough terrain.
grow (sleep) bag a must saves them wiggling away,
nappie change bag mid size for a few nappies, half pack of wipes, cream, spare bottle with powder (just in case), foldup change mat for those sticky situations . and of course nappy bags.
for a change table we used a ordinary chest of drawers with a cusioned change mat on (in the corner of the room with me in front) to reduce back pain.

theres more i'll post up when the twins are asleep (18mths)