What to Buy for a New Baby?

So much choice is not necessarily a good thing, I'll never forget the first time I went into a well known baby shop when I was pregnant with Amy and wondering what on earth I would need all this for, I didn't even know what 80% of it was..

I've tried to condense some of the must haves for new Mums  in an effort to alleviate some of the confusion.

Your new baby can be as expensive as you want it to be, there are no rules as to what to buy, below is a list of items you may find useful.

Clothing

You can buy as little or as much clothing as you like for your baby the ranges and choices on offer are seemingly endless, but do bear in mind you will more than likely be flooded with 'cute' baby wear after or in some cases even before the birth so if you want to buy your baby clothes before the birth try to opt for outfits in bigger sizes.
All you really need are 6 -12 newborn baby grows (depending on how often you want to do the washing!) and 6 or so vests. A packet of bibs is handy although a pack of muslin squares is more practical in the early days, and something to wear home from the hospital. If you are reading this when you are only a few months pregnant remember to bear in mind what the weather will be like when you have your baby.

If you don't know the sex of your baby I would buy as little as possible or you will find your baby wearing white and beige for the first few months of its little life! Anyway it's a lovely first outing to go shopping for new clothes for your cherub.

Nappies
Which to choose. Reusable or disposable? Branded or supermarket? Best thing to do is ask other mums and take advantage of the mistakes they made. If you are choosing reusable you will need to do some
research because of the initial outlay a mistake here could cost you! There are loads of companies now who offer a consultation service and advise you what you will need, some will even come and collect the
dirty nappies from you and deliver clean ones, find out what is available in your area. If you are using disposable make sure you have 2 or 3 packs of your chosen nappy in stock and take a packet to the
hospital as you don't know how long you will have to stay for.

Feeding Equipment
If you are breastfeeding then this is easy, all you need are your boobs. It might be worth investing in some nipple cream before the birth, it can be expensive but will probably not be wasted, and buying in advance is slightly preferable to popping to the chemist with sore nipples!
If you are planning to bottle feed then you will need 6 newborn bottles a tin of formula and a sterilising unit. It is best to familiarise yourself with the process of making up feeds before hand so you're not doing it in a panic with your new screaming child!

Somewhere to Sleep
A lot of mothers find a moses basket invaluable for a new born as you can move your baby around the house without waking it, if you choose to buy a moses basket bear in mind when you see the beautiful
cribs that cost a fortune that your baby will only use it for around the first 3 months of its life so this may not be the best use of your cash! Go for something basic a less expensive. If you are buying second hand do make sure you buy a new mattress!

You can buy a cot before your baby is born, again it is a good idea to ask other mums what they bought, there are cot beds available which can be converted for your growing child and cots with sides which move
up and down making it easy for you to put down and pick up your baby. Again if you are buying second hand then make sure you buy a new mattress. For bedding buy 3 or 4 sheets for your baby's bed and the same amount of blankets, or you may choose to use a Grobag, I wish I'd invested in mattress protectors sooner rather than later, these days they are super absorbent and super soft, very unlike the plastic ones you may have encountered as a child *shudder*

Out and About
There are again a multitude of prams and car seats available to you. Have a good think about what your day to day life is going to be like for the first 12-18 months of your baby's life and try to make your choices based around them. For example if you plan to do a lot of walking with your baby then invest in a good easy to push pram. Personally I bought a 3 in 1 travel system because I live in the country and do a lot of walking and travelling by car, it's great not having to remove your baby from the car seat when you reach your
destination. But again ask other mums who have similar lifestyles to you what worked best for them before you hand over your cash. Sometimes grandparents like to make this purchase for you, if they want a say in
the style then think carefully before you accept the offer, what they want you to have might not always be the best option practically.

And enjoy, it's a lovely even every time you stock up on something new for you and your baby and it doesn't have to break the bank if you plan ahead.