What to buy ??

[Bellarose]

Hi,
I'm trying to workout how much money we need to setup for a new bub. I've read books that have lists, but do you really need all that they say ??? Or am I kidding myself ? If anyone can give me just a rough idea of how much a basic setup would be great.
Thank you .

[luckie_me]

All up i've spent about $1700 thats everything i need except a cot,
I've brought all clothes up to 0
Nappys and all the lotions

just basic other stuff like
Pram
Carseat
Rocker
Bassinette

was about $1000 4 these things from Baby co

Babies = big $$

:smiliedance:

[mysonroger]

some shops offer package deals, like pram, cot , mattress , car seat, etc for $850, well, i think that was the price i saw (this was in perth). plus, some people are lucky enough to be given equipment, or have it on loan. then there 's second hand stuff too. and then there's those incredible sales, like 40% off at target, every now and then. i could have saved myself a fortune if i had waited for the sales.
unfortunately i can't give you an exact figure.

[mysonroger]

oops, meant to add that we were given so many clothes for presents that we didn't need to buy any until DS was about 14 months old. so maybe just buy some basic clothes until you see what you get.

[InSaneOne]

go to heaps of garage sales and markets and second hand shops. you don't need a change table - use the top of a chest of drawers then put bubs clothes in the drawers. you can use the old fashioned cots with the leaver sides. i am using one for my dd. she has never got her fingers jammed. neither did me or my sister of any of our numerous friends). comb the op shops for clothes. you don't need a lot and the stuff you get there can be almost like new condition. spend your money on the carseat and the pram. i would go new for them. With the carseat it is cheaper to rent a capsule then buy a non-covertable carseat. you don't really need a bassinette. you can buy those snugglie things ? that go in the cot for newborns. buy homebrand baby bath and wipes you don't really need a lot of lotions and potions for bub anyway. and go the modern cloth nappy way. they are really cute and soooo much cheaper in the long run. (i am a recent convert). tell your friends that you are willing to accept hand me downs for clothes. ( i think i have only brought my dd 6 items of brand new clothes - all the rest were from friends and my sil and from op shops my mum went to) toys are the same. they are quite happy playing with the wrappings and boxes. (we brought a new dvd and she just loves playing with the box.)

if you have any other questions feel free to pm me.

as long as they are warm and fed and loved babies don't need (or know the difference) new things or a lot of expensive toys.

[Bellarose]

Thanks so much. I think I'll wait till I see what pressies and hand me downs I get before I buy anything. I just like to be ultra organised.
Another question... is a baby monitor essential ??
:o

[tanni_83]

Thanks so much. I think I'll wait till I see what pressies and hand me downs I get before I buy anything. I just like to be ultra organised.
Another question... is a baby monitor essential ??
:o

a monitor is essential if you live in a big house or in a split level house. sometimes its hard to hear if a baby is awake from either downstairs or the other end of the house and its usually the opening of the door that that wakes them

[Kaileysmum]

Another question... is a baby monitor essential ??
:o


Its essential if you dont have bub sleeping in your room. We never used ours for the first 4mths as she slept in our room, but now thats she is in her own room we use it all the time.

To save money buy try and buy big things like cot, pram etc when they have a big sale, also make sure you shop around as the prices differ at different shops e.g our change table was $150 but at another shop it was $195, so as you can see some shops eapecially ones that have a good name for themselves mark stuff up.

[Kaileysmum]

as long as they are warm and fed and loved babies don't need (or know the difference) new things or a lot of expensive toys.


Thats so true. We brought so many things (toys etc) for dd and she has never used half of them, its just a waste of money. Little babies aren't interested much in toys.

Also I thought of another thing don't buy lots of 0000 clothes as they aren't in them for very long (probably 2 weeks), most baby's can go straight into 000.

If there is anything you wanna know please feel free to PM me. As there is a lot of things that I wish I never wasted my money on, but being a first time parent I went a little silly. lol.

[Bellarose]

Fantastic advice. I'm only new to site. Can you let me know what 'PM' means ? I've done a search but cant find the meaning.

The more I think about this the more I want to know...

Do I really need....
Bassinet
Baby Bath
Rocker
Cloth nappies (if using disposables) ???

Thanks again. :)

ME 31
DH 32

[hayleylea]

Hi

Id say a baby monitor is essential regardless how big your house is...it does give you peace of mind just to hear the slightest little noise of a night. I picked mine up at a garage sale for $5 and it is GREAT! You can also pick up ALOT of stuff from garage sales - which i think great! Cots etc...then just buy a new mattress...or ebay! I picked up my cot on ebay for really cheap!!

Personally i didnt have a bassinett i just used a cot from the start. I dont think they are in bassinetts long enough

Cloth nappies regardless if you are using disposables are GREAT for spew rags etc.

Baby bath is an essential in my opinion because they are easier to bath your littlies in...You can pick these up cheap at $2 stores!! Mind you the majority of times DS usually has a shower with DF :o lol

Rocker/bouncer - Essential for me!! Its a good place to put them while you are hanging out the washing so they can watch you etc.....YOu can also pick these up for cheap from ebay or Garage sales.

Anyway hope this has helped :)

[InSaneOne]

cloth napppies are handy for spit rags as little one generally do at one point during feeding. you can get good second hand ones from ebay. (it is also a good idea to get a snappi and some liners and plastic pants for those days when you accidentially run out of disposables and can't get to the shops).

you don't really need a baby bath. my mum used to baby me and my sister in the laundry tub and now bub has a bath in it when we are visiting. it is much better for your back as you don't have to bend. and if you put the towel on the washing machine it doubles as a change table.

i didn't get a new rocker i used one of the old fashiond ones with a metal frame and the crochet cover. i got it for $5 in the salvo shop. - garage sales are good too.

i don't think babies need a bassinet. just put them in the cot. however they do look really small in that big bed. but not for long - they grow really quick.

i didn't get a monitor but bub slept in our room for the first 3 months and then we generally leave all the doors open here and she generally sleeps through all the noise.


a pm is a private message. at the top of the screen, where it has welcome bellarose and you last visited it also has the words private messages in blue. if you click on that you will see if anyone has sent you a message. also if you want to send someone a private message (pm) you can click on their name at the top of the post and it lists different options. just select the send private message one and away you go.

[kymmy]

it is difficult to know what would be useful until you have bub
all babies are different


nappies
clothes
place to sleep
change table saves the back


they would be essential items
a lot is luxury
and it could be just trial and error
i wasted money on dummies and bottles
but you just never know...

[jordy&steph'smumma]

I never had a baby monitor for either of my two as our rooms aren't that far apart and they both slept in our room for the first 3-4 months anyhow.

I had a baby bath but also use to use the wash tub in the laundry and the washing machine (no I didn't put baby in washing machine lol:laughing: )while at mums.

I had a rocker chair for both as it is great to put them in and sit in lounge while you are watching tv and they are kept snug and off the floor but are still near you.

My DH bought a second hand bassinette from a lady at his work for $50 and we just put a new matteress in it (I'm on the hunt for a new one now as I got rid of the old one)

Anyhow the money you spend on major items is really a one off and can all be used again if you intend on having more kids or you can always put the items on ebay and get some money back after you are finished with them.

Kylie

[InSaneOne]

the thing i found most useful is the rocker recliner lounge for me. my grandad passed away when bub was about 1 month old and as i hadn't gotten one yet but was planning to, they gave me his old one. it is just magic for putting bub to sleep and comfy enough to sleep on.

[cjb/jbvd]

i absolutely could not have lived without my boy's bouncer, snuggle bed or monitor.

the bouncer when he got older to keep him secure when i was working around the house, and so he could see what i was doing. the snuggle bed to put into his cot, and doubled as a portable bed when visiting the family. and the monitor, because both the daddy and i are fairly heavy sleepers and he was in his own room from the start.

as for clothes, i got one change for every day in three different sizes up from what he was fitting in to (i used part of the maternity payment). i aslo made sure to get items that are going to be suitable for different types of weather when i bought them. i got so many clothes from family that i didn't have to buy much when he was first born, but he grew so fast i'm glad i had the other stuff on hand. you can't go past target for baby clothes. they are always cheap and hard wearing and look great. people always say how cute my boy's clothes are.

my biggest cost was the cot. i got one of those boori 'forever' cots. it cost alot, but i never have to buy my boy another bed ever again as it transforms all the way up to a double bed. so i figure i'm saving money in the long term.

if you're looking to do the basic furniture/nusery set up, then the latest 'mother and baby' or 'practical parenting' (i can't remember which one)has a special bit on nurserys this month.

good luck and happy shopping

[Baby Girl]

The more I think about this the more I want to know...

Do I really need....
Bassinet
Baby Bath
Rocker
Cloth nappies (if using disposables) ???


Bassinet - not really. It is handy if you are short on space and want to have bub in your room but you can put them in the cot from birth - just wrap them up and they feel snug enough.

Baby Bath - we had one but used the laundry sink more often!! Better height and the top of the washing machine (with some padding) makes a great place to dry and dress bubs.

Rocker - we had a bouncer and both girls hated it but my best friends bub loves his...... I gues this one would be up to you. They are a handy place to put bub when you are trying to do things but I always just had a play mat on the floor or even just a folded blanket with some toys around.

Cloth Nappies - Very handy as spew rags and the like but not the only thing that you can wipe up chuck with.

When we had DD1 we bought...

Cot (2nd Hand)
Car Seat
Baby Carrier
Pram
Nappy Bag
Port-a-cot (2nd Hand - not necessary but we do a lot of travelling so found it very handy)
Bassinett (2nd Hand)
Wardrobe (With one door for hanging space and draws down one side from top to bottom)
Clothes - I bought about 6 singlets in each size from 000 to 0, 6 wondersuits in each size, some socks, about 10 bibs and after they were born I bought more things over time but I was also given heaps of stuff and neither of them have worn everything they have been given or I have bought.

[zenifa]

Bellarose

I haven't used a baby monitor - DD slept in her cot in her own room from the time we came home from hospital. DH & I are light sleepers and our house is small, & my DD was a noisy sleeper, so we could always hear her and never needed on.

We also didn't use a basinette or bath bath. We bathed DD in laundry tub and once she outgrew that we bathed her in the big bath with us or in the shower.
I use cloth nappies at home and disposables when we're out, but there are lots of uses for cloth nappies, so its worth having some (even if they aren't new).

I do use a baby bouncer, which is great once DD got too heavy to be in the sling while I do chores (vacumming, hanging out washing etc). Like cinova, we have had lots of great use out of a snuggle bed. I also don't have a change table, just a big chest of drawers (matching the cot & highchair) with a change mat on top, and put all the wipes, lotions etc in the top drawer. Very handy and good for my back.

Keep a look out for ebay, garage sales, and pre-loved baby bazaars, as I got lots of great bargains ($10 for avent isis breast pump and bottles; $20 for snugglebed; kapoochi nappy bag $50 (RRP $140); babycarrier $35 etc). We got lots of clothes for my DD, she's nearly 9 months and we have hardly had to buy anything for her!!

[jessgray]

Fantastic advice. I'm only new to site. Can you let me know what 'PM' means ? I've done a search but cant find the meaning.

The more I think about this the more I want to know...

Do I really need....
Bassinet
Baby Bath
Rocker
Cloth nappies (if using disposables) ???

Thanks again.

ME 31
DH 32
PM means private message
bassinetts are great but depending on size of bub you may only get a few months use out it.most bubs use them for approx 6 months :)
a baby bath or baby bath seat is handy for the first 6 months :) i have both but only used the bath with DS as we dont have a big bath here just a shower lol
a rocker / bouncer are good for calming and keeping bub out of the way when you are doing vaccuming etc :) i dont have a rocking chair.
you can use cloth nappies as burp clothes or use bibs. i used fitted cloth at home and huggies for day care and going out :)