Thinking Ahead

[Mrs Dolphin]

I am only 10weeks at the moment but it is never too early to starting thinking about what we will need - especially as this is bub no 1 for us - so I am interested in finding out where everyone has bought all thier baby stuff from? Mainly the 'big' items like cot, pram, carseat etc. Did you go to a specialist baby store or go to a department store like Target, Myer etc - Or maybe a mix of both?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)

[luckie_me]

I got all my big things from Baby Co
Everything else from Kmart and target places like that!

[Ange&Seth]

Hi there :wave: and Congratulations!!!!!

We bought our porta-cot and pram from 'Tiny Tots' a few years ago (when we knew we'd be together forever :-)

We bought our wooden cot, tallboy, baby monitor, steriliser, breast pumps off eBay and saved HEAPS of $$$$$. Eg, cot from tiny tots would have cost us $500+ but we got one off eBay (only 2 years old) for $117.50!!!!! Tallboy would have cost us $500+ also but only paid $140 off eBay. We also bought a safety gate for when bub starts crawling off eBay, and paid $30 less than we would have if bought from a shop - and that including the cost of delivery to our door!

Our change table is actually meant to be a tv stand, but is hip height with 2 shelves underneath, so was perfect for us. We just bought a change pad ($20) from Clints Warehouse to put on top.

I would definitely recommend that you shop around and have a look on eBay. I have noticed that Clints Warehouse have baby stuff on sale every two or three months, for heaps less than you'd pay from Target or a baby warehouse.

Hope this helps and that you have fun shopping!! Main piece of advice - don't wait until you're 25-30 weeks, cos by that stage you probably won't feel like traipsing round the shops hunting for bargains!!!

Good luck :fingerscrossed:

[bigglet]

We had a mixture from all places including Babyco, Baby Target, Kmart, eBay and other various hand me downs from people who heard we were having a baby.

Talk to people from these shops to get a feel of what you may need but since you have plenty of time you can do some research now on what you like/prefer and wait for specials! :) If you want all your stuff brand new then places like Babyco do big deals - for example if you buy a few products all at once they throw in bonuses.

Hope this helps and congratulations! It's an exciting time :)

[lilmissymoo]

:wave: there, its never to early to start thinking of what you need. My DH and i went and looked at all the second hand baby stores but found that the items were nearly much as the new one. We thought that if we were spending that much money we should spend a little extra and buy new. We also waited for sale to come along so we could get some bargins. We mainly shopped at Target, K-mart, Big W etc. You could also put them on lay-by to help your pockets out, then you dont have such a big bill straight away. GOOD LUCK with bubs

[twins+another]

Hi, with the twins we bought cots from Ikea and most of the other stuff from Target. Our pram was the only thing that came from a specialist baby place due to needing a double.

The sales at Target, K-Mart and Big W are great for baby stuff.

My best piece of advice would have been that even though it all looks lovely and cute in the store, you need to think about how practical it is. It is no point having a wizz bang, fully uppolstered (SP?) reclining high chair if you can't keep the damn thing clean! (we got chairs that we can take outside and hose down, best thing we ever did!)

Also, your baby won't sleep any better in an $800 cot than they will in a $200 one that meets all the same safety standards.

For this baby, we won't need to buy very much at all. I just got a bargain cot on Ebay for a song!

Good luck and happy shopping!:wave:

[Pixie]

We got the big things from babies galore :)

[WeThree]

Im going to tell you something for nothing, dont buy any of your big ticket items new!!! I know its tempting when it is first bubs and all, but seriously if you scour around, newspapers, garage sales, bubhub, ebay etc, you would be amazed at the gorgeous as new stuff you can get for a small fraction of the original price, and part of the fun is hunting down that bargain!
Babies dont use any of their stuff very long, so most of the stuff you can pick up is practically like new.
This is handy if you are on a budget or looking to spend lots of money say on a particular pram that you really want, then you can skimp a bit on the other stuff iykwim. :)
Of course you can tell me to get stuffed, whichever suits you best :laughing:

[SJE]

My rule of thumb was:

Second hand for the major items - cot, furniture etc
New for Car seats (safety item)
New for anything material that can't be washed - portacot
Second hand clothing from people I knew

Just make sure everything is Aus standards compliant

[Mrs Dolphin]

Hi Guys

Thanks so much for all of your advice so far - it really helps!

I look forward to hearing so more experiences!

:yelclap:

[LucyE]

Congratulations! It's never too early to start planning!

For our baby stuff, I first worked out what it was that I wanted/needed and then got quotes from all over the place before working out the most cost effective way of getting everything.

As already mentioned, you can sometimes pick up things second hand inexpensively but it also depends on luck. For us, I wanted a particular brand of cot and found after watching ebay, the trading post and the weekend papers for a few months, that buying second hand was nearly as expensive as buying new.

Another trick is that a lot of babystores offer discounts if you spend over a certain amount. So it can sometimes work out more cost effective buying everything new. Also, keep a look out for regular Target/Myer/David Jones store sales. The 40% off ones are the biggies so if you can have the cash saved ready to take advantage of these, it's well worthwhile.

Also, babies really don't need much. Your planned style of parenting will affect what you have to buy eg. if you plan on cosleeping you won't need a cot and can put that money towards a junior bed for later on.

This is what we did:
Baby store (with 15% discount)- pram, sheepskin, cot, cradle, muslin wraps, little squirt, nappy bucket, baby bath and stand, carseat, window sox,
Target (60% off sale)- port-a-cot, highchair
David Jones (30% sale)- some flat cloth nappies
K-Mart (15% sale)- Bonds baby clothes
Babysleepers online store (20% off sale) - Grobag sleeping bags
Full price - assorted modern cloth nappies

We were given a stack of new baby clothes so I didn't have to buy much in the smaller sizes. And for baby linen, I used our old sheets folded down because they are softer and better quality than the new baby sheet sets that I could find.

Hope this gives you an idea :)

[Mylittleboy]

I know you mentioned getting all your big items, but something I did as soon as I found out I was expecting was when I went shopping I would buy one small item, whether it be a pack of wipes, baby soap, a couple of bibs, singlets, etc.
DS is now 5 months and I have not had to buy wipes, baby soap shampoo or anything like that in our groceries as I had it all stashed, it will make a difference to your grocery bills if there is only one income when bubs comes along.

[JATS]

Did you go to a specialist baby store or go to a department store like Target, Myer etc - Or maybe a mix of both?

Hiya!
I did alot of shopping around before I was even pregnant and found that for things like clothing, bottles, sterilizers, toys, bedding, even high chair etc you are best off going with Target and the like, but for things like cot, mattress, carseat and pram, invest in a good brand from a specialist baby store.

Cots/carseats/mattresses from Target and the like often SAY they meet safety standards but RARELY ACTUALLY DO. Well known reputable baby supplies stores stake their reputation on the quality of their stock so they are less likely to stock dodgey stuff.

Don't get a no-name cot/mattress, too many injuries/sids fatalities to risk it IMO

Congratulations on your pregnancy and have fun shopping around!:yelclap:

[limlib]

Congratulations on your pregnancy! It is so much fun planning but as you have no doubt realised it can be very expensive buying everything from scratch. We did get some of the bigger items second hand from friends and family but I agree about safety items eg car seat, best to get that new. I had second hand cot and bassinet but got new mattresses made for them.

I have bought most of our new items from a specialist baby shop - Babyroad in my case -basically because of the advice they can give you. There are so many products (I mean look at the range of strollers/prams) I wasn't sure of all the advantages/ disadvantages of them. I priced them at Target and Kmart and didn't find them much cheaper and the advice I found invaluable at a specialist shop. They go through all the features/ drawbacks of each one. Like for example the differences in the types of wheels on the strollers and did you know that you have to be careful choosing a 3 wheel stroller because some of them are too wide to go through normal grocery aisles? Also how to collapse the stroller with one hand - how big is it in the boot and how heavy? I had no clue when I started looking so the most basic information needed to be shown to me - you can't get that in a store like Target . Love them for clothes, linen but not for the big items for me.

Enjoy the preparation time - it is so wonderful and your whole life is changing!
Good luck with everything.

[Issey]

CONGRATULATIONS!!

I agree what most have said.

Stock up on little items, wipes, baby bath products, nappy cream etc. Some of the cheaper products ie: wipes etc are fine to use. Buy a couple of items each week including flanels,sheets, bibs, whatever you think you need.

I bought our cot off a friend which was still under warranty from a baby shop and have used their mattress, it was very clean and as new, and couldn't be faulted. I bought a wooden change table out of the paper for $40, with a shelf and casters vg.

I got two car seats one for each car, one from K-Mart and one from Big W when they were on sale both for under $130 each and they are great.:thumbsup:

I bought a lot of clothes and toys from markets, op shops and ebay all in great condition, just washed in napisan :) . I just love finding designer clothes for $1-5 :yelclap: I also picked up hooded towels, and a microwave steriliser for $1.

My mistake was buying a pram out of the paper as I had no idea and ended up finding it too heavy :thumbsdown: although it is great brand etc so ended up buying a light weight one. Check weights as this was a major factor for me as I am small and when lifting in and out the car boot two or three times a day kills you back . This item is well used so important it suits you.

[LucyE]

Cots/carseats/mattresses from Target and the like often SAY they meet safety standards but RARELY ACTUALLY DO
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this statement. Cots and carseats have to meet Australian Safety Standards or they can not be sold new in Australia. The retailer would get into a lot of trouble if they did. It's just that the Australian Safety Standards are good and well, but many brands exceed the minimum requirement so usually if there is not much of a price difference, most people would choose the safer option. You will only find the details by doing your own research. Not all sales people (even in speciality baby stores) know what they are talking about and are up to date with the latest info. Department stores like Target and David Jones do sell leading Australian brands eg. Boori and Sunbury cots so it's just up to the individual to do their homework and shop around.

I'd also advise against stocking up on things like nappies, wipes or baby bath items. You don't know what your child will be like until they arrive so risk buying too many items that may not agree with them (eg. certain wipes brands may irritate sensitive skin). If you do choose to stock up, sticky tape the receipt to the unopened box/packet so that you can return them at a later date if needed. This also applies to nappies when you don't know how many of which size to buy (some babies grow quickly, others slower). I'm a believer in putting money into a seperate account, ready to draw on when you actually need something, rather than buying 'just in case'.

[JATS]

maybe do a little research.......:rolleyes:
http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/stories/868.asp



Choice magazine tested 11 household cots and according to results published today, not one of them meets all the safety requirements.

[JATS]

also
http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc123.html



In terms of injury severity, cots have the highest mortality. Of the 13 nursery furniture-related deaths identified in Victoria between 1985 and 1994, 10 (over 75 percent) were associated with cots... All but one of the deaths associated with cots in Victoria were due to asphyxia and involved entrapment hazards directly related to cot design or modification (6) or to the cot environment (2 accessed blind cords, 1 strangled on the elastic attached to a toy). The other death resulted from a fall from a cot

[LucyE]

Thanks for the links and yes, I did do my research before buying our cot (which isn't one that 'failed' the Choice tests). After a few years of being a Choice subscriber, I'm no longer a believer that they give a completely accurate picture with their surveys. I still take in their recommendations but do my own research into what I believe is best for our situation. The so called 'failures' of the Choice test, does not actually mean that to do not met Australian Safety Standards. Choice just used a unique set of testing methods.

And from the ACA website you posted:

Although Mr Cousins is reluctant to criticise Choice, he concedes the testing of that contentious cot was a little out-of-date.

�It�s not the latest model in the marketplace. It�s a superceded model and our understanding is the manufacturer has in fact addressed the concerns expressed by the Australian Consumers Association in that test,� he says.

About the only thing anyone can agree on is that the standard needs improving to avoid confusion.

And for the record, those cots that 'failed' the tests, most would have been readily available from a specialist babystore too.

[JATS]

I know not everyone cares what 'choice' has to say, thats why I included the study from Monash.

And I know alot of the cots can also be bought in specialist baby stores, but those stores are much more likely to reccomend you buy gro-years or Boori or another reputable brand. You're more likely to find only no-name brands in target than the good brands.:thumbsup:

[Mrs Dolphin]

Thankyou all so much for your valuable advice and experiences - it has helped alot and will make me more informed when we actually start to go and look in all the shops!

:)