[ania8888]

forgot to add bibs - most babies have reflux and drip/spit a lot, to avoid changing clothes every hour. not so much for esthetics but to avoid rashes - stayng in wet and cold milk spit soaked t shirt can lead to rashes.

sun hat is a must - when you use a sling for going out, unless you use an umbrella all the time

a

[Tracey Nicole]

thankis very much A - this really helps.

I also enjoyed hearing that your milk/feeding is well established and you can switch between breast and bottle as I have heard so many challenging stories. I guess one of my fears is not being able to feed my bub.

You also inspired me and I know which black/white cards I am going to make when I get back to work tomorrow :-)

re moses basket - i have not bought one because i spent so much on the cot (0-4 years). in wingon they have this mini basket/cot thing that you can place in your bed or next to it. Have you seen them? if yes, what do you think?

Many thanks for all of your help. MUCH APPRECIATED. :-)

Trace

[carang]

zinc oxide and diaper cream are pretty much the same thing.

a moses basket is not necessary. it is nice to have but babies grow out of them very fast.

also, are you planning on breast feeding or bottle feeding?
one of the best purchases i ever made was a breast feeding pillow. i didn't have one for my first, but bought it for my second and LOVED IT!

other than that, i think you've got all your bases covered. (a little on the over-kill, little ones need very little, in actual fact) but what is a first baby for, if not over-kill!?!?!?!

[megan2008]

I was reading this thread, very useful. I was just wondering about the Moses Basket. I was planning on using one instead of the cot (for as long as I can) to avoid buying a cot we might not use. How long can a baby stay in the basket (I was told 'till about 3-4 months)? Also, the baskets don't seem to have firm bedding. Is that a problem? I thought firmer is better for baby safety purposes.

[Nashua852]

I know it seems unnecessary but my breastfeeding pillow was invaluable for the first four months -- positioning is crucial and you will be Bfing every two hours or so which puts a LOT of strain on your back. I practically ran to Eugene after 2 weeks of using the pillows we sleep with. I had a mammy viallage one but I would recommend the My brest friend one as the mammy village cover stretches out and isn't as effective. I just sleep with it now.

Another mummy tip I can give is to have a bottle of foam hand sanitizer by the nappy changing area and one in your nappy bag as well. Sometimes messes do get out of control -- especially when BFing and poos are runny and you can't leave bab there.

I'd recommend Grobags for when bab is out of his/her swaddle -- they're brilliant as bub never wakes up because he's kicked his covers off. They come with a free room thermometer if not mothercare stock them.

will add if I think of more! Good Luck and take a deep breath -- it all happens too fast!

[Frenchy]

Concerning the bibs, take them with velcro and some plastic behind, if not your baby will get wet anyway.

[peainpod]

We bought a Combi Roanju Baby Chair which doubled as an infant bed for the first two months when bubs slept with me in our bedroom - which 1) made breastfeeding in the middle of the night much easier and 2) his cot seemed so big for such a small person when we first came home from the hospital.

Not only was the Combi chair an excellent first bed, it has wheels so we could wheel bubs between the bedroom and living room without waking him up during the day.

Plus even after he grows out of it as a bed, you can still use it as a feeding hi-chair for the next few years.

[Nashua852]

Oh yeah and I'll recommend the snugglenest co sleeper -- we used ours for 2 months... we could have used it for much longer but I was keen on getting bub into his cot --- our bedroom is quite small and although having him in the same room made BF easy initially I was craving our own space soon after a couple of months