I agree with much of what dudette & lols have said. I'd like to add these:
1. I use a baby monitor & think it's marvellous! It did, in fact, possibly save my son's life when he was about 3 months old. He was ill & upstairs asleep while I was downstairs. I heard him start choking & was able to rush up & help him. If it hadn't been for the monitor, I may not have heard.
2. Start buying nappies now, if you can. Even if it's a pack a month. One pack of nappies generally lasts a week.
3. A microwave steriliser is a MUST. In just 8 minutes, you can sterilise 4 bottles & dummies. It saves so much time, which you won't have much of once your baby arrives!
4. I've never used a ring for my baby in the bath.
5. A decent sized bag for going out that will fit: nappies, wipes, nappy cream, a change of clothes for baby, a bottle, a small container of biscuits, small toys + all your usual handbag stuff. You may need to practice weightlifting for carrying this bag but I've managed to do it for the last 2 years & 5 months!
6. Gripe water & Infacol & dummies & Calpol!!! Have each in your house, even if you don't think you'll need them as you usually suddenly need them at 2am. My son was a colic baby for the first 8 weeks or more. :eek: These saved my sanity!!
7. Dudette's advice about the body suits is :thumbs: , avoid any clothing that have back fastenings until your baby is able to sit on his/her own.
8. A few towelling nappies - I use them for mopping up baby dribble, nappy changes, when I've run short of disposables, & numerous other things.
9. At least 3 or 4 changes of cot bedding, including blankets! If your baby gets sick during the night, it's not unusual to need to change all the bedding several times during a single night.
10. An absolute must: Toddler Taming by Dr Christopher Green!
11. Bottle brushes - I go through one about every 3 months. Look out for them at PoundLand or any other cheap shop. You'll pay a fortune if you buy from Boots.
12. Two stair gates - one for the bottom & one for the top.
Nice, if you can afford it:
1. A baby bath - however, I found it easier to bath my son in the kitchen sink when he was very tiny!
2. A bouncy chair.
3. A baby pen once they start crawling - as a single mom, this enabled me to get bottles prepared, dishes washed & supper cooked whilst knowing that my son was safe. I'd set it up in the kitchen & put his favourite toys inside with him. He loved it! They are expensive (about £80) but I still use mine as it converts into a fire guard & stair gate & with a tent over it makes a wonderful playhouse.
The following is a waste of money, as far as I'm concerned:
1. A changing table. It's safest to change a newborn on the floor. This will prevent any nasty accidents if they roll over.
2. A bottle warmer - I have one but found that a jug of hot water worked just as well.
I'll probably think of more to add!