Having a Baby.... What do we NEED?
Discussion
gashead1105 said:
Do not, under any circumstances, allow your O/H to buy a video monitor. A sound only one is bad enough for inducing paranoia. Put your foot down, shout, scream, bawl, withold sexual favours, threaten divorce, whatever, do not lose the fight on this. Now my eldest daughter (almost 5) is going to school my wife has just about realised that she doesn't need a sound monitor for her. If we'd had a video one, there's no chance that would have happened. Women are strange like that.
I don't think you need sound at all - unless their room is isolated from where you normally are.But as for video: I'm a grandparent and both my daughters dismissed having a video monitor out of hand for their own kids - until they'd experienced ours.
Makes life so much easier being able to have a quick look without having to go upstairs, get up in the night, or whatever. It's a lot easier to judge when to go in and when to leave them to settle themselves too.
Was interesting when they got to toddler age - one of them was lying in bed at nap time completely quietly but not sleeping. Often they won't make a noise for quite a while when they wake up and it's good to go in first and not to get into a routine where they learn to cry to get your attention.
As they get older again they'll get up to get stuff in their room and then go back to bed - you can see they're settled again without going in, or if they're messing about you can go in. Sure, you could just leave them but even at that age they get arsy if they've missed an hour's sleep.
I should add that for babies most people we know use the AngelCare movement sensor too. You do have to be a little careful that it's not set up so sensitive that external movement / vibration (such as a fan) is detected.
Edited by Sheepshanks on Tuesday 23 August 14:33
A bag for the hospital during labour, not the one your wife puts together that's full of crap she won't need but your 'survival bag'. Just make it up and keep it in the car ready for the day. You could be there for quite a while, you will need to keep fueled and awake.
It should include:
Change for the coffee/tea machine/parking. About £10 should do.
Drinks, I took a selection of lucozade, powerade, cola & Irn bru.
A packet of glucose tablets, I started on these at around 3am.
Haribo, M&M's, peach loops, flapjack any snacks you think either of you would really appreciate after a long day.
A beachball, we got lucky and had a room to ourselves, she hates football but when I produced a ball to kick about the room and take her mind off things between contractions after being there for 6 hours she was pretty happy.
I had a PSP and got a few games of FIFA in as well but by no means say 'I've just got to finish this game and THEN I'll rub your back'.
On that note build up some stamina in your right arm.... you will end up doing a lot of back rubbing.
It should include:
Change for the coffee/tea machine/parking. About £10 should do.
Drinks, I took a selection of lucozade, powerade, cola & Irn bru.
A packet of glucose tablets, I started on these at around 3am.
Haribo, M&M's, peach loops, flapjack any snacks you think either of you would really appreciate after a long day.
A beachball, we got lucky and had a room to ourselves, she hates football but when I produced a ball to kick about the room and take her mind off things between contractions after being there for 6 hours she was pretty happy.
I had a PSP and got a few games of FIFA in as well but by no means say 'I've just got to finish this game and THEN I'll rub your back'.
On that note build up some stamina in your right arm.... you will end up doing a lot of back rubbing.
pembo said:
On that note build up some stamina in your right arm.... you will end up doing a lot of back rubbing.
I remember thinking "how long is this going to take? My arm is starting to hurt now, not sure how much longer I can keep this up for" 
Luckily I was only needed on back rubbing duties for around 15 minutes then the boy arrived
Do get
Do get an IKEA bay seat - http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S890417...
Leather sofas clean much more easily than anything else
Aldi nappies and wipes are brilliant (and even cheaper when they have a sale)
Grobags are good
Don't bother with a (new) changing table or a "travel system"
Before buying a car make sure that (the pushchair fits in the boot - this is why we have a Seat Mii we're very happy with) and that you / your partner can drive with an isofix base behind you.
Good luck.
Do get an IKEA bay seat - http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S890417...
Leather sofas clean much more easily than anything else
Aldi nappies and wipes are brilliant (and even cheaper when they have a sale)
Grobags are good
Don't bother with a (new) changing table or a "travel system"
Before buying a car make sure that (the pushchair fits in the boot - this is why we have a Seat Mii we're very happy with) and that you / your partner can drive with an isofix base behind you.
Good luck.
pembo said:
A bag for the hospital during labour, not the one your wife puts together that's full of crap she won't need but your 'survival bag'.
Still have my list!!Change for the coffee/tea machine/parking. About £100 should do it - lots of coins mainly £1
Mobile phone and charger plus spare battery
Camera plus spare battery
Drinks, (massive bottles of water x2 and Red Bull orange)
Sweets which are substantial and which will provide a lot of energy and protein/carbs. M&M peanut, Reeces, jelly babies
Food which will keep indefinitely without refrigeration (Alpen Bars, Biltong a particular winner here)
Three pairs of socks and three pairs of boxers plus three t shirts.
Phone numbers for family etc
Toothbrush, toothpaste, razor and deodorant (for a man wash if needed to wake you up - it will help)
Some of your wife's favorite comfy clothes for when the baby is born (she will worship you!)
A lovely baby blanket to cosset the arrival (let your wife choose it before she goes in)
A good massive book (for when you are surplus to requirements which you will be for periods.
And most importantly......
No beachball (what the actual f ck!???!)
It's all been said I think.
Talk about sleep deprivation with your partner before the child is born. Work out how you are going to communicate as it can be really tough.
Muslins
Ikea high chair is a great design for £12 or so. Collapses easily.
Spare towels. Baby vomit can go a long way.
On books, my advice is "don't". They make you paranoid, some are massively our of date and by people who were never parents. One exception: https://www.thewonderweeks.com - because it talks about stages in development and can help explain what the baby is processing. Development "leaps" suddenly become clearer as you can correspond odd behaviour (e.g. bad sleep) with a huge step in abilities.
Talk about sleep deprivation with your partner before the child is born. Work out how you are going to communicate as it can be really tough.
Muslins
Ikea high chair is a great design for £12 or so. Collapses easily.
Spare towels. Baby vomit can go a long way.
On books, my advice is "don't". They make you paranoid, some are massively our of date and by people who were never parents. One exception: https://www.thewonderweeks.com - because it talks about stages in development and can help explain what the baby is processing. Development "leaps" suddenly become clearer as you can correspond odd behaviour (e.g. bad sleep) with a huge step in abilities.
Soov535 said:
And most importantly......
No beachball (what the actual f ck!???!)
No beachball (what the actual f ck!???!)
We're taking one of them sports balls as they're good for sitting on and moving the baby around and incase my wife needs to get a bit more comfortable. Worst position for giving birth is on your back slightly laid back, makes it more painful apparently. The delivery suites at our local hospital are a bit of a lottery as to whether you'd get the birthing centre with the good stuff or just a bed, sink and a bath, so a sports ball might come in handy to get into better more comfy positions for labour
A good ruck sack/back pack. The mother will insist on some flowery changing bag nonsense which nothing will fit in and will be a ball ache to carry.
Decent pram, ideally one that does car seat / basket / stroller in one.
Motorola video baby monitor.
Steriliser / blender / bottle warmer from the tomy tippee range.
Lots of baby wipes. The correct number is X+1 (where X is the number you bought).
Seriously, relax and enjoy it. In these days of Amazon Prime and 24hr Asda anything you forgot can be easily sourced.
Decent pram, ideally one that does car seat / basket / stroller in one.
Motorola video baby monitor.
Steriliser / blender / bottle warmer from the tomy tippee range.
Lots of baby wipes. The correct number is X+1 (where X is the number you bought).
Seriously, relax and enjoy it. In these days of Amazon Prime and 24hr Asda anything you forgot can be easily sourced.
Edited by KarlMac on Tuesday 23 August 16:15
Soov535 said:
pembo said:
A bag for the hospital during labour, not the one your wife puts together that's full of crap she won't need but your 'survival bag'.
Still have my list!!Change for the coffee/tea machine/parking. About £100 should do it - lots of coins mainly £1
Mobile phone and charger plus spare battery
Camera plus spare battery
Drinks, (massive bottles of water x2 and Red Bull orange)
Sweets which are substantial and which will provide a lot of energy and protein/carbs. M&M peanut, Reeces, jelly babies
Food which will keep indefinitely without refrigeration (Alpen Bars, Biltong a particular winner here)
Three pairs of socks and three pairs of boxers plus three t shirts.
Phone numbers for family etc
Toothbrush, toothpaste, razor and deodorant (for a man wash if needed to wake you up - it will help)
Some of your wife's favorite comfy clothes for when the baby is born (she will worship you!)
A lovely baby blanket to cosset the arrival (let your wife choose it before she goes in)
A good massive book (for when you are surplus to requirements which you will be for periods.
And most importantly......
No beachball (what the actual f ck!???!)
We were both in work up till lunchtime and I was back at home with a glass of red by 10pm! Went back the following morning via Asda for some super small baby clothes to find where they had taken BS2 junior.
Soov535 said:
Still have my list!!
Change for the coffee/tea machine/parking. About £100 should do it - lots of coins mainly £1
Mobile phone and charger plus spare battery
Camera plus spare battery
Drinks, (massive bottles of water x2 and Red Bull orange)
Sweets which are substantial and which will provide a lot of energy and protein/carbs. M&M peanut, Reeces, jelly babies
Food which will keep indefinitely without refrigeration (Alpen Bars, Biltong a particular winner here)
Three pairs of socks and three pairs of boxers plus three t shirts.
Phone numbers for family etc
Toothbrush, toothpaste, razor and deodorant (for a man wash if needed to wake you up - it will help)
Some of your wife's favorite comfy clothes for when the baby is born (she will worship you!)
A lovely baby blanket to cosset the arrival (let your wife choose it before she goes in)
A good massive book (for when you are surplus to requirements which you will be for periods.
And most importantly......
No beachball (what the actual f ck!???!)
Wow, I wouldn't have had chance to unload all that crap from the car.Change for the coffee/tea machine/parking. About £100 should do it - lots of coins mainly £1
Mobile phone and charger plus spare battery
Camera plus spare battery
Drinks, (massive bottles of water x2 and Red Bull orange)
Sweets which are substantial and which will provide a lot of energy and protein/carbs. M&M peanut, Reeces, jelly babies
Food which will keep indefinitely without refrigeration (Alpen Bars, Biltong a particular winner here)
Three pairs of socks and three pairs of boxers plus three t shirts.
Phone numbers for family etc
Toothbrush, toothpaste, razor and deodorant (for a man wash if needed to wake you up - it will help)
Some of your wife's favorite comfy clothes for when the baby is born (she will worship you!)
A lovely baby blanket to cosset the arrival (let your wife choose it before she goes in)
A good massive book (for when you are surplus to requirements which you will be for periods.
And most importantly......
No beachball (what the actual f ck!???!)
Dropped wife off at maternity unit, made sure she was comfortable with nurses.
Went outside to move car. Car park ticket (which I have kept) shows 16:12
Daughter born 16:29
Hospital asking us if we'd like to go home 19:00 approx. (We didn't, my wife and daughter stayed in, I took my son home around 19:30)
Hospital parking was very reasonable, even extending to a week long ticket was only £15
Here's somethings that I found.
As mentioned earlier, a V70 helps massively, especially if you have dogs as well.
Our Bugaboo pram/pushchair thing was a complete and utter pain. It's far too big, difficult to use and massively overpriced. We put up with it as a pram, then went to a McLaren buggy, way easier to use.
Our son was mainly breast fed, but he grew quickly and my wife couldn't keep up with his appetite, so we got formula. Making it with boiling water and cooling it down before he started screaming was a pain. We got a machine that made it in about a minute, saved so many screaming fits.
Aldi nappies are the best we found and pretty much the cheapest. Pampers kept leaking. Probably varies from kid to kid though.
Get a coffee machine if you don't have one.
We got an expensive wooden high chair that was rated highly by various reviews. I hate it. The Ikea Antilop one that costs about £8 works a lot better as the belts are positioned to hold him in place rather than torture him.
All baby clothes will be covered in all kinds of bodily fluids within about 10 minuted of putting them on, they will get washed together and the colours will run, then they be outgrown in a couple of weeks. No point in buying expensive ones, go for quantity over quality.
Don't walk out of the house with just the baby (no nappies, bottle, dummy, change of clothes etc) as that is when all hell will break loose. I just popped across town to see my gran and being the first time I'd taken him anywhere on my own as well as being sleep deprived, that was when he decided to erupt from all orifices.
As mentioned earlier, a V70 helps massively, especially if you have dogs as well.
Our Bugaboo pram/pushchair thing was a complete and utter pain. It's far too big, difficult to use and massively overpriced. We put up with it as a pram, then went to a McLaren buggy, way easier to use.
Our son was mainly breast fed, but he grew quickly and my wife couldn't keep up with his appetite, so we got formula. Making it with boiling water and cooling it down before he started screaming was a pain. We got a machine that made it in about a minute, saved so many screaming fits.
Aldi nappies are the best we found and pretty much the cheapest. Pampers kept leaking. Probably varies from kid to kid though.
Get a coffee machine if you don't have one.
We got an expensive wooden high chair that was rated highly by various reviews. I hate it. The Ikea Antilop one that costs about £8 works a lot better as the belts are positioned to hold him in place rather than torture him.
All baby clothes will be covered in all kinds of bodily fluids within about 10 minuted of putting them on, they will get washed together and the colours will run, then they be outgrown in a couple of weeks. No point in buying expensive ones, go for quantity over quality.
Don't walk out of the house with just the baby (no nappies, bottle, dummy, change of clothes etc) as that is when all hell will break loose. I just popped across town to see my gran and being the first time I'd taken him anywhere on my own as well as being sleep deprived, that was when he decided to erupt from all orifices.
BoRED S2upid said:
Were you two going on a short vacation after the birth? And having the baby in a hospital without shops?
We were both in work up till lunchtime and I was back at home with a glass of red by 10pm! Went back the following morning via Asda for some super small baby clothes to find where they had taken BS2 junior.
My wife was in for 6 days... 3 days of induced labour, emergency c-section (very scary) and then 3 days post op. The first 3 days I slept on a sofa in the day room thanks to some very tolerant nurses who even brought me toast and a cup of tea.We were both in work up till lunchtime and I was back at home with a glass of red by 10pm! Went back the following morning via Asda for some super small baby clothes to find where they had taken BS2 junior.
OP - don't forget the nurses. When it's all done, pop back after a week with a box of biscuits. It's always massively appreciated.
Lots of good advice here. Our twin boys are almost 2.5 years old now and what a rollercoaster that has been so far!!
We did get a video monitor, eventually, but only because it was a cheap one from Aldi. We got it earlier this year, a few months before their 2nd B'Day.
Aldi nappies and wipes. Cheap and are about half the price of anywhere else.
Don't let the hospital staff emotionally blackmail your mrs about breastfeeding. Although it is the best, the stress induced if she can't or if the wee one can't can really take it's toll.
As said earlier, don't scrimp on the cot, mattress or car seat. I would recommend a good pram as it get's used all the time, can have a ton of shopping hanging of it and get thrown around the boot of a car. We had the Icandy peach. It was compatible with the maxi cost pebble car seats, the carry cots doubled up as moses baskets and it was easily swapped to pushchairs when they were bigger.
And again, the grow bag for sleeping. Saves upset after blanket gets kicked off. This is what we had and upgraded to the bigger size when they were older. http://lanabambini.co.uk/store/knitted-merino-wool...
We did get a video monitor, eventually, but only because it was a cheap one from Aldi. We got it earlier this year, a few months before their 2nd B'Day.
Aldi nappies and wipes. Cheap and are about half the price of anywhere else.
Don't let the hospital staff emotionally blackmail your mrs about breastfeeding. Although it is the best, the stress induced if she can't or if the wee one can't can really take it's toll.
As said earlier, don't scrimp on the cot, mattress or car seat. I would recommend a good pram as it get's used all the time, can have a ton of shopping hanging of it and get thrown around the boot of a car. We had the Icandy peach. It was compatible with the maxi cost pebble car seats, the carry cots doubled up as moses baskets and it was easily swapped to pushchairs when they were bigger.
And again, the grow bag for sleeping. Saves upset after blanket gets kicked off. This is what we had and upgraded to the bigger size when they were older. http://lanabambini.co.uk/store/knitted-merino-wool...
Vaud said:
BoRED S2upid said:
Were you two going on a short vacation after the birth? And having the baby in a hospital without shops?
We were both in work up till lunchtime and I was back at home with a glass of red by 10pm! Went back the following morning via Asda for some super small baby clothes to find where they had taken BS2 junior.
My wife was in for 6 days... 3 days of induced labour, emergency c-section (very scary) and then 3 days post op. The first 3 days I slept on a sofa in the day room thanks to some very tolerant nurses who even brought me toast and a cup of tea.We were both in work up till lunchtime and I was back at home with a glass of red by 10pm! Went back the following morning via Asda for some super small baby clothes to find where they had taken BS2 junior.
OP - don't forget the nurses. When it's all done, pop back after a week with a box of biscuits. It's always massively appreciated.
We were in for a month but that's a different story we don't want to scare the OP too much.
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