What would be on your get-ready-for-a-baby shopping list?
- Thread starter MarieHK
- Start date
1. Bassinet (something that can be moved around, NOT cot which just took up space for 4 months)
2. Diapers and wipes
3. Onesies and clothes that button down the front (not too many, hard to estimate babies size and what will suit baby... my first could only wear things that buttoned down the front and turned out way smaller than we'd thought.) I highly recommend second hand clothes so you don't end up spending a pile of money on clothes that you end up never using.
4. Soap and lotion
5. Cotton wool, earbuds and alcohol to clean umbilical chord
6. If you plan to breastfeed at least three sets of pajama tops that open down the front. Clothes that open down the front in general.
7. If delivering in winter, swaddlemes. You can also use a cloth to swaddle but I was inept and these were sooo used.
Things used a bit down the line (so could be bought after a month)
8. Bath tub
9. Bottles, sterilizer (I used microwave one)
10. Formula (if need be...I kept one can from day 1, quite easy to just go out and buy if needed).
11. Cot
12. Stroller (used MUCH later for both babies who turned out to be to cannot-be-put-down-or-we-will-wail sort)
Never used
13. Baby monitor (houses in HK are too small, baby snorts and you hear it in the next room)
14. Baby Bjorn (both babies didn't take to it. Luckily mine was secondhand. Baby 2 took to being slung in cloth like Indonesians use. Cost $50).
2. Diapers and wipes
3. Onesies and clothes that button down the front (not too many, hard to estimate babies size and what will suit baby... my first could only wear things that buttoned down the front and turned out way smaller than we'd thought.) I highly recommend second hand clothes so you don't end up spending a pile of money on clothes that you end up never using.
4. Soap and lotion
5. Cotton wool, earbuds and alcohol to clean umbilical chord
6. If you plan to breastfeed at least three sets of pajama tops that open down the front. Clothes that open down the front in general.
7. If delivering in winter, swaddlemes. You can also use a cloth to swaddle but I was inept and these were sooo used.
Things used a bit down the line (so could be bought after a month)
8. Bath tub
9. Bottles, sterilizer (I used microwave one)
10. Formula (if need be...I kept one can from day 1, quite easy to just go out and buy if needed).
11. Cot
12. Stroller (used MUCH later for both babies who turned out to be to cannot-be-put-down-or-we-will-wail sort)
Never used
13. Baby monitor (houses in HK are too small, baby snorts and you hear it in the next room)
14. Baby Bjorn (both babies didn't take to it. Luckily mine was secondhand. Baby 2 took to being slung in cloth like Indonesians use. Cost $50).
On the other side to this, my son had grown out of the moses basket by 6 weeks so had to go in his cot, so looking back I wouldn't have bothered with it.
We used the baby bjorn constantly (granted didn't try other slings). The BB we used when in taxis as we didn't have a car seat, and I wanted something that gave a little bit of security when in cars rather than just holding the baby.
Also need muslins or the like - need lots of them to start with! I also found a bath insert a great help as it meant I wasn't worried about the baby slipping out of my arms whilst trying to bath him - can just put in the big tub if you don't have a small one.
We used the baby bjorn constantly (granted didn't try other slings). The BB we used when in taxis as we didn't have a car seat, and I wanted something that gave a little bit of security when in cars rather than just holding the baby.
Also need muslins or the like - need lots of them to start with! I also found a bath insert a great help as it meant I wasn't worried about the baby slipping out of my arms whilst trying to bath him - can just put in the big tub if you don't have a small one.
carang
Registered User
i never understood the need for "muslins"... i just used an old hand towel...
a newborn really doesn't need very much.
-diapers
-a few sets of clothes
-a place to sleep
if you are breastfeeding, that's about it. if you are bottle feeding... then you need the bottles and assorted paraphenalia. (sp?)
everything else is a luxury. i remember bathing my cousins in the kitchen sink... which is exactly what my mum did for my brother and i when we were kids.
you can make it without a pram, a baby sling, a breastfeeding pillow.
what it really comes down to is this:
(1) how much space do you have?
(2) how much money do you have?
(3) how much luxury do you want?
i'm not judging someone who wants to spend more on their pram than i did on purchasing my car. but for us, we tried to keep it as basic as possible... but even then, it gets out of hand very quickly!
it's just too much fun, especially when it's your first!
a newborn really doesn't need very much.
-diapers
-a few sets of clothes
-a place to sleep
if you are breastfeeding, that's about it. if you are bottle feeding... then you need the bottles and assorted paraphenalia. (sp?)
everything else is a luxury. i remember bathing my cousins in the kitchen sink... which is exactly what my mum did for my brother and i when we were kids.
you can make it without a pram, a baby sling, a breastfeeding pillow.
what it really comes down to is this:
(1) how much space do you have?
(2) how much money do you have?
(3) how much luxury do you want?
i'm not judging someone who wants to spend more on their pram than i did on purchasing my car. but for us, we tried to keep it as basic as possible... but even then, it gets out of hand very quickly!
it's just too much fun, especially when it's your first!Honkyblues
Registered User
On the subject of breastfeeding tops, I found ones that unbuttoned down the middle were much more exposing than loose tops I could lift up. The baby (and/or breastfeeding pillow) hides your stomach or you can wear a Bando or wear a drop-cup breastfeeding vest under your loose top. I just don't want you to go out and buy a bunch of button-fronted pjs and shirts and then find you're not comfortable flashing the world (or at least, that's how I felt with the button-fronted tops).
But it really is difficult to say what's essential because each child is different. My first HATED the Moses basket, but was happy to be in the bassinet part of the pram (which I then wheeled into whatever room I needed him to be in). He also hated all slings (and I tried a few). My second was also not keen on the Moses basket, but was happy in the Bugaboo pram bassinet, but he loved to be in a sling. By the third, I'd got rid of the Moses basket!
I used a small inflatable baby bath on the vanity unit next to the basin for the first couple of months, then a bath insert in the normal bathtub (but I'd only recommend a bath insert if your tub has a low side otherwise you'll hurt your back!)
I only bought some basic sleep suits for each baby as relatives and friends tend to buy clothes in any case.
As for muslins, I found them invaluable - but I had sicky babies and was forever wiping up milky spit-up. Also used them as burp cloths on my shoulder. Handy to drape over a push chair as a sunshade or to help baby sleep. Even used them as a thin blanket when the room was hot. Six years on I've got the same muslins and they still get used as hankies, wipes, comforters etc by my children.
But it really is difficult to say what's essential because each child is different. My first HATED the Moses basket, but was happy to be in the bassinet part of the pram (which I then wheeled into whatever room I needed him to be in). He also hated all slings (and I tried a few). My second was also not keen on the Moses basket, but was happy in the Bugaboo pram bassinet, but he loved to be in a sling. By the third, I'd got rid of the Moses basket!
I used a small inflatable baby bath on the vanity unit next to the basin for the first couple of months, then a bath insert in the normal bathtub (but I'd only recommend a bath insert if your tub has a low side otherwise you'll hurt your back!)
I only bought some basic sleep suits for each baby as relatives and friends tend to buy clothes in any case.
As for muslins, I found them invaluable - but I had sicky babies and was forever wiping up milky spit-up. Also used them as burp cloths on my shoulder. Handy to drape over a push chair as a sunshade or to help baby sleep. Even used them as a thin blanket when the room was hot. Six years on I've got the same muslins and they still get used as hankies, wipes, comforters etc by my children.
Haha as you can see, the only thing all our babies agreed on is that they needed diapers and wipes. (even those some manage to do without by using cloth nappies and cotton wool/water).
I think rule of the thumb is to buy less, even essentials like clothes, buy a few. The good thing in HK is that once you know what you need - like which clothes actually will fit your baby - you can nip out (or send hubby out with a sample) and pick up more.
A lot depends how much space you have in your house also.
I think rule of the thumb is to buy less, even essentials like clothes, buy a few. The good thing in HK is that once you know what you need - like which clothes actually will fit your baby - you can nip out (or send hubby out with a sample) and pick up more.
A lot depends how much space you have in your house also.
carang
Registered User
yep, even though we lived in db at the time of our first, we kept what we bought in advance to the bare minimum. then we bought as we needed. and even then there was heaps of stuff i never used... not even for #2!
ie) unless you know you're going to bottle feed, maybe only buy 1 bottle and then see if you need it, before you buy all the paraphenalia that goes along with bottle feeding.
ie) unless you know you're going to bottle feed, maybe only buy 1 bottle and then see if you need it, before you buy all the paraphenalia that goes along with bottle feeding.
carang
Registered User
you won't use a highchair until the baby is around 6 months or so... they can't sit up in them.
pram/stroller? sure, have a look, but note that if you plan on using one for a newborn, it must lie flat and it should have a 5 point harness. (i did get one of these as i knew i wouldn't be able to carry the baby for long, and it's nice to not always have a baby attached to you.)
a place for baby to sleep is necessary. but many babies find a cot too big to start out in. we started our son in a bassinet/moses basket and used it for about 3 months. then moved him into a cot. our daughter, however, we used a "big bed insert" and had her sleep between us on our kingsize bed. then about 3 months, we moved her to a cot. some mums though, prefer to have babies in their cots immediately.
pram/stroller? sure, have a look, but note that if you plan on using one for a newborn, it must lie flat and it should have a 5 point harness. (i did get one of these as i knew i wouldn't be able to carry the baby for long, and it's nice to not always have a baby attached to you.)
a place for baby to sleep is necessary. but many babies find a cot too big to start out in. we started our son in a bassinet/moses basket and used it for about 3 months. then moved him into a cot. our daughter, however, we used a "big bed insert" and had her sleep between us on our kingsize bed. then about 3 months, we moved her to a cot. some mums though, prefer to have babies in their cots immediately.
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Here's what I found particularly necessary other than bottles and diapers, although some items may or may not suit your needs:
- Bassinet with extra sheets. I didn't move our LO to a cot/crib until 4.5 months.
- A few comfortable nursing bras...key word is comfortable and perhaps with some extra room
- A good double electric breast pump - I use the Medela Freestyle which you can purchase from Celki
- Lots of breast pads (LOADS for the first weeks of breastfeeding) I used both washable and disposable ones
- Miracle Blanket swaddles (these were my fave after trying several other kinds of swaddles)
- Baby bath basin
- A good night light with a dimmer (I went with the Philips LED Living Colors lamp, pricey but I absolutely love it)
- A diaper bin with lid - but any bin with lid will do
- Some pee pads for changing diapers on top of...that explosive poop is no joke.
- Breast milk collection shells for collecting all that milk you leak in the first few weeks. Why let it go to waste, right?
- Breast milk storage bags/bottles
Here's what I found particularly unnecessary:
- Bottle sterilizer (I got one at my baby shower and re-gifted. A simple cooking pot will do.)
- Nursing pillow
- Pacifiers
- Baby towels with hood
- Burp cloths, although I didn't have much of a spitter on my hands
- Bassinet with extra sheets. I didn't move our LO to a cot/crib until 4.5 months.
- A few comfortable nursing bras...key word is comfortable and perhaps with some extra room
- A good double electric breast pump - I use the Medela Freestyle which you can purchase from Celki
- Lots of breast pads (LOADS for the first weeks of breastfeeding) I used both washable and disposable ones
- Miracle Blanket swaddles (these were my fave after trying several other kinds of swaddles)
- Baby bath basin
- A good night light with a dimmer (I went with the Philips LED Living Colors lamp, pricey but I absolutely love it)
- A diaper bin with lid - but any bin with lid will do
- Some pee pads for changing diapers on top of...that explosive poop is no joke.
- Breast milk collection shells for collecting all that milk you leak in the first few weeks. Why let it go to waste, right?
- Breast milk storage bags/bottles
Here's what I found particularly unnecessary:
- Bottle sterilizer (I got one at my baby shower and re-gifted. A simple cooking pot will do.)
- Nursing pillow
- Pacifiers
- Baby towels with hood
- Burp cloths, although I didn't have much of a spitter on my hands
Very true, but we were relatively new in HK and didn't have any "old" stuff to use as we hadn't shipped any stuff out with us. The good thing about muslins too is that they are pretty much dry as soon as they come out the washing machine so don't need to hang around for long to dry (if you don't have a dryer).
Of course, in a lot of places in this world, nappies, clothes and a place to sleep that isn't with parents or a floor are also a luxury...
HappyHappy
Registered User
Carang advise is alwaystop notch!
First time poster and expectant father here.
In the 'baby fair' at Jusco. You can get an 5-30% off all baby accessories, prams, cots etc. and an additional 5% off using their discount card (HK$50 for a yr).
Promotion started on 18th and runs till today. Me and my wife spent over 3hrs in Jusco TsuenWan yesterday and brought some items in baby list we had.
The discount card works in their supermarket aswell...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using GeoClicks Mobile
In the 'baby fair' at Jusco. You can get an 5-30% off all baby accessories, prams, cots etc. and an additional 5% off using their discount card (HK$50 for a yr).
Promotion started on 18th and runs till today. Me and my wife spent over 3hrs in Jusco TsuenWan yesterday and brought some items in baby list we had.
The discount card works in their supermarket aswell...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using GeoClicks Mobile
2010-NewDad
Registered User
You don't actually need much paraphernalia anyway - we just had two bottles, two teats and that's it. No need for fancy sterilizers or much equipment. Put in milk powder, pour in water and shake. When finished, wash the bottle with soapy water - it's not rocket science!