When you are expecting your first little bundle of joy it can be very easy to get carried away with all the fancy gadgets and gizmos that promise to make your life easier. Feeling like you have to buy the latest baby trend if you are to live the perfect paternal picture that you have created in your head.
Well I am here to tell you, don't do it!
Here is a list of things that you do not need to spend your hard earned cash on......
1) A Steriliser
When our first child was born we spent around £60 on a bottle steriliser with 10 odd bottles to go with it. It wasn't long before we got fed up of flaming hot bottles and the dirt gathering steriliser that needed to be cleaned way too often.
Solution - 5 litre tub from Amazon, some water and sterilising tablets. So much easier and so much cheaper!
2) Nappy Bin
We did use our nappy bin occasionally but not enough to warrant buying it. With our second child someone gave us one for free and we still didn't use it.
Solution: nappy bags (biodegradable and compostable of course) and putting the nappies in the outdoor bin - that simple! Even better if you do buy environmentally friendly bags they can be buried in the garden and used for home composting.
3) Toys
I'd say that you don't need toys for about the first 6 months. The only thing I would recommend buying is a toy bar/arch that can be used to entertain them in the pram.
Aside from that they don't really need anything and certainly DO NOT NEED a soft toy. We have so many that have not been touched and you will always receive at least one as a gift.
4) Bottle sets
It's common for companies to sell bottle sets with a variety of bottles in different sizes. As mentioned above we bought a steriliser with approximately 10 bottles included. The problem was, our baby did not take to the particular brand and we had to buy all over again. With our second child, we bought a set of 2 wide neck Boots bottles for £6.49. Eventually we ended up buying another pack....once we knew he would take to them. You can actually buy a set of three standard neck bottles from Boots for £2.49!
5) Cot/Cot bed
Things I've found invaluable j cot but you do not need to buy one. For both our children we managed to get a free cot, the first time from Freegle and the second time from Facebook. We (when I say we I mean the wife) scrubbed them down, got rid of any stickers, of which there were many on the second, bought a new mattress and, Bob's your Uncle, it's as good as new!
If you can't get one for free then there are so many people selling second hand. A new mattress is always recommended, but you will still be saving loads of cash by not buying brand new.
6) Pampers
Pampers are good, and, when your little one starts moving around, buying Pampers nappy pants will feel like the equivalent of having a night out (yes life really does get that sad). There are so many cheaper brands out there. Our favourite is Lidl, where you can buy 24 newborn nappies for £0.79 compared to buying 22 Pampers nappies for £3.00. It's a no brainer!
Things we've found invaluable
1) A sling!
My wife loves a sling, in fact she has two. A Moby wrap sling, she bought second hand from eBay and a pouch sling that was passed on to us from a friend. If you live in a flat and have to climb the stairs it can be easier to just pop the baby in a sling if you have to nip out for a pint of milk, rather than trying to lift a pram up and down the stairs. They are great for getting the baby to sleep, if your little one struggles and if your baby can't be left alone without crying her eyes out then just pop her in the sling and go about your business!
2) A baby monitor
Baby monitors needn't be expensive. You can get ones that easily do the job like this one here, for about £20-£30.. We could hear very clearly if the baby is fussing, so we could
J run in panic before he moves on to full blown wailing!
Now I know that your baby is not going to watch TV at all but if for any reason you change your mind and need 10 minutes to visit the bathroom on your own (that won't last for long) then stick bubba in the chair and let the Twirlywoos take over! Of course, you could just lie them down on the floor but, once they start rolling, you will have to strap them in to something, and an affordable baby chair seems like a good option. They range in price but we got a nice one from Argos for around £20 that has served both our children. Also check out second hand options and freebie sites.
My wife was always worried putting blankets in the baby's cot, so she opted for sleeping bags. Some babies like to kick the blankets off, leaving them cold, so sleeping bags are a good option in this instance also. Of course, my wife being the bargain hunter that she is, bought sleeping bags second hand for our first child at about £3 - £5 a sleeping bag and for our recent child managed to bag some for free from Facebook. She had to walk miles to collect them but this is the woman that has made me carry a free sofa down our high street, a heavy cupboard on a 2 mile journey home and a huge guitar amp half way across London. Apparently if you want freebies (and don't drive) you have to put in the work.
So this of course is a glimpse of our parenting experience and what we found useful or in some cases, not very useful. If you have anything that you have found invaluable or alternatively, a complete waste of money then please comment below....lets help each other out!
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