Monday 19 March 2012 | By: The One Woman

POST 9: THE BABY SHOPPING LIST



(34 Weeks)
The list ….so far
I’ve learnt that when it comes to a gals baby-shopping list, that they are as different as each baby; so don’t take my list as gold, maybe just use it as a jumping off point for ideas. We will all have different budgets and parenting plans so no 2 lists will be the same. 
I’ll categorise items, include links where appropriate and price undercuts that I found. I’m not going to delve into too much detail as to why I chose certain items, as this post would become ridiculously long, but I will elaborate a little for some products. 
One thing is for sure, buying online has saved me lots of legwork and hundreds of pounds, the shops simply charged too much for most of what I needed and didn’t have the range that I found online, saying that some shops and bargain warehouses have been very useful for smaller items such as toiletries, clothing etc but not for the majority of what I needed. I also found that being able to read reviews online showed me some products that I didn’t even know existed, also 1 to 5 star ratings showed me what to avoid, but you have to be mindful and not read into anything where reviewers are being clearly picky and awkward.
So lets start off, It's a whole new level of consumerism so I hope that I can save someone a few quid.  

Website recommendations
I found the best websites for special offers have been:
www.amazon.com -Stocks almost everything you need with a competitive, rated seller market
www.babysecurity.co.uk - Really low cost branded equipment such as Avent compared to Amazon. Clothing, toiletries and other products, however aren’t cheaper.
www.preloved.co.uk -Second hand clothing and accessories, saved me a fortune.
www.tesco.com -Join the baby club and get a club card to reap special offers and free products. Tesco brand have low cost toiletries with the least chemical additives. 
www.kiddicare.com - Exclusive, low cost products in bulk. Great for nappies
www.pumpkinpatch.co.uk -Cheap baby clothing

Stores used:
BB Bargains
Matalan
Primark
Tesco
Mothercare

Most expensive sites:
www.pinklining.co.uk - Beautiful, unique changing bags and accessories
www.mamasandpapas.com - The best for travel systems


CATEGORIES

HOSPITAL STAY
-Small suitcase on wheels
-1 cotton night dress with buttons down the front.
-1 breast feeding/nursing bra 
-3 pairs of cotton pants
-Towel nightgown
-Towel Slippers
-Track or lounge suit to leave in.
All from Primark and wasn’t over £40
-Maternity sanitary pads. Tesco offer an own brand for cheap.
-Wash bag- I bought little pots from the BB bargains shop and filled them with the following: toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, body wash, body mop, shampoo, baby oil or un-perfumed moisturiser, face moisturiser. 
-Changing bag for baby- contains: 8 Nappies, breast pads, muslin squares, cotton wool, Sudocrem, 3 sleep suits, 3 vests, 3 hats, 1 cellular blanket. (products listed below)

CLOTHING/ESSENTIALS  (summer baby)
I got everything I needed, minus the Gro bags from a site called www.preloved.co.uk for £25! It was a mix of unused and used clothing all in great condition. It saved me a fortune

-10 sleep suits
-10 rompers
-10 baby grows
-7 pairs baby socks
-5 soft baby blankets
-4 hats
-4 anti scratch mitts
-3 Cellular blankets from www.tesco.com
-3 Gro sleeping bags 1.0 tog and 1 at 2.5 tog in case it gets cold one night. Gro bags mean that you don’t have to use bedding at all. I used the 2 for 1 offers in the mothercare store
-2 warm fleece body/pram suits

If you like, then buy some little outfits such as jeans and t-shirts for going out but don’t go mad because people will buy these as presents, as well as essentials, plus the baby will grow very fast.
I bought a few nice t-shirts and jeans for under £4 on www.pumpkinpatch.co.uk
They have constant sales and clearances, sometimes £1 sales

FEEDING
I will be breast-feeding so my list is a little different. I bought some emergency bottles if I can’t breast-feed, but I doubt I’ll be using them. I invested in an electric breast pump in case I become engorged, can’t get baby to latch or if I need to leave my baby with someone during a feeding time. I will be posting a breast-feeding focused blog later on.

-Avent starter bottle kit
-Avent steriliser
-Avent bottle warmer
-Avent electric breast pump
-Avent breast pads (washable)
-Lansinoh nipple cream- Pure lanolin cream
-Lansinoh breast pads (disposable)
-Muslin squares- For burping and spit up £4 for 12 from Tesco stores.
-3 nursing t-shirts. I got some amazing nursing t-shirts from www.mamafeelsgood.com Most nursing shirts I found on the net and in shops looked like they were designed for a 50-year-old woman and they were over £40! This site has sales, 2 for 1 offers and a lot of the shirts are reasonably priced and in fashionable prints. 
-3 nursing bras
-2 bellybands
I got my bellybands and nursing bras from the mothercare store, as it’s best to get fitted by an assistant.

CHANGING
-1 crate of just4bums nappies: size 1, £19.99 for 240 nappies. These nappies have been given rave reviews on www.mumsnet.com & www.kiddicare.com not to mention various other review sites on Google, which is very rare!
They are cheap and I can’t find one bad review for them so I decided to go ahead and order a crate. They are only available from www.kiddicare.com
-Angel care nappy disposal bin/ Angel care bin liner cartridges
-Padded changing mat.
-Cotton wool
-Muslin squares
-Sudocrem
Mat and bin both from www.amazon.com and the rest is from BB Bargain stores

*Baby should be washed and changed with water only but after that baby products may be used.

-Tesco sensitive baby wipes

HYGIENE/GROOMING
-Baby bath
-Bath thermometer
-Baby grooming kit. I chose the emmay set, which contains: 1 x Brush, 1 x Comb,1 x Scissors, Nail Clippers, Nail File
Silicone Finger Toothbrush
-Nasal aspirator
-Digital ear thermometer
-3 hooded towels. From BB bargains (bargain store)
-1 Natural sea sponge from Tesco store

*Baby should be washed and changed with water only but after that baby products may be used.

-Tesco head to toe baby wash 
-Tesco baby oil


BEDROOM
-Angel Care Sound and movement baby monitor
-Gro Egg room thermometer
-Night-light
-Black out blind/Black curtains
*All from www.amazon.co.uk
-Bassinette (given to me by a friend)
-Bassinette mattress and sheets
-Bassinette blankets 
-3 Gro sleeping bags
-2 Cellular blankets
* Baby should sleep next to your bed for the first 3 months in a bassinette and after that a cot, so don’t worry about buying one yet. A second hand bassinette is fine but do not accept second hand mattresses or bedding.


TRAVEL
-Travel system buggy: Base, Car seat, sit up seat, Foot muff. I opted for the mamas and papas ‘URBO’ travel system from www.mamasandpapas.com
Any travel system costs a fortune and should not be bought second hand, so this is a good time to use your sure start maternity grant of £500 (see post 8)
-Sling or baby carrier. I got the ‘Baba sling’ from www.amazon.com
-Changing bag: I got mine from www.pinklining.co.uk they have some amazing bags that you can use as a handbag as well. I chose the Blue mama et bebe bag.
*Contents should be: Padded changing mat, Wipes, Nappies, Sudocrem, Muslin squares/burping cloths, Spare clothing, Breast pads, Nipple cream.