It is a good idea to get most of the basic equipment and clothes for your baby before she is born. Shopping for major purchases will be difficult once she is with you. But try to resist the temptation to rush out and buy lots of clothes and bedding, especially if you have generous family and friends, and have friends with children who may pass outgrown clothes on to you.
Choose machine-washable items only and avoid anything with long, trailing ribbons and trimmings that could come loose.
The list here is of the basic items you will need for the first few weeks. Gifts will still be welcome, since this is the minimum – you will be washing very frequently if this is all you have.
You might find it easier to use a pram top, carrycot or cradle as your baby’s sleeping place for the first few weeks, since all are portable and can easily be carried from room to room and even up and down stairs. Check that the mattress is fits correctly. Depending on how quickly she grows, you will need a proper cot within around six months.
You will also need two or three sets of sets baby bedding
Your pram or stroller
time over choosing one.
Full-size, traditional ‘coach-built’ prams are extremely hard-wearing, beautiful-looking and very warm and comfortable for your baby. They are, however, very expensive (although they seem to keep their value secondhand, even if you have used them for more than a couple of children of your own). Sometimes they cannot be used inside shops, they take up a lot of room and it is impossible to travel with them by car or public transport.
Many parents today opt for a pram which comes in two parts – a fold-down frame and a top which can be used as a carrycot with handles. It’s difficult to get this on a bus (although you can on most trains), and folding it down after separating top and frame, then carrying the frame and baby is often a two-person job so it cannot be used on escalators. Most car boots and hatchbacks will hold both frame and top.
A popular alternative is a pushchair which folds flat, with a seat that tips into different positions from lie-flat to sitting. (You may find this comes as an extra to a frame and carrycot model, so that you use the carrycot when the baby is small, then graduate to the seat, keeping the same basic frame.) Buggies which folds up like an umbrella are lightweight and easy to handle, excellent if you are on and off buses a lot. These are, however, not really warm or sufficiently well sprung for a tiny baby and are best for toddlers who need less support.
You may also want to buy a rain cover, sunshade, shopping basket or tray for the pram or pushchair.
You can bath your baby with you in the ordinary bath, as can your partner, but it may nor be convenient at all times, so a baby bath
…to be continued
