First Time Parents Checklist

The second of our first-time parents checklists! With the help of some other mummies from our Facebook page as well as our focus groups we have put together a list of parenting essentials, “must-haves” to buy before your baby arrives!  We felt that there are so many products out there that claim to be essentials, (but we all know they can’t all be!) so we’ve narrowed down the true essentials!

If any of you are reading this and feel we may have left something out, email us on enquries@mabyland.com and I’ll add your suggestion straight away! Thank you, and we hope this helps.

New Born Baby Essentials Checklist

Becoming a first time parent is daunting to say the least! Buying for your new arrival is even more so.  There are so many baby products out there which claim to be “essentials” the truth is most of them solve problems that frankly don’t always need solving! We have put together a list of must have essentials to buy before your little one arrives, the rest (non essential things) can be bought at a later date, once you know your baby, and his/her needs as well as yours!

Must Have Essentials

Baby Bath Time, Nappy Changing, and Feeding Essentials

• A Pack of 50 (or so) Nappies - It isn’t unusual for a newborn to be changed up to 10 times a day! So you may want to stock up on nappies to avoid making trips to the shops and then you get to spend more time with your new arrival! 50+ is a good starting point!
• Cotton Wool – your midwife will most probably advise you to wipe your baby’s bottom with warm water and cotton wool to start with as their skin is so sensitive
• Wipes – unscented wipes are best for a newborn’s sensitive skin, you can buy a few packs, you will never have too many! Jackson Reece or Water Wipes are both very gentle.
• Changing Mat – A large changing mat for home nappy changes, it’s worth looking for one which is machine washable as well as wipe-able! John Lewis have some great Changing Mats starting at just £12!
• Muslins – Great for mopping up baby messes, dribble, and runny noses.  Buy a big multipack as you will be constantly washing them!
• Lots of Bibs! The soft terry cotton bibs are best to start with as plastic bibs will be far too heavy.  You will find that you may want to leave it on during the day to stop the endless dribbling soaking their clothes, as well as when you “burp” baby.
• Bath Tub – A newborn can be easily washed in the sink and at a later date they can be washed in a regular bath tub, but the in-between stage is quite awkward so you may want to buy a baby bath.  Flexi Bath is a great space saving option.
• Baby Shampoo – Johnson’s No More Tears is a must-have; don’t use any shampoos which will irritate baby’s eyes or skin.
• Lotion – E45 is great for moisturising baby after bath time.  Use un-perfumed lotion.
• Soft Towels – you can be special baby towels or use a regular soft towel to dry baby.  Cuddle Dry have a fantastic range of baby towels, as does MaByLand.
• Flannels/Wash Cloths – Easy to clean baby with in the bath. They don’t need to be special baby flannels (although very cute) regular flannels/wash cloths will do the job!
• Hairbrush or Comb

 Nice to Have Around (non-essentials)

• Nappy Rash Cream – Sudocrem is the best known brand. Babies don’t all get nappy rash, but if they do you will want to ease their discomfort as soon as you can! So it’s great to have it around just in-case.
• Bottles – Even if you plan on breast feeding you may find it a relief to feed your little one pumped breast milk.
• Nail Clippers – baby’s nails will need clipping, and their fingers are so small baby nail clippers are great, but you may also want to buy a gentle nail file (as a newborns fingers are so tiny!) You can find these at Boots or even Mothercare!
• Bath Tub – A newborn can be easily washed in the sink or even better can be washed in a regular bath tub with you! But the in-between stage is quite awkward so you may want to buy a baby bath.  Flexi Bath is a great space saving option.

 Baby Sleep Essentials

• Cot – with a mattress

• Bed sheets 2 or 3 changes to start with, you don’t need to over do it! It is exciting getting the nursery looking perfect but you don’t need to get lots of sheets and matching accessories!
• Swaddling Cloths – its ideal to swaddle your newborn, at least to begin with as its comforting
• 3-4 New Born Sleeping Bags – Again don’t buy too many as most newborn sleeping bag range from 0-6months after 6months you will need to get a larger size.  Sleeping bags are much safer than blankets as they can’t cover your baby’s face or be kicked off like blankets, also its easier for night feeding as you can pick baby up in the sleeping bag and then lay them back down once they’ve fallen asleep whilst feeding (without waking them up to wrap them up in a blanket).
• A few Long sleeve babygros
• A few short sleeve babygros

 Nice to Have (non-essential)

• Moses Basket – Great for night feeding and to keep baby close during their first few months.
• Baby Monitor – if you live in a small to medium size house/flat I feel these are very unnecessary, but for some parents Baby Monitors allow for peace of mind. I think you will be able to hear baby crying, and recommend you check newborns regularly once you have put them down to sleep.
• Musical Mobile – A musical mobile or cot toy will help soothe baby when it’s nap/bedtime, it also helps improve their visual focus.
• Thermometer – a room thermometer may give you piece of mind.  The ideal Temp is 16-20 degrees C. But I feel that most people are able to decide for themselves whether a room is too cold or too hot.

Baby Travel Essentials

• Buggy/Pram/Travel System – TOP TIP spend some time choosing the right buggy/travel system for you, your lifestyle, your budget, don’t be afraid to go into a store, ask for help and have your questions answered.
• ISO fit Car Seat – TOP TIP it’s important not to buy a budget car seat. Also buy a car seat NEW rather than second hand, most of the time the instructions are missing, and it can’t be guaranteed to withstand a crash. Ensure the car seat is fitted correctly, if you are unsure contact them or visit http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/index.htm
• A Good Size Changing Bag – Big enough to fit muslins, change of clothes, changing mat, bottle insulator, nappies, wipes etc! (Remember to think of dad too when buying a bag, unless he doesn’t mind flowery/patterned bags!)
• A Changing Mat – invest in a fold-up portable changing mat, they are much better than buying the disposable kind, and don’t trust the cleanliness of public changing rooms! Some changing bags are sold as a set instead of buying everything separately MaByLand do some great sets!
• Baby Carrier – Baby wearing is a great way for parents to bond with baby, esp. For dads as during the first few months they seem to only be assigned to nappy duty! It’s great to get out and about, and it’s great exercise.  MaByLand do some great baby carriers, for day to day use, and running errands. For baby carrying enthusiasts (who’d rather carry their baby than use a buggy) we recommend Ergo Baby.

Baby Clothing and Toys

You will probably have loads of baby clothes given to you as presents, because no one can resist buying little booties and baby suits! Your Baby will be tiny when you bring him or her home, but they will grow quickly! So don’t buy too much, as they won’t be able to wear it all!

• Newborn size, all in one baby outfits are best for newborns, with the poppers – it is easier to change their nappy!
• Within a few weeks baby will be able to wear 0-3 month old clothes.
• Buy a warm coat if there is cool weather, or a footmuff for baby’s buggy/car seat.

If friends and family ask what clothes you would like them to buy as presents, let them know that you’d prefer larger sizes.  It’s OK for clothes to be a little big, there is no shame in rolling up the  sleeves or trouser legs or a dress hem being a little long.  Your baby will quickly grow into them and out again! So bigger is better, as you will get the most out of their clothes.

• Buy a Few Toys – Newborns don’t play with toys, musical toys are great for them to listen to and can be soothing. Don’t buy too many toys for 0-3 months because they will soon grow out of them and find them boring!

 Essentials for Mum

• Nursing Bra - Make it much easier to feed baby, great bras from M&S and Emma Jane.  Ensure they are fitted correctly, and don’t buy these at the beginning of pregnancy as your breasts will of course become larger!
• Breast Feeding Butterfly – Whether you’re self-conscious or not, when you are breast feeding you may want something to cover yourself up with when feeding in public! Faye and Lou do a really great breastfeeding cover.
• Breast pads
• Bio-oil – reduces stretch marks and soothes a dry itchy tummy.  Leaves your skin soft and supple.

We couldn’t have written this list without the help of the mums from our focus groups as well as our Facebook fans! So thank you very much! Here are a few Tips from the lovely ladies:

REAL PARENTS – what was the most essential baby product you own?

Mum About Town – “A portable seat strap for restaurants (that don’t always have highchairs) and a diaper bag that doubles as a handbag.” Melody Grider

Number one on List – “Muslin Cloths, they are so handy for a lot of things” Tina Holmes      “Muslin Cloths, my son had bad reflux and I used about 15 a day!” Hannah Goodyer

Baby, Seat Still – “A Bumbo is a must for every parent. When I needed to do a clean she would sit in it, have her dinner in it, and would sit and watch mummy have a bath! It’s just the best thing ever! They are quite pricey for such a simple thing, but certainly worth every penny” Kirsty Evans

Bouncy Baby – “A Bouncy chair – it’s where I always put her down to sit if I need to do anything and where we used to bounce her asleep.  I have the Fisher Price Precious Plant one from Toys R Us.  She is Now 4 months and loves the Toy Bar on it too!” Adele Baxter

Good Vibrations – “I had a Brightstars vibrating chair, it was great, put the vibrator on and it sent him to sleep in no time!” Melanie Barnes

Peace of Mind – “ I absolutely love the Angelcare Sensorpad! It really helped me sleep knowing an alarm would go off if my baby were to stop breathing!” Jenny Savage

Baby Bathtime – “I couldn’t have managed without my bath seat by summer. It is made of a soft material, and I have used it since birth and he still uses it now at nearly 8 months!” Hannah Goodyer

Bedtime Advice – “Faye and Low Rainbow and Cozio Muslins, baby nighties for easy nappy changing in the night and cotton wool pads instead of cotton balls as they are much easier to clean the baby” Lucinda De Watteville

If you have any tips or essentials you’d like to add, email us on enquiries@mabyland.com Thank you!