Prepping for first baby - advice needed | ExpatWoman.com
 

Prepping for first baby - advice needed

74
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 December 2011 - 17:17

Hi, I'm preparing for the arrival of our first baby in a couple of months and need some advice on what to buy. Here are a few questions for now but I am sure I will come up with more later! All thoughts and advice gratefully received!

1. Which brand of baby bottles and how many? - I'm hoping to breastfeed for the most part but planning to also express so dh can join in the feeding experience, particularly in the evenings! But with so many bottle brands out there I've no idea where to start, all I know is I should get wide necked bottles.

2. To Moses basket or not? - I know the baby won't be in it long so trying to decide whether it is worth getting or whether there is another alternative that can be used or the first few weeks. I have the Bugaboo Cameleon - would the pram base for that work? Would the mattress in it be sufficient? I'm also planning on getting travel cot with the crib bit, would that be ok for daytime sleeps? At what age can baby sleep in the big cot at night?

3. Microwave or electric steam Sterilizer? - does this depend on the type of bottles I buy or can they generally be used for all types as well as other stuff like pump equip, dummies etc?

TIA!

74
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 December 2011 - 15:57
Thanks BFC, will ceck out the FB page!
671
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 December 2011 - 12:10
Just ducking in quickly (limited Internet access on holiday) to say congratulations on your upcoming birth! Breastfeeding Q&A are hosting an ante-natal breastfeeding workshop in January which you might find helpful (and can ask any questions you have about bf or mixing breast and bottle); we can also help you line up bf support for after the birth as K suggests. Info on Facebook (breastfeeding Q&A UAE) or from [email protected] . xx
1861
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 December 2011 - 22:04
I love the idea of DH "sharing the joy"... ahh, to be an expectant first-timer again! I kept the joy of feeding to myself and let DH share the joy of changing the nappies! Bottles - I got the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature ones, but, I know it sounds weird, but don't go off on one with them. I honestly think that even if you intend to breastfeed, if you buy all the kit for bottle feeding including maybe that tin of formula "just in case it doesn't work out", then you're mentally gearing up for it to fail. I have to say I was completely random in my buying, so got 3 bottles and nothing much else - my MiL provided me with an old ice-cream tub and some Milton tablets to sterilise them with! Some of those bottles still have their wrappers on, 4 years and 2 children later. Anyhow, for preparation, I think it's best to know that you will never really be prepared. If you buy everything in the shops, you'll find you don't need half of it... in fact, all your newborn needs is love, milk, comfort and safety - everything else is, well, details. As for sleeping arrangements, well it's whatever suits you. If you have a long baby, the moses basket may only last 3 months. I had an old cot, which I guess would be called a crib now, so I hung a blanket over the back bars to make it cosier and had it next to my bed
2782
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 December 2011 - 20:59
You can take the lining out, thats what we did but it means the mattress is a little small. We ended up using the moses by day (until he grew out of it and then napped him in his room upstairs) and borrowed a bassinet with mesh sides which we kept next to the bed until he was 5 months at which point he was in his big cot for all sleeps ..should add to my feeding advice, if you want to switch to bottles eventually, introduce one between 8 and 12 weeks, earlier is a bad idea (from personal experience) but after 12 weeks they tend to be resistant to the idea which is an issue if you are going back to work etc. I'd buy some miracle swaddle things from mothercare if they have them, like magic in settling a tired baby to sleep and much easier for DH to work out than a normal swaddle!
74
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 December 2011 - 20:30
Thanks Susan, that's really helpful. When you said baby didn't like it after first few days did you mean the pram bassinet or the Moses basket? Kiwispiers, good point about the sick and poo in the pram! Thanks for all the combo feeding advice too, much appreciated! Re the moses basket, I hear what you're saying about the padded sides being the same as cot bumpers, are there baskets without this, I don't think I've seen any. I guess the only alternative is the full sized cot or smaller crib.... <em>edited by DXBchica on 23/12/2011</em>
2782
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 December 2011 - 20:13
The big cot from birth is actually fine, only reason not to is that you might want to keep her next to your bed, especially if breastfeeding. If you have room you could move the big cot there turned sideways so it doesn't cover your entire half of the bed. Depending on the size of your baby you will get 2-4 months out of a moses basket, or up to 6 months out of a small bassinet type cot. Just borrow a bassinet if you can. I wouldn't used the pram will be a real pain if she is sick in it, poos in it etc (likelihood is high) and its not really safe. If you have a monitor with the under mattress sensor pads you generally can't fit them in a moses basket anyway and IMHO a moses basket isn't all that safe, especially the ones that have quilted linings (effectively like cot bumpers in terms of suffocation risk) Electric steam sterilizer if you are formula feeding, if breastfeeding microwave is fine (make sure it actually fits if your microwave is small) or just boil the bottles in a pot etc since you'll only use one a day ( I think you can buy single bottle steam bags too, not sure from where). Truly best not to give expressed milk by bottle until your baby is 6-10 weeks as it can have a negative effect on your success at breastfeeding (sadly lots and lots of posts within this forum about exactly that issue). Lots of other ways for DH to share in the joy, trust me and pumping is more hassle than breastfeeding so not that convenient;) Tommie Tippie closer to nature bottles are supposed to be more like the breast, but they're still bottles at the end of the day. HTH, PS wouldn't hurt to find a good LC now and keep their number in yr phone incase you have any issues with breastfeeding.
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 December 2011 - 20:08
For combination feeding, the tommee tipee ones are quite highly recommended. I used them for the first little while but then my daughter developed reflux and I found the dr browns ones worked great so we switched (though TT have anti colic ones too). We went with the steam sterilizer because they were less fiddly. More expensive sure but easy to use, especially if like us you have a medium sized microwave. Also it makes sense to get a sterilizer like the AVENT which fits most bottles (though the large browns bottles only fit if I take the top tray off. still very workable) We got a moses basket and are quite happy we did. Baby slept in our room with us. In the very early days we used the bassinet from the pram (chameleon also) downstairs while we used the basket upstairs. Comparable thickness of mattress. but for some reason baby didn't like it beyond a few days. We moved her to her bed at 3 months.
 
 

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