Buying the tackle

Babies are expensive. In fact this experience is likely to be dearer than any hobby you have ever had. There are all sorts of bits and pieces you’re going to need, in addition to the birth and hospital fees and doctors consultations.

Shop wisely, babies are expensive to raise

But before you go rushing off to Mothercare in excitement, a little planning and fore-thought can help you make big savings. Of course having a baby is fun and most parents-to-be get carried away shopping for all the cute baby goodies. Retailers know this and just love it when you shop with your heart in your wallet.

If you can afford it, you can spoil your baby with all the latest and trendiest tackle, but the bill can well run into the thousands before your treasure even makes it out of the maternity ward. You’ll end up realising that many of the items you’ve been sold on are not practical to your needs. Different strollers and carrying cots suit different lifestyles, depending on whether mum is a working mother, you own your own car, and so on. Furthermore, babies grow quickly and will soon be too big for a handy car seat that doubles as a carry-cot.

A good word of advice is to be patient. Relatives and friends who have older tots will have plenty of good condition ‘hand me downs’, or you can go looking for bargains online or in used shops. Some of these baby products, like tiny shoes, are scandalously priced – but people buy them anyway. And there are the baby gifts you are likely to receive, so it’s better to stock up only on necessities at first and see what you need later. Fun items like mobiles, jumpsuits and so on are popular gifts and you might find yourself with several.

Here is a simple breakdown of some of the essentials you’ll need before baby’s arrival and other important items to consider.

Bottles: you’ll get through plenty of these in a day and you can never really have enough since you might not find the time to sterilise them regularly. Newborns will drink about 2 oz per session, so small bottles are handy at first. Various nipple sizes are needed and some bottles are designed to make it easier to keep baby from sucking air. With these you’ll need a bottle steamer and bottle brushes to help with the essential task of properly cleaning them in a sterile environment.

Baby clothes: look cute and come in all sorts of trendy styles but newborns are most ideally dressed in tunics that are easy to put on. Babies go through an astonishing amount of clothing changes because they are forever dribbling. They can get irritable when hot or too cold and despite all the trendy little beanies, jumpsuits and sweaters that granny has knitted you’ll find they’re most comfortable with only a few clothes, and an occasional blanket or shawl. Multiple socks and mittens are essential to keep their feet warm and fingers from scratching their faces. Within a month they will be a third bigger and would have already grown out of the first set anyway, so keep the newborn attire simple.

Linen: is another item you can never have too much of. Little baby sheets should be changed daily and can then be used to wipe up dribble mess. As with clothes, the more you have the less pressure there is to get the washing done. Typically most kids wear hand me downs that were barely used by the previous baby before being outgrown. Baby pillows are also essential, as they help support the head with a special divot to prevent strain on the neck.

Cot and rocking bed: these two essential items can be inherited from older siblings (both yours and your childs’) and the former will be needed the moment baby arrives home. Some parents prefer to keep baby in the bed but you then have to be careful not to disturb them when asleep. A cot can be filled with colourful soft toys and give the baby privacy when asleep. A second handy item is a rocking bed which is handy for the day time and usually lives in the living room. The biggest use of these is to rock baby to sleep so you can get on with the house chores. These are typically cheaper – made of simple metal frame and gauze and cloth.

Disposable nappies: come in different sizes, indicated on the packets, with a dizzy array of brands. The quality (durability), softness and comfort is reflected in the price and ultimately it will be a compromise between your budget and your baby’s comfort tolerance that decides. Try different brands to see which work best for your family. Since a newborn goes through more than six disposables a day you ought to have at least a 50 pack for starters.

Formula: even if you intend to breast feed, it’s not always practical and sometimes the baby simple won’t feed on mummy’s milk so you should think about choosing a formula brand. The hospitals usually dispense free tins of various brands (on rotation) from the suppliers who have promotional deals with them. It’s difficult to judge just which one is best, as they all promote all sorts of scientific advantages for nutrition. Once you start with one, your baby might not like the change later. Prices also vary wildly for formulas and don’t necessarily reflect better quality. At the very least each has passed a vigorous essential nutrition test with the FDA.

Bathing utilities: these include a small plastic bathing tub, ‘wet mat’, baby soaps and shampoos, a water thermometer and, later, bath toys to help make the whole experience fun. Nail clippers are a surprise accessory that is soon needed, as babies nails grow very quickly and become a dangerous appendage.

Nappy changing tools: which include a good supply of cottonwool balls, handy wipes, a couple of portable ‘wet mats’, talcum powder, dry wipes and disposal trash bags.

Strollers and pushchairs: it’s easy to get carried away with these, with some ultra-engineered models that wouldn’t look out of place at a motor show, but there are plenty of second hand alternatives that are available. Strollers can double as an older fashioned pram for newborns or a seated push chair, but tend to be bulky, difficult to lug around and only good for the first year. There is also quite a difference in price from the trendy three wheelers with all terrain wheels and simpler models that might just as easily suffice. In any case, within a year you’ll be dumping it for a light-weight pushchair that folds easily when you need to hop on and off buses or put it in the boot of your car.

Some items are essential before the birth

Car seats and carry cots: the first is essential (from the moment you leave the hospital – even if it might be a bit oversized) and the latter is handy for carrying the baby from the car and leaving him to sit comfortably while you visit friends and family. You’ll be needing the car seat for the next three or more years so invest in a decent one that works practically and is easy to get a baby of any size in and out of. Car seats that double as carry cots are useless after the baby is six months old.

Toys and mobiles: while these are highly recommended for early development, realistically baby won’t really appreciate them until they are into their third month, so it’s better to wait and see what gifts you get and think about these later. Bright coloured items or images, soft toys, interactive objects that make noise and move or music-box toys all capture the attention of a baby’s incredibly inquisitive mind and sensory perceptions, and are essential to their early development. Soft baby music, such as the classical range that is all the rage at present, is also suggested as a means of stimulating or calming your future Einstein or Mozart.

‘Crawly talkies’: these two way radios are custom designed for keeping an ear on the little one and are sound activated. Leave one in the cot and take the other downstairs to dinner with you and you’re sorted mate!

Baby carriers: are popular gifts and won’t be needed for the first few months but become handy for carrying baby on your chest while you go about your chores or walk around the house.

From six months onwards there will be a whole new range of essentials, such as plastic eating ware and high chairs, but by then you will be well into fatherhood and have spent many hours in baby shops eyeing out the many products that now support parenthood.

Shopping online
The cost of kids
Childcare