Pram
I once read an article about a woman who didn't have a pram and just carried her baby till it walked. She obviously didn't have a caesar or a really big baby! Here are my suggestions.
If someone offers to buy you a pram, get one new. But if money is tight, find one you like by testing them out at Baby Bunting, then order online from the USA (loads cheaper) or get one on eBay.
Smaller, narrower popular prams:
Baby jogger city mini GT (the GT has the pump up tyres; previous models don't)
Bigger prams:
The pram I bought second hand and love is a Swallow Beema – it’s bigger but I love it! Easy to push and has a huge basket. In its day it was voted Choice pram of the year. I got a used one on Ebay for $100 and it came with a bassinet as well as a skateboard for toddlers! Bargain.
According to the product review sites, Phil and Teds are a bit dodgy these days – but older versions on Ebay would be fine.
In
terms of planning a pram purchase for a second seat/baby, I wouldn’t
worry about it… My tip is that by the time the second baby comes along
you’ll be wanting a new pram anyway! And it also depends on the spacing
of your kids. If they
are close together you’ll need a 2 seater pram, but if not you could
get by with a skateboard attachment.
Cot
Try to get one second hand on eBay or Freecycle or Gumtree. Or ask friends. They only get used for a few years, so there are normally lots around if you ask!
Babies can go straight into a cot rather than a bassinet, however you'll need to sleep in the same room as the baby for the first 3-6 months (to reduce the SIDS risk), so it depends on how much room you have in your room, or if you have a bed in the baby's room. You can buy bassinets, but as they only get used for 3-6 months, most people just borrow them off friends. Ask around. Someone probably has one in the shed.
You'll need a couple of mattress protectors and 2-3 changes of cot sheets. If they don't wee through stuff they spew everywhere!!!
It's handy to have a portacot too, but like bassinets there are far too many in the world, and you can probably get one on Freecycle or by asking around. I've been offered several over the last year! You can also buy quite cheap ones at Target/Kmart. Traditional portacots are quite heavy and bulky, but are okay for having in the boot or under the bed.
If you want to lash out and get a good small fold up portacot for interstate/overseas travel, the BabyBjorn one is great. But expensive!
Clothes
You will be given A LOT of clothing as gifts, so don't buy too much. You'll probably also be given a lot of hand-me-downs. You'll want to buy a few nice new things, but try not to go overboard! Here are some suggestions on what you need in the first 6 months.
Big babies can go straight into '000' outfits. If you have a small baby you might need '0000' suits for a few weeks, but they'll be in '000' before you know it! So my tip is to not buy any '0000' outfits as you might not need them. If you do, ask around. Your friends are bound to have some you can borrow.
You'll need at least 6 '000' outfits - onesies are best for the start. You might also like a few leggings/top sets. They are easier to change than onesies.
You'll also need about 6 singlets (start with '000"), some socks, and you might want to get a few leggings and tops too.
Things you might not think of
- Wraps/swaddles - basically big squares of cloth (a bit of stretch is good) to wrap your baby up tight. There are many specifically designed swaddles, but I reckon the cheap wraps are fine.
- Spew rags (traditional cloth nappy squares, from Kmart, work well for this)
Things you don't really need to buy:
- Change table - you can just get a plastic change mat (around $30) and put it on a chest of drawer, table or on a bed.
- Nappy bag - just get a portable changing mat or similar with a small bag/green bag
- Baby monitor- not really
necessary if your place is small; you'll hear the baby! But get one if
it makes you sleep better once you are in separate rooms (after 3-6
months). I can recommend the Oricom 500. Was worth spending the extra money (although I got it quite cheap on sale at Baby Bunting). All my friends bought cheap ones which they ended up replacing as they broke.
