Babies do seem to need a lot of stuff.
I remember feeling totally overwhelmed before I had Fern at all I felt I had to have, encouraged by stores and magazines and websites and friends and family. But in retrospect, I feel I was relatively restrained - - there were at least a few unchecked 'must have' boxes on my baby magazine tear sheets. I went a little more crazy with the decorative elements (how unlike me - not!) and figured I'd wait until I actually had the baby to decide whether to buy a baby bath (we did) or walky talky (we didn't) and so on.
Admittedly, I now have a lot of baby paraphernalia I can recycle for this new baby, but it does make me feel slightly guilty that with 13 weeks to go I've purchased nothing but one wrap, one blanket, one Alimrose rattle (on sale) and a tin of paint for my new arrival! Thank God Ikea came to my rescue by donating some key nursery furniture items and accessories, else the new baby might well have slept in the bottom dresser drawer until Fern vacated her cot!
Anyway, for fun I thought I might revisit the items I thought I HAD to have last time, along with those I WISH I had thought I should have and those I am damn grateful I DID HAVE!
Here goes.
Things I bought but wish I hadn't:
1. A Milkbar breatfeeding pillow. My stupidest purchase of all. Never used it.
2. One of those little handheld net thingies you pop fruit into and baby sucks it out. Interesting idea but mine was was rancid after the first use and I've never used it since.
3. A mosquito net for Fern's cot. Gorgeous and practical. Unless you forget to close it.... and your poor baby is bitten senseless in her sleep.
Things I wish I had bought prior to the baby's arrival:
1. Maternity pads. Lot's of them.
2. Breastpads. Possibly every box in stock at Coles.
3. A baby bath (sure its useless after a couple of months but I sure as heck enjoyed mine while we could!). Fern loved it so much, she used to fall asleep in it:
4. A breastpump and steriliser. I know, its frightening even thinking about it! But if you intend to breastfeed it will be your godsend at 4am when your baby chooses THIS NIGHT to sleep through and you are literally sleeping on boobs the size (and texture) of a football!
5. A grobag. In every size and weight.
6. A book on looking after babies... as opposed to 300 books about pregnancy!
Things I bought that I was most grateful for afterward:
1. A good SLR digital camera. You only get those first precious hours once and they can never be recaptured. And let me tell you, that camera got a workout the first 12 months!
2. Cloth nappies. Not that one ever touched Fern's bum, but they were useful for oh-so-many more purposes!
3. A nappy bin. Seriously, how does anyone survive without one?
4. A bouncinette. The only solution when you need to put the baby down somewhere that is not in your arms or in their cot.
5. A good nappy bag. It was my only handbag for a good 6 months and my lifeline when out and about!
What do you think - are/ were any of these items on YOUR list? What did you purchase that you regretted immediately or turned out to be most grateful for?! x