What are the first things to buy for your baby? Everyone will have different ideas about this. We are following our Mum-to-be, Louise who is giving us an insight into her preparation for her August 2020 baby. I asked her about the purchases she is making now that she has had her first scan.
Have you bought anything for your baby yet?
We have begun working on the nursery, emptying the room and thinking about what we want and what we don’t need straight away. So yes, we have begun buying a few pieces here and there. Family members and friends have mentioned what they are getting us. This means we know what we are getting in advance. We don’t want to get too much yet, until we have the room a little more organised.
Thankfully we have lots of time on our hands to focus on that (due to the Coronavirus lockdown)
Going back a step, James and I made the decision to not buy anything baby related until the 12-week scan as we didn’t want to get ourselves too excited in case anything happened.
What have you bought so far?
The first thing we bought was a rocking chair (plus a footstool) which doubles up as a feeding chair. We found it on the Facebook marketplace. It’s lovely, in good condition and originally from Mothercare. James and I had a wander around the charity shops and found some lovely books in good condition.
We have also begun to research buggies/car seats in John Lewis which was slightly overwhelming. We left that day with some muslins and a soft toy monkey comforter. That’s it for now.
Advice from Newborn Love… Most John Lewis branches hold Expectant Parent evenings where there are representatives that can talk you through your options. You can also book a Nursery Advice session with an expert.
Where are you looking for inspiration on things to buy?
I have to say the main place is Pinterest. Because James and I have decided to wait to find out what we are having, we are going for a warm, gender-neutral bedroom with creams, whites, browns and a little colour in it. Pinterest has some great images for inspiration.
Unfortunately, Mothercare was always the go-to store for buying anything baby related but as you know the store and online shop no longer exists. However, you can still find some familiar products through Boots. They have some nice themed and matching products.
Boots has a lot of variety and choice and I recently joined the Parenting Club which means I get an advantage card where I can receive 8 points per every £1 I spend on baby products. I am always looking for a good deal!
When we popped into John Lewis they have some baby room setups with colour schemes, wallpaper, furniture, toys and so on which is inspiring.
Amazon is a blessing, you can get anything on there. You just need to read the reviews carefully.
Word of mouth, many of my friends have recommended different products, different shops/websites and have started to look at their recommendations, some of which are listed below.
Are you following any helpful social media pages? Which pages?
Babycentre newsletter frequently emails about newborn essentials, sleeping routines, weekly updates about how your baby is developing and so on,
Emma’s Diary sends regular emails too but focuses more on other bits such as travelling when pregnant, the best products to buy, offers discounts and more. I follow them on Facebook also where there are articles to read, peoples experiences, facts and more to read. It’s a nice way to speak to other mums.
Newborn Love sends regular emails too which are nice to read and offer advice about choosing a photographer. If you would like to subscribe CONTACT US
Are there any websites/shops you can recommend?
Boots/mothercare
Amazon
Etsy
Thank you, Louise. Hopefully, this gives any mums-to-be some inspiration about the first things to buy for baby.
Newborn Love has an inspiration board on Pinterest which fits with the gender-neutral colour palette we use in our studio.
We also wrote this blog about Nursery Decor trends for 2020
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