Baby Essentials: Everything I Have For The Baby Before Her Arrival!

I can tell you, the last few months have been baby-shopping-central over here.

Nine months is a long time but during pregnancy you’re always waiting for the next milestone, the next scan, and generally just focusing on the next ‘thing’. So I think it’s quite common to get to the last few months and suddenly realise there’s a hella stuff to get ready for the new arrival!

And that’s exactly what happened to me, folks. I suddenly panicked as I entered the third trimester and spent most weekends during my 7th and 8th months of pregnancy visiting Mothercare, Mamas & Papas and IKEA. And y’know, furiously scrolling through Etsy looking for cute accessories to make our mini-nursery look cute.

It can be a lot to be honest.

Mainly because, everywhere you look there’s someone telling you something else you need to buy. And seriously, do I need ALL this stuff? Does a baby really need a bouncer and a Sleepyhead and a playmat and a moses basket? How many muslins do I need? And how many newborn clothes do you need before the kid grows out of them? So yeah, it can be a bit of a minefield.

But FINALLY I think I’m ready. We’ve got the things we need and a few little lovely extras.

So I thought I would show you everything we’ve bought for this little tyke! I mean, I know this isn’t relevant to everyone that reads my blog but I’ve found these kinda posts super useful over the last few months. So hopefully this will help a few baby mamas-to-be out there!

The Baby Essentials

The Dreamy Bedside Crib

The thing you find out when you first start looking into baby shopping is that you don’t actually need a ‘proper’ crib for quite a while. Turns out the baby won’t need one until she’s approx 6 months old, as actually it’s recommended that she sleeps in the same room as me to regulate her breathing. So these bedside cribs are the way forward.

It means the baby is next to you and you can easily do middle-of-the-night feeds without actually getting out of bed. She will be close enough that I can monitor her (read: watch her sleep for the first few months out of pure terror). And they’re generally seen as safe places for newborns to sleep (there’s a lot of scary things out there about SIDS, so safety is pretty much priority #1).

The main options available on the High Street seem to be the Snuzpod, the Chicco Next To Me or the Tutti Bambini CoZee. All bedside cribs, all around the same price-ish and all readily available, so it seems to me that this is a personal preference kinda deal. I went for the Tutti Bambini CoZee for a few reasons:

• It looks nicer than the Chicco Next To Me, just based on decor.
• It’s more travel-friendly than the Snuzpod, and you can pack it down to a travel bag if you want. I mean it doesn’t pack small but it would be easy enough to pack it in the car for an overnight stay and means you don’t need a separate travel cot.
• It has a shelf on the bottom for storing things you may need in the night.
• You can change the height so that it is tilted – apparently that’s good if baby has reflux.

So yes, we decided on the Tutti Bambini Cozee bedside crib from Mothercare, and actually a very lovely family member bought it for us. So that’s a massive help! (Babies are expensive, y’all.)

I also got this bedding set from Mothercare to start us off. It’s currently all washed and waiting for it’s new inhabitant!

I also bought a couple of newborn-friendly sleeping options from The Gro Company – this Gro Snug and this Gro Swaddle. Knowing what a baby should sleep in is tricky so hopefully these will be what we need. But I think we need to just monitor the temperature in the room (I got a Gro Egg for this job) and see how the baby gets on with them.

Ooh and my bestie, Kate, bought us Ewan The Dream Sheep for my Baby Shower, which I’ve heard so many parents rave about. It plays white noise and soothing sounds, as well as heart beat and womb noises to help baby gal sleep. Excited to try it out.

The Perfect Bugaboo Pram

Ok. The pram choice involved A LOT of research I’m not gonna lie.

There’s so much choice out there so you really need to have your priorities straight before starting out I think. You need to think about where you’re going to use the pram – city or rural? And you need to think about whether the pram will fit in your car and whether you are going to need to travel with it. It’s also a good idea to go and ‘test drive’ them before buying, because they all feel really different.

My priorities were pretty clear from the onset. I needed a pram that would fit in the boot of my Fiat 500, aka a ridiculously small space. So that massively narrowed down my options. I also wanted a pram that I could travel with easily so it would be ideal if the pram was fairly light and easy to transport. And as it’s my first baby, I wanted to go for a reputable brand with the idea that the pram would last a while and I could possibly use it for a second baby should that ever happen one day (not making any promises by the way, I’m just saying).

And the pram that answered all of my prayers? The Bugaboo Bee 5.

I actually went for this navy option in the Classic collection (available exclusively at John Lewis), as it has chic white quilted lining, and is really great quality. But it also fits in the boot, is easy to put up and down and is perfect for travel (super light and packs up small). So yeah, it ticks all the boxes! I got the carrycot attachment to use when baby is first born and then we can turn it into the standard, facing-the-world position when she’s a bit older.

And y’know, obvs I have the coffee cup attachment too, because I think coffee is going to be essential to my life in 2019…

The pram is funny, it’s the thing that makes you realise an ACTUAL HUMAN BEING is going to be arriving into the world soon and this is her first set of wheels. Can’t wait until I can take her for a spin!

* Note: This one was actually gifted and I will be posting a full review soon, but I would’ve bought this one either way as it fits the bill perfectly!

The Car Seat Set-Up

Every time I tried to do research on car seats online, it was mega confusing. I just couldn’t get my head around all the rules. Do certain car seats only go on certain bases? Do all bases fit all cars? And what the hell is ISOFIX??

I went into Mamas & Papas and spoke to someone there and it was all made a lot simpler (definitely recommend doing this).

I knew I wanted to go for Maxi-Cosi as the car seats would fit on my Bugaboo Bee5 pram with the right attachment, so would just be really convenient. I also knew from a friend of mine that you needed to make sure that the ISOFIX base you bought should be one that you can use with bigger car seats when the baby is older. Otherwise you have to buy a new base AND a new car seat after a year. All about saving those pennies.

The rest was personal preference so I went for the Maxi-Cosi Rock car seat with the 2WayFix base.

The Maxi-Cosi Rock just looked really cosy for a newborn with a memory foam headrest and little inlay. It was also the lightest of all the ones I looked at, which I think makes a big difference, but still seemed really safe and met all the regulations. Ooh and it has an intergrated sun canopy. All good things.

The 2WayFix base is compatible with other car seats up to 4 years old, so like I said, saves some cash in the long-run. But it also is super easy-to-use, with green lights that tell you when the car seat is secure.

Mamas & Papas also brought them out to my car before we paid to make sure that they fit in my tiny Fiat 500. That’s pretty great service, huh? M&P rule.

The Changing Station

I didn’t really know whether I needed a changing table or not. We’re limited on space at the moment and I know you can just whip out a changing mat and change baby on the floor or the bed or something. But my mum kept telling me that I’d get a bad back and it’s definitely better to have a changing table if possible. (And y’know, mums know best.)

I was umming and ahhing but then I found this super affordable changing table from IKEA and decided to go for it. I mean it’s cheap and cheerful but has lots of storage for nappies and wipes and the like, plus it feels very sturdy. Pretty much a winner at £55.

I also got this cute alphabet changing mat from Mamas & Papas, and this Angelcare nappy bin in the Mothercare sale, and voila, changing station complete.

The Baby Bath Essentials

I knew nothing about baby baths but was a typical millenial with this one and chose a bath based on an Instagrammer’s recommendation!

I follow @LifeOfBeckie and she puts videos up of her baby in the Shnuggle Bath a lot and the kid just looks really secure and comfortable. On further research, it’s got great reviews all round, so I decided it was a winner. My friends Lauren and Jordan bought us this for our Baby Shower and I absolutely love it.

I was also gifted with a very cute Baby Muslin Hooded Towel Set from Petite Piccolo, which is super soft! It has a sweet little star print, is made from 100% pre-washed cotton and comes with a nice muslin wash cloth. Oh and my nan made us a really nice hamper with baby bath products and a sponge and comb and stuff. It was so lovely and definitely things I would’ve forgotten about!

Oh and my pal Sam also got us the Tommy Tippee Healthcare Kit which word on the street is an essential bit of kit (think thermometer, nail clippers, nasal aspirator, etc). So yes, I think we’re all set in this department.

* Note: Get 15% off Petite Piccolo products on their website using code KARA15

All The Baby Clothes Ever

My kid has a pretty full wardrobe…

I think I’ve been quite conservative with the clothes that I’ve bought for her, but being the first grandchild in both mine and Josh’s families, her grandparents have also bought her some clothes. And my friends and family bought her some lovely outfits that they gifted me at my Baby Shower this month. So yes, she’s pretty set.

They have also been washed and ironed ready for her arrival (you have to do that with baby clothes, they need washing before being put on delicate newborn skin). Throw in the hats and bibs and muslins and blankets and yes, this baby girl is going to be one well-dressed babe. 

I can’t show you everything, so here’s just a quick glimpse into the very full wardrobe of this little fashionista. I think you’ll agree she has plenty…

Nursery Accessories

Now for everything else! As you know, we don’t have a separate nursery for baby Heels. We moved in with family a few months ago so we would be able to get by on maternity pay and hopefully save for a house deposit while we’re at it (read this). So we have a section of our living space that we’ve turned into a nursery instead. This is where the changing table is and a nice chair for rocking her to sleep. So I wanted to make it feel more nursery-like with a few accessories.

I bought a couple of cute things from Sass & Belle – this pretty cloud pillow and handy seagrass basket for keeping muslins in. And Josh got some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles money boxes from a local shop! Priorities lol.

Oh and our friends and family have bought the baby lots of books. Josh bought The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Josh’s parents bought We’re Going On A Bear Hunt and a friend of the family bought The Tiger Who Came To Tea. Y’know, all the classics! (I’m sure children’s books have come a long way since the late eighties but these are the ones we grew up with so I love them!)

I also have a cute bouncer for the baby to chill in. I got the Mamas & Papas Capella Bouncer in the sale and it’s pretty neat – bounces, vibrates, plays music, has toys dangling for baby to play with. I like it. Hope the baby does too.

I do want to get a nice colourful garland/bunting to put up, as well as a playmat. So there are still a few things to buy. But these aren’t really priority and I know I can get them after the baby is here. Think I might look in the January sales tbf.

But our mini-nursery is looking good! I’m excited to introduce our baby girl to all of her lovely new things.

Ok, I think you’ll agree, I have bloody loads for this kid. And I have no doubts there will be a few more additions after Christmas! Now I just need this baby gal to make an appearance herself… Watch this space I guess.

Is there anything you’d recommend to a first-time mum? 

Let me know in the comments below or head over to my Instagram and Twitter pages for regular updates on my pregnancy, my travels and life in general. 

Total Blogger Transparency: This post includes a few gifted items as stated, as well as some affiliate links. But all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I wouldn’t play you like that, shorty.