Shopping for baby- part 2: bassinets, cots, change tables and baths (home)

So you are pregnant.  A very big congratulations to you.  Now you’ve got some shopping to do.  Don’t go out and start buying as soon as the wee stick is positive. 

Wait until your first scan, see how many babies you are having and make sure your baby looks healthy before you decide on what you might need.   Babies require a lot of stuff, and there is a lot of choice out there.

After 3 kids, this is what I have learned.  Hopefully it will help you make good purchasing decisions and save you some money.

 

Bassinets

I feel that bassinets are unnecessary. Newborns can go straight into a cot.  Bassinets are only big enough to fit small babies in, and your baby will quickly grow out of it.  You may be tempted to want your baby next to your bed in a bassinet.  This may be bad for baby’s sleep in the long term, as mums who have their babies so close, tend to attend to their baby’s every sound, and babies don’t learn to put themselves back to sleep if they are interfered with so quickly.  Mums also don’t sleep well, as they are listening for every sound.  All will sleep better if baby is in a cot in their own room.  If the babies room is far away, you could have a baby monitor on its quietest setting.

Cots

When shopping for a cot, look for one that has an adjustable base.  When your baby is newborn, the base can be raised to its highest level and the cot side half down. This will save your back.  As baby gets to be able to sit themselves up, the base can be still at its highest level, just put the cotside up.  Only when your baby can pull self to standing, will the base have to be lowered.

Look for cotsides that raise and lower smoothly.  The noise of a creaking cotside may wake the baby you took so long to settle.  Make sure it complies to safety standards and has a safe and easy to use cot side catch mechanism (one that you can preferably use one-handed, but wont get little finger caught if baby decided to play with it).  Make sure any lead paint is completely stripped off if getting a secondhand cot.

Change tables

If you are on a tight budget, a change table may not even be necessary.  Babies can be changed on a towel on the floor or couch.  I chose to get a change table as I had 2 big dogs that I needed to keep my babies up and away from.  My change table is a Valco 2 in 1, as it also has a bath that sits under the change table.  It has a nice deep top shelf where I keep an old nappy box that I refill with nappies when we run out, and everything I need is in easy reach.

Baths

Babies grow out of baby baths after about 4-5 months.  If you don’t want to get a baby bath, babies can be bathed in your laundry sink (avoid the kitchen sink, as you don’t really want baby poo mixed with your dishes).  Alternatively, they can be bathed in the big bath, but this is killer on your back.  You might want something that is a nice height for standing to bath your baby.