So where do I start?
Most people find it at best a little daunting when it comes time to go out to buy for your new baby for the first time. There are just so many products to look at and so mind boggling as to what on earth you actually need. Overwhelmed is an understatement, and everyone that knows you, even if it is just a little, has their own opinion as to what is best! To make this easy, we will try to provide a broad review of the baby products that would be useful to have and of which are appropriate for any unique conditions.
Somewhere for baby to sleep
One of the most essential products to buy for baby is a place for it to safely sleep. Most people purchase a baby cot, however, others decide to start with a bassinet and move on to cot a little later on. When choosing a cot, the best advice we can give is to not get stressed out! Keep in mind when looking at cots, you usually pay for what you get. The more expensive cots will be made from better quality material and made with better workmanship. They often have a longer warranty and can be converted from a cot to a toddler, single or double bed to ensure the longevity of your purchase. Most cots, even the less expensive ones, usually have a matching change table or chest with changer on top. Many also have other matching furniture such as a bassinet, dresser, toy box and bookcase for example.
How about changing nappies?
Although not 100% essential, we do highly recommend a change table or chest with changer on top. Babies nappies need to be changed very frequently when they are born and if bending over on a bed or the floor, this can lead to a lot of wear and tear on a back with loose ligaments and poor support secondary to a pregnancy. A change table or chest with changer, are at a height that makes changing baby easy without having to bend your back and ensure it is a pleasurable job that you will look forward to rather than a painful chore. Often this helps with making your nursery nice and organised, and looking clean as they offer places for you to store baby accessories like creams and nappies for example.
Travelling in the car
An absolutely essential item for all parents is a car seat. A baby or child in Australia is legally not allowed to travel in a car unless they are restrained in an approved car seat. This in itself can really puzzle many parents as there are just so many car seats available for many different age groups and knowing what to get is near impossible. When looking for a car seat for a newborn, one has three choices. A baby capsule, 0-4 year car seat or a 0-8 year car seat. Each has its own benefits and disadvantages. You can save a bit of money if you buy your car seat ata place that offers free accredited car seat fitting. Make sure they are registered through with ACRI. We will briefly summarise the pros and cons of the three newborn options of car seat available in Australia.
Baby Capsule
The most popular option for transporting a newborn baby by car in Hobart is using a baby capsule, otherwise known as infant car seats and infant carriers. The reason these are so popular is that babies can be left sleeping in the capsule when it is taken out of the car and can attach directly to a pram. It also allows you to have baby close by in their capsule sleeping when visiting a friend or out at a cafe having a drink. This makes so much easier than trying to peel little baby legs and arms out of car seat straps, risking that they wake up, and having to find somewhere to put them once at the destination. The downside of a baby capsule is that it is only suitable for babies up to around 6-12 months of age depending on the length of the child.
Be careful not to be wrongly advised that a capsule can be used up to a certain amount of kilograms or age. All baby capsules in Australia can be used as long as you want as long as the shoulder height of the baby is below the marked line on the seat. Another useful piece of advice to keep in mind is not to be fooled by a capsule that says it can be used up to 12 months of age. It is extremely difficult to carry even a 7 or 8 month old in a baby capsule (let alone a 12 month old) at this age as they are just far too heavy.
0-4 Year Car Seat
A traditional baby car seat is as safe as any other newborn baby car seat option. There are a huge number of different types available from varying brands. These car seats to make a newborn look nice and snug in the seat in comparison to a 0-8 year car seat. They are not able to be taken out of a car with baby inside and hence baby has to be taken out of the car seat restraint. In comparison to a capsule, this type of car seat lasts longer and are usually, in most cases more affordable.
0-8 Year Car Seat
Only recently available, the 0-8 year car seat provides another option for those with a newborn baby. These are more expensive than a 0-4 year car seat but are suitable from newborn to eight years which is usually the full time a child will require a car seat. This does, however, depend on the height of their shoulders. A 0-8 year car seat cannot be taken out of the car with the baby inside and is larger than most 0-4 year car seats.
Out and About
Prams
For most new parents a pram or stroller is essential. There are not many that do not feel a pram is worth purchasing. Again, there is a plethora of prams and strollers available on the Australian market and we haven’t met one person yet that hasn’t felt confused and overwhelmed.
The tide is changing when it comes to the type of pram that is popular. The popularity of the traditional favourites, the 3 wheelers (like Phil and Teds and Mountain Buggy) is waning with mostly old generations of these brands being seen in parks now. Baby Jogger prams appear to be the current flavour of the public when it comes to three wheel prams. Four wheel prams, however, are far better represented now compared to even a few years ago, with many different, new brands being pushed around such as Jane, Joolz, iCandy and Valco.
When looking for a pram for your baby, write down a few features you would like the pram to have to fit into your lifestyle. For example, a keen jogger would write they wanted a jogging pram, a keen shopper may want a big storage area under the pram and others may just want one that is light and easy to manoeuvre. You must ask advise from the salespeople you talk to. Their knowledge of prams and what is available will be invaluable to you. Big chains are not likely to have knowledgable staff however and you will need to pick the shop you visit to discuss this.
Baby Carrier
Not that many expectant parents purchase a baby carrier in anticipation of their impending arrival. Having said this, at the baby shops we talked to, there are a huge amount of parents however purchasing one after the baby is born!! The reason for this is likely that it is so much you need to prepare for before baby is born, carriers are often not thought about. It is not until the time comes to get up and about with baby does the thought arise that may be a baby carrier would be helpful!
Easily the most popular baby carriers are the Ergobaby and Baby Bjorn brands. This reflects their positions as number one and two best selling baby carriers worldwide. They are both very different from each other and it is well worth making a visit to your favourite baby shop to discuss them both and their differences as well as to try them on first hand.
Baby swaddles
Australian mums love baby swaddles. Nearly everyone you talk to has used some kind of swaddle. Overwhelmingly, the Love To Dream brand appears to be the favourite and running a close second is the Ergobaby swaddle. The Love To Dream swaddle is popular due to its innovative design where the baby’s arms are swaddled with their arms in an upwards position – a position most babies prefer to sleep in. They still feel firm and secure like in the womb (which is the purpose of swaddles) and can also still self suckle to settle by being able to move their hands to their mouth due to the stretchy properties of the swaddle fabric. An additional reason Australian’s love this swaddle is that it helps to keep babies arms warm at night but still allows them to sleep with their arms in their favourite upwards position. The swaddle opens and closes with a zipper which makes access a breeze.
The Ergobaby swaddle keeps the baby in a more traditional position with their arms crossed over their chests. Another innovative design allows for easy application and removal when needed and maintenance of the swaddled position and no chance the swaddle can come undone. It allows the elimination of blankets and loose fabrics from within the cot as it is designed to keep baby warm by itself. This is promoted as helping to contribute to a safer sleeping environment to help reduce the risk of SIDS.
Breastfeeding Chair & Pillow
A rapidly increasing trend is having a feeding chair at home. These are chairs specifically designed for parent comfort when bottle or breastfeeding baby. They have the ability to rock, swivel and recline making life easy when using the chair and enabling easy adjustment to get to find the right position for feeding. All come with a foot ottoman that allows legs to rest upon when feeding, which glide with the movement of the chair making for a very comfortable and enjoyable feeding experience.
One product many parents often are not aware of is that of breastfeeding pillows. These are specifically designed to support baby in the right position for feeding and makes mums life easier and less stress on her back. The Boppy feeding pillow is what most use due to them being able to be used as a feeding pillow, support for burping and playtime and sitting training. When Boppy pillows are used with feeding chairs, comfort is highly enhanced with the pillow fitting around mum comfortably and within the seats arms. The Boppy pillow is designed to mould to mums body and therefore always be comfortable whatever the body habitus.
Thermometer
Our big tip of the article is to have a thermometer ready to go when the baby is born. Usually not even thought of by most expecting couples, this can really help when you think your baby is unwell. There are many different types of thermometers you can buy, each with their own features. Small, cheap ones are usually ones that need to be placed under the tongue or arm for a period of time and can be manual or digital. For babies, these are not very accurate as babies tend to move and wriggle and it is hard to keep the thermometer in place. Most health care professionals use tympanic membrane thermometers which are quick but need to be put in the ear correctly to take the temperature which again is often difficult in newborns. An easier way although a little more expensive is to use a non touch thermometer. These usually use infrared and work within seconds.
Other Suggestions
And finally other products we would highly recommend for purchase before the baby is born to include the purchase of a baby bath, nappy bag, highchair, play mat, baby bouncer, safety gate, nappy bin and night light.
