1. A car seat (or you can hire them, but you’ll need them for a long while to come).
If you want one that lasts from birth to four years, Choice says the best ones are the safe-n-sound compaq (though not the compaq delux) or the safe-n-sound meridian. The meridian features a variety of colours – praline, grey frost, navy and licorice. They are all grey. Welcome to the bizarre world of retail.
The compaq is significantly cheaper, but my father-in-law is
(a) extremely safety conscious, and
(b) paying
– so we bought the super ultra delux one.
2. A cot (secondhand is okay, assuming it’s up to standard – antique cots hugely increase the risk of SIDS and portable cots aren’t as safe either).
Choice recommends the childcare balmoral as the best buy (it’s hard to find, but Big W theoretically stocks it). We bought the tasman eco siena (still recommended by Choice, but more expensive – only marginally more expensive, thanks to my complicated schemes and bargaining). My obsessive bargaining meant we were able to choose a light wood colour, and have curved ends. All the child-safe cots look extremely similar, but the wrangling gave me such a sense of power it was definitely worth it.
See? Pretty!
NB: Speaking of SIDS – remember to get a mattress that fits, to use NO pillows or cot bumpers (or toys in the cot), and to lie the baby on their back close to the feet end.
We happen to have a bassinet, but some experts recommend putting a baby in a cot from birth.
Most cots convert into a toddler bed. This one also converts into a sofa. How cool is that?
3. Nappies (or I guess if you have a friend who used the re-useable ones you could take those secondhand too).
Choice (and everyone else in the world with a newborn) recommends Huggies newborn nappies (the pertinent phrase is “They catch more than the rest. . . almost always all of it”) but Choice also says that the much-cheaper Woolies select crawler is almost as good, but a whole lot cheaper.
Congratulations! You are now an expert on the best brands to buy.
I’m feeling pretty efficient (and pleased with myself) now we have a car seat and cot. My nausea is largely okay as long as I’m careful. Yesterday I was able to ride our exercise bike for a total of ten minutes, which bodes very well.
Tomorrow: an incident with the fuzz.