Milk and Madness

Hello friends. Welcome back to another episode of Milk and Madness where we explore parenthood one episode at a time. If you're new to Milk and Madness, welcome. We're so glad to have you with us. And if you're a regular listener, we are so grateful. I'm your host Nhi.

And I'm your host Dee. And we remember when we were first pregnant. It was a little while ago, but it is definitely ingrained in our brains. There were so many baby related products. You could literally go down a rabbit hole of everything under the sun that you can buy. And it's hard to know what is really essential and what you could skip.

Yes, absolutely. It can be really overwhelming especially when it's your first and you don't know what you might need. So you might end up buying everything just in case. And there are things which, from experience, we've gone through it a couple of times now. There are things which are We think a must for the baby's safety and wellbeing as well as yours.
And then there are things which are nice to have, but there are also things you can totally live without and you might feel pressure to buy them. So in this episode, we're going to explore some of those things. What I want to stress is that as we go through the items, Keep in mind, in terms of your preferences and what's going to work for you, because we're going to tell you, our experience and what we felt worked, but just keep in mind, what are they saying is it going to work for me?

And just really quickly, the thing I want to stress as well is that so many of these items don't need to be purchased brand new.
Dee and I are both really big op shoppers. I think we're both big believers of, not adding to landfill if you don't have to. And a lot of these items that we go through don't need to be purchased brand new at all. If someone is offering hand me downs and if you can go to op shop, you can find most of these items as well.
And they're usually in really good condition because babies grow so fast. So it's definitely something to consider, especially if money is tight, which it is. And even if it's not, honestly do you need new baby stuff?
I'm going to say, no, you don't for most of these things
Let's do it. Item number one, so we'll start with the essentials first. So item number one is obviously a cot. and or a side sleeper obviously essential for the safety and wellbeing somewhere for your child to sleep. Did you have a side sleeper or a cot or both?

We had a cot. With the cot We got a secondhand cot handed down from my uncle because he, I think, got another cot given to him as well. Literally, it's just, a cycle. But the thing that I did buy new with the cot was the mattress. I think, look, each to their own mattresses is something that I don't think I personally would buy secondhand just because it's a mattress and, with babies, they vomit and maybe there's pee in it and that kind of stuff.
But yeah, tell me about the side sleeper. Yeah. So I got a side sleeper secondhand. And just for those that might not live in Australia, Op Shops is secondhand stores. So your thrift stores. I bought both my cot and the side sleeper off Marketplace. And same thing, like I just replaced the mattresses because you're right babies pee, they vomit, all sorts of things.

I just felt that a new mattress was the best thing to do in that situation. But for me, because I was breastfeeding, it made sense to have the side sleeper and it was a godsend because A, obviously the child, Aiden, obviously Aiden was like right there next to me. So when I had to breastfeed, I didn't have to get out of bed and all of that. So that worked really well and he stayed in that cause he was so little. He's staying there well, both him and Amelia stayed in there for quite a while. I think it's recommended up to either six months or up to a certain like kilos.
But they ended up staying in there for like even a little bit longer because They didn't meet the threshold for the for the weight and then they got moved into the cot in our room and around the one year mark is when they got moved into a separate room. So they stayed in our room for about a year.

And to me, like I said, especially if you're breastfeeding, I just, when you're tired, I could not recommend the side sleeper. More just for the convenience of how close they are. And then, of course, obviously, you can see them. You can hear them. So if you are a little bit more anxious about that, then, they're right there. So if open your eye, listen, you wake up in the middle of the night, you can just hear them breathing. It's a lot, it's a lot easier. And then obviously once they moved, we've got the monitor and all that jazz. But yes, I would highly recommend that.
With Cots the thing, the number one thing really is safety. And , I think in terms of the hand me down stuff, and yes, we're really big advocates of taking hand me downs and, secondhand shopping and all that stuff.
But the number one thing really is safety to consider. So there are certain items that we'll go through where yes, definitely consider the second option, but also just make sure that they still tick the safety. Requirements because those safety requirements change over time. So for example, with COTS in Australia anyways, this is my understanding is that the COTS that used to have the sides that kind of slide up and slide down.

You can't really buy those anymore because they posed a big safety threat to babies because they can accidentally unlatch and. Go down. So that would be absolutely disaster. So my understanding is that you can't buy cots like that anymore. The, mattresses need to be a specific.
Baby mattress where it's firmer than normal mattresses. Because imagine if you got your really soft mattress and your baby can't roll over properly yet, and your baby has maybe half rolled over and it can't, or it's rolled over accidentally somehow. And it can't roll over again. That would just be, that would be devastating.
If you're listening and you've never gone through the whole buying a cot, considering a cot , definitely look up the safety. Requirements for it. If you go to the SIDS, S I D S which is the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome website, they will go through all the safety requirements.

It is so important in terms of just not having extra blankets and extra toys in that cot until they're older. But that's just the stuff that you want to know for your peace of mind, because I just remember those first few weeks. You're like, Oh my gosh, is he breathing? How do I need to check if he's breathing?
So that, that can be really stressful. So you want to do everything you can to help eliminate any of that extra mental strain or burden or stress that you might have. Wondering if what you've got is safe. The other thing that actually came to mind when we were, trying to brainstorm this episode was that.

Look, the cot doesn't need to be fancy at all. It just needs to be safe. And I remember when I was pregnant, I remember hearing about cardboard boxes. As a thing and in some countries and Finland is one that came up when I was like looking into this is, and I think is amazing.
I think some countries, especially in Europe, really, I don't know. I just feel like they really try to take care of new moms more than other countries. And, really give them that support early on. And in Finland, they give new moms. And I believe this is since the 1930s. You visit a doctor.
Or a prenatal clinic before the fourth month or so this could be wrong. But they give them this like a baby pack in a cardboard box and that cardboard box is safe for a baby to sleep in. Yeah. Yeah. It comes with a mattress. It comes with a mattress, a proper mattress. So you know, that really highlights that it doesn't need to be fancy.
It just needs to be safe. So do what works for you and your budget. And you know what you'd like, there are some really extravagant cots out there, like some really beautiful, wooden, there's that really round, that round one, which is amazing. I've seen people have that is way out of my budget, but I just remember when we went to baby bunting, which is one of the big baby retail chains in Australia, that there were just so many options. And I'm like, wow, we can't justify spending so much money on a bed for the baby. So that was really interesting.
And you actually reminded me, I had a friend who their cot or their sleeping arrangements for their baby was one of those portable beds.

Cause it had the high net, it was net. So it had airflow and then they just put like a thin mattress on the bottom and then they just. A, they could use it wherever they went, so they would take it wherever, and B, the baby just slept, yeah, they just slept in that, and it was, it met the safety requirements.
I think the thing to remember is less is more with a baby. Like you said, no excess blankets, no toys, no pillows. I remember pillows was a big no. , I don't know what it's like in other countries, but the SIDS conversation was something that was really stressed a lot throughout my entire pregnancy especially towards the end. I do remember going to the the classes and they really spoke about it and they said everything about it. And I even remember after Aidan was born going to the mother's group and I remember asking, when I get a cot, they're going to have the slats through them. And then should I put like a little mesh cover thing? And she was really blunt, but I loved it. She was like no, you don't need that. It's not safe for SIDS and all that, but what if he puts his hand through the slat and breaks his arm?

And she point blank said, would you rather have a baby with a broken arm or a dead baby? And I was like, Oh, like I never thought of it like that. It was very blunt, but the message came through that if you put those fluffy gimmicky things that you see online that your baby could either choke on or suffocate on, it's completely unsafe and you don't want that obviously.
So just bear that in mind. If you are thinking of buying a product, just double check for your peace of mind. Is it necessary? Is it safe? They're the two biggest considerations, I think, for everything that we're going to talk about today, because it'll cover toys and clothes and whatnot.
Those two questions are the main two questions that I think are really important.
Yep. Absolutely. Okay. So with Cots, you definitely need some sort of place for your baby to sleep that's safe. So that's absolutely a no brainer. What are your thoughts on strollers?
I think they are essential because you have so many things that you need to carry and carrying a baby, carrying the nappy bag, carrying everything that you need to go somewhere. It's a lot. And the baby also needs to sleep sometimes.

I remember we went to the zoo, and we all had the prams, we all had the strollers, and they all just slept in it for an hour or two. And it was just perfect, because we got to have a break, all the stuff was in the pram, the food, etc. Everything was in there. We could get around a lot faster.
Yeah, I just think it's really essential. You had one.
Yeah, absolutely. I absolutely, yeah, completely agree. And I went through a bit of a journey with our stroller slash pram. So I think again, there's just so many options in the market. Oh my God. Actually it's, I think it's more overwhelming than cots.
There's just so many options. And Budget is a massive factor. And I did quite a lot of research. Absolutely rabbit hole in terms of that. I'm, asking you a question about Pram. I bet y'all know about that type of model or whatever, but I went through a bit of a journey. So I bought one.

Which is a bit more of a, like a bigger pram with a big kind of storage bucket thing on the bottom. And it had so many different settings and the, recline and there's a big canopy thing on top and it had a lot. And I went for one, which was like mid range in terms of price.

After a few months, I was like, don't need this. It's too much for me. And for me, because I'm quite small it was too heavy and it was one of the lighter ones in terms of the full on prams. And so I, I sold that really quickly on marketplace or whatever it was. And I invested in slightly more expensive one, but a really compact one.

So I ended up getting a baby Zen, which I highly recommend. And I have recommended to my girlfriends and some of the border. And they said, yes, amazing. Love it. Because. It's small. It's really small. It can fit in the overhead compartment of a plane. I wasn't traveling. That wasn't, what I was looking for, but I needed small.

I needed small and I needed something I could fold one hand. For me, that was super important. So this, with this thing, I can, Oh my God, I can do a blindfolded, it's amazing. And that has been absolutely crucial for both of our babies for both of our boys. Our boys stopped using them as soon as they started walking, which is really frustrating because you're like, just get in your prevs and do this, quick grocery run or whatever it is.

But I think, yeah, pram stroll is absolutely necessary because you want to be out and about you can't be stuck at home all the time and you don't want to be carrying your baby all the time. Yes. They're light when they're newborns, but they gain that weight super quick. And yes, you will build some arm strength when you have babies, but you don't want to be holding them all the time and you've got your baby bag with stuff and you've got all this other stuff going on.

And if you want to pick up a few things At the supermarket, you really need a prep. Don't need an expensive one. Don't need a fancy one. Don't need a brand new one. Absolutely not, but you will need one of some sort. The only other thing I would say is that just make sure it's appropriate for your baby, because there are strollers or prams that have older babies, they don't fit.

Maybe they don't recline as much or whatever it is. You can get inserts for prams as well. So you can get stuff that have built like a little neck support thing. If you've got a pram that's been handed down that maybe it doesn't recline as, as much as it needs to for a newborn.

You can look at getting those things, but again, for safety, I will look into that and do a bit of research to make sure what you get is going to be okay for your baby.

I have questions, because you obviously are the expert on strollers, and something came to mind that I didn't consider, so I had a hand me down from my sister in law, and it was such a good stroller, it had three wheels, so I had the one at the front and the two at the back, it was so zippy, I could just use it with one hand, and I would just go for walks, I would go for runs, I think it was called like a jogger one, I think it was like specifically called that.

But it was front facing. So I never had one of those ones where the baby's looking at you. Cause it's, and it wasn't, you couldn't swap it or anything like that. What are your thoughts on whether it's facing you, facing our preferences? Does it matter? Does it not matter? No, it doesn't matter.
Doesn't matter.
I think personal preference thing. Yeah. The, that first one that I bought could do both. I could flip it? Like you literally take the whole thing. Like it was pretty amazing, actually. You could take it up take it apart and then flip it around. It just clicks back in. Yeah. And I just, you know what, I just had a flashback of going to the baby expo.

I just had a flashback of it and looking at all these strollers and like literally playing around with them like, okay, yeah, this is how it works, taking notes as I do. And yeah, look, personal preference. I don't think it really matters, honestly, when they're a newborn, maybe you want to see them a bit more.

And I had that stroller at the start, so I did do that, but I flipped it around too because I think the baby, especially as I get older, it's nice for them to see what's going on around them. So I don't think it's important, but yeah, something that you should consider in terms of personal preference.

But I don't think it really matters. No, probably not. I just remember that when Aiden was little there were times where he'd be unsettled because he couldn't see me. But I would just talk to him while we were going for walks and stuff. And as long as he knew I was there, it was fine.

But obviously if there's a baby I know some friends had babies that needed to see them all the time. For them, if they had an outward facing one, it was a little bit harder. The baby wouldn't stay in the stroller and stuff. But yeah.

Yep. Yep. Prams, yes, you will need to buy one. Car seats. Oh, you cannot leave the hospital with your baby without a car seat. So please make sure you buy it , at least a couple of weeks before, because if you do go into labor early, you need to make sure you have it.

I would recommend that you would get it installed by a professional as well. Cause obviously different cars, different car seats have different settings and clips and whatnot. And I would also probably, I would definitely recommend to buy a new one. I think for car seats, because they're always changing they're always evolving new safety standards and being in a car, it's a high risk environment, especially for a baby.

So I would, my recommendation is just Unless you 100 percent know that someone just bought it and God forbid something's happened and they never used it, it was never involved in a car accident or anything like that, then maybe take it, but otherwise just don't. I think it's a really good point and I think it's really important to think about how you can actually buy a new one.

And I hate to say it, but buy two, buy one for each car if you have multiple cars, because moving it from car to car is a pain. And again, it compromises the safety of the car seat.

Yeah, absolutely. Yep. Yep. I completely agree. I would say is, yeah, if you I would take it if I knew the history, if I knew the history completely, let's say you had another baby and I have car seats that we don't need anymore.

And I can tell you that, I've owned an owner. I've never been in an accident. It's dirty, clean it, which it's going to be. But if you know the full history and you trust them, absolutely. If it was just on the nature strip, do not pick it up. Absolutely not. Because you don't know what's happened to it, why they're getting rid of it, all that kind of stuff.

I wouldn't buy it in an op shop as well. You just don't know. They will have a date that has been manufactured on it. And I know with insurance in Australia, Is if a car seat has been an accident, you're told to cut the straps so that, if someone does pick it up, wherever, that they don't, they can't use it because it's just not, you don't know if it's safe.

And I think it's just absolutely crucial that you do know that it's a safe product for your baby. And again, so many options. So many options, they can be really pricey. We've had quite a few different brands. I think it's called Britax. I'm not sure if I pronounced it properly, but we've, yeah, but we've had a few Britax ones.

I'm butchering that. Sorry, Britax. But I would recommend you we, we have really liked it. And I've also bought a few cheaper brands. I think Baby Love or I can't remember if you've got a Kmart or something that's, cheap, Target, there's cheaper options and they're fine too, because they need to adhere to whatever safety requirements, I would say that from experience, some of them are a whole lot easier to install than others. When you mentioned the installation, I was just thinking that yes, for the first time, absolutely get it installed by a professional. What I did though, was I got them to show me how to do it when they did it.

And I've installed them every. Time since, and I'm pretty, I'm like, yeah, I know what I'm doing. Cause she showed me how to make sure that it's in properly, and all that kind of stuff. And I've showed my sister and I've done it for other people. But I do say get it done properly the first time and I get them to show you.

Yeah, I think you can't pay every time you need to move that seat. You can't pay someone to do it for you. No. Correct.

Yeah. Yeah no. Definitely the first time. We made the mistake of having only the one, and then we would have to swap it over.

Which like I said, was an absolute pain to do. But we knew how to do it because they usually do show you anyway, like they talk you through and they explain why it's important, like why it needs to be done a certain way to be safe. So in Australia, anyway, they, they do give that as a service and like I said, in different cars, they have different things.

So my car has the ISOFIX, Calvin's car doesn't. Just, yeah, it just depends. We also bought a car seat that from memory, the first one that we bought went up to four years old and then the next one that we bought, given that we then had Amelia. The next one that we bought for Aiden was one that kind of went from I think four to eight. So it converts to a booster and then obviously Elia then took the baby one, ADA went up so just think about that in your growing family and what you can repurpose to another child and just think long term, a little bit like I, I know and I'm guilty of it, where I just get stuck in that baby phase and you just think, oh, I need to buy this for now.

And then six months down the track you're like, oh, they've outgrown it. Now I need to buy another one. So just, I know it's hard, but just try and pre think it through a little bit. Like how might our lives change? What might we need in the future? And so if you can buy one, that's zero to four years old and then panned it down, that's also.

more cost effective than just buying like zero to one and then having to buy another one and then having to buy a booster seat. But again, if you've got the money, go nuts. So we don't, we had to think about it too. Yeah, I think that's a really good point. I think that's a really good point.

Cause I had to think about that too. And it just, with the car seats, like when you get one and it's zero to four, And I know like the ones we've got, I have all these extra padding and it's so cute because that first time you put your newborn in it and you're like, Oh my God, it's just it's consumed by the car seat, right?
It's just like padding everywhere. There's like padding here and around his butt there's padding and just to make sure it stays and fits in there. And yeah, they grow out of it so fast.

But it's, yeah. Really, I don't know, it's really beautiful how quickly they do grow.

And it is quick. And the other thing that just, I just remembered, it touches back on the stroller point that we made. There are also strollers that you can buy. that convert to a car seat. They obviously, when they're in the stroller, you just unclip it and then you just clip that into the car seat, into the car seat section.

I think they're quite expensive and I do know people that have had them and there were pros and cons to everything, right? The pros were that you don't have to wake the baby and transfer it. You just, Take the seat and move it. But I think some of the cons were that the actual stroller was quite bulky, quite heavy, and so again, just consider your options.

Consider what works for your family. If you can't afford to wake your baby when you're transferring them because you've got other kids and, things going on, maybe consider that. But that is an option as well. And I also think that it can only go to a certain age. So then it would mean that you'd have to buy another car seat quite soon because that would help grow that one.

Definitely have a think about what your family needs are first before you go into a shop. Cause otherwise you will get overwhelmed. So if you go in there and you've already got a list of, I need X, Y, Z, because you already know, like I need one cause I'm going to have another kid. I need whatever it is, you go in there, you tell the sales assistant, they'll be able to help you with exactly the specifics of what you're after as opposed to going we have this and we have this and we have this.

Cause I remember I left there and I was like, I'm more confused than when I came in. So it's always good to do the exercise first, think about what your needs are and then go in, get those things ticked off and then maybe have some nice to have, throw some nice times in there. But. Yep, absolutely. And I think, try them out. Can I fold this thing? Like literally show me how to fold it and then let me try to fold it. Is it going to be cumbersome? Is it too heavy for me? Am I going to be able to lift this pram once I fold it and I'm holding a newborn I'm out by myself and lift it into the boot of the car, because if you can't, it's not your pram. It is not for you. Maybe it's a situation like in Harry Potter where the wand picks you. Maybe the pram picks you. Maybe. The segway there in Harry Potter, complete, fan and thief. Maybe. Yeah, so just, it's so fun and games.

The one handed fold, I think is essential. That is essential and make sure it actually fits in your boot. Because I also had friends who bought something that didn't fit in their boots. So it's like, you live and you learn, but make sure it fits. And if you can get one that is one handed.
It will change your life, like you do not understand how many things you've got to carry and have it's a lot. So any small thing that you can do to help you out, make life easier, please invest. Yep.

All right. So the next item actually is the first one that we, I think, don't necessarily agree on.
So you've got change table as essential. Yep. Yes.
For me, the change table, I just needed everything in the one spot. We had a mat on top of the change table, which we, will take, with us when we went away or whatever. But we still had that permanent spot.

Where we would change the kids, everything was in there, all the nappies and all that jazz. Is it essential? Probably not. You could probably do it anywhere, but I just felt it was a lot easier to just have everything in the one spot. I wasn't always Oh, I've left the nappy bag in the car, I've got to go get it.
Like it was just, for me, it was just convenience is why, what made it essential. But yeah, you disagree.

Yeah, I think I think the change table itself. Don't, you don't need it, you don't need it. And we have never owned one. I'm proof, you don't need it. Because I have two boys, and we've never owned it.
I know you've got yours, because I've seen it, obviously. And I've changed my kids on that. I do agree, it is nice to, and I would recommend having a a space where it's where you change nappies. We just got like this cheap change mat from, Kmart or wherever, and we can chuck it wherever, like we've had it, on the bed or if you have a tall boy or something like that, and there's space, I would set it up there with, the powder and the nappy and, wipes and all that stuff they're ready.

So it's like your normal. Spot that you do it, what you'll find is that you'll end up changing your baby's nappy bloody everywhere. You'll have a little thing in your car and your boot where, you can set up when you're out and about to change nappies, you'll have your baby bag and all the changing stuff anyway.

So when you're out and about, but when you're home, absolutely. I think have a place where it's all set up and it's all ready to go, but. Do you need a change table per se for that? I think you don't you can, again, budget. If you get one handed down, absolutely take it totally. If you're going through a list of stuff and you're like, Oh, I don't know if we have the money for this one, or what are the items on this list that I don't have to get?
I would say change tables, one of those things, just get a mat for 30 bucks and use that. Or you can use an existing table Honestly, wherever.
No you're so right. You literally will change a baby's nappy on the floor in the just anywhere that you are.

So it really doesn't make a difference. I just like that it was like the right height and just everything was there. I'm just a whole that convenience, just have everything in the one spot. And mine was off marketplace. I think it cost me 15 and I still have it. So if anyone wants it, please let me know. I don't need it anymore.We're in Melbourne, so that's great.
So the other one that we slightly disagreed on was the baby carrier. So like a baby Bjorn or something, or like a wrap of some sort. I think it's essential, but you disagree. So we'll start with you first.

I think when we say essential, I think, can I live without it?

And I think I can live without it. I would recommend buying it though. I really loved ours and we had quite a few different types. We bought a BabyBjorn. Which honestly felt overcomplicated and there was all these extra straps and I'm like, Oh my God. And so we gave it to my sister when she had her first brand new in the box, didn't use, I'm like, here you go.

It was quite pricey too. And they used it and they loved it. So it all worked out for the best. But I also found a, Oh, what was it? I was a baby Bjorn, but it was like a simpler style. I found two of them at an upshop. And which is insane because. They were both brand new, condition. They can be quite pricey and I probably paid, I don't know, 20 bucks for them or something, but we had two.

So one was in my setting and one was in Matt's setting, my husband, who's quite tall and, built different to me. So our straps and everything would be quite different. And yeah, I did use it quite a bit. But I would still say that if you didn't have one, it's not the end of the world.

You can actually, you can live without it, but it is nice to carry your baby. It is nice to have your baby there, not having to hold it, but , you can always have skin to skin contact without the carrier. Yeah, I would say, not necessary, but I would say get one if you can.

See I found it an essential item because even just doing chores around the house, like I would wear Aiden in the baby carrier and I wouldn't have been able to do any of that.

So for me, like I used Basically, every single day, pretty much. And then I ended up buying one a bit later, like a hiking specific one so that the kids like I could go and take them on hikes and stuff and go outdoors because sometimes I didn't want to do like a big walk or something where I was taking the pram and had to have all the stuff with me.

I was just like a quick little walk around the block or whatever. So I would just carry him and go or go to the shops and carry him. And then I've got, so I'm not, it's not like an extra thing, which is like the stroller. And definitely with the chores, like the chores was what is what I probably use it the most on, just carrying Aiden, because there's only such a limited time when they're asleep for you to try and do chores.

I would, I know everyone recommends sleep when the baby sleeps, but it's I can't sleep when the baby sleeps because I've got chores to do. If you sleep when the baby sleeps and then the baby's awake, you carry them and then you do your chores. Winner, right? In my opinion. And so that's how I got through that period where he was really needy or teething or something.

Instead of me stressing out, holding him, breaking my back, my arms getting tired, I would just carry him. He was content. I could get what I needed to get done. And so yeah, for me, essential. Yeah. Yeah. Great. So I think that the main the bigger things and then we'll probably run through a couple of other essential ones as a list, yeah. So nappies, absolutely. Of course you need it. The options to consider disposable reusable pros and cons for both. We tried both and I was really lucky. So Matthew, my husband , he took quite a bit of time off for my first.

So he had a year off. So that was just incredible. And so we're like, okay, let's do the reusable nappies. If it was just me, if he had gone to work after three months, I don't, there's no way we would have done it because it's just. Mental space and having to clean them and deal with all that.

Nah, couldn't do it. But because I had him there and I had that support, we did it. And it was really great. So I would recommend trying reusable nappies. If you feel like you're going to have time and support to do it. Cause it is a lot of work. Or do disposable nappies. That's the reality. Yes, you think about adding to landfill and all that stuff, I think for your sanity, I think yes, do that.

Yeah. Yep.
Baby wipes. Essential. Essential. Yep. paracetamol Essential. One of the biggest, tips that I got. I actually got it as a gift from someone at work and she said, trust me, you're going to need this. And I, at the time, I didn't really realize like the babies always get a fever in the middle of the night is all she said.
And if you don't have it there, you're going to have to run out to the shops, go and get it, stress out all that jazz. So she's just have it on hand. And it was the best tip I've ever had because the first time Aiden had a fever, of course it was the middle of the night and we'll sleep deprived as it was.

So paracetamol, a hundred percent. Sleep sacks? Essential? Yep. Essential. Onesies? So I've said onesies with zips are essential. Again, in the middle of the night when you're tired or any point in time when you're tired, fiddling around with buttons, and also buttons aren't the safest thing either, but fiddling around with buttons and the little clips and stuff, I was just like, Not here for it.

I had a lot of hand me down clothes and I had both and I always gravitated towards the zip because it's just convenient. Like you just zip them up, they're done. Especially the ones that had the zip from the bottom where you didn't have to take everything off. Amazing. They're the best. Yes,
I like button ones.

It's their own, absolutely. The zip for convenience, of course it's easier. And I didn't mind the button ones. It was a whole little thing. Doing their little buttons and that kind of stuff. I quite enjoyed doing but we had a lot of hand me downs as well. And we had a lot of zips and yes, if you're going to pick out of the two, I would pick zips just for the convenience, but I don't know.

I like the little button ones too. Yeah.
Let me get a mix of both and you decide what you like. Yeah. Formula. Obviously if it's required.
I look, I would say you don't know until you're there. So what I would recommend is talking to friends and obviously do some research and then just getting one can formula, having it there, you don't need it, you can give it to someone else.

But the worst case, what you don't want is that first couple of days and your, nipples are bleeding. You're in so much pain. If you. Don't know much about breastfeeding, listen to our breastfeeding episode, but that takes a bit of time. And if you're really struggling and it's 4am and your baby is crying and it's cluster feeding and it needs something that kind of formula is going to be God sent.

So I would say just get one and then see how you go. Or borrow some off a friend who has formula, like just get a little container just to have it on hand. Because yeah, you're right. You don't want to, same thing with paracetamol. You don't want to get to a stage where you're like just exhausted and overwhelmed and everything.

And then you've got to go to the shops and try and figure out what formula to get and all that jazz. So if you can be a little bit prepared. Yeah, it's definitely worthwhile.

Yep. And formula options are different and you don't know, some of them might give your baby a bit of, gas or some of them might not work with your baby's belly, that kind of stuff.

So I would definitely recommend to not stock up until you know that one, need formula and two, which formula works with your baby.

Yeah, good point, because yeah, Aiden didn't agree, some of them didn't really agree with him towards the end, I ended up giving it to other people and stuff because that's what you do, right? You share and then obviously with the formula, if you do go down that route, you'll need to buy milk bottles to actually give the baby the formula. And again, there's so many different types of milk bottles and there's different like lips on them and nipples on them that, they can and can't use.

And again, I think it's personal preference of the child. Like I know between Aiden and Amelia, they both like different styles. So I think it's a bit of trial and error in that space. It is. Yeah, it is. Yeah, again, I think if I would recommend getting one kind of formula and getting just a couple of bottles Just you don't know if you're gonna need it if you need it.

It's good to have it And you can give it to someone else. You don't need it But so much to think about in terms of bottles if you have your first, you'll get one for newborn, which means that the hole for the milk to come out is smaller because imagine if they had a really big hole.

It's Oh God, it's just like all this milk pouring down, but yeah, in terms of the, that's what the size is about in terms of the whole milk comes out. Burp

cloths or any sort of, it doesn't have to be specifically burp cloths. Burp cloths. It could be an old tea towel. It can be just something that you use as a burp cloth because you will burp your baby and they will spit up and usually they miss the cloth anyway.
So don't go crazy, but you do need something to protect your clothes.

Absolutely. One of the best hand me downs we got actually, a man and I have spoken about this remember when this happened and we're like, yeah, but one of my mom's friends Gave us this big bag of basically like rags, like little, hanky burp cough things.

So many of them, and I can't we still use them all the time now. Like they've just been amazing. And I remember when we got them, we were like, what's this, what do we need this for, right? And we're like, she knew, bless her. And yeah, so that's been amazing. We've used it for everything. I've used it like for my face all the baby stuff we've used it for.
It's been really great, yeah, so you definitely need something to help with that. Thermometer.

Yes. Yes. Ideally if you can get like a head one, because babies won't stay to, put things under their armpits or under their tongue or even in their ear, like I struggled, we had the ear one and I, when they were small they can't move, but as they get a bit older they don't really want it.

So if you can get the head one I think is probably the way to go. Yip. Baby nail clippers. Yes. Yes. Because they have really sharp nails. Oh my gosh. I remember like giving birth and it's two minutes in, I'm like, why is Ava's nails so sharp? Nails grow! So yes, you're going to need some sort of clipper, some sort of file, baby sized.

They grow really fast and they're really thin. So look, you can file it, but the nail clipper is, what I've used. But yeah, you'll need some way of cutting those nails. Absolutely. Okay. So we've got baby sunscreen, but I'm going to say just baby sun protection in general is, yeah is really important.

You can get baby specific sunscreen, you can get sensitive skin, hypoallergenic sunscreen that's the stuff that I'll go for. No fragrance, if possible my kids. Every time I put sunscreen on, it's like an absolute battle. So something to think about or try. I've tried lots of different things is, you can try the roll on stuff.

Another thing that I've tried is to get as I get a bit older. So my, my son, Kenzo really hates putting sunscreen on cause he hates the feel. He's very sensory in terms of, what he's about. And so what we did was we went and got a brush, like a makeup brush that he picked. And I use that on his face sometimes.

It feels nice. Yeah. And he's also picked a sunscreen that he likes because of course it's like one of the more expensive ones that I have, but that's fine as long as he wears sunscreen. But yeah, baby sun protection is super important. A nice wide brim hat, even when they're newborn, pram, you want to make sure, and I see this all the time.

And I, sometimes I see that I just want to like. Stop the parent because I'm so big about sun protection and I just see it like, so they're in a pram and they've got the canopy thing over it and their legs aren't covered. So yeah, their faces, but their legs are just out. And, during summer, I'm like, my God, your kid is going to get really burnt.

So you just want to think about that and also a really big thing about sun protection while I'm going on about it is when you're in a pram. And you want to cover them up with a swaddle or something.

Just be really aware of the heat of the pram and how hot it can get when you throw a blanket over or something like that, just make sure there's air flow, especially on a hot day for your baby.

Yeah. Yeah. That's a good point. And I guess in the same vein like soaps and body washes and laundry detergents. They don't have to be baby specific, just as long as they're sensitive. And it's same sort of situation with anything. If they have a reaction, like same with you, right?

If you're using your soap, you have a reaction, you change it. But the rule of thumb is sensitive, hypoallergenic soaps, body washes, detergents, they're the way to go. If something does happen and they do react, then of course change it and have a look at maybe what the ingredients are, maybe take them to an allergist, that sort of thing.

But it doesn't have to be specifically baby in my opinion, but they do need some sort of wash. And then bathtubs, I think, I'm going to disagree with myself because originally I said it was an essential. In hindsight, I never actually used the bathtub. I think I used it for the first two weeks, three weeks, maybe a month.

And then Aiden and Amelia, I would just hold them in the shower, like I would have a shower or a bath with them. And then they got old enough to be in the bathtub by themselves. So I use it for such a short period of time. It's, I didn't really need it personally. But did you find it?

It was an essential, you needed one. No, it's, I don't think it's essential.
We did use one for a bit. But I don't think it's essential. Like you could wash them, especially when they're newborn in your sink.

Yeah. We, you don't need a baby bathtub. And the other thing in terms of what you could try is if you've got a bathtub at home.

I bought a baby dam, which is this thing, it's like a a way to split your bathtub. So to make it smaller, to save water. So as your baby gets older, you can just get like a thing that they lie in. If your bathtub is really deep, for example, and you're short and you can't reach over and hold them for that time you would get a thing that they can lie in.

According to their age for safety you could never ever leave the baby in there without supervising, obviously, like you would never leave your newborn in there. But you can have the baby there, use the baby dam. It makes your bathtub maybe like a third of the size and then wash your baby in that or you would just use a sink until the baby gets older.

Or, hold them in the shower. So there are lots of options there. You don't need a baby bathtub. The baby bathtubs are generally not dear though. If you're not sure and you think maybe I need it, then just grab one from Kmart. Obviously I need an affiliate link for Kmart because I've mentioned them like three times already.

But yeah, so you just, you don't need it, but it's not expensive. So you can definitely consider that if you're not sure.

And then. We also need a robe. You have multiple and I didn't even consider that. I only have one, like an idiot. And I asked for one for Mother's Day and I'm still waiting.

Yeah, buy more! I'm I don't know, I'm kicking myself for not realising that earlier. You are going to live in a bathrobe. I think you need that in terms of essentials for things like your boobs et cetera. I think that is all. It all just depends on your experience. Do you need lactation tablets?

It depends on your float. Do you need nipple guides? It depends on it depends on so many things. So we're not listing them as essentials because it is, specific to the individual. We can do an episode on that later and what we used and what worked and what didn't, but yeah, it might not be essential in your case.

Okay. And there you have it friends. That is our quick roundup of things that we feel are mostly essential. There are so many things that are nice to have or not essential. And so stay tuned for part two, which will come out next week.

Just remember, look, every family's needs are different. Your needs are going to be different to your friends. So find out what works for you. It might. Be quite different to other people that you've spoken to. Do your research, especially on some of these essential things, because they're essential for a reason for safety, for your baby and for you.

The key is also on top of the safety aspect is that make life easier for you. You might hear me say you don't need a change table, but if it means for you, it makes your life easier, then absolutely. It's just from our, personal experience, but yet what we also find is if you stick to the basics, you'll find that you probably have everything that you truly need.

We hope that our insights help reduce the stress and some decision fatigue as you venture into this new chapter of your day. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, leave us a review and share with your friends and family. We'd love to hear your thoughts on anything you found to be essential or what ended up being a complete waste of money.

Thanks for tuning in to Milk and Madness. We will see you for next week. This has been Nhi and Dee. Until next time, catch you later, friends.