Hello all, I was just wondering when is the right time to start shopping for baby stuff? My mum seems to think I should start looking around now but when I ask my MIL she says she didn’t start until she was 8 months which makes me a bit uneasy lol I start to feel a bit worried that I haven’t started and I don’t want to be spending huge sums of money in one go. I am almost half way through and next week i’ll be having the 20 week scan which will tell me of any anomalies and hopefully the sex of the baby iA.
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
my mil also said she started in her 8th month and it was only few newborn outfits. she did the rest of the shopping as time passed by.
my mum on the other side has started shopping the day after my scan and together we have done enough shopping to cover the next 12 months of my upcoming baby's life.
i would say start looking around for good offers. What you really wanna buy in advance is the big thigns like pushchair, car seat, cot, bottles kit and all.
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
I started shopping right after the 20 week scan once I knew the gender. I'm slowly buying clothes in the 0-3 month range. I have a handful of newborn sized clothes in case the baby is small. We've looked into the crib, car seat, stroller and other major stuff but we haven't bought them yet. We know what we want though. And I've made a list of things on my phone as they come to my mind and I will buy them online soon (like nursing pillow and cover, travel changing pad, diaper bag etc). I'm being realistic and not going crazy with my shopping. I'm just buying the basic stuff.
I am about to start my 7th month next week. By the 8th month I would like to be done with the majority of my shopping list. That way I can be anxiety free and I can organize and relax at the end. I think starting shopping in the 8th month is too late. What if the baby comes a little early?
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
I started shopping around 6 months and did the bulk of it after 8 months.
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
I started shopping for both of my kids, the minute I found out I was pregnant. The reason being the same as yours, not spending huge amounts of money in a few shopping trips. I stocked up on diapers of different sizes as well as gender neutral items etc. Gender specific items I bought after the ultrasound/ scan.
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
I think I've decided that I'll wait till end of October and then start having a look around for stuff. I don't want to go crazy on loads of things but if I get basics then as the baby grows I can shop for more. I know I'm saying all this and being sensible but I have a feeling I'll go crazy! Next Monday I'll inshallah find out the sex so that'll help a little more.
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
Random Qs:
Are there any items that can/should wait until after baby is born? Ex/ I've heard diapers should be bought after because you never know how the baby will react?
I don't know if I ever heard it or read it somewhere, but is it bad luck to gift clothing in a size too large (with the intent that they can use later)?
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
Random Qs:
Are there any items that can/should wait until after baby is born? Ex/ I've heard diapers should be bought after because you never know how the baby will react?
I don't know if I ever heard it or read it somewhere, but is it bad luck to gift clothing in a size too large (with the intent that they can use later)?
I think it is hard to determine their size but when they leave the hospital, they're pretty tiny and usually are wearing newborn or preemie sizes. Hospitals also provide diapers around the clock and send you home with some along with wipes, Vaseline, etc etc etc. You can use the newborn size up until they're a month - most kids will move up after that to a 1 (just in my experience). Even if they're big, eventually you know those diapers will get used at some point. But bulking up is a bad idea because of sensitivities.
Regarding clothes - its always best to give them bigger because they only stay in newborn sizes for a very short while. Sizes change super fast in the first year and having something on hand the next size up is sooooo helpful. I was happy to have a nice stash of 6-12 month clothes (sister gave them to me) when we were getting done with the 3-6. I did end up buying a few things anyway but it wasn't an emergency so I took my time.
I have not heard that its bad luck though.
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
There are sales on summer stuff nowadays... You could perhaps buy some summer stuff in 3-9 months range.. (depends on climate of where you live)
My MIL finished all her shopping around the 20 wk mark and urged me to do the same... I couldn't because we were moving and i wanted to be done with that before baby shopping... Ended up buying majority of my stuff from places like mothercare and babyshop (when sales were over and i didn't have the time or stamina or even knowledge of where to look for bargains)
So i would say..start now.. And be done with it by the end of 7 month...
By 8th month you should be done with your checklist for hospital bag and have that packed and ready to go
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
I had created a registry at two months when all I could do was stay in bed because of morning sickness and kept adjusting it up until my baby shower. I'm keeping the gender a surprise and also started early so to avoid spending large amounts of money. I'm doing basic shopping though so I bought some newborn size onesies right before I found out the gender and then once I found out what I was having I picked up going home outfits and just a couple of newborn and 0-3 outfits that I absolutely loved (like 3-4). Avoid buying to many clothes in the beginning generally onsies and items like burp clothes, feeding stuff, sleepers seem to be what's needed right away. Your not that far along behind me so I couldn't resist blankets and socks and simple winter items to start stacking up on those just so I felt alike I was doing something in preparation. Now that I had my shower we will start buying the big ticket items like crib stroller bassinet etc. Create a registry so that way you and hubby have an idea of the budget and it will give you an idea of how early you should start shopping depending on what works for you. :) I felt more at ease taking my time with shopping.
Re: When to start shopping for baby.
not sure what others have suggested here, but i started and recomd. to start early. i was done with all my shopping by 7th months (had my baby shower and did all my returns as well.) I was glad that i was done and didn't have to worry about anything when i was so tried and all big. I even had the room all set up and glad i did that early as well.