Our new house!
Two weeks today Jim and I will say goodbye to our lovely 1 bed Clapton flat and HELLO to our beautiful new home – a 3 bedroom house in Leytonstone, E11. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am – it feels like we’re starting a brand new chapter in our lives and I can’t wait to get into the house and start ‘nesting’!
We’re quite fortunate in that we’ve lived in unfurnished flats since we first moved in together 6 years ago so have a nice collection of furniture. This means that the only things we urgently needed to buy were a washing machine, fridge freezer and hoover! I bought the white goods from Appliances Online because Ben from their team got in touch with me last year and asked me to write about their services in exchange for a smelly candle. And I do love a smelly candle!
Seriously though – Ben’s blogger outreach campaign – which involved sending various fridges/cookers etc to parent bloggers in need – really stuck with me. It was a lovely idea that generated a lot of positive word of mouth and I remember telling him so at the time. Anyway – when it came to buying our washing machine and fridge freezer Appliances Online was my first port of call – I think that’s a pretty good example of the power of good blogger outreach! And I should know!
Let’s hope they don’t f*ck up delivery now, eh? ;)
Anyway – those were probably the two biggest things we needed to buy so I’m happy we’ve ticked them off the list.
But BLOODY HELL have I still got a long shopping list – of non-urgent stuff, granted – for the house. My main priority when we get in there is to get the sodding shower up. Unbelievably the lovely couple we’re buying from have suffered with one of those showers that sits on a cradle just above the taps. IT’S NOT EVEN ATTACHED TO THE WALL!!
*hyperventilates*
Luckily my lovely friend Simon has a drill and a VERY LARGE toolbox and knows how to use it (fnar fnar). Simon and I have a mutual love of B&Q so I’m hoping he’ll accompany me and we can spend a good hour browsing the aisles for the requisite ‘part’. I actually plan on buying myself a nice drill so I can start doing DIY type stuff myself (I love it, weirdo that I am) but the shower is an emergency and cannot wait. The thought of having to ‘sit-down shower’ fills me with terror, quite frankly.
So yeah, apart from the shower there isn’t really anything urgent we need to buy for the house. I think we’ll wait till we get in there and then start decorating room by room as and when. I reckon I’ll have about 3 months before I’m too big to ‘move’ properly and therefore decorate in comfort, so the nursery needs to be a priority. I already have a million things pinned to my ‘baby board‘ for inspiration and am quite excited about the thought of Jim and I decorating it together. Woohoo!
We’ve got our 20 week scan on April 16th and after that I’m going to start thinking seriously about researching ‘baby stuff’ although to be honest I don’t really know where to start! I’m very VERY fortunate that my lovely friend Sian is sending us an amazing Stokke Xplory and Mycarrier which means two of the most potentially expensive items can be crossed off the list (I am IN LOVE with Stokke products – Scandinavian design at it’s best – and can’t wait to get my hands on them!!) so I suppose the next on the list would be nursery furniture?
What do you really NEED for a newborn? It can’t be that much, surely? I would hazard a guess at the following:
- Car seat – we don’t have a car but I’m sure we’ll be getting into one at some point (not least on the way home from the hospital) and I’ve been told it’s a necessity. Maybe get this from a ‘nearly-new’ NCT sale?
- Cot – but do I get a normal cot or one that turns into a bed for when he/she is a toddler?
- Changing table – no brainer
- Thing to put in the bath – rather than specific ‘baby bath’.
- Babygros – lots of.
- Nappies – see above
- Muslin cloths – see above
- More nappies!
Have I missed anything?!
Have a lovely weekend
Mrs L xxx
Tagged: appliances online, baby, decorating, DIY, Leytonstone, moving, MyCarrier, nursery, Stokke, Xplory
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27 Comments
You need a nail gun. Not for the baby, for the house.
I want a nail gun but my children won’t entertain the idea and I’m no longer allowed into b&q alone.
Get yours now before it’s too late!
To be honest I wouldn’t bother with a changing table – we got one for our first baby, but it’s easier (and safer) just to do it on a mat on the floor.
Also the recommendation is that the car seat is the one thing that you shouldn’t ever buy second hand – as you don’t know it’s history (i.e. if it’s been in any crashes and been structurally weakened).
And while I’m being a know-it-all I suspect that the campaign from appliances direct was a lot more about the google ranking benefits of being linked to than the goodwill from bloggers.
But I came here to say congratulations on the pregnancy an the new house. So congratulations!
I have genuinely always wanted a nail gun. And a toolbelt.
B&Q won’t know what’s hit it…
Thanks Dan.
Interesting re changing table. Mat on the floor sounds good to me!
And noted re car seat – will probably get one that lasts from 0 – toddler so it lasts a while.
Appliances Online definitely did it for SEO rankings but my point was that I’d never heard of them before that – and I bet a lot of people hadn’t – I’d be interested to find out how much new business they got from bloggers off the back of it…
I agree that a dedicated change table is not the best use of money, but there is a distinct advantage to having the baby raised up – makes for an easier change. We bough nursery furniture which included a chest of drawers with a changing table attachment on top – great for baby changes, and when we’re all done with using it for changing the top piece comes off and it’s still a perfectly functional chest of drawers (ours is a Boori if you want to look into it).
Enjoy the Xplory! Mine is now almost 5 years old, and has served me through two kids – I love it! It still turns heads even now :)
All so exciting!!
Re changing the baby, my back wouldn’t have taken 2 years of changing nappies on the floor, we bought a changing table but soon realised (within just a couple of days, which was about 20 nappy changes!) it was a little bit low and killed our backs, so the Ikea chest of drawers became the changing table, we just chucked a changing mat on the top – its all about the height! And had I realised I’d never have bought the changing table.
Bed wise, if you have the space def a cot bed, you prob won’t want to take the bars off until the child is at least 2, and they’d prob be too big for a cot by then, so just makes sense to buy one bed rather than 2 in my book.
You’ll need a Moses basket for the first few months too, so they can sleep next to you.
Sterilizer too, I was v happy with my Avent microwave steriliser. I breast fed but in those early days it’s nice to have everything on hand in case it doesn’t all go as smoothly as you hope and you need to express and top up with a bottle. You’ll prob end up bottle feeding at some point anyway so it’s an essential anyway.
Happy shopping!! X
Thanks Ruth! Like the idea of drawers with mat on top (as also recommended by Nay below) – sounds like a practical solution! x
Thanks Nay! Did you get your nursery furniture from Ikea then? It seems to be great value and looks pretty good but would like a recommendation on actual pieces before I buy to be honest.
Nursery is a nice double size so plenty of room for a cot bed – think it’s the most sensible option.
Moses basket and steriliser – added to the list!! xx
We got nice, big chest of drawers, shelving unit and book shelves from Ikea which have all lasted well. Cot bed we got in a Mamas and Papas sale, we just preferred the look of it and some of the Ikea cots felt a bit flimsy, but there may be some good ones.
Yep, changing mat on the floor is so much easier (and I think safer, especially once they’re rolling.) Really, they don’t need much for the first few months. Lots of sleepsuits, muslins, nappies, and that’s about it. As for the car seat, I wouldn’t bother if you don’t have a car. Also, I wouldn’t buy a 2nd hand seat as you don’t know its history (particularly if it’s been in an accident.)
I bought a ton of things that ended up being useless, so my advice is to wait, see how it goes, and see what you need after the baby arrives. Things like high chairs, bath toys, cot beds, etc can wait. Our kids went from co-sleeper to cot to normal bed. You’ll have to get your child a regular bed eventually anyway, so the whole cotbed/toddler bed thing seemed like a waste of money to me.
Other essentials: slings (there used to be places you could try before you buy and hire them out for a week or so – I used a Moby wrap and still use an Ergo carrier), a decent baby bag, Grobags (so much easier than blankets when they’re a bit bigger), swaddling blankets for the newborn days (the Miracle Blanket is fab), a V-shaped nursing pillow (also VERY handy when your bump gets big and you can’t find a comfy position to sleep in), and copious amounts of Lansinoh and breastpads (the Tommee Tippee brand are good and not scratchy like some others).
For later months, the Tripp Trapp high chair is the best thing ever. So wish I discovered it with my first.
I’m going to go against the rest of the commenters, and say that I found our changing table invaluable. It was easier to change the baby without crawling on the floor, and the shelves held all the bits and pieces in one place. I bought an inexpensive one from Ikea and it lasted for 2 babies, so no great expense there.
The house looks lovely, nice big bedrooms, and plenty of room. Good luck with the move xx
Exciting times! We have a travel cot which has a basinette and a change station which is the best thing and to be honest although we have a cot we find this better and use it in preference (also the babies arms dont get stuck through the bars when it wiggles). In my experience nothing is essential for a new baby in the house except an awful lot of chocolate…
Oh yes chocolate! And pâté, blue and soft cheeses, seafood and wine – must haves after so long forbidden!
Ok cool thanks Nay. Getting a nice set of dark wood drawers from Jim’s parents so will be after a dark wood cot! xx
Brilliant – thanks Lisa.
Have been reading about the swaddling and thought it looked a bit harsh at first (restrictive!) but have since realised it’s actually better for them.
And will DEFINITELY be getting a Tripp Trapp in red! :) xx
Thanks lovely xx
Oh HELL YEAH!! ;) xx
We’ll def need a travel cot for when we take the baby up to visit my Grandparents (which I hope will be at least once per month when I’m on maternity leave).
Thanks Claire x
It’s all so exciting!
We didn’t bother with a Moses basket & I’m so glad. Instead we got a wooden crib that we had in our room. It was a bit bigger than a Moses so both mine were in it much longer. John Lewis do a lovely one. Mind you, have you seem the Stokke nest thingy. It’s beeyoutuful.
Something I didn’t have, but someone gave me and was invaluable was a swaddle blanket. It looks like a straight jacket but trust me they love it. Really helps them sleep.
Thank you!
Without wanting to sound like an idiot, what’s the difference between a cot and a crib? Or are they the same thing??
Ooh yes, swaddling! My girls both loved to be wrapped up tight in a blanket with arms tucked in and all cosy, it would settle them very quickly. You can just use a soft baby blanket for it, you don’t need any fancy stuff – just plain old swaddling.
Well I guess they are basically the same thing, but a crib is smaller and rocks (as in moves, rather than being cool!)
Am just in the middle of making my own newborn list so great to read this – have got a second-hand Moses basket from my best mate as I know she only used it for a little while and the mattress is in great condition. From what people have said, depending how fast the baby grows you might only need it for a few months – this one has a stand so it’s at bed height. Thinking of a cot bed for after as should last for a few years rather than basket then crib then cot bed! And quite a few people have advised me to use the top of drawers as a changing table as you get the storage – most places inc Ikea have an option with a sort of detachable frame as a mini barrier when they can roll. Trying not to overbuy but suspect I’m about to get carried away ;)
Thanks!
Yep – longevity is important for us too! Like the idea of a cot bed xx
Oh how exciting! We bought our stove from Appliances Online, very good service and a good stove too. For your baby you will need enough changing equipment / stuff so that you can have one set upstairs and one set downstairs. xo
Good thinking DJ! :) xx