❤ Daria : April 2014

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Hi guys! So, today I wanted to make a post listing everything that you need to buy for your baby if you're a new parent to be. I will put a '*' next to things which are optional, so, things you might want or find useful but aren't necessary.

I would also like to say that I have based a lot of this post on the 'WHAT TO BUY FOR YOUR BABY' by Liat Hughes Joshi & Caroline Cosgrove, book which I received in one of my Project-B pregnancy boxes. It's full of great information! If you're interested in the Pregnancy Boxes, which have the book as well as many other amazing products, make sure you check out www.project-b.com

This is just a guide and you might or might not need all this stuff. It all depends on your circumstances :) Either way, I thought including everything was better. Enjoy.

Let's begin!

1. Clothing and Shoes

Sleepsuits (6 in newborn size; 6 in the next size up)
Short-sleeved bodysuits (6-8 in newborn size; 6-8 in the next size up)
2 cardigans in 0-3 months size (lightweight for summer, medium-weight for winter)
4 pairs of socks
2 hats
2 pairs of mittens (winter babies only)
2 pairs of scratch mitts
2-3 bibs
2-3 sleepgowns*

I have a lot left over after William so I pretty much don't have to buy anything. You will probably end up with many more of the items mentioned on the list above, but that's okay, because there are days where you really don't feel like doing the laundry and it's handy to have a lot of clean clothes on hand. I believe that babies don't need shoes for a few months and the shoes are useless, maybe even uncomfortable for a little baby but it is entirely up to you.

2. Nappies and changing accessories

Nappies
Towelling squares
Cottonwool pads and/or wipes
Lidded nappy bin; if using washables you also need two laundry nets or a waterproof but washable drawstring laundry bag
Nappy sacks
Nappy cream
Changing mat*
Changing bag or equivalent
Nappy disposal unit*
Wipes warmer*

Some of the things mentioned above are marked as optional but I will definitely buy a nappy disposal unit this time. You can get really cool ones, for nappies only, which lock in the smell completely. I think that's really handy as the nappy sacks only work so well, unless you're planning on running to the outside bin, everytime the nappy is a stinky one, I would recommend a nappy bin.

3. Bathing

Bath support or baby bath with integral support
Soft towel solely for your baby's use
Flannel or sponge
Baby nail clippers or scissors
Hairbrush
Baby Bath*
Baby bath stand (only if you have a bad back)*
Bath ring (for use from around six months)*
Bath thermometer*
Toiletries*
Travel baby baths (unless you'll stay somewhere without a normal bath)*
Bath dressers*
Bath 'sets' (such as baby bath plus towel, top and tail bowl, toiletries)*
Top and tails bowls

My mum bought William a baby bath when he was born. It was really cute; it had integral support as well as a built in bath thermometer (there's a picture on my instagram) and.. we only used it once. I much preferred just using the bath, but this time I will definitely invest in baby support that I can just put in the bath, because I already know I won't be using a baby bath.

4. Breast and Bottle Feeding Equipment and Weaning Items

Breastfeeding

Breast pump (essential if you develop mastitis or engorgement)
Breast pads
Nipple cream
3 breastfeeding bras
2 feeding bottles
Breast milk storage containers/bags
Nipple shells/shields
Breastfeeding clothes*

Bottlefeeding

6 feeding bottles
Formula
Formula dispenser
Flask*

Both breast and bottle

Steriliser
Bottle brush
Burp cloths/muslins and bibs
Feeding pillow*
Insulated bottle holder*
Dishwasher basket*
Bottle drying wrack*
Bottlewarmer*

Weaning

Weaning spoons and bowls
Storage tubs and cubes
Weaning bibs
Highchair
Training cups (from about one year)
Baby food blender or hand blender (if making purées for weaning)*

This time, I will definitely buy an electric breast pump, nipple shields and a dishwasher basket. Here's why:

Electric breast pump - I had a manual one the last time and it is so stressful. It takes twice the time to use and they can break really easily. It just wasn't convenient for me.

Nipple shields - I honestly don't know why midwives are against these. When I was breastfeeding William, there was a time where one of my breast was so full of milk and got so hard that William couldn't even latch on! The little shields helped William latch on. They're really great!

Dishwasher basket - They just look really cool, ha ha. I probably don't need one but will give them a try anyway!

5. Baby Beds and Bedding

Small first bed such as a Moses basket, crib or carrycot, plus mattress or hammock*
Cot or cot-bed plus mattress
Bedding (if using a smaller bed first you will need two sets in two different sizes): 3-4 fitted and flat sheets, 2 mattress protectors and 4 blankets unless using sleep bags (2-3) in which case you need less blankets and no flat sheets
Moses basket/carrycot stand*
Baby sheepskin*
Swaddling wrap*
Cot bumpers*
Cot separator (for twins only)*
Cat net (essential if you have a cat)*
Sleep positioners*
Quilts, coverlets and pillows (not under 12 months)

We used a moses basket for the first six months with William and then we put him in his own room, in his cot. It wasn't one of the wooden cots, it was just a travel cot. The travel cot is now two years old and still going strong! This is what we will do this time as well, except, baby #2 will have a wooden cot that can then be changed into a toddler bed.

6. Nursery Furniture and Decoration

Cot/cot-bed
Storage - drawers, wardrobe or both
Changing unit*
A comfortable chair for feeding*
Finishing touches*
Blackout curtains or blinds, or blackout cot canopy*
New lighting*

I will hopefully be getting a changing unit this time. Not for changing, but probably for storage, but it might be used for changing too, ha ha. I also want to get these cool things you can get for the wardrobe to make the space smaller (not as tall kind of thing?) so I can hang up baby stuff and then hang up more baby stuff straight underneath without a lot of the space getting wasted. I'm sure I'll get it organised once we move into our new house and then I'll write a blog / post a video.

7. Prams, Pushchairs, Slings and Carriers

Pram/buggy with a lie-flat seat or carrycot (unless using a sling/carrier all the time)
Rain cover
Footmuff*
Sunshade and insect net (for summer/holidays)*
Buggy weights*
Sling/carrier*
Cat net (essential if you have a cat)*
Pram parasol*

Baby #2 will be born in August so I need to remember to buy and insect net, etc. Just thought I'd say :) Ooh, I also saw some really cool pram organisers. There's a lot to choose from, all different in one way or another.

8. Car Seats and Driving Accessories

Group 0+ 'infant carrier' car seat
Car seat base*
Car seat footmuff*
Sun blinds*
Special mirror so you can see your baby in a rear-facing seat*
'Baby on Board' sign*

I like the prams that come with a car seat that just clips into the pram, if that makes sense. That's what we have just now and we're thinking about reusing it. IF I stop looking at all the cute prams out there!

9. Safety Essentials and Medical Equipment

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors (if not already in place)
Baby monitor (unless your home is very small)
Childproofing items appropriate to your home
First aid and medicine kit
Thermometer
Medicine dispensing syringe or dummy*
Nasal aspirators*

There's no way we would've survived without a baby monitor, so we will need another one of these. The flat we are in now, already had childproofing items in place so we will be buying those when we move to our new place too.

10. Toys and Playing

A small selection of toys
Sleep aid*
Bouncy chair*
Baby swing*
Playnest*
Sit-in activity centre
*Walker

I love the bouncy chairs! When William was little I used to use it all the time. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was a life-saver.

11. Travel Equipment and Accessories

Travel cot
Portable highchair/booster seat
Sun cream and insect protection
UV protection clothes*
Swimming nappies*
Swimming aids*
Sun protection tents/shelters*

I'm really looking forward to having this baby in the summer, especially because the new place will have a garden. It will make a change as we always had to go to my mum's to sit in her garden :)

12. Shopping for Your Older Baby

Potty or toilet-training seat
Toilet training items - pants, wipes, disinfectant, waterproof sheet or pad, step stool
Toddler or single bed plus bedding
Bed guard/rail*
Back carrier*
Second stage car seat*

So, that is it for the shopping list. It may seem like a lot but like I said, you might not need it all.

Make sure you check out www.project-b.com to get your 'What To Buy For Your Baby' book, too! It's filled with information and has a lot of great stuff in it! You won't regret buying it!

That's it for tonight.

Baby dust from Me to You,

Love, Daria xoxo

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Hi Guys!

I was meant to write this on Wednesday, which is when I was 22 weeks exactly but I had guests staying over so I couldn't get round to doing it. BUT I'm here now, writing my little update. Let's get straight into it.

How far along?: 22 weeks + 4 days today

Total weight gain: I'm not sure but definitely not that much. I think I put on more than I did with William, though.

Maternity clothes?: Not yet, but I am really struggling to fit in a lot of stuff now. I just wear comfy, stretchy leggings and loose tops.

Stretch marks?: Not yet! :)

Sleep: Depends on the night. I struggle to get a sleep a lot of the time because I can't get comfy and then I need to pee pee through the night too, so I probably don't sleep as well as I would like to.

Best moment this week: William repeats everything now! So my favourite is probably every time he says something that he hasn't said before.

Miss anything?: Being able to lift the washing basket without struggling, ha ha.

Food cravings: I have a craving for anything I see, and I have been eating everything! I think it's a mixture of pregnancy as well as stopping smoking.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really. I haven't been sick at all. I get queasy at times but it's just random and comes out of nowhere and goes away within minutes.

Gender: Boy! I think it'll be fun watching baby #2 and William play together when they're older.

Labour signs: No! Thank God.

Symptoms: Sore back, belly cramps, headaches, ITCHINESS..

Belly button in or out? In. I wonder if it will pop out this time. I think my belly's bigger than what it was with William.

Wedding rings on or off: My partner and I are happier than ever but no wedding rings, ha ha. Maybe one day :P

Happy or moody most of the time: I'm not going to lie, I was moody most of the time, up until a few weeks ago. Now I' am definitely more happy rather than moody.

Looking forward to: Moving. I can't wait to decorate the boys' room and get settled before baby #2 is here.

22 weeks + 3 days

That's it for today's post. I'll post my next one on Sunday, which means it probably won't be much different from this one, but at least that means I can get back to doing it weekly, on a Sunday. I hope you liked this post & make sure you come back often for more :)

Baby dust from Me to You,

Love, Daria xoxo

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ONLY £14/Month (Per Box)

Click on the picture to get yours!

It's time for another Project-B Box Review. Already?! I know.. Time is flying by!

This is the 'Month 6 / 20-24 Weeks' Box, which is the 3rd Box and the box theme is ENERGISE!

Let's just get straight to it!

This is what the box looks like. I like how everything is always so organised, instead of just being 'packed' into the box. Does that even make sense? Ha ha.

I was really happy with this month's box actually, I think it might actually be my favourite! :D

Anyway, let's look at the products.

*Teapigs Lemon & Ginger, Superfruit and Peppermint Tea

I have tried the Peppermint Tea and I absolutely loved it! I love peppermint tea in general but I always drink the same one so it was definitely nice to try something else! I was quite scared to try it, because the tea bag isn't like an ordinary tea bag. It's a biodegradable tea ''temple'' with tea leaves.

Let me just tell you.. the leaves make such a difference to the usual stuff. I liked it that much, I checked their website out. I was expecting the tea to be a lot more pricey but it's around £3-4 for 15 tea bags and there are also many other cool things and gifts you can buy.

*APOTHEDERM Stretch Mark Cream

I don't think I have used a stretch mark cream yet? I think they have all been oils. There's one that could've been a cream. I don't know, ha ha. Anyway, I tried this out last night and it was okay. I'm not sure what else to say about this after one use. There wasn't really a scent, and a little bit of cream, definitely goes a long way. I was white, ha ha. The cost for a 160g bottle is £68 and I got two bottles (picture above), a bit smaller which is great!

*Urban Veda Purifying Facial Exfoliator and Wash

I already have a face product that I love but I wanted to try these out anyway! After I used my regular stuff last night, I then used the exfoliator. I like how the grains were so tiny but you could feel them on your skin! I don't like it when I have a face scrub but I can't feel it.. scrubbing, ha ha! This one definitely felt like a scrubber! In a good way, not a sore kind of way.

After that, I used the Facial Wash. It has a funny consistency and it's quite runny but I'm sure I could live with that, especially because of the way it leaves my skin. Both the products have something 'peppermint like' in them (it could actually be peppermint), and it leaves your face so refreshed and you can feel this nice, breezy, clean feel after you use these. I definitely like them.

* Femfresh Daily Intimate Wash

I haven't used this yet, but I will ASAP and then I'll post a review.

*Divine Chocolate

I was really excited to try this, because it had toffee and sea salt in it, which I thought was cool. After I filmed the YouTube video, my partner an I had a piece each. Unfortunately, neither of us liked it. The toffee bits were nice, the chocolate was nice also, but the sea salt.. bleh. I'm sure the other chocolates are nice though!

*What To Buy For Your Baby

This book is actually really cool. It's funny how thick it is, ha ha. It has a lot of thing in there that are easy to forget about, whether you're a first time mum or a ten time mum!

I really recommend this book. AND it comes with a beautifully designed shopping list, as well as with list, that you can give out to family / friends (or not, ha ha).

The box also came with the usual cards:

*Eating Well

*Shopping Ideas

*Staying Active

and *Your Pregnancy This Month

I must say I was really impressed with Box 3. There was definitely a lot of useful products in it and for £14/month (£14 per box), you definitely get your money's worth.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Make sure you check out Project-B and let me know what you think!

Baby dust from Me to You,

Love, Daria xoxo