The Baby List - Wheels of Steel - The Stroller Rant Continues

Oh who for art thou Phil, and Ted and haloed be thy name for thou hath created so hardy a vehicle, and thin, like I used to be, to scoot through shopping isles and around rude women and mindless men and old people who feel like demanding respect and rude as hell is the same thing.

Thy name I invoke oh Phil, and Ted thy praises will I sing for long ago I bought your metro pack when I had to trade in my sling.  A sporty yummy mummy, I raced around Bondi, I worked out your 3 wheeler with my head held high.

Love love love P&T

I could go on but the corn is even getting to me... So... here 'tis - LOVE my Phil & Ted Sports, have it in black and bought it before baby number two, because I knew I would need to seat two children and a pram truly has to last you till about age five, for those long late night treks where your angel really just needs to sleep somewhere.

The Phil & Ted is a hearty and well thought out piece of machinery.  It is as compact as pos (obviously not talking about the vibe).  And here is some bullet points of the pros:

• Narrow frame
• Solid
• Great steering (one handed steering a breeze)
• Easy for jogging and walking - and I shop with it quite easily too (although I could have a concrete ankle bracelet and do that)
• Heaps of under pram space.
• A simple bike pump (which I keep in a handy under pram pocket) pumps up the tyres.
• Easy conversion from one to baby with toddler or child with toddler (heavier one in front)
• Rain and Shade covers though expensive are 'faultless' and great quality
• Compact enough to fit in any car boot, the wheels even come off easy if more space required
• Beach friendly

OK - there are always Cons, here they are:

• Heavy frame (which is rectified in the alloy models of Dash and Vibe)
• Quite awkward to fold down (I can never catch the old buses with this pram), it's fine with cars and with the disabled buses which you can roll onto, but too hard for any quick fold down situation (both hands needed)
• ..... can't think of anything else.

All I can say is Phil & Ted which is a New Zealand brand's products basically rule.  They're really well thought out, good quality and you really pay for what you get.  I've also got their Metro Pack (the backpack for 6 months to 5yrs (which I would never do by the way!), but it has been on many bush walks and music festivals with me... Awesome, love it and the kids love sitting in it too, they feel like they're better than you because they're taller than you, which is REALLY important in their little egotistical lives, I know some people over the age of 12 where it still is.

Phil and Teds are now sold at most major chain baby supplies, they retail for around $500 for the classic up to $950 for the Verve.  Then there is all the add ons, the adapters, the doubles kits, the rain cover, the cocoon, the shade cover etc etc etc.  But, you don't have to buy everything, and you don't have to buy it all at once and as I said before ****SPEND MONEY HERE**** 

Top pointers are:

1. GO TO THE STORE AND TEST DRIVE
2. DON'T LET THE PUSHY SALESWOMAN TALK YOU INTO ANYTHING BUT DO PUMP HER FOR INFORMATION
3. KNOW YOUR HABITS AND YOUR LIFESTYLE, ARE YOU ACTIVE, DO YOU HAVE A SMALL CAR - BUY THE PRAM THAT SUITS YOU!!! OTHERWISE YOU'LL JUST HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF PRAM AND NO BOOT SPACE FOR SHOPPING OR LIKE ME BE TREKKING ACROSS CENTENNIAL GARDENS WITH A PRAM THAT IS MEANT FOR WOOLWORTHS...TRUST ME IT JUST AIN'T CUTE!
4. SPEND MONEY HERE!!! PRAMS CAN LAST YOU A LIFETIME IF YOU BUY RIGHT AND THEN BE SOLD ON FOR GOOD MONEY.
5. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO STEER THE PRAM WITH ONE HAND WITHOUT KILLING YOUR CHILD OR ANY PASSERSBY.

And that's the current completion of my rant on prams, strollers and what comes in between.

xx

J's Baby Arrives - a whole week early!

The point of this blog has arrived.  She is small, she is sweet, she is helpless and she is a survivor - as all babies are.  Her mother is sweet, beautiful, in touch and I believe up for the challenge of this new adventure.  Daddy is also quite simply.... in love as all new Daddies could be.

There was a really good birth and then the drama of a haemorrhage after, which I suppose is how in olden times, many children lost their mother at birth.  But, thanks to many discoveries of science, this is not often the case; as in this case.

Honey Child and doting Aunt

As I sat on the bus to Randwick, I don't think I've been so excited, not even with my own children (as I actually had to physically deliver them).  And as I entered the hospital room, their she was, my friend, my sister girl; physically exhausted but glowing with change and creation.  I grabbed her teeny bundle knowing somehow that everything here in this room is different.  Lives are now different, as they should be.

Congratulations to J & J, I know you don't know entirely what you've gotten yourselves into, but no doubt it shall all be revealed in due time xo

Digression - The Sleep Solution - Understand it NOW!

Granted I've disappeared from my blog for around a month and a half, and I still haven't finished my final uni assignment, but anyway I'm diverting into a pleasant rant instead - here we go...

Sleep!  I thought I would digress at this point away from stuff you can buy and make sure everyone in the house gets a few important points.  SLEEP!!

We all need it, and when giving birth, feeding, looking after small people, we REALLY need it.  The best gift that you can give your little one is teaching them to sleep properly, its the lesson that gives for a lifetime.  There are a million websites and books available that share copious amounts of information, but I'm just gonna point out a few basic facts, and then point you to my bible.

There are a few important things to remember:-

1. Self settling is the key to good sleep now and for the rest of bubba's life
2. More sleep = more sleep (and the opposite is true, less sleep = less sleep)
3. Routine is everything.

Naraya's tribute to sleep

Here is the breakdown in laywoman terms.  Self settling is teaching the art of falling asleep by themselves, without any assistance from objects like dummies, touch (mummy), breast or anything else.  

So when it is time to sleep and he/she has been fed, changed, burped so that all problems have been eliminated, they get swaddled, and layed down fully awake and left with a "time for sleep now", even if you want to stay, stay out of sight.  But, my suggestion is go get a cup of tea etc.  

If they are still crying by the time you finish your tea, go back in and check that everything is OK (no strange monster has crawled out of the wardrobe, or they haven't wriggled so much the swaddling cloth is up over their face - mine did that) preferably without being seen.

There is a lot of covert mission work, you know crawling on the floor so baby doesn't see you as you pop up behind the bassinet, or drop from the manhole with only a wire attached to your butt!

The other side is - if you don't teach self settling (and many people don't), a baby's sleep cycles are around 40mins, so think about being woken up every 40 minutes to, pick up the dummy and put it back in, to put the baby on the breast so it can sleep, to pick up that toy she's dropped....etc etc.  I know what I prefer.

More sleep = more sleep - so don't get any ideas about "if I keep her up for six hours then she might sleep all night!!" It don't work like that sista... if a baby gets over tired it takes buckleys and none to get that child to sleep, and LOTS of screaming (that's you and the baby) in between.

Routine is everything - If the baby knows what to expect, what is going to happen when, they seem to find comfort in this.  So, if their sleeps are at the same time, their feeds are the same time and their bath is the same time they tend to work with you a little more (unless they are a rebel and just say NO whatever you do!! - you know who I'm talking about).  Bath - Breast - Book - Bed is such a great rule of thumb, it really winds them down, and by the time they're in bed they're just ready to sleep.

Complications -  If you have a baby with colic, gastric reflux, other illness, some of the above will change, my sleep bible has alot of case studies with these scenarios, so if applicable check it out there.  But I know you can elevate one end of the bassinet/cot to increase the comfort of the baby, and if they have thrown up, they won't choke on it.

THE DADDY WARNING (JET READ THIS!!!!)
DADDIES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO THWART THIS PROCESS OF TEACHING SLEEP, SWADDLING AND OTHER NECESSITIES.  DON'T BE AFRAID OF LETTING THE BABY CRY, YOUR LITTLE PERSON WILL BE ALRIGHT, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY IS THE GREATEST MANIPULATOR YOU HAVE EVER MET!!  THEY MAY LOOK SMALL BUT ARE A WORTHY ADVERSARY WHO IS TRYING TO MAKE YOU THEIR SERVANT...DON'T FALL FOR IT!!  TRUST YOUR WIFE/GIRLFRIEND AND "HELP" HER INSTALL THESE SYSTEMS FOR BOTH YOUR SANITY - TRUST ME, IT CAN SAVE A RELATIONSHIP (you know make time for tv and or nookie)

Save Our Sleep by Tizzie Hall

Save Our Sleep - Tizzie Hall - My Sleep Bible
(Insert Godly Ethereal Music here...Ahhhh)  Okay, basically most of the sleep gurus say basically the same thing, with subtle differences, not really important.

Save Our Sleep is my drug of choice, Tizzie breaks it down in a simple easy to understand way.  Read it BEFORE baby arrives, because you won't have time or patience afterwards.

After birth I used to just photocopy the routines and put them on my fridge so I didn't have to think.  She has really good routines that go from birth through to 2years, covers a range of topics, but I've now done my two babies on them, and many of my friends who didn't have routines asked me for the book after about six months so that they could install order in their house.

Most babies will naturally revert to a routine that is similar to these, but do think this is a great reference, even telling you which breast to feed from and when to express.

Then it has case studies about many different scenarios, e.g gastric reflux and twins.  Love, love, love it.

Kya is killing Naraya in the lounge room so I have to go, going to coax them outside to do yoga in the sun!!

The baby List - Wipes and Creams - the First Three Months and forever more

I have no time to do this but what the hell... I've already used every other excuse to avoid study and cleaning, so lets use this one too.

Baby Wipes
Baby wipes are the life blood of every mother young and old.  Wipes ARE NOT ecologically friendly in the usual sense of the word, but they really are when they prevent poo, chocolate, honey or any other mystery stickiness which will then destroy your environment and sense of security little by little.  How, well when you have already cleaned the house and you touch a door knob that is sticky...hmmm...and you don't know what it is.  This moment could have been prevented by the simple wipe.

Don't be fooled, not all wipes are created equal, which you will discover if you are wiping a particularly stinky and sticky nappy and your finger goes clear through the wipe, only sink into the glacial river of pooiness that you were trying to erase.  See! You thought you were SO clever when you save that $1.50 on those homebrand wipes. Now for days after you've cut your nails to the quick and scrubbed and scrubbed but you still can't erase that thin brown line from under your nail, or stop smelling that faint smell of poo whenever you put your finger next to your nose.

I have the following commentary and in depth discussion on the many brands of wipes.  I haven't tried them all, but I can tell you about the few I have tried.

#1st Guideline - NO FRAGRANCE!!  Fragrance is not good for you, and it is definitely not good for baby.  Like all skin care, try to go no alcohol, no parabens, no sodium lauryl sulfate.  It's not always possible, but it's great if you can do it.

Clearly Herbal - @ Ecobabe

My Favourite Wipe - Clearly Herbal
These ones are everything free (except the wipes themselves unfortunately).  I only tried them with the last baby, and wished that I had found them before.  They are gorgeous, thick enough, there is something gorgeous about the texture, good smell and just enough moisture.  They work really well.  I am just really sorry that I have never seen them retail anywhere but online.  You can get them for $7.95/80 wipes, which is quite expensive especially after postage, but I think if you can afford it, I really enjoyed them as a product.  (I'll shout you a pack!! - not everyone, just J - sorry)

Nature Care Baby Wipes

My Most Used - Nature Care Baby Wipes
Nature Care Baby, is really a lovely all round brand.  Developed by a Swedish environmentalist mother, it really does embrace all the values I love in a product and a company.

The best thing about these wipes is that they are available in all supermarkets in Australia and they retail for a price comparable to other less environmentally conscious brands.

As a wipe they are a great thickness, not too much or too little liquid, and they don't have any nasties in them.  All round good thing for me.
Note: Nature Care Baby Nappies and nappy disposal bags are great too.  I haven't used any of their other products so I can't speak to it.


Other Wipes
Curash, Huggies, Johnson and Johnson are all brands that I have used from time to time.  Huggies, get their fragrance free sensitive wipes, they're really thick but they have a WHOLE lot of liquid on them.  Johnson and Johnson, once again, get the fragrance free.  Curash are probably the best of the lot, they have a soap free and fragrance free variety, sometimes they have good specials.

Mamia from Aldi are fine also, they are quite thin, but sufficient if you're not dealing with big poos.  So are both Coles and Woolworths wipes, but as a rule I don't buy supermarket brands as I do believe they're driving the little man out of business.

Gaia were really beautiful in smell and the idea, but as with most bamboo products, they hold a huge amount of liquid.  So firstly I found Gaia wipes too wet, the next thing that annoyed the !@#$ out of me was that they stuck together really badly; in fact this sticking annoyed me so much that I didn't buy them any more than twice.

Wipe Tips

• My childbirth educator said something great.  "Buy a pack of wipes, choose a patch of skin, and wipe it all day on and off with the baby wipe, just notice how much residue accumulates".  When at home buy a heap of cheap face washers and just use water, or water with a bit of bicarbonate of soda. (Great advice)
• Buy the Huggies packs in the plastic containers, the large and a few of the travel size, that way you can just use the containers over and over again.  I've had the same Huggies containers for the past 5 years and they're still going!

Nappy Creams and Balms

There is a infinite amount of nappy creams and balms out there on the market, I haven't even made a dent in trying them all.  But, I know you'll feel me on my recommendation.

Lucas Paw Paw Ointment

Lucas Paw Paw Ointment

I feel like there's nothing else I need to say about that... but I will.  Yes our beloved Lucas Pawpaw Ointment that we've been using on our lips for decades now is THE BEST!!  That's all I use, I tried a few others, but really none of them hold a candle to this one.

I use it as a night time barrier cream and as a nappy rash cream, the rash is always gone in the morning.  My Aunt who had five children used it on them, and they had the most sensitive skin (she was washing with soap flakes for them).  It is cheap (buy the $25 barrel) and it lasts for ages.  Love, love, love this product!

Cowboys & Itchy Bums Barrier Balm

Other Nappy Creams - Natural

Gaia has some beautiful creams, you need something thick for under the nappy, I always found their lotion to be quite thick and give quite good coverage.

My number one baby skincare brand is definitely Bod for Babies, I'll talk about more of their products later, but their 'bum spray' is unnecessary but special.  And they have a special barrier balm Cowboys and Itchy Bums Barrier Balm, I love all their products.  I want to buy you all of them!!

It is only available through limited sources now, sometimes it is in the health store, if not try Green Organics.

Other Nappy Creams - Not So Natural

Bepanthen is my one and only.  This is an awesome cream, it works when other creams won't.  It lasts forever as you only need the smallest amount, and just keep it around for when your little one starts scraping those knees (or for your partner if he falls over in the delivery suite).  You can get it at your local supermarket.

Nappy Sacks

Yes you need heaps of these.  I love the eco, eco versions but in all honesty I can hardly afford them.  I just buys Nappy Sacks on the whole (find them in your local supermarket).  There is a pack of 200 sitting in my shopping bags right now.  They come in those handy packs, smell good (which is of the upmost importance) and cost around $5 for 200.  That's it.

 

The Baby List - Your Titties and Their Substitutes - the First Three Months - Cont'd....

It's been a while but I'm back, you're acting as an excuse for me not to start my Uni assignment that is due tomorrow.  So if anyone asks you made me do it...(evil smile).

Avent Isis Manual

The Breast Pump aka. The Apparatus

There is a very special time in the first week or two of breast feeding that your will come face to face with 'the dreaded apparatus' if this is your name for an enema kit, I think the first experience with a breast pump is just as uncomfortable.

Never the less, when you finally have that special moment when you get to go out to dinner with your lovely partner and actually look at him for a whole minute without being totally consumed by baby, it will be worth it.  It is great to have the safety blanket of a bottle or two of breast milk in the fridge or freezer that allows you to go take a class or have coffee without stressing that your little person is having a no food melt down.

My personal fav is the Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump it small, easy to wash and sterilise every piece and reassemble.  The main part that gets my vote though is the suction is REALLY good.  It just latches on and once you get a really good flow going you don't have to pump much at all.

**Warning** you may develop buff hands due to the muscle development from repeated use.  (note: these muscles due have future use when restraining 2/3yr olds).

The downside with the Isis is I guess that it IS MANUAL, and does require you to do something and you can't just recline while to suction cups attached to your extremities do the rest (sound an alarm when you're finished).

The Manual Isis retails for around $99.95AUS.  There is also an Electric model that ups the price to around $249AUS.

Medela Swing...It Sucks!!

One of my beautiful girlfriends last baby lent me her Medela Swing which is the model that I used to lust over during my first lactation, but could never afford.

However when I did get the chance to use it, after using the Avent Isis, I found the Swing too gentle for my likes and far less effective.  But, saying that, I know quite a few ladies that LOVE the Medela Swing and used it throughout their lactating work life.  Which says alot, I didn't need to use mine everyday, whereas they did.

Overview

Pumping breast milk is one of the down and out most awkward and hilarious moments in life!!  It is TRULY UNSEXY.  Even if you don't need to do it you should try it just for a laugh.

My favourite baby guru Tizze Hall recommends pumping everyday to increase milk flow, and also because if you pump one bottle a day, Daddy dearest can give the baby the 10pm feed while you get your most needed beauty sleep.

Hey DJ "Pump it Up!!"

Stop the Leakage - Breast Pads

Thats right, just when you thought that you were done with pads, here they are again (at both ends this time - yay!).

Short and sweet, you need pads to stuff in your bra to stop you looking and smelling like you just poured a week old milkshake down the front of your shirt a few times a day, and night (it's just not sexy).

Environmentally friendly??? Hey guys the cloth ones DON'T WORK.  I didn't mean to yell, but hmmm what a waste of money.  I'm sure there is a better enviro alternative...I'll look right now.

Pigeon Ultra Slims - don't smoke them!

The best breast pads I've found are the Pigeon Ultra-Slim Breast Pads.  The Ultra-Slim Breast Pads have this great gel inside of them that just carries a huge amount of liquid, there is NO Fear of leakage when you're out at all.  They're quite simply 'great'.  And that's all I have to say about that.

(except they can be purchased from Coles and Woolworths - only the Ultra-Slim, not the other ones).

Sterilised?
Well obviously you're not, but it makes an interesting segway to a small paragraph about sterilisers.

Sterilisers are NOT a necessary purchase HOWEVER... a very convenient purchase they are.  I bought my first steriliser off Ebay, it was the Avent electric steam steriliser and was 'awesome' (bad accent required).  6 mins after turning the thing on it has finished its cycle and your slave and pack the bottles/breast pump etc away.  Loved it!

I've read certain articles that don't recommend microwave sterilisers and say they are not consistently effective.  But, taking a look around the net lots of Mommas are singing their praises.

There is Milton as well which is a liquid/chemical steriliser which several of my relatives witch HEAPS of children used quite successfully.

Philips Avent Electric Steriliser

The Philips Avent Electric Steam Steriliser retails for around $139AUS, but as I said, I did my favourite thing and got it on Ebay for like $12AUS.

I should mention that you can sterilise bottles, pumps and paraphernalia simply by boiling it for 5mins in a normal large saucepan.  Your choice.

The Baby List - Your Titties and Their Substitutes - the First Three Months

Everyone knows about breastfeeding in theory.  "The breast is best!!" yes thank Mother Goose.  The votes are in and have been tabulated.  These are the points For breastfeeding taken from the Breast Feeding Association of Australia (yes, our breasts have their own association, that's where they were those nights when your husband couldn't find them):-

1. breastfeeding protects your baby from illness and infection
2. provides the correct food for your growing baby
3. aids the development of your baby's eyesight, speech and intelligence
4. promotes a special loving bond between mother and baby (until they get teeth and you have to rethink the whole bonding thing)

And here's the threatening bit....If you DON'T Breastfeed your baby they:

• have a higher risk of cot death
• have an increased likelihood of allergy
• cost more money - you need to buy expensive infant formulas and feeding equipment. Non-breastfed babies are more likely to fall ill, costing more to the family and the community in medical bills (there's a cheerful thought)
• are less environmentally friendly - in terms of fuel, energy and resources needed for artificial feeding (personally I think have babies full stop is not very environmentally friendly - the amount of Methane they contribute to the world is second only to the cow, who may I add also drinks milk...)

Well in all seriousness, breastfeeding 'can be' a wonderful experience when it works, it gives your bubba a fantastic start in life, and may I add is THE MOST CONVENIENT food you will ever have to carry with you.  Cost efficient, always warm and ready to go!

Don't let the old ducks fool ya - it is NOT the most natural thing in the world for most women.  It is awkward, uncomfortable, weird and lord does it hurt a lot of people.

I had an awesome pre-birth educator named Julia Clarke who gave me the most invaluable piece of breastfeeding advice.

She said that THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS ATTACHMENT.  THE ATTACHMENT HAS TO BE RIGHT.  IT SHOULDN'T HURT, IT SHOULDN'T BE UNCOMFORTABLE AND IF IT IS, SLIDE YOUR LITTLE FINGER IN THE SIDE OF THEIR MOUTH AND BREAK SUCTION AND TRY AGAIN.  DO IT AS MANY TIMES AS YOU HAVE TO UNTIL IT IS COMFORTABLE.  IF YOU DON'T, THAT IS WHEN YOU END UP WITH CRACKED NIPPLES ETC ETC.

Paying absolute attention to this advice has led to successful breastfeeding of two children with no cracked nipple, mastitis or any other complication.  And my advice is make sure you do it every time, even from the first feed.  You'll be a pro in no time. 

So that brings us to the stuff for feeding.... (yes there is stuff for EVERYTHING).

Fertile Minds Milk Bar Breastfeeding Pillow

The Breastfeeding Pillow

The breastfeeding pillow is gods gift to woman (that and chocolate).  If you're asking what do I need this pillow for?  Or can't I just use a normal pillow?  The answer is yes you can just use a normal pillow (or three).  The breastfeeding pillow is a firm, extra high profile pillow that is curvy in shape so that it hugs your body.  

The idea is that you can place the baby on your breast, (attaching properly of course) and lay your arm and the baby on top of the pillow, helping your posture, and the stress on your arms, back, neck and shoulders is relieved.  Doesn't that sound good?

Note to J: Don't worry about buying this, please borrow mine, it works a treat.

There are many many models on the market as everyone tries to cash in on this new necessity.  THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO SPEND MONEY as all these pillows work the same.  The one pictured to the left is very popular, it is Fertile Minds Milk Bar and retails for around $65.  It is really nice looking and comfy and has the great added feature of the zip of cover, which means if there's ever and little 'accidents' on the pillow it is easy fixed. 

Note: This is a great item to take to hospital with you if you have space!

Stuff Cabbage Leaves in your bra!

Cabbage

Yes I said cabbage.  Between day 1 and 3 you will experience "engorgement" that is, your breast will go into factory line production of milk overdrive.  You see they've been waiting all your life for this chance and now they have it.

Apparently engorgement is VERY painful and your breasts are as hard as rocks, so to ease the pain, send someone out for a cabbage and put it in the refrigerator.  After each feed you can apply cold cabbage leaves to ease engorgement, bruise them slightly before applying.

The other thing that is good is a hot shower and just gently massage the engorged glands with your finger until the pain eases.  But, women for thousands of years have used cabbage leaves.

Here's a good information page on the different techniques of uses of cabbage leaves in engorgement.

Bottles

If you are breastfeeding I recommend that you only buy two for first 3 months.  You only need the small ones 120mls.  My personal favourite brand is Avent.  Avent has a great feeding system and I've used them for both babies.  There is a valve system that allows air to flow back into the bottle, so I found it reduced the amount of gas that ended up in the babies tummy.

the beautiful glass WeeGo Baby Bottles

In my attempt to be as chemical free as possible I attempted to go back to glass bottles with my last baby.  I love these glass Weego Baby Bottles that I purchased from Ecobabe.  They have these great Silicone covers that are in all these cool different shades.  

I love the concept of them, I just could get used to the bottle not having a valve that releases air back into the bottle, I tried out a few different teats and it still didn't work to my satisfaction.  So I went back to the trusty Avent bottles, yes they are plastic, but they're now BPA free and my babies drank easier from them.

Note to J: I have these for you, you just have to buys the teats (which should be replaced regularly anyway).

To Be Continued....

The Baby List - Medical - the First Three Months

There is a bunch of random stuff that you need or may need that you never think of (at least I never did).
I thought I would split it up, if you stock up on this stuff little by little, you won't notice the money seeping away.

The infa red thermometer ***Spend Money Here*** These are worth their weight in gold, all the Mommas in the neighbourhood borrow mine.  This allows you to take temperatures instantly without having to struggle or wake the sleeping cherub.  Get it!!

Why? Babies get fevers all the time for no apparent reason, they're just out of sorts, and you have to keep a close eye on it because fevers can be very serious in a small infant.  I never knew how many viruses were floating around until I had children.

The Braun seems to be the most popular model, and can be purchased from your local chemist for around $100.  Mine was about $60 and the brand is Microlife, it is Swiss design and was also from my local chemist.  I love it, and wish I had bought this straight away instead of the dodgy little digital thing I had.

Panadol for infants.  You don't know when you'll need it, just keep it in the cupboard, as you would rather have it than not.

Finger Nail Scissors or clippers for infants.  Pack this one in your hospital bag.  Both my girls were born with extra long fingernail and you know how babies love to scratch themselves.

Humidifier - this one is purely incase of illness.  If bubba gets a cold, you MUST have a humidifier.  When you can't give them medication, this is a life saver and helps clear their nose and their chest.  You can even ad a few drops of oil (Eucalyptus/thyme) to a small reserve which warms the oil.

I purchased mine from my chemist and still use it today.  A REALLY good buy!!  My brand is 'Hippo', but I've seen smaller cuter ones around.

Fess Little Noses - this is another one for the chemist.  There are a couple of brands on the market, but they are disgusting and fantastic little contraptions/extractors that allows you to suck the snot out of your little cherubs nose... (Hey its preferential to the formerly used sucking it into your mouth technique - not joking).  Get it from your chemist and add it to your medicine cabinet.  About $12 I think.

A word on monitors.
Breathing Monitors and baby monitors may be great, I've never used them, thank god, I think it would've just made me even MORE obsessive about whether the baby was still breathing.  Very good idea if you have an upstairs downstairs.  And they cost lots of money...I'd rather eat pizza.

Where to spend the most money....

There is always a mountain of products out there for children and babies, all of them claiming to be VERY important, trust me, on the whole they're not.

The most important things for you to invest in are:

• The pram 
• The Nappy Bag
• The Cot
• Your Underwear

And that's about it.  I'll expand on what you should spend said money on later.