With my 'viable' date coming ever faster I am starting to dare to believe that by November I am going to have a baby here at home with hubby and I. We've waited for this a long time and I'm not particularly worried about how we will cope with things. I'm old enough and ugly enough to know that 'you just do'! I'm excited and scared and everything I expect a first time mum to be.

So now I'm starting to think about some of the technicalities and practicalities of stuff.

I've not spoken to anyone really about what type of birth I'm planning. I mentioned the birthing pool to my midwife recently and she kind of said hopefully there will be one available on the day. But i've not really got a lot of info on it. Will questions regarding this be dealt with at my ante-natal classes later on, or should i be pushing for the info now?

And baby toiletries!!! My dad told me that tesco were selling lots of Johnson's stuff at £1 each so i went to see and omg, how much stuff is there?! Do they not tell you not to use lots of stuff on new babies? The only stuff I really understand is baby shampoo - dead easy! - and the bedtime massage oil - not rocket science! But what do I use the baby lotion and baby oil for? I've never understood this tbh, the only thing I use baby oil for is cleaning the chrome on my cooker but I don't really want to polish my baby

They even tell you not to use talc anymore if I'm right. I mean for years babies have been smothered in Johnson's baby talc, there is not a more 'baby' smell than johnson's talc (not in my mind anyway, and I think I will probably still use it tbh) but omg, it just seems the simple things can be the biggest minefield!! Prams and car seats no bother, chosing toiletries - what a palaver!!!!

they say no talc coz baba can breathe it in......so shove it on your hands away from babas face, then pat them so the worst is off then work from feet to neck...problem solved!!

I only have brought talc, baby bath and baby shampoo! I dont see the need for everything else tbh! I may get some lotion at some point but Im not to worried about it!!

If you want a water birth then book it! SO the pool will have to be avalibel when your in labour (Unless someone else has booked it annd is in labour same time!) But if you have booked it and someone is just using if for a bath then you get to kick em out and hav it to yourself!!
Look into info now, so when you go antenatel then any questions you may have can be answered then!

I'e only bought some johnsons top to toe wash, nappy cream and johnsons moisturiser as I figured too many products would make it harder if any allergies occured. I'm allergic to baby lotion and baby oil so I wont use it on baby anyway and haven't decided about talc yet, it does smell nice but makes such a mess!!

that is not how it works at our hospital as baby can come any time there is no option of booing and use of the pool is on a first come first served system. the only way to book and be sure is to boo one to use at home and have a home birth.

Oh my gosh, I was the exact same, and you know what I did with my first? brought one of everything

I just used the top to toe wash as it is suitable for hair too, and had nappy cream, nothing else got used as I didnt wanna put too much on my baby. With the next babies that was all I brought.

ETA Iv had 4 babies at 4 different hospitals and none of them had bookable birthpools, it was a firstcome first serve thing.

Our hospital is the same. If the two pools are already being used then tough luck, you can't book it as you don't know when you're going to go into labour.

My mw said if you're using talc to be careful that the baby is well dried first so that it doesn't clump and become hard as it can scratch the baby then. She also advised against using products in the first few weeks and just using cotton wool and water. I think after that we'll just use baby wash and shampoo then pick up other bits and bobs like nappy rash cream only if needed.

I think they have mostly (if not all) cornstarch based baby powder now? The concern is it makes those little clouds that baby can breathe in, if you put it on a QTip or cotton swab and apply it, it should be okay.

In the hospital we were taught to do her bath with the Johnson's baby wash and to put baby lotion on after the bath. We were also taught to put Vaseline (or other petroleum jelly) on after every diaper change and a diaper cream for rashes.

Baby oil you don't really need except for cradle cap I think (that's all we've used it for) or for removing vernix if it's there, but for us they cleaned most of that off right after she was born.

Personally I don't use baby soap because even though it smells great (I got some with gifts and I use it for myself ) I'm worried about dry skin.

I like using the Johnson's head to toe baby wash (just the yellow one? lol) for her hair and body and I use the Bedtime Lotion. I use Desitin, Penaten, Zincofax, or Sudocrem- whatever is on sale- for diaper creams, they all have similar ingredients, it's really just the consistency that varies I've found.

I have baby washes and baby shampoo but I won't use the baby shampoo until she gets more hair, and I'll use the baby washes (like bedtime bath, etc) when she's a bit bigger and needs more soap etc.

I was at an antenatal class tonight and it was about labour and pain relief, and the birthing pool subject came up. At my hospital you can use the pool if it is available, tough luck if someone is in it when you arrive. But, you can bring your own (midwife suggested the birth pool in a box, which she said costs about £80). Only thing is, your partner has to be responsible for inflating it, filling it, maintaining the temperature and emptying it afterwards - the midwives won't do any of it (they do the hospital pool but it's plumbed in so filling and empyting are not issues). You'll find out all that's on offer at your hospital when you go for the classes, if they're anything like ours they'll be pretty thorough.

I quite fancy the idea of a pool but OH isn't keen on all the palaver of bringing our own, so if I'm lucky on the day, I'm lucky.

I wouldnt buy too much stuff I stocked up on loads of Johnsons products and they have so many chemicals in them that they bring Jacob out in a rash his skin is really sensitive and now I have all this stuff left over x

Johnson's is full of ingredients that dry out adult skin, let alone baby skin. The big one to avoid is SLS, sodium lauryl or lauryth sulfate. It's a sudsing agent that's in almost everything and can be linked to all sorts of skin conditions.
I use the Weleda line for babies and I love it. Another good natural baby line is Burt's Bees.
I use only the baby wash/shampoo, the oil (I massage baby at night), and the face and diaper creams. I've never used powder.
Everyone is different, though.