New grandchild

Ask them in terms of 'I'd like to buy the ...', can we go out together and look.
Useful hints here e.g. height of pram to make it easy on parents' backs.

My mum bought a pram for no. 1 grandchild, then it did my sister's 3 and came back to me for my second. Wonder if you get that John Lewis quality now, 30yrs later.

Recycling is brilliant, but don't buy a 2nd hand car seat.

For DGS1 (now nearly 8) we gave DD & her OH money & bought various things they wanted, mostly clothes & towels. They were really struggling financially, think we also bought the baby bouncer & a soft toy (horse as DH loved Horse Racing).

DGS2 (9 months) I bought a baby swing & gave DD vouchers I had earned doing surveys. I also bought a few items of of clothing as a surprise. Also got a soft toy, ginger cat this time as I have a ginger cat. Financially they are much better off & bought some new items, now he is growing she has bought a really good high-chair (second hand), everything is sold when DGS has outgrown them.

Definitely better to let parents choose what they want even if you go shopping with them, I wouldn't have had a clue

I bought the nappies whilst the grandchildren were wearing them.

D.D. very careful with money and bought almost everything second hand. We put money into bank accounts for the children. Their 'college fund' I call it.

When our first grandchild was born we renovated the pram we had had for our two girls, a lovely coachbuilt Marmet one, at some effort and expense. I think it was used about three times. The modern mum does not walk miles with the pram like we did. For our latest grandchild born in November we bought a car seat and Isofix gadget for the car. The parents bought the pram. Incidentally luckily they chose by weight. My daughter still has backache caused by the pregnancy and lifting a heavy pram into the car boot would be difficult for her. Wishing you all every happiness with the new arrival when it comes.

When I had my son in 1980 I had nothing. His pram was a horrible donated 10th hand??? Worn out old brown jallopy of a thing . I hated it and felt quite embarrassed pushing it around when everyone seemed to have lovely new modern prams . My own fault for getting pregnant at 18 . Wouldn’t wish it on anyone else. So glad young single parents get more help these days .

I too had a second hand pram gilly and cot and carry cot, when my baby was 5 months old the person that gave me them came and asked for them back as she got pregnant herself. MIL got a cot from one of her younger sisters and no sooner had we repainted it when the message came back that she was pregnant again. It was like living in a game of pass the parcel.