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Buying childcare stuff
Hi,
Personally I wouldn't buy new over here if you can avoid it. I've bought all of my baby stuff either second hand on Ebay or Xpats or I've bought from Germany. Especially pushchairs, I find that the models types are limited and the prices are always higher here. I've never bought from the UK but I'm guessing they have a much nicer array of choices and probably at a better price.
Shop around and good luck!
I bought almost everything from amazon.de and amazon.co.uk and I'm very happy with the purchases. Belgian baby shops are very expensive, although they offer 10% discount if you buyall ot have a birth list with them.
I used amazon.de and amazon.co.uk as well. Even pampers are cheaper on amazon (.de usually cheaper than .co.uk, depending on size etc) and they deliver so no problem. I also get babyfood (e.g. HIPP organic) from amazon.de.
As for the big items - amazon.co.uk has been excellent. I also use mothercare UK- they also deliver here. Much cheaper, even when not on sale.
Here's a real example: Philips Avent breast pump SCF330/20 is selling for under £19 on amazon.co.uk. The same model is selling for €59.95 on a Belgian website (will not post here) and €65 at a well known baby store here.
I never buy in Belgium if I can help it. Sorry.
Hi,
first of all, you'll notice you won't need most of the gadgets anyway, so don't buy a bunch of unnecessary stuff too early but take one day at a time - baby won't mind waiting one or two days. :) (For instance, we didn't even buy a pram/stroller until baby was 6 months old - until then, we just carried him everywhere. Fast, easy, comfy and convenient. Check out tricot-slen and Manduca carriers, you'll find them almost everywhere)
Second, I recommend 2ememain.be - I bought most of our baby stuff from there, and always favored buying second hand, mostly for ecological reasons but also for the price. You'll see lots of people selling their Bugaboos and Maclarens, so no need to travel all the way to Germany for that. I don't know where you live, but just go find a baby store, touch the stuff you consider, then hunt for it on the web.
As for diapers, there are lots of shops in Belgium who offer eco-alternatives to acceptable prices - but if you do pass by Germany, I recommend you stop at DM for both baby food, diapers and paraben-free baby lotions (Hipp, for instance) etc - they have a lot more to offer than in Belgium, and it is a lot cheaper.
Cheaper for same products: UK, Netherlands, Germany.
We looked and tried out items in local Belgian shops- then once we had a short list traveled to UK (while visiting family) and Netherlands and bought the items
Some of the cities just over the border such as Eindhoven, Roosendaal. Baby-dump has shops in both places http://www.baby-dump.nl/
Also we looked at http://www.prenatal.nl/ also in Breda.
Anyone know about the prices in Luxembourg? From my understanding they have the lowest VAT. I'm in the same boat but with my second child. I'm from the US so any prices seem so exspensive to me. I think there is a Babies R Us in Aachen, Germany which is jut over the border.
I know what you mean, its hard to know what's the right item to get when you've never had to push a pushchair yourself for hours around stores. :) Do you have any friends who can give you some advice? Otherwise you can try different forums on line.
As for pushchairs, it all depends on what use you want to get out of it. Personally I wanted something light weight and compact which I could pop the maxi cosi on and off and not have to remove the seat or wheels and fiddle with all sorts of extras and would fit easily in the trunk of my car plus allow room for my groceries. You need to first figure out what your need is. Have fun! and like one of the previous posters said, don't go crazy buying everything the stores suggest you get. Start with the basics and then shop after a couple of weeks of realizing what is most useful for your lifestyle.
LMLM,
how do you buy on amazon.de. I have tried to order pampers and some babylove food or Hipps, but tells me they do not deliver such things to Belgium......or?
