{"id":21,"date":"2008-06-23T14:44:02","date_gmt":"2008-06-23T19:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/momstoolbox.wordpress.com\/?p=29"},"modified":"2008-06-23T14:44:02","modified_gmt":"2008-06-23T19:44:02","slug":"bringing-home-baby-what-you-really-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/bringing-home-baby-what-you-really-need\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing home baby– What you really need"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wrote this\u00a0soon after my first child was born. Through the years I’ve passed it on to countless friends who were expecting. I’m publishing it here for anyone you know who might want some more advice. (Because pregnant women just don’t seem to get enough.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Sure you need all those precious layette items for your little one, but what else do you really need to survive the first two weeks?<\/p>\n

When my doctor announced the stork would likely visit before my first baby shower, I called my new-mommy friends to find out what the absolute essentials were. Soon after, I put their wisdom to the test. Here\u2019s what I learned:<\/p>\n

Car seat.<\/strong>This is an absolute must have… you can\u2019t leave the hospital without one, so be sure to do your shopping early. See which one fits best in your car and be sure you know how to install it properly before the baby comes. Find out when a baby store near you is offering a free installation class and attend, or contact your local fire department or an organization like Fit for a Kid (fitforakid.org) which regularly offers one-on-one seat installation checks.<\/p>\n

Diapers.<\/strong> You\u2019ll go through lots of these, so be prepared. If using disposable, you might want to buy several brands to see which you will prefer. I sent my husband to buy one package each of three different brands so we could make our own comparison. Don\u2019t buy too many in any one size, though\u2014my \u2018preemie\u2019 decided to tease us all for a couple weeks and was nearly nine pounds when he was born. Needless to say, all those preemie diapers didn\u2019t help much. (Save your receipts to return unopened packages.)<\/p>\n

Clothes.<\/strong>\u00a0Have a few items washed and ready to go. We went through\u00a0several of one-piece bodysuits each day and also loved the convenience of sleeping gowns with elastic along the bottom.<\/p>\n

Alcohol-free wipes.<\/strong> Again, I would recommend buying at least two different kinds to see which work best with your baby. Before baby came, I was advised not to use wipes for the first week, and instead to use gauze pads with warm water\u2026 but I noticed that wipes were precisely what the nurses in the intensive care unit were using on my little one. I compromised and used gauze and warm water until his circumcision was healed, then switched.<\/p>\n

4×4 Gauze Pads.<\/strong> Open the packages in advance to have them ready on the changing table if you\u2019re using them in place of wipes or to treat your boy\u2019s circumcision.<\/p>\n

Petroleum Jelly.<\/strong> Not only is this a must-have for parents of circumcised boys, it also does wonders for diaper rash.<\/p>\n

Place to change baby\u2019s diaper.<\/strong> Whether you have a changing table set up or will just clear a space in your bedroom, you\u2019ll want to have a place where you can keep all diapering essentials ready for the dirty deed. Don\u2019t forget a diaper disposal system for disposables.<\/p>\n

A place for baby to sleep and linens.<\/strong> Where is your wee one going to sleep at first? Some newborns sleep in Moses baskets (those cute baskets with handles to make it easy for carrying around the house), some in cradles in Mom\u2019s room, some co-sleep and some start right out in the crib. My first little one slept in our bed for the first week, then moved to the portable bassinet for a week, then he moved to his stroller, then a cradle. Two months later he made the jump across the hall. It\u2019s your call. (Well, actually, your baby is calling the shots now.) Just be prepared.<\/p>\n

Lap Pads.<\/strong> Place these rectangles of lined fabric under your little one wherever she sleeps to catch diaper leaks and spit up. I even placed one in the stroller and swing\u2014anywhere accidents could happen. This saved me from doing even more laundry every day.<\/p>\n

Cloth Diapers<\/strong>. Even if you aren\u2019t using them as diapers, pick up a dozen or so of these to use as burp cloths and general spit-up catchers. I preferred the pre-folded ones because of their thicker center. You will come to grow attached to these, as they become your most necessary fashion accessory.<\/p>\n

Blankets.<\/strong> I thought we received too many of these as gifts. Boy was I wrong\u2026 and I live in a hot climate. We found out pretty quickly that our little guy liked to be swaddled. Between spitting up and a diaper leak here and there, we went through quite a few of these each day. We found the thinner ones to be best for swaddling.<\/p>\n

Fragrance free laundry detergent.<\/strong> Before baby\u2019s delicate skin touches any of her linens or clothes, be sure to wash everything in a fragrance-free detergent. At first I thought that only one brand would do, but again those nurses in the intensive care unit showed me the light\u2026 any fragrance free detergent will work.<\/p>\n

Soothing music.<\/strong> This will help keep you sane when you are rocking, walking and hoping your little angel will drift off to sleep. Plus you might learn lots of new lullabies to sing. And it is also great background for feeding.<\/p>\n

If bottle feeding-<\/em><\/strong>
\nBottles, nipples and formula. Talk to your baby\u2019s pediatrician to find out what formula you should use. As for nipples and bottles, most bottle manufacturers make newborn sampler package. Pick up one of those to get started. You\u2019ll probably also want a few different nipples to try. Some babies can be pretty particular about their choice in nipples.<\/p>\n

If breast feeding-<\/strong><\/em>
\nGlycerin soothing pads for your nipples. Learning how to nurse your baby can be a challenge. I found that these made the experience much better.<\/p>\n

Nursing pillow.<\/strong>These are very helpful in getting your baby positioned correctly\u2014and you\u2019ll need all the help you can get in the early days. Plus, one of my mommy friends sat on her Boppy pillow in the beginning, so I wouldn\u2019t say these are just for nursing moms.<\/p>\n

A few mommy essentials\u2026<\/em><\/strong>
\nSanitary napkins.<\/strong> You\u2019ll need these while your body is healing. I received everything else I needed from the hospital.<\/p>\n

Food that is easy to prepare and easy to eat.<\/strong>
\nStock up on frozen foods you like so you can have a hot meal in a flash. If you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ll have a few friends who will indulge you with delicious home-cooked meals\u2014and they might even come over and hold your baby while you eat. One picky friend of mine made a list of meals she enjoys so that when well-wishers called and asked what food to bring, her husband and mother could refer to her “menu.\u201d Smart girl.<\/p>\n

Pregnancy\/ baby books and other reading material.<\/strong> You thought you were finished with these, but you forgot to read the postpartum chapters. Or you read them but will have forgotten everything when it really happens. These are great to check on the all those funky things your body and your baby are (or are not) doing. Plus you\u2019ll have lots of nursing or feeding time when you can flip through the pages. One I would especially suggest is The Girlfriends’ Guide to the First Year<\/em>. Not only does it have good, honest information, but\u00a0it\u2019ll make you giggle, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wrote this\u00a0soon after my first child was born. Through the years I’ve passed it on to countless friends who were expecting. I’m publishing it here for anyone you know who might want some more advice. (Because pregnant women just don’t seem to get enough.) Sure you need all those precious layette items for your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions\/22"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}