What to Prepare for Your Newborn Baby

When your newborn baby arrives, you'd certainly want to have all the things you need to use to be ready beforehand.  All the preparation and shopping can be done, of course, during your pregnancy.  If you are a new parent and are want to make sure you don't miss out on any of the basic essentials, then please check out the list below.

Swaddling and Receiving Blankets

• After your baby is born, you will want to keep him or her warm and cozy by wrapping your baby in swaddling blankets. This will keep your baby snuggled and safe just like in your womb.  As a third time mama, I can honestly say there is nothing quite as therapeutic as snuggling with your own sweetly bundled baby.

Socks and Mittens

• Mittens and socks will keep your newborn warm, and also to protect him or her from scratching their own skin. Newborns may not be able to consciously control themselves from scratching, and wearing these will help protect them.

Clothes

• Newborn babies will need clothes (of course that goes without saying!).  Some people prefer to wait until during the later stage of your pregnancy to begin shopping for clothes for baby.  I was one of those moms that wanted to know the gender of my baby beforehand, so that I could dive full throttle into my shopping and decorating.  Newborn babies grow pretty quickly, so you will probably just need a couple sets of clothes to begin with.

• While there is no 'magic' number of clothing sets to get, you may wish to be prepared for the times when your baby soils clothing or spits up during feeding time.  It is truly amazing how many times I was caught off guard without enough changes of clothing for my newborn.  Think the unthinkable!

Diapers

• Diapers are essential items Iagain, that goes without saying), that babies will probably use for quite some time. For newborns, I found it worked best for me to buy one initial pack of newborn diapers, as these were very quickly grown out of.  Then I swapped between cloth diapers, Seventh Generation diapers, and the odd emergency pack of commercial diapers. You can get a mixture of cloth diapers and the 'regular' diapers to start with, and see what works out best for you.  

Bottles and Nipples

• Babies will use smaller bottles at the beginning, but as they grow (like with everything!) they will need a bigger bottle and nipples with larger holes to make it easier to feed.  Even if you are breastfeeding, you will probably find it handy to have some bottles on hand for when you pump, or even just for those times you wish to supplement with something like goat's milk.

• Please note: If you have chosen to breastfeed, and you find it hard to produce enough milk to keep the nursing bond between mom and baby in a 'happy place', please do not stress.  Especially with a first baby, it is not uncommon to have a low milk supply due to lack of sleep, and sometimes the worry that comes along with it all.  The more you stress about it, the less milk you will make, it's really that simple.  For all three of my babies, I used a wonderfully effective supplement to help calm my nerves and produce more milk - and that is Fenugreek.  Do not underestimate the power of this herb to make breastfeeding a much simpler, empowering experience! 

• Sidenote: Breastfeeding can initially be quite painful.  This is simply the truth, and nothing to be ashamed of.  Slather that nipple cream on, and please, whatever you do, do not allow anyone to make you feel ashamed for using nipple shields.  Again, these little lovely plastic sheaths are a godsend, and can save you hours, days, and even weeks of tears and struggle.  

Pacifier

• Pacifiers can be a mama's and baby's best friend, and as a new parent, you may not always be able to understand why your baby is crying.  We would like to think we are mind readers, and that we are never too tired to get to the very guts bottom of every single issue (super mom?... um, perhaps only on Sundays).  One way to soothe your baby is by giving him the pacifier, and most babies will quiet down.  My first two loved them, and my third would not have anything whatsoever to do with them.  Every baby is entirely different and has their own unique individual needs.  Let them guide you.

Car Seat, Stroller, and Carriers

• You will need to take your baby home safely from the hospital, and most hospitals will not let you leave without a car seat.  So you should have a car seat, stroller, and carriers ready for you to journey with baby.  Not all for leaving the hospital with, of course - and that's only presuming you are in fact giving birth at a hospital in the first place.  Strollers are perfect for when you need to take an outdoor walk and desperately need some arms-free time.  Cloth baby carriers worked best for me, all three of my little ones wanted to be held a lot, so I even wore them around the house at times while I was cleaning or prepping food.

Changing Station

• A changing table or changing station is essential.  At least, it was for me, even though I initially thought otherwise.  Most of these changing tables come with additional drawers and compartments where you can also store your baby's clothes and diapers, and other essentials such as diaper creams and baby wipes.  So handy!

Wipes

• Wet wipes are useful and great to have around to clean your baby with, in all kinds of messy circumstances!  I have learned that I must have some on hand at all times.  We have a pack in the car, on the kitchen table, sometimes in the bathroom, and always in the baby/toddler room.  Seriously, you just never know.

Thermometer

• A thermometer is so incredibly useful.  There will be those nights when baby is screaming the house down, and you are unable to tell for sure whether or not they have a fever.  Or, perhaps you are uncertain as to whether or not they have an infection.  Once you do know baby's temperature for sure, your mind can be put more at ease because you will have a clearer idea of what your next steps should be.

Warmers and Sterilizers

• If you want the convenience of having warm milk at any time of the day to feed your baby without the hassle of using the stove or oven to reheat the milk, then you may want to consider getting yourself a baby bottle warmers and sterilizers. These will be useful for you to keep the milk warm the entire day and also to allow you to clean the feeding items like the bottles and nipples easily.  Personally, I couldn't stand the thought of using a microwave, ever, so these came in very handy.

Nursing Pillow

• To make it comfortable for your baby during feeding time, you can get a nursing pillow to use when you feed.  Nursing pillows are designed in a way that it keeps your baby in a comfortable and correct position while feeding, while at the same time allowing you to relax into it and save your back, neck and shoulders.

Bibs

• As your newborn baby learns to feed, you can expect that they will spit out milk at times.  It can get exhausting having to change outfits so many times in a day, so having your baby wear bibs instead will remedy the soiled-spit-up-clothing issue rather quickly.

Diaper Bag

• You will need to take a lot of things with you for baby when you go out. If you know you will be taking your baby out a lot, then get yourself a diaper bag that is large enough for you to store all the essentials that your baby will need to use when you are outside or away.  Diaper bags make life so much easier as they have everything compartmentalized for you.  Some diaper bags that you can find are incredibly stylish, as well!

I'm sure there are some other things that I have not thought of to mention here just now, but by all means, if you have some suggestions to share, please do so in the comments below.