Determine The Gender Of Your Baby

As the birth of your newborn quickly approaches, it’s easy to get caught up in the plethora of daily activities and just as easily to overlook some of the essential baby items which will make your child’s first days home easy. By slowly purchasing your infant’s items before the due date, you’ll be able to avoid overlooked items by reviewing your purchases while having plenty of time to procure any forgotten baby goods. There are some essential items which will assure you and your baby have an easy hospital-to-home transition.

Above all else, you must have an infant car seat which faces to the rear. You will be unable to take your baby out of the hospital without a proper seat. It is not necessary to immediately have a stroller to bring your baby home though you may want to consider looking into baby travel systems which provide the required infant car seat and also a stroller which you’ll later need.

Not often realized by many parents are the benefits to the close-contact bonding of wearing your infant. Research has shown that the use of baby wrap and sling-style carriers that keep baby close to mom or dad offer many benefits to the baby’s development. Though not critical to the arrival day, these types of carriers are great to use right from the beginning.

You’ll need to have a place for your newborn to sleep once the baby arrives home. A bassinet or crib and a couple of sets of sheets and blankets will be needed. Some parents opt to purchase both a bassinet and a crib, as the bassinet offers a more confined space which tends to make newborns feel the most comfortable when first outside of mom’s womb. In several weeks to a few months, after your infant has become more acquainted with the outside world, he or she can more comfortably sleep in the crib.

As newborns want to feel confined and have difficulty regulating their body temperature, receiving blankets not only provide a health benefit but a comforting one as well. Their also [extremely usefulinvaluable] when those unexpected burp-time spit-ups occur. Tightly wrapping your newborn in a receiving blanket offers a comforting sleep during nighttime sleeping or mid-day naps.

Many infants appear to have a near-constant hunger, especially in the first days and nights, so planning for proper feeding is crucial. Many of the feeding accessories you need will depend on your choice of breast or formula feeding. Burping cloths, a handful of bibs, and even several baby bottles will be necessary for breastfeeding as well as formula-based parenting, as breastfeeding parents often find that storing some breastmilk for future feedings is often necessary.If you’ll be formula feeding, you should have a several weeks of formula before your baby’s arrival home. For breastfeeding, you should consider purchasing a breast pump and nursing pads to comfort sensitive nipples.

You’ll also need to have plenty of diapers for baby’s arrival home. It’s likely that your baby may need a dozen diaper changes each day. You’ll need to make the choice between using cloth or disposable diapers for your baby. Disposables are the easiest to use but can cost you quite a bit of money over the years you will spend changing diapers. One-size cloth diapers are also easy to purchase and use, but you’ll also need diaper inserts with them. Wether cloth or disposable diapering, you’ll need to have a lot of baby wipes, a diaper changing pad or table, baby powder, and diaper rash ointment.

Basic baby health care items your infant will be important to have upon arriving home. A newborn or infant first aid kit, which includes a nasal aspirator, thermometer, and toenail clippers, among other things, is one such item. Be sure to have a baby bathtub, baby shampoo, lotion and hooded towels for a complete bath time experience.

Though purchasing your baby’s first toys is a fun part of every soon-to-be parent’s experience, only a few are important during the first weeks, as your baby won’t yet be ready for a lot of individual play. Toys that stimulate baby’s senses are invaluable. It’s never too early to start stimulating development. Baby’s stresses of his or her new living environment can be soothed with the calming sounds of a stuffed toy or mobile that plays soft music.

If you’ve addressed all of the essential items, you and your baby will both enjoy the first days in his or her new home. Keeping a proper perspective as to what’s really important within the first several week’s will help you plan well and keep the stresses that come with being a new parent to a minimum. Most importantly, don’t forget that this should be a special event for everyone in the family so don’t let any little oversights from detracting from this memorable time.

Tags: Pregnancy //