Must Haves Before Bringing Baby Home
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Must Haves Before Bringing Baby Home
We have all been there. First baby and you spend hours upon hours doing research for the top registry items and must haves. You get the nursery dialed in and you start getting all the must haves before bringing baby home.
I am here to tell you that as much fun as it is you don’t necessarily need all that before baby comes home. There are things that are necessary before baby comes and there is a lot of stuff that can wait until your settled and know what baby really needs.
The nursery is fine, that’s the best part about getting ready for baby so I would tell you to get that dialed before baby because you might not have the time or energy to do that once baby arrives. However, baby will only really be using the changing table in the nursery and possibly the rocking chair for the first 3-6 months of life. People tend to have baby in their bed or have a bassinet next to the bed for the first months generally because it’s comforting, easier and keeps you sleeping in your own bed instead of sleeping in the nursery chair. So items like the baby monitor can wait just a bit so you can really figure out what you need instead of buying the top rated, most expensive monitor on the planet that may not fit your needs once baby starts sleeping in the crib.
So I have created a list of some of the most important items to have before baby comes home that will hopefully save you some money and give you some room to figure out what you really need and what works best for you. Here is the list of must haves before binging baby home:
- First and foremost you need diapers. However, don’t go all pandemic crazy and purchase every diaper you can since you don’t know how big baby will be. I would start with a box of size newborn, 1 & 2. This way if your baby is on the smaller side you have a few of the bigger sizes as they grow and if your baby is on the bigger size and goes straight into 1 or 2’s then you are prepared. Once you know your starting size and have had a week or two you should know roughly how many diapers you are going through each day and can stock up or not. Your choice. Just don’t find yourself yelling at your partner to run to the store to get diapers while you are in the middle of a shit fit with poop everywhere, yeah that really happens!
- Bath Time Items. After you bring your baby home you will get to bathe baby for the first time and slowly start a routine of bath time. You are not supposed to wash baby every night so it will be an every few nights or once a week for the first month or so. So for this one you will need more than one item. You will need bath wash (depending on your preference but again don’t stock up because baby could have sensitive skin or not like what you bought so the brand might change after the first few washes), soft washcloths or bath brush, baby tub, rinser & lotion. You won’t need to stock up on lotion either as baby doesn’t need a ton so remember that a little goes a long way.
- Depending on how you plan on feeding baby you will need bottles, bottle cleaners, bottle soap and a drying rack. Yes the bottle sanitizers sound great but they really are more trouble than they are worth and take up a lot of your storage. However, if you plan on breastfeeding then this can wait a bit. Also, just like everything else don’t ever stock up on bottles until you know what baby likes. Some shapes give them more gas, give baby more regurgitation or they might hate the nipple. You never know so it will save you money to wait to see what your baby likes before buying.
- To go along with the above feeding, if you are breastfeeding you will for sure need some nipple cream and nipple pads. The cream is probably the most important as your nipples will be very sore but if you don’t want to be soaking wet in public because baby is crying then the pads are a must as well!
- Diaper Cream. This one is important because baby will get a diaper rash. No matter how often you change them this happens. It is okay just be prepared but again don’t stock up on cream until you know what reacts well with baby’s skin or what your pediatrician suggests.
- Pacifiers. Again, don’t stock up on these as you don’t know what baby will like but it is good to have a few around to help sooth baby if he/she needs it.
- Diaper genie. Yes this is one that is nice to have, worth the money but really sucks to clean out. If your nursery is nowhere near the trash then the diaper genie is a lifesaver. Dirty diapers stink, my husband refused to put them in our kitchen trash and even with the diaper genie it had to be in the garage because it still stinks a bit. However, when it is the middle of the night and you are changing a blowout it is nice to be able to put the diaper somewhere close so you don’t have to try to find your way across the house or accidentally leave it on the floor in the room. With the diaper genie it will be wise to get a few refills as well.
- Clothes. Obviously we want to dress our littles in the cutest outfits ever but In reality for the first month of life they really aren’t going out, seeing people or need to look super cute so comfortable onesies are the way to go. Depending on the time of year you should get either short sleeve or long. This will help you see how fast baby is growing and save you money on all those expensive clothes that we buy that are either too big or too small or we forget about them in the closet full of clothes and they never get to wear them. Don’t get me wrong there should always be a few cute outfits and more than likely they will come at the baby shower but trust me save money on buying too many clothes. Along with clothes you will also need baby laundry detergent.
Must Haves Before Bringing Baby Home – Big Ticket Items
Now on to the big ticket items. These are the most important and probably the most expensive. You can get these items for cheaper at a used mommy store, which they would all be certified but some cities don’t allow used car seats so just do a little research before you buy.
- Car Seat. This is the big one. You can’t get baby home or do pretty much anything without the car seat. However, with mom being on maternity leave and dad possibly having paternity leave you don’t need multiple car seats. Just get one and put it in the car that it will mostly be in until baby gets bigger or you find that you need another one. I would also say that this one you can splurge on. Get the car seat, stroller combo. Baby sleeps a lot the first month or two so it is nice to be able to go for a walk or go out to eat while baby is sleeping and a stroller makes that process a lot easier. You don’t need a super fancy bob stroller unless you are an ultra runner or are training for a marathon right after baby is born. The first few months of life you vagina hurts, your tired and baby doesn’t do much so this is the time to catch up on sleep, not waste money on an expensive stroller that you probably won’t use until baby is older.
- Bassinet. The bassinet, dock-a-tot or boppy pillow are crucial. You don’t need all of them, just one but these help with baby sleeping with you or next to your bed for the first few months. They keep them secure, snug and comfortable. These are expensive and I am sure there are more inexpensive options out there so do your research but it is important to know how baby will be sleeping the first few months before you start making these big purchases so have a plan.
- Bouncer or swing. This one is key to have because baby sleeps a lot so this is a good way to keep baby comfortable during the day while you are doing stuff. Plus the swing can also sooth them without you having to hold them all the time. For those reason alone, a bouncer is definitely one of the must haves before bringing baby home!
As a seasoned mom it is important to share knowledge with first time moms. Baby will need stuff and I am not trying to discourage you from being prepared. Just know that there is a lot of material out there telling you what you need to buy but they don’t always tell you when to buy it. I learned that it’s okay to be prepared but it is also okay to get the basics until you know more once baby arrives. You can do all the preparing in the world but once baby arrives is when the real learning and whole process begins. Just know that it is totally acceptable to not have everything figured out before baby comes.