The baby list

So, you’re pregnant and you’re waiting for the birth of your baby. People want to give you gifts and you know you need to buy some things – but what?

In my opinion, you really shouldn’t over buy when you’re expecting a child. Some children grow too quickly and others are too big already for the newborn things. My oldest son was well over 9 lbs and any newborn clothes were outgrown with days, not even weeks. He almost went straight into size 3 months.

To counter the issue of how fast a child may grow, some people buy bigger sizes to anticipate when the clothing will be worn. That backfired with my second one, my daughter. She was born in February, two weeks early and just shy of 8 pounds. A friend of mine gave me a bag full of beautiful and really cute sun dresses, sized 9 to 12 months. The problem was, she didn’t grow as quickly as my oldest son did and by the time she fit those pretty dresses, it was winter. I remember feeling so badly about her not being able to wear them.

So, what should you buy?

The basics:

• You’ll need diapers. If you are going to use disposables, get only one package of newborn size until you know how large your baby will be. If you’re using cloth, don’t go overboard on the tiny sizes. Often the next largest size can be made to fit a newborn.
• Linen: You will need sheets for your crib and those you can rarely have too many of but not all sheets are made the same. Perhaps buy a few to see if you like the fabric and the brand before you buy more. You don’t need blankets or anything to cover the baby in the first year of life. No pillows either.
• Clothing: T-shirts, all-in-ones, sleepers, you’ll need a few, but again, be careful of how many you buy in the smaller sizes.
• Socks.
• Wash cloths and hooded towels.
• Burp cloths for over your shoulder.
• Breast pump: If you’re breast feeding, you will likely need a breast pump.
• Nursing bras and breast pads: If you’re breast feeding, you may leak milk and the best protection are breast pads, either disposable or fabric, reusable ones.
• Bottles, if you’re bottle feeding or if you think you’ll be supplementing.
• Thermometer – either rectal or an ear thermometer.
• Baby bath.
• Diaper pail.
• Bulb syringe to help suction your baby’s nose if he or she catches a cold.

What will you need in the hospital?

• Diapers
• Undershirt
• Outfit
• Receiving blanket or something warmer if you’re in a cold climate
• Socks
• Car seat

Do you have anything to add?

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Tags: pregnancy blog, bringing baby home