I've talked about a few things we've got so far, but there is a much much more detailed list of stuff. Bunny rugs (I haven't worked out if they're made of bunnies) to nappy wipes.
Shops and websites (and the hospital) will give you a list of the things you need, but what are they all for and do you really need them? I'm going to give you our shopping list of stuff which has been pulled together from a few resources, and give you my thoughts on them.
As we haven't actually had the baby yet, I can only give an opinion on how useful I think something might be. I'm hoping readers that have had children will comment to provide some real life experiences. I will of course comment after the big day to say what was useful and what wasn't.
Clothing
I think the main gotcha here is size. If I have this right, the 'average' newborn is a size 0000, a slightly smaller (possibly prem) baby is 00000 and a bigger bubba is 000 and I'm told they don't stay a particular size for very long - so don't fill the wardrobes with 0000 because you either might not need them, or if you do, it won't be for long.
- Sleep Suits - also called onesies. Seems to be the PJs of the baby world, and given they do lots of sleeping, is an important bit of kit. I've received advice that the ones that button all the way down the legs are the way to go. It appears that starting off with six of these is enough.
- Cardigans - we all know what these are. Keeps 'em warm. Two are recommended.
- Bodysuit - I thought this was the same as a sleep suit - but it's not. The ones we've found are leg less, and the top is short sleeved. Sort of what you'd expect from a normal womans bodysuit. Six of these
- Singlets - Standard fare - 3 of these
- Shawls/Wraps - Muslins (thin-ish square material - not a religion) and some other wraps are useful for all matter of things - keeping 'em warm. Cleaning up, swaddling and the like. My list says two, but I have it on good advice that there is no harm having a stack of muslins around the place.
- Hat - Slip/Slop/Slap applies even more to kiddies than adults - their skin is super sensative. Also, lots of body heat escapes the head in cooler months. Gotta keep 'em warm. - Four of these
- Mitten - For keeping little hands warm and to stop nasty scratches on their face - four pairs.
- Socks and bootees - oddly enough, we're told that socks usually go missing and get kicked off at a high frequency. So whilst I understand the reason... maybe we'll need more - four pairs recommended.
- Bassinet - only needed if the cot won't fit in the room, or to get started with until you get a cot, or if you don't have a pram with the Bassinet add-on.
- Cot - needed for little munchkins to sleep in after they're too big for bassinets. Some convert to toddler beds, so you can get a few years out of them. There are Australian Standards that cots must adhere to. Make sure they do. Choice has a buying guide of things to look out for too.
- Cot Mattress - most cots don't come with a mattress. Make sure the one you get fits the cot really well. You don't want little hands, legs and arms getting caught.
- Matress protector - yes well, we know the sorts of things that come out of babies. We don't want them absorbed by the mattress. Two of these.
- Fitted sheets - doing what fitted sheets do. Four.
- Cellular blankets - for keeping baby warm when sleeping. Three should do.
- Bunny rug - I'm still at a loss as to why these have the name, and how they're actually different. The hospital said we need some, and I have six on my list as being needed, and we have actually found and bought "bunny rugs, but right now, I'm none the wiser as to why bunny. I'll take counsel on this.
- Baby monitor - Optional I think. Depends on the size of your place, sleeping arrangements. The handbrake and I both were happy to have a baby monitor as the house is relative large, and we bought the model with two parental units. We also got the sensor pads for some peace of mind (and because we don't know any better)
Bathing
- Baby bath + stand - Optional. Stooping over a full sized adult bath (if you have one) and using a tiny amount of water in the bottom just seems like an un-fun thing to me. You can also use the laundry sink or another sink in the house if you want. So this item is a nice to have. We figure a bath on a stand with a drain hose can't be a bad thing.
- Large soft towels - chucking a baby in a tumble drier isn't recommended - use a towel.
- Baby nail scissors - apparently they grow - and need to be cut. Given adult fingernail clippers could probably take a babies whole finger off, something more appropriately sized is what is needed.
- Soft sponges - to give 'em a bit of a scrub.
- Baby liquid soap/shampoo - I'm not sure of the real difference between adult and baby shampoo/soap yet. I can only assume one the baby one is a little less harsh on the skin.
- Bath thermometer - optional. Probably a good idea if your sense of temperature isn't so flash. Some baths have a handy little strip on the side that indicates the temp of the water and if it's too hot/cold. The skin of a baby is a bit sensitive, you want to get this right. If you're not sure, use a thermometer.
Breastfeeding
Gumby's mum will be having a crack at breast feeding, so this is tackling the stuff needed from that point of view. If you're going to use formula only, you'll probably need more of some things, and less of others.
- Breastpump - Optional. I can imagine there will be days where the mobile smorgasboard will be off limits to bubs, or they're so full they need relieving, or some rations need to be collected for later use. My reading says this can be done manually, but it's easier with a pump. Which can also be manual or electric and can come in single or double barrel versions. manual is cheaper than electric, single is cheaper than double. Electric is supposed to be easier/quicker than manual, double barrel is supposed to be faster than single.
- Milk Storage containers - for storing the harvested milk in. Probably won't go well in coffee.
- Nursing pillow - Optional. When mum and bub are feeding, mum has to hold bub for quite a while sometimes. Try holding a bag of rice in your arm for an hour - bet it get's uncomfortable. The pillow is to put baby on.
- Formula - just in case mumma's milk takes a while to come in, or there are problems breastfeeding for whatever reason baby needs some grub. Steak and chips at the local won't cut it so you'll need something else. You don't want to be sleep deprived and panicking because baby hasn't had anything to eat for a day or two when you go looking for something. Have some on hand just in case.
- Dummy - optional. There are a few schools of thoughts on pacifier use. Each to their own. I haven't given it solid thought either way yet. The hospital has asked we bring one with the cherry shaped bit you suck on so we'll grab a few. Not sure if they'll get used.
- Bottles - we've got a half dozen of these for administering the breast milk or formula where needed.
- Steraliser - optional. You can do the boiled water thing to sterilise, or you can use a machine in the microwave or stand alone. I think this is a decision based on budget more than anything.
Changing
Babies are poop factories. We have to deal with it.
- Newborn Nappys - Modern cloth nappies or disposables. I've read that new borns can go some days or more without a poop. I've also heard that 8 nappy changes in a day isn't unreasonable. You do the math.
- Nappy bag - when you're out and about you need a bad to keep all the baby stuff in (bottles, nappies, dirty nappies, etc) there are some made expressly as nappy bags with handy storage pockets and insulated bits.
- Changing Mat - come with some nappy bags. You need a clean surface to change bub on. Also, you may need to keep the surface you're changing bub on clean.. If you get my drift.
- Nappy cream - I'm guessing it's not made from nappies, but helps with rashes and the like.
- Cotton wool - For cleaning up
- Baby wipes - Still more cleaning up
- Tissues - Even more cleaning up - how much mess can one baby make!?!? :)
- Nappy bin - If you're using disposables a well sealed bin could be handy. There are bins made specially for the purpose. They are expensive.
- Nappy bin bags - if you just get a generic bin, you just need generic bags - which are cheap. If you get the special bin the refills are bloody expensive, but the bin/bag combo is supposed to keep everything sealed up and smell free. I'm not sure how good they are.
- Change table + matching mat - It's nice to have bub at a height where changing them won't break your back. A specially made table for the purpose can help that. Some come with the nice squidgy change mat, some don't.
Transport
- Baby car seat/Capsule - I've talked about these in another post, but you will need one before the hospital will let you take the little tike home.
- Pram - I've talked about these too.
- Baby sling - these look like a great idea. There are some that are good for newborns, but not many. I love the idea of being able to carry the little one about with both hands free. I imagine it would make shopping much easier.
What about the other stuff?
Thermometer - I think one of these is handy to have about the place. You can get the ones that go in the ear that are supposed to be pretty good. Saves using the less than accurate hand on forehead technique to detect fevers.
There are safety gates, and a bunch of other safety things like cupboard latches and power point protector that will needed as soon as junior starts toddling. Which I'm told (I really need to look up the development charts) is after 3 months. So no mobility means not a lot of trouble to get into to start with. The same goes with toys.
We've been loaned a rocker/bouncer, as well as a rug/play centre. I'm sure they'll be used, but not sure if they'll be used straight away.
Now some of this stuff will need to go into a bag to go to the hospital with mum, as well as mum needing her own bag, and you yours. No one has ever said that dad needs a bag, but I think it makes common sense. Why root about in your wifes bag for a contact list, when you have have it packed where you know it is in yours. I'll go through what to pack for the big day in another article.
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