Getting Ready For Baby

Not our real baby room ... I could only wish

This weekend my husband and I were blessed by family members and friends who came to celebrate with us during our babies shower. It was an awesome experience, loved being with everyone and really loved the gifts. It was so exciting to see all the different items that I will be using with my little one soon. I don’t know, maybe I am weird but even getting baby wipes made me excited and gave me that gooey warm motherly feeling.

And then it hit me …

Man we got a lot of stuff.

But did we get enough stuff? Do we have the right stuff? Are we missing any essential items? And where are we going to put it all (for the time being mom, dad and baby will be bunking together in one small room)?

Thankfully, I am planning for our baby at a time when we have an abundance of information at our finger tips. I was able to pull from many different resources and come up with a list that I think best covers at least the first year of life with your newborn. Then I thought to myself, this list is way too good to keep hidden, someone else out there would need this information also so I wanted to share this helpful it with you. Here is what I think would be essential for the first year of life.

Baby Gear

• Car Seats (don’t think you can go home with the baby without one in most states)
• Stroller
• Highchair (well I have a feeding seat for now, will see if that is sufficient enough)
• Gyms or Play arches

 Furniture

• Crib
• Crib Mattress (most cribs do not come with one so be prepared)
• Playpen / (Play yard)
• Changing table
• Dresser
• Rocker & Ottoman

 Clothing

• One-piece outfits (onesies)
• One-piece pajamas
• Sock and booties
• Fleece outfits / sweater or jacket: for winter
• Mittens
• Bonnet or cap: for summer
• Shoes

 Diapering

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Washcloth’s
• Diaper ointment / powder (pure cornstarch type powder)
• Diaper pail for soiled diapers (using cloth diapers so I skipped this one)

 Feeding

• Bibs
• Bottles & nipples (got a good supply but plan on breastfeeding only)
• Plastic Spill mats for around highchair.
• Plastic bowls
• Plastic sip cups
• Rubber tipped baby spoons

 Bathing

• Baby Tub
• Tub seat (when baby outgrows baby tub)
• Slip resistant bath tub mats
• Tub spout cover
• Washcloths (how could I have forgotten these … oops)
• Soaps & Lotions
• Hooded towels

Sleeping

• Waterproof crib / mattress liner
• Fitted Sheets for crib, bassinet or playard.
• Bumpers for crib sides
• Receiving blankets

Safety

• Baby Monitor
• Smoke alarm / carbon monoxide detector for baby’s room.
• Rectal thermometer
• First Aid kit
• Safety Gates
• Outlet covers
• Toilet seat latches
• Stove & Oven guards
• Cabinet & drawer latches
• Bumpers (for sharp cornered objects)

For Mom

• Nursing bras
• Breast pads
• Breast shields
• Cream for nipples
• Panty liners / pads (only needed for first few weeks or so after birth)
• Most items only needed while breastfeeding
• Flowers & gifts from dad (he better 🙂 )

 Miscellaneous

• Small lamp or nightlight for baby’s room
• Classical or Lullaby music
• Reference books on safety issues, parenting, etc.
• Books that you can read to your baby
• Baby nail clippers
• Nasal aspirator
• Car seat & Stroller toys
• Crib Toys
• Dreft laundry soap

I feel this list is pretty comprehensible and complete and thankfully we currently have at least 95% of these items from our shower and other small purchases made throughout the months. It is my goal to make this list as accurate as possible so please let me know if I am missing some important items. Or if you feel there is something on this list that really isn’t necessary either let me know. Thanks for the feedback.