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Newborn Essentials - Part 1

It’s good to arrange all the essentials your little one would need before he/ she is born. So the best time to start buying and organizing would be at least 2 months before the due date. Once you have all the items in place, you can feel more relaxed and assured when you bring the baby home. 

As a new parent, you might not be fully aware of all the necessary and good to have items for a newborn. This article provides you the list of items required like clothing, feeding, diapering, bath time, sleep time, medicinal, travel and other essentials. 

Due to customary reasons, few families do not buy until the baby is born. In such cases, you might prepare the list in advance and also make a note of which shop/ online store you can buy them. Alternatively, you may also add those to the shopping cart. This makes your life a lot simpler when it is time to purchase.

This list might look very big and costs a lot of money. But if you plan well, you can manage spending less and this article covers that aspect too. I shall also mention few products which I used for my kid and few recommendations I received from my family/ friends. Please note, this is not a promotional post and I am not endorsing any product. The recommendations are purely based on the personal experience of self and trusted sources.


Clothing Essentials:

Dress: Thumb rule is 'always dress the baby in comfortable clothing', according to the weather. 

You might get very excited about shopping those tiny little dresses. But slow down. Tip: Your family and friends might gift lot of dresses for the newborn. So when you intend to purchase newborn clothes, do so in moderation. Moreover, babies outgrow very quickly. You can buy their clothing, periodically as the baby grows. Buy one size bigger clothes, so that it is easy to wear and remove. 

In many countries, parents do not know the gender until baby’s birth. In such case, you may buy unisex clothes in advance for the initial couple of weeks. One-piece dresses (onesies) with snaps in between legs are a great buy. It provides easy access to change diapers. You may pair them with pajamas or pants to cover the baby's legs in colder months. You may also buy few special attire to dress up the infant for special occasions.

Accessories: You may need lot of socks, mittens, caps to keep the newborn warm especially the first 3 months. Babies expect the same warmth they enjoyed in the womb and take some time to get accustomed to the environment outside. If you live in colder places, these are must to have during winters too.

Sweater, Jacket, Snowsuit: You may use sweater to keep the baby warm in winters. However, if you have light winters, jackets should be sufficient when you step out with the little one. But if you live in a place where the winters are harsh with snow, snowsuit is best to keep the baby warm while travelling. It helps to completely secure the baby including its hands and feet.

Feeding Essentials:

Burp cloth and Bib: There may be accidental spills on you, while burping the baby. So keep a burp cloth handy to safeguard your clothing. Bibs can be used to protect kid's dress while feeding and from drools.

Nursing pillow: This is a good to have item. When you are breast feeding, you may use this pillow for support and to rest your tiny tot on it.  

Maternity bras: This is a must have for all the breast feeding moms. 

Nipple cream: Have this handy as breast feeding causes sore nipples. Tip: Nothing can beat the soothing and healing effect of coconut oil, which will be readily available in your kitchen.

Breast pump: This is a must to have, if you plan to go to work or be away from the child for longer duration. You can choose either a manual or electric pump from Medela and Spectra (US/ Canada), Avent and Cmbear (India). Tip here is, pumps are covered by insurance in many cases at US and Canada. So check with your insurance provider before buying. In many hospitals at US, breast pumps are provided free of cost. So ask your healthcare provider and get one.

Feeding Bottles: Glass and plastic bottles with different types of nipples are available in the market. I suggest to choose the nipple that is designed to reduce the amount of air baby might swallow while drinking from the bottle. Avent feeding bottles are the best and are available in both glass and plastic.

Milk storage containers: You can get bags or bottles designed to store expressed milk in the refrigerator, ranging from a day to few months. You may also chose to buy one-time use or reusable storage containers. Tip: Buy reusable containers to cut down cost. However, the only drawback is you have to sterilize them properly before each use.

Formula: If you intend to formula feed, check with your healthcare team to help you select the best product from many brands available in the market like Enfamil, Good Start, Similac (US/ Canada), Nan-Pro, Similac (India). You may choose lactose free version, if your child is lactose intolerant. In any case, go with the pediatrician's recommendation.

Bottle cleansing liquid, brush and sterilizer: Milder cleansing liquids are available to clean baby bottles. If your child is exclusively formula fed, you will end up cleaning and sterilizing at least 6 - 8 bottles in a day, which will be very tiresome. So it is advisable to buy a sterilizer. 

Is it overwhelming? We are not done yet. Let’s take a break and go over the details of the remaining categories in our next post. Until then, think about all the joyous and wonder-filled times ahead of you with your cutie pie!!!

You can check out the next part of this article, by clicking here.

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Comments

  1. informative post, Thanks

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