Essentials for Bringing Home a Baby
Becoming a parent is a thrilling, exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming. Knowing that your baby depends on you for everything--safety, comfort and nourishment--can be intimidating to new parents and may make you wonder if you really are prepared to bring baby home. Gather together the basics your baby will need when you bring her home from the hospital, and free your mind to concentrate on what's most important--enjoying your new baby.
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Car Seat
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The single most important thing you will need to bring your baby home from the hospital is an infant car seat. This one item is so vital that many hospitals won't even discharge the baby unless you have one; other hospitals provide patients with complimentary car seats. If you aren't so lucky and have to buy your own, do a little research on car seat types and their reviews before going shopping and check your local or state laws for details about specific requirements. But don't even consider skipping this most important of essentials.
Clothes
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Your baby will need several season-appropriate essentials, preferably washed and ready for baby's homecoming. When estimating how many of each item to buy, keep in mind that your first few weeks with at home with baby shouldn't be spent doing laundry.
According to the authors of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "What to Expect the First Year," the recommended layette consists of three to seven onesies (undershirts), three to eight nightgowns with drawstring closure, two or three blanket sleepers, several pairs of socks or booties, and three to six one-piece outfits, which will be footed and long-sleeved for winter babies and short-sleeved rompers for summer babies. Winter babies will also need a hat, several sweaters and maybe even a snowsuit. Bibs or cloth diapers are also helpful to have on hand, especially if your baby spits up a lot.
Most new moms also select a special "going-home" outfit for baby to wear for the momentous homecoming; this is also a nice photo opportunity, so choose carefully.
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Diapering Supplies
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Stock the changing area well with lots of diapers, wipes and diaper cream; you always need more of these items than you think you will. If you are using disposable diapers, keep a few dozen on hand in baby's current size. Newborns go through roughly one dozen disposable diapers a day. For cloth-diapering families, several dozen diapers, plus liners, should keep you and baby covered.
Feeding Supplies
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If you are planning on nursing your baby exclusively for the first few weeks or months, all you really need is the contact information for your local La Leche League leader or the hospital's lactation consultant. Her help and advice will be invaluable while you are getting the hang of nursing.
If you are coming home with a bottle-feeding baby, plan to have four 4-oz bottles and 10 to 12 bottles of the 8-oz. size, all complete with nipples. Have several containers of your baby's formula on hand so there is no chance of running out. Consider also buying a sterilizer for quick, worry-free bottle washing; your time is better spent bonding with your precious baby.
Crib
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Baby needs a safe place to sleep, so be sure that the crib you buy meets all the current safety standards. The bars should be no more than 2 3/8 inch apart and the side rails should be at least 22 inches high when the mattress is in the lowest position and the rails are dropped down. Avoid cribs that have cracked or splintered wood, paint of unknown composition (possibly lead paint), and any posts or knobs that stick out. Side rails should be covered with plastic protectors for teething; some cribs are manufactured with them, otherwise you will have to buy and install them yourself later on.
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References
- Photo Credit the newborn image by Sergey Galushko from Fotolia.com
