100 Days
As of today, we only have 100 more days to go until Peanut arrives. We should really get all the stuff on the list ready.
This is a "Preparing for Newborns" list I found.
Experienced moms, please take a look and see if there's anything we missed or don't need. The items in black are what we have already. The items in red are the things we need to get, most of which are big items anyway.
I also have some questions about some of the things...
Aunt Lisa, THANK YOU so much for the 2 boxes of clothes. They all smell like a baby still : ) and totally reminded me of the time I spent with Jordy (obviously he's much bigger now). I went through each of the clothes and could not stop awing. Peanut's for sure gonna be the coolest kid on the block because of you. Love the overalls and all the T-shirts, fleece jackets, and of course, the Montreal Canadiens bib. Those socks, man, are tiny. I love how colorful they are.
I updated the list of items.
NEWBORN ESSENTIALS
A. Clothing the Baby
sleeping onesies
one-piece undershirts that snap around the crotch
side-snap T-shirts
mittens
baby caps
socks/booties
bibs
B. Feeding the Baby
nursing bras
a box of washable breast pads
breast pump
small glass bottles with nipples
burp cloths
bottle brush
Questions:
I can just use regular towels as burp cloths, right? I mean, it seems to me the only difference is that the material for burp cloths is softer. Any other differences?
C. Grooming the Baby
plastic baby bathtub
soft hooded towels
baby bodywash
wash cloths
D. Diaper Duty
diaper pail and refill bags
diaper bag (washable and water-proof with lots of compartments)
diapers (one 40-count package of newborn or size 1)
Questions:
It was recommended that backpack- or messenger-style diaper bags are easier to carry. Any other suggestions?
Any brand names worth recommending? Pampers? Huggies? Aren't they pretty much the same anyway?
E. Sleeping
crib/cradle/bassinet
crib mattress & sheets
crib mattress pads
waterproof liners
receiving blankets
pacifiers
Questions:
Aside from the crib, which is usually a stationery bed, we'd also like to get a portable bed for
the baby. We saw a foldable play pan kind of thing that could double as a bed. Is that good?
Does the firmness of the crib mattress matter?
F. Baby-On-the-Go
stroller
a blanket for the stroller
baby carrier
Question:
Do we need to get a stroller now? When can you take a baby out in a stroller?
G. Medicine Cabinet
cotton pads/swabs
rubbing alcohol
nasal aspirator
digital rectal thermometer
pain reliever/Infants' Tylenol
Question:
What's a nasal aspirator for?
2 comments:
hey there-
glad you liked the clothes! to be honest, i didn't mean to pack the breast pump - i thought you'd be grossed out!- but you are welcome to use it. sterilize it well, though. try it and see if you'd prefer an electric pump. sometimes you can rent those through the hospitals. OK - i checked out your list. NEED: don't need much of that stuff at all the first 3 months, trust me. jordy lived in those cotton sleepers with feet (or fleece, depending on the season) for the first 3 months. it doesn't matter if they're too big, either, at that age. it's not like they move around much! go with a backpack diaper bag. we just used a regular backpack with lots of separate compartments. there's really no need for a special diaper bag, per se. we liked pampers. they worked. don't forget wipes, and get a kind without alcohol and fragrance if you can so they don't irritate his skin. crib mattress must be firm; they are usually pretty standard. jordy hated portable cribs and wouldn't sleep in one; i hated it, too, because i had to bend down so low to pick him up so many times a night, killed my back. you can't use a stroller for the first while until they can hold their heads up - unless it has a special bassinet. personally, i wanted jordy close to me so used the carrier as long as i could. i only started using a stroller at one year! you didn't mention a change table. i recommend attaching a change pad to a normal chest of drawers you already own. you'll need to buy cotton fitted change pad sheets as well, and i would buy a lot of those! we never bought enough and it gets gross quick! this way you get your drawers back when he's out of diapers and don't have to sell anything. DON'T NEED: one piece undershirts, sidesnap t-shirts, special burp cloths (use whatever you want but you'll need ALOT of them!), baby bathtub (we just got in the regular bath with jordy and spongebathed him in a mixing bowl when he was really tiny; also bathing really dries out newborn skin so we only bathed jordy once a week with water only and slathered him in olive oil as moisturizer - midwife recommended; now he's more active we bathe him everyday, but only use soap once a week), nasal aspirator (this is for sucking snot out of their noses and my doc says they are dangerous - just use saline (salt) drops to dry up their snot, digital rectal thermometer (we just used a regular digital one under his arm - i found it almost impossible to take a squirming, screaming baby's temperature anyway)
I would say off the top of my head that the most useful things in the first year were the sleepers, tons of burp cloths, and the baby carrier. also if it's cold - an outdoor fleece suit and/or snowsuit with built-in feet and mitts, if possible. much easier to use with a baby carrier in fall and winter. and of course some baby caps. oh yeah, and lots of yummy pre-made food for you and bill. you're gonna need it. :)
Wow, Lis, Thanks for the comment.
I feel less stressed out now knowing that a bath in a mixing bowl in the bathtub with a parent would suffice (I laughed so hard at the mental image). Our friends gave us a baby bathtub, so I think I'm gonna try it at the kitchen sink (we don't have a bathtub).
We are going to use one of the chest of drawers we have in the bedroom as a change table (I remember yours from the apartment on the Drive). However, that leaves very little room for a standard crib (like Jordy's). After all, we live in an apartment in Taipei... similar to the ones in Tokyo, minus a full-on tatami room. I don't want to sleep in a room with Peanut and have Bill sleep in the other bedroom (many Asian parents do that... mom sleeps with the baby while dad sleeps alone). And obviously we can't let the baby sleep alone in the bedroom upstairs.
We'll have to do some rearranging to see what can be done.
Post a Comment