Bringing Home Baby - How to Be Prepared for the First Few Weeks

So you wait 9 months (technically 10) for your precious little bundle of joy and now what. I will never forget coming home from the hospital after giving birth to my beautiful son and being totally unprepared. You see I am of the Jewish faith and we don't believe in Baby Showers. I am not personally against them, I go to them all of the time but we also had a miscarriage so I didn't want to jinx things. Needless to say I had nothing in the house, not even a diaper when my son was born. The first night we were home I had to change him on the bed because we didn't have any furniture or even a changing table set up. After I changed him I turned to my husband and gave him our first dirty diaper at home and we had no where to put it. My husband looked at me like I had 10 heads. I told him to get rid of it, but where? He had to keep going outside to the garbage cans every time my son needed a poopie diaper changed. I knew this wasn't going to work.

When my mom came over the next day to see the baby I ended up turning her right around and sent her to Babies R Us. I gave her a list of things we needed and my checkbook. When she came back she had purchased over $300 worth of stuff. I should have had that baby shower! As the days passed I realized I needed more stuff and some of the stuff I had her buy wasn't going to be good. So back she went to the store to return and get new things. I could have saved her a lot of trips and myself a lot of aggravation if I just knew what I needed to start with. So I have compiled a mini list of things that I think you might need. I didn't put everything on it because some things are just common sense. But just to make sure you have thought of everything, here are some more ideas:

1. Have your car seats ready in the car. The last thing you want to be doing the morning of bringing home baby is to be figuring out how to properly install the car seat. All hospitals are now required to make sure you have the car seat and it is installed properly.

2. Onesies. You can't have enough of these. They grow so quickly you will want to make sure you have a few different sizes.

3. Receiving Blankets - These have so many uses. I was surprised how often I used them.

4. Washcloths/Towels - I remember receiving a ton of these from friends and I returned them. What a mistake. I had to send my mom out to re-buy them.

5. Mittens - You don't want your little one scratching themselves with their nails.

6. Diapers - You will want to have both newborn and Stage 1. But not too many since they grow so fast. I had to mine to a women's homeless shelter because I bought too many and he outgrew them.

7. Cotton balls/squares - You aren't going to want to wipe your new little one's tushy with a harsh wipe. Dip the cotton ball in water to clean poopies.

8. Milicon Drops - These are great if your little one has gas. A few drops in their bottle and that will relieve some of the pressure. (Talk to Pediatrician first.)

9. Bibs/Burp Cloths - You can never have enough of these either. The get stained and dirty so quickly.

10. DREFT detergent - Soft for babies new clothes. Won't be rough on newborn skin.

11. Pediatrician - Always keep the Pediatrician's phone number handy, like on the fridge. Maybe even program it into you phone as well.

12. Medical Cards - You will need the Medical Insurance Cards on your first visit with your Pediatrician.

13. Circumcision - If you have your little boy circumcised then you should put surgilube and a square gauze pad on the booboo so it doesn't stick to diaper.

14. Sponge Bath - Only give sponge baths until belly cord heals.

15. Diaper Bag - Keep diaper bag packed at all times with diapers, wipes, cream, bibs, spare clothes, binky, etc. You never know when you need to run out quickly in an emergency.

16. Johnson and Johnson - I found them to have the best soap and shampoo. I love to use the Lavender type.

17. Manicure Set - To keep the nails trimmed. This is my husband's job.

18. Nose Aspirator - Great for clearing out the nostrils when baby has a cold. Little noses makes a nice one with a small tip.

19. Comb/Brush Set - Keep your little one looking great!

20. Binkies - If you believe in this, not everyone does. I actually tried to get my son to take one but he had no interest.

Well, I hope this list of suggestions and ideas has helped you prepare for the best time of your life. Unfortunately I can't prepare you for the lack of sleep that is about to happen!