Yesterday was a big day for The Family Szem...we pre-registered at the hospital where in a few very short weeks, we'll be delivering our son!
It brought a whole lot of comfort to me, personally, to meet with the nurse and go over all of the options that are available to us. We talked about family medical history, any issues that we've had so far with the pregnancy, and any thoughts and concerns as this journey comes to a close and a whole new phase opens up to us.
It got us thinking (well...it got me thinking anyway) about some of the very basic essential baby items that we're missing right now. Bottles, mattress pads, bed sheets....oh gosh!
After a long chat with Godmomma, I realized that cute outfits and snuggly blankets are great, but the essentials are what we need to focus on right now. Thankfully, she's offered us her bassinet so that Bug can sleep in our bedroom for the first couple of weeks and also her baby bath tub to make bathtime a little easier with a squirmy worm.
So, off to Walmart I went in search of bottles and a mattress pad. Originally, we were going to get everything at Babies R' Us, however...it's so expensive there! Thank goodness for bargain shopping!! We at least now have 3 orthodontic bottles, though I do plan to breastfeed (as long as everything cooperates!) and they won't be able to be used for the first 4-6 weeks. We also now have a mattress pad, which hopefully will save the mattress from getting ruined too quickly. And everything at Walmart was half the price than at Babies R' Us!!
So the playpen can wait thanks to the bassinet from Godmomma, as can the high chair for a few months until he's bigger and older and so can the mobile since we have the Sleep Sheep from Kristin at the shower on the weekend. The baby monitor, stroller, milk saver bags, diapers and bedsheets however...I think C and I might go shopping after our baby shower on the 15th to get anything that we still may need.
I asked C last night when I was going to bed to google some lists of Baby Essentials and he smiled, giggled and said "Yes Honey...but you do know that he's not coming tomorrow, right?" He then reassured me that one way or another, everything will get taken care of. He also reassured me that we're more that ready...he has a roof over his head, two parents who love each other and him very much, and a car seat that will be bringing him home shortly.
So....experienced Mommy's that read this blog daily (which I thank you for by the way!)....what are some of the essential items that you'd recommend we have at home before Bug gets here??
7 comments:
Only ONE pack of newborn sized diapers and a couple packs of size 1 (if Bug is really as big as the doc is guessing then he may not even wear the newborn size, so don't open the bag and keep the receipt). Our favourite diaper is the Teddy's Choice Supreme (from Loblaws/Fortinos/No Frills). My kids got rashes from both Pampers (too plasticy) and Huggies. Baby wipes (Pampers Sensitive), bum cream (Penatin), cotton balls (for gently cleaning eyes), baby wash clothes (lots for a boy b/c I threw one on him whenever I opened his diaper to prevent getting peed on), a gentle baby wash & lotion (Aveeno), lots of receiving blankets, baby fingernail clippers (their nails grow insanely fast and are crazy sharp), nursing pads (Lansinoh), lanolin nipple cream (Lansinoh). You don't need vaseline (it retains heat on baby's bottom) or baby powder (very dangerous for their lungs if they breath it in). Gotta go pick up E from school but if I think of anything else I'll add more later :)
THANK YOU!!!
Thought of more: newborn soothers (if you're going to try them - my kids never wanted them), a nursing pillow (it helps your arms/shoulders while nursing), a mucus sucker outer (I'm sure there's technical name - bulb syringe?), a baby thermometer (NEVER take the temp in the bum, you can puncture something if Bug moves, always under the arm), infant Tylenol/Motrin.
This might be a good time to add my newborn safety tips:
1) Always put the carseat carrying handle down while driving. In an accident the carseat it designed to move toward the back of the seat and form a cocoon around the baby and having the handle in the 'carry' position prevents this from happening and, even worse, could either jar the baby or shatter into the baby.
2) Don't clean off a soother, bottle or sippy cup with your own mouth (it sounds gross until you have a kid but a lot of people do it). We each all have different kinds of bacteria in our mouths and you could transfer some to your child's mouth that causes them to get cavities, etc..
Let's see...
Bassniett
Sheets
Swaddle blankets (though Carter HATED them!)
Paci's (if you plan to use them...something else Carter hated!)
Pj's
Onsies (especially plain white, as they get worn under everything!)
Pampers/wipes (Carter never wore NB sized diapers, we went right to size 1)
Triple Paste
Rectal Thermometer (most docs want rectal temps for accuracy if Bug gets a fever above a 100.3, you go right to the hospital!)
Nasal Asperator
Saline Nose drops
Infant Tylenol (though I beieve you wait a few weeks before you can give them this!)
Mylicon Gas Drops
Gripe Water
Infant Q-tips
Vaseline & Gauze pads for his circumcision (if you plan on getting one for him, this is a necessity right away!)
Bibs
Burp Cloths
Aveeno baby shampoo/wash and lotion (use the lavender kind... it's heaven =)
Wash cloths
Bath towels
Bouncey Seat
Baby Swing
That's all I can think of for now, mama! =)
And I just read what the PP said about never taking a rectal temp... talk to your pedi about that.
A lot of them will ONLY want a rectal temp because it's the most accurate. Carter got sick at 2 weeks and we called our pedi on a Sunday and they said they didn't care about the other 2 temps that we took, only the rectal. My sister said her pedi was the same way.
From Sick Kids:
http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/pregnancy/Fever-in-Newborn-Babies.aspx?articleID=7679&categoryID=PG-nh4-10d
My kids would never have laid still for long enough to get an accurate reading rectally and I wasn't willing to take the chance on injuring them. I always took it underarm and that's where they take it at the hospital too (although with a much more sensitive thermometer). The important thing to note is the range of temps that's normal for the method you choose.
wowzah! thank you both SO much!!! these lists are great, and we've definitely forgotten a few things! whoopsie-daisy!
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