Preparing for a New Baby

Preparing for a New Baby

Let's be honest! Having a child is one of the most life-changing events you will ever experience. During pregnancy, your values, priorities, and expectations can shift. This shift takes others by surprise, including your partner, family, friends, and employer. Furthermore, this is a normal part of making the transition to parenting. It includes a wide range of emotions, from excitement and joy to ambivalence and fear.

There are many to-dos when prepping for the baby's arrival. Shopping for all the baby things is not least among them, from gathering the gear for sleeping to setting up the nursery room. It's easy to keep busy buying baby must-haves. As much preparation, getting the right amount of burp cloth Muslin will be the things from your mind. You'll be struggling with lack of sleep, too, while you continue to recover from delivery.

Here's a list of things to do when preparing for a newborn:

1.Prepare Your Sleeping Arrangements

This must be decided whether you decide to co-sleep or have your baby in a separate room or Crib. Make sure that the baby's bed is already set up with clean sheets. Consider preparing spare sets of sheets ready and waiting for both baby's Crib and your bed. Your choices may well change when the baby arrives (this is perfectly natural!). However making sure you are organised for the messy parts whether its leaky boobs or sicky babies, this will make your choices a whole lot easier.

2.Baby Wardrobe Essentials

It doesn't get much cuter than tiny baby clothes. You'll want to pick out practical baby things that'll keep your newborn comfy. When it comes to baby clothing, here are some baby must-haves:

● onesies Easy to take off baby grows

● kimono style shirts Vests

● one-piece pajamas Cardigans

● wearable blankets Blankets or shawls

● no-scratch mittens

Bibs, bibs and more bibs

3.Baby Nursery Essentials

A baby's room calls for adorable decor for sure. But you'll also need furniture and baby bedding that will make infant care safer. Here are the baby essentials for any nursery: ● Bassinet, Crib, or cradle

● A mattress that fits in the Crib

● 2-4 fitted crib sheets

● Rocking chair or glider

● Baby monitor

● Diaper changing table

● Toy basket- with a white noise machine 

Just remember that although your baby will come to love their nursery, for the first 6 months they will be in with you! So try not to have too much pressure on yourself to have everything 100 percent ready before their arrival.

4.Organize and Declutter

Make sure every closet and room in your home is organized and clutter-free. Who wouldn't want to bring your own baby home to a calm and clean environment? Not a mess that causes everyone to be anxious. Not only will this make your life easier, it will calm your nerves when the baby is here and give you and your partner a chance to concentrate on baby rather than the dreaded cleaning. Hate cleaning? No problem, your nesting instincts will kick in just before arrival and cleaning your house will seem like a breeze!

5. Prepare The Baby's Space

Whether your baby has their room, shares a room with a sibling, make sure their space is ready to go. All of this preparation means less work for you when they finally decide to make the transition. Mumma life can be hectic but being organised prior to birth can lift some of that pressure.

6.Get Your Postpartum Essentials Ready

After giving birth, those first few weeks can be hard on your amazing body. You can get or do so many things to make sure those postpartum weeks are as comfortable as possible. Get all the things you need to make you feel calm and relaxed! Some things I highly recommend are

• Spritz for bits (My expert midwife)
• Lots and lots of sanitary pads!
• Puppy training pads (to protect your bedsheets in the night)
• Paracetamol
• A bag to keep all of the above plus some snacks and drinks. You can then carry this with you wherever you go! (This was my biggest life saver! Pop in some nappies, wipes, muslins and sudocream and you have everything you need always in one place)

7.Meal Prep and Grocery Shop

The last thing to do right after having a baby is going to the Supermarket. Look into prepping some meals a few weeks before your due date with all your favorite foods. No one has to do any last-minute cooking or shopping while you spent time with your baby.

If you're still feeling overwhelmed by everything you need to do, check one item off your new baby checklist. Simply take a deep breath, relax, and check things off as you go. It can be grueling and tough, but time goes by so fast, so cherish every moment. Take a lot of photos and wrap your arms around that little one before he or she grows up too quickly!