Baby Things to Buy Before Birth
Baby Items: What to Buy Now and What to Wait for Until After Birth
In case you haven’t already figured it out yet, babies are a bit expensive! If you’re on a budget, you might need some advice on what the most essential baby needs are for when your bundle of joy arrives. If you ask any parent, they’ll tell you that life changes dramatically once your baby is born, so the last thing you want to worry about is buying everything you need once you have a newborn at home.
Since your days and nights will soon be taken over by the newest addition to your family, we wanted to give you a helpful list of items to buy now versus what you can hold off on until after your baby is born. The common theme is real world use, so you can keep your house running smoothly after the baby arrives. Think of this as a guide telling you when to buy all the items you’ll need during your adventure into parenthood.
The Most Essential Items a Newborn Baby Needs
1: Breast Pump
If you plan on breastfeeding, a breast pump is one of the most essential things a newborn baby needs. A breast pump helps stimulate milk production and allows your partner or another family member to take turns feeding the baby so you can get some much-needed rest. Plus, a breast pump is a huge life saver when you go back to work!
2: Newborn Diapers
It doesn’t take much thought to figure out when to buy these. Whether you’re going with disposable or cloth diapers, you want to make sure to have a healthy supply before your baby makes her first appearance. You’ll want to limit how often you’ll have to go out and buy diapers once your baby is born. After all, you’ll go through more diapers than you think! When you have enough diapers at home, you won’t have to go out as much once your baby is born.
3: Crib
Every baby needs a safe, comfortable place to sleep, so a crib is by far one of the most important baby items to buy before birth. Even if you plan on your baby sleeping with you, having the right crib can bring a lot of flexibility to your everyday life. Cribs with firm mattresses are also known to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). You have some flexibility with when to buy a crib as long as it’s before birth. A good rule to follow is to have the crib set up at least two weeks before your due date.
4: Newborn Car Seat
Just like a crib, a car seat is another one of those items that absolutely need to be on your list before birth. A car seat is obviously needed for the transportation of your baby in and out of the car, but it’s also a common place for babies to nap. We recommend practicing with the straps and seatbelt of the car seat, so you’re familiar with how it works before your baby’s arrival.
5: Burp Cloths
Big surprise, newborns tend to spit up a lot! If you don’t have burp cloths handy, you’ll quickly run out of things to clean up with. It’s definitely worth splurging on these, so you have a convenient stack of them in every main room of your house. You might think this is going a bit overboard, but you’ll definitely want one close by at all times.
Baby Items That Can Wait
Now that we’ve covered the most essential items for a newborn, let’s switch gears to some common items people buy that you can easily get by with not having right away.
- Newborn Clothes: Obviously, your baby needs these. But it’s important not to go overboard with buying newborn clothes, as your perfect bundle of joy will quickly grow out of them!
- Changing Table: Some moms swear by them, but changing tables are expensive and babies can be changed in plenty of places around the house.
- Blankets: This is the number one gift family and friends buy for a newborn. So, there’s a good chance you’ll get what you need!
- Basinet: This may look appealing and is great for co-sleeping, but newborns quickly grow out of it. While it’s nice to have, it isn’t worth the value if you’re on a budget.
Schedule an Appointment at King’s Daughters’ Health Today
If you’re pregnant, schedule an appointment at King’s Daughters’ Health. Our family-centered obstetricians can answer any questions or concerns you may have and help you hit the ground running so you can have a healthier, safer pregnancy.
Our expert team works to ensure that your baby needs are met so that you can have the healthiest pregnancy possible. Contact us today to learn more about our OB-GYN team and the maternity care services we provide.
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