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A New Baby Checklist – What You’ll Need!


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Thought this was good information for first time and soon to be parents...

From: http://christianpf.com/a-new-baby-checklist-what-youll-need/

A New Baby Checklist – What You’ll Need!

by Kevin on December 17, 2012

baby.jpg

Are you welcoming a new baby to your family? If you are, there are a few things you’re going to need, and it’s best that you get as many of them before the baby arrives as you can. Life happens very quickly when a baby comes along, and advanced preparation is truly a virtue.

To make it a bit easier to keep track of what you need, we’ve assembled a list of the general categories of baby related needs, and a more detailed list within each category.

Clothing

Clothing for babies should be kept simple, with easy maintenance a high priority. You’ll be changing them frequently each day so quantity counts. Don’t spend a lot of money here – they’ll grow out of everything in a matter of weeks.

  • “Onesies” – simple one piece baby outfits designed to make diaper changing easy
  • Baby caps – you’ll need these for the first few months to keep their head warm
  • Gowns – for boys and girls, these are perfect until the baby learns to walk
  • Jackets and coats, as seasonably appropriate
  • Socks and booties – for as long as they’ll keep them on
  • T-shirts
  • Receiving blankets

    Furniture

    Babies don’t need a lot of furniture, but what they do need is very specialized.
    • A good glider-rocking chair – motion helps put a baby to sleep
    • A crib (for later) or bassinet (for now)
    • A good crib mattress and mattress pads
    • A changing table – this will get a good workout!
    • A simple dresser to hold their clothing

      Sleeping Accessories

      With sleeping accessories you’re trying to help the baby fall asleep as well as to be prepared for predictable nighttime disturbances, like feeding and diaper changing. It’s a combination of comfort and practicality.
      • Night lights – for the baby’s room and the hallway outside
      • A baby monitor
      • Mechanical/musical mobiles for over the crib
      • A side sleeper
      • Bumpers for the crib
      • Mattress pad
      • Sheets and light blankets
      • An inexpensive music system and peaceful CDs to quietly play your baby to sleep (I recommend anything by Yanni)
      • Baby sleeper outfits (blanket sleepers in Winter, lighter sleepers in Summer)

        Feeding Accessories

        When it comes to feeding, babies progress very quickly from one stage to the next. Since you never know quite when a change will occur, you’ll need to be ready when it happens.
        • Drop/burp cloths – you’ll need plenty of these at feeding time
        • Breast pump
        • Baby bottles
        • Baby plates and utensils
        • Lots of covered “sippy cups” for when they’re done with bottles but not ready for open cups (these can save your carpets)
        • A baby carrier/bouncer – to feed the baby before it can sit in a high chair
        • High chair
        • Bibs, at least a dozen
        • A large supply of baby formula, as agreed upon by you and your pediatrician
        • Bottle brushes (to clean the bottles)
        • Baby bottle drying rack
        • A bottle sterilizer
        • Bottle warmer (that standing a bottle up in a pot of warm/hot water on the stove thing never gets it quite right)
        • A good supply of pacifiers for those long stretches between meals

          Changing Time

          Once again, think quantity here. Babies have no control over bodily functions and it’s often only a matter of minutes between feeding and changing times.
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          • Disposable diapers (estimate at least 8-10 a day for the first few weeks)
          • Baby wipes
          • Baby-sized wash cloths
          • A sealed diaper pail (you don’t want to put used diapers in the regular trash, and never, ever try to flush them down the toilet)
          • Baby powder
          • Baby oil or ointment
          • A diaper bag (larger is better)
          • Changing pads for at home and on the road

            Life Insurance

            In addition, the family also requires greater contingency planning, and that means life insurance.

            • For mom and dad – increase your coverage, you now have someone who is completely dependent on you
            • For the stay at home parent – never underestimate how much it will cost to replace the services of the primary care-giving parent
            • For the baby – you’ll probably never need it, but rates are never lower than on infants

            This is also an excellent place to remind you that you should add your baby to your health insurance policy as soon as possible.

            Health

            A baby’s health needs are more basic than they are for adults, and you need to be prepared for anything.

            [*]A baby thermometer

            [*]Teething medication

            [*]Baby pain reliever (as recommended by your pediatrician)

            [*]Cotton balls

            [*]Your pediatrician’s phone number should be a contact on all cell phones and landlines in the household, and it’s not a bad idea to have it prominently displayed

            [*]Nasal aspirator (to clean out nasal passages when necessary)

            [*]Rubbing alcohol

            [*]Cotton swabs

            [*]Medicine droppers

            [*]Vaporizer and vaporizer fluid

            [*]Baby sunscreen

            [*]A very wide brim hat to prevent sun exposure

            Bath Time

            Bath time for babies is mostly about scaling everything down to their size.

            [*]A baby bath tub

            [*]Hooded bath towels

            [*]Baby bath toys

            [*]Baby soap and tearless shampoo

            [*]Baby washcloths and sponges

            [*]Baby nail clippers

            [*]Soft bristle baby brush

            [*]More baby powder

            Safety Equipment

            It’s sometimes recommended that you get down on all fours and crawl around your house so that you can see your home as your baby will. This is good advice! There are danger spots for babies and toddlers all over a typical home that as adults we’ve long since come to ignore.

            [*]A baby car seat – you can trade up as the baby grows

            [*]Electrical outlet covers

            [*]Cabinet door locks – these will keep them out of the cupboards for a little while at least

            [*]Safety gates – there are certain rooms you won’t want them in for safety reasons

            [*]Smoke alarms – have them in every room of the house and be sure they work

            [*]Bumpers to cover sharp edges in the home

            [*]A top quality vacuum – to help keep any and all small objects that could be a choking hazard off the floor and out of the baby’s reach

            [*]A spout cover for the bathtub faucet

            Miscellaneous

            There are plenty of baby items that don’t fit into a specific category but they’ll be needed all the same.

            [*]Plenty of laundry detergent – don’t be fooled by a baby’s small size – you’ll be doing a lot more laundry

            [*]Ditto for dishwasher detergent

            [*]Baby stroller

            [*]Simple baby toys

            [*]A good still camera and video camera – you’ll want to get those milestone moments on film

            [*]A baby walker to help them get around when they want to walk but aren’t quite ready

            [*]Plenty of blankets and baby blankets – you never know where you’ll have to set up a makeshift bed

            [*]Playpen

            [*]A baby book to record events and milestones

            [*]An electronic baby swing to keep them busy when you need some time

            Are there other items that you found either helpful or necessary with a baby?

            Thoughts? What is really needed from this list? The absolute basics...

            God bless,

            GE

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Well, first dont you need the baby? lol looks like a pretty comprehensive list, though there are some things that are a bit over, like bottle warmers, nice but not necessary. soaking in hot water for a few minutes always worked for us. :D

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Well, first dont you need the baby? lol looks like a pretty comprehensive list, though there are some things that are a bit over, like bottle warmers, nice but not necessary. soaking in hot water for a few minutes always worked for us. :D

Yes one does need a baby. And preferably a spouse too. ;) Lol.

I have a list I made myself. Thought i'd share a more "sophisticated" list with the article first. See my comments below.

God bless,

GE

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If you're pregnant (or your wife's pregnant) here's some things I'd wish I'd known sooner than later.

First Get on a budget.

Second budgeting for maternity clothes is a must. It will help your wife’s well-being and help ease the changes coming with the pregnancy. I hear for women too it is a big stress reliever and it is fun. Perhaps looking for friends/family/church who have maternity clothes already would be a good start?

Third if you don't already have one start an Emergency Fund. Emergencies will always happen. Best to be prepared. :) Also a good idea independent on if pregnant or not to start a Baby Savings Fund.

Fourth a list of questions:

I. A couple of preliminary questions to think about:

A) What other debts do you have?

B) How much is your Emergency Fund? I would imagine 3-6 months of expenses would be a good place to be at to be considered “fully funded.” Maybe more depending on your comfort level.

C) Do you plan on using a mid-wife or a doctor/hospital?

D) How many baby showers do you think you’d have?

E) Is your family planning on contributing major items (Crib, Car Seat, Mattress, etc.) or will you have to pay for that yourself?

F) Will you be decorating a room? If so you will need paint, decorations, etc.

G) Assuming you have insurance how much will your co-insurance/deductibles be? Don’t forget you pay a deductable for Mommy and Baby.

Fifth a list of baby items…

II. Here’s the basic list we made for our baby. We didn’t actually get all these things but it is a good starting point. Especially the items that are bold. Of course it really depends on factors such as income, number of baby showers, socio-economic status of those invited, socio-economic status of family, etc.

1. Furniture

A) Crib or bassinet

B) Mattress

C) Mattress pad (2) – to avoid leaks

D) Crib bedding set

E) Fitted sheets (2 to 4) – You will want to wash these

2. Baby

A) Baby CDs with classical, lullaby, or fun music – Our son particularly enjoys Kenny G. We also found that a good Scripture CD is helpful. I'll get the name of it when I get home. Lol!

B) Receiving blankets (4 to 6) – This is what the baby will be in the first few weeks of his/her life.

C) Absorbent bibs (4 to 8 ) – These are a life saver! I would say 10 actually would still not be enough

D) Booties or socks (3 to 6 pair)

E) Shirts and one-pieces (6 to 8 )

F) Bouncer seat or Swing – Some people have one or the other. We were given both.

G) Stroller – Our child is a couple of months old now it comes in handy.

H) Rear-facing car seat – Can’t leave the hospital without one. This is where we carry the little one.

I) (If needed) Car seat base for 2nd car

J) (If needed) Sling or soft carrier – We found that we don’t particularly like these. Some people do.

K) Diapers – If buying disposable diapers Amazon Mom allows you to buy diapers at a 20% discount. For boys Pampers; for girls Huggies.

L) (If needed) If cloth diapers, plastic pants and/or Velcro® covers (6 to 12)

M) Diaper bag – We registered for 1 and got 4. The more the merrier. Keep an extra with diapers/wipes in the car.

N) Diaper and accessory organizers

O) Rash ointment and powder

P) Wipes (at least 2 packs at all times; don’t want to run out of these) – We prefer to buy in bulk.

Q) Washcloths (6 to 8 )

R) Gentle shampoo or body wash

S) Bathtub or contoured sponge

T) Hooded towels (2 to 4 )

U) Baby Monitor – We live in an apartment so we really haven’t used the one we got.

3. Just for Mom

A) Prenatal vitamins – One a Day is what my wife took.

B) Maternity wear (pants, comfortable shoes, etc.) – for 1st, 2nd, 3rd trimesters, as well as post-delivery; Wifey borrowed a lot of these as wow maternity clothes are so expensive!

C) Sleep pillow – Guys don’t generally like these but the ladies seem to love it. Very comfy to sleep in at night I hear.

D) Parenting magazine – helpful, my wife read these. I just went with the flow)

If Nursing:

E) Nursing bra – Cup sizes increase during pregnancy and especially if nursing.

F) Breastpump

G) Breastpads, shields, and cream

H) Lap pads (4 to 6) and burp cloths (3 to 4)

If Using Formula: (Keep in mind that not all women can nurse)

I) Formula

For Both Nursing or Formula

J) Nursing pillow and/or nursing stool

K) Bottles (6 to 8 of various sizes)

Sixth the essentials…

Bottom line you can never have enough burp cloths, diapers, and baby wipes. Remember you need a carseat to leave the hospital. Sign up for Amazon Mom and get a 20% discount on diapers in bulk and free delivery.

Hope this helps. This is an exciting time and will be a great adventure!

God bless,

GE

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The Scripture Lullaby CD is "Hidden in My Heart - A Lullaby Journey Through Scripture" Vol. 1 and Vol 2. Volume 2 is better.

We kept that CD going probably first the first two weeks of his life. He goes to sleep to it every night. :)

See: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0079K2WR8/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00AFU1J5K&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1B1WZKNQD1051MNZ94BS

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For my part, through 7 babies, it happened that I never used bottles at all, and never had a changing table. (I changed them on my own bed, with a very large waterproof mat under the baby.)

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Wow that is a long list of items. Having babies cost a lot. Lots to think about here.

I dont see the point in baby caps thought they almost always just try to remove them. Its hard to try to keep them on their heads.

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Wow that is a long list of items. Having babies cost a lot. Lots to think about here.

I dont see the point in baby caps thought they almost always just try to remove them. Its hard to try to keep them on their heads.

Yes, start saving up now! :) Lol

But children are a joy and totally worth it!

Yes, our son never did really like baby caps... He doesn't even sleep with anything on his head even though we've tried time and again. Ah well...

God bless,

GE

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For my part, through 7 babies, it happened that I never used bottles at all, and never had a changing table. (I changed them on my own bed, with a very large waterproof mat under the baby.)

Wow! 7 babies! That's great! Yes sometimes we don't use the changing table. On the go a diaper changing pad is great (ours rolls up). Most of the time we use that when we're out.

God bless,

GE

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Pretty good advice there... GE :) most of the time it is the wife that has to think of all those things. LOL

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