By Jeana Lee Tahnk
There is so much excitement surrounding the impending birth of ababy that sometimes the nine months just fly by. OK, maybe not themorning sickness phase, but after that, time seems to accelerate untilthe birth day. Each of my three pregnancies went by quickly, but it'sfunny how my level of preparedness decreased dramatically with eachprogressive pregnancy.
With my first pregnancy, I read all the books nightly, kept apregnancy journal, bought tiny little onesies, washed them in thegentlest baby detergent, arranged the changing table with diapers andwipes and had a fully stocked nursery. All at around seven monthspregnant.
During my second pregnancy, I was busy with a toddler in tow, sonaturally, I didn't have as much energy and time. Nonetheless, I stillmanaged to get some hand-me-downs and stock up on the essentials withprobably a month to spare.
Pregnancy No. 3 was a whole different scenario. We had gotten ridof our crib after our second child moved to a regular bed and we didn'thave even the barest baby essentials. With just a few weeks left in mypregnancy, we realized we needed to get into baby mode-and fast. Thosewere busy weeks! Luckily, we got it all done in time and had a stockednursery when the baby was born.
Based on personal experience, here are 10 things I'd recommend stocking in your nursery:
Diapers:
Of course! When you're changing these 10to 12 times a day at the beginning, these are a stock-up must-have. I'mtalking multiple boxes of size 1 diapers. Yes, you do go through thatmany.
Wipes:
Necessary accompaniment to items mentioned above.
Wipes warmer:
Some people see this as unnecessary,but I personally used one for each baby. Those middle of the nightdiaper changes are a lot less jarring when the wipes are nice and warm.
Onesies:
Regardless of what time of year it is,short- and long-sleeve onesies are the easiest to change your littlebaby in and out of.
Waterproof changing pads:
I put these anywhere Ichange the baby's diaper to protect whatever I'm doing the changing on.And they're also great to stuff one into your diaper bag as addedinsurance during your one of many daily diaper changes.
Socks:
I try to use footie pants or zipperedsleepers whenever possible, but if not, socks are a must-have forkeeping those little tootsies warm. They also make a great stand-in asmittens to keep babies from scratching their faces.
Hand sanitizer:
I bought several pumps anddispersed them around the house, especially at the front door. With somany visitors and people who want to touch and hold the baby, handsanitizer is your friend.
Nursing pillows:
Between ones passed on fromfriends and ones I held onto, I somehow ended up with four nursingpillows by my third baby. While that seems excessive, it was awfullynice to have one in each of the main rooms I was nursing in, withouthaving to constantly schlep one upstairs and downstairs.
Receiving blankets:
I always had a few receiving blankets on hand to use as swaddlers, blankets, play mats, burp cloths.
Burp cloths:
Speaking of burp cloths, these are amust have for those spitty-uppy babies and to wipe the constant droolthat starts flowing at around four months.
There are lots of lists of "essentials" out there, but the truth isthat you don't need much for a newborn. The items listed here arerecommendations, and of course, there are things you can't get bywithout, such as diapers and wipes. But ultimately, lots and lots oflove is what you'll be fully stocked with after baby arrives, and thatcertainly goes a long way.
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