Based on personal experience, a huge amount of self-control is required to prevent yourself from buying all those cute baby items in shops in anticipation of the arrival of your new baby. When I was pregnant with my first baby, it seemed like a huge invisible magnet kept pulling me towards the baby section and once I got there, let’s just say it was very hard to resist. Babies quickly outgrow many items and also have no need for many of those offered in the stores today. So what should you buy and how many? Here are some tips that expectant parents can use in preparing for the arrival of the newest member of the family:
* Try to hold off on buying items until after the baby shower. Often with the first child you will receive many gifts from friends and relatives at your baby shower. You may also receive gift cards that you can use in buying the things that your baby will need, such as clothing, bedding and furniture. Postponing your shopping until after the baby shower will prevent you from receiving duplicate items.
* Prepare a list of the basics. In the first few months of your baby’s life, he/she will most likely sleep, feed, sleep and feed. Babies don’t really care too much about the things going on around them. They will just cry when hungry and sleep most of the time. That’s how simple a baby’s life can be. Create a list of the things that are truly essential. You can always buy items as the need arises.
* Accept hand-me-downs or buy second-hand baby items. You don’t have to feel bad for not buying brand new items for your dear little one. They won’t know. Buying good quality second hand can save your money and enable you to buy other items you would like for your baby. With second hand baby clothes, you can clean them up using mild detergents and fabric softener to make them seem like new. I even used a mild baby soap bar to wash the clothes that were handed down by my elder sister’s son.
* Prepare a fuss-free baby nursery. Babies will never remember what their nurseries looked like. Keep things simple and avoid the frills. Most of the time, over-decorated nurseries will only serve its purpose in photographs. For safety reasons, it is best to minimise all the frills in the cot, so really they are pointless. A good nursery should have a cot where baby can sleep comfortably, a change area, a few baby-safe toys that they can play with and all the other basics like blankets to keep him warm.
Being a first time parent can be overwhelming, however it doesn’t need to be. Good luck and enjoy your baby – remember you are the most important thing in his/her life.