Baby Basics
What You Really Need for a New Baby
Pregnant women and new mothers are inundated by advice from their families, their in-laws, friends, and strangers. People I do not know are always giving me unsolicited advice and opinions. The grocery store and the swimming pool are full of baby experts. So what equipment and gadgets are really needed for the new baby? If shopping at a "baby" store, the options can be overwhelming. I recommend that the women in my childbirth classes ask their friends with babies what items they find most useful with a newborn and why. The bottom line on what is truly needed depends on the immediate family: mother, father, and baby.
Newborns just want to be loved, fed, held, and changed. Newborns' primary focus is bonding with their parents. They could care less if they have a nursery, a beautiful changing table, or a mural on the wall. They want to look into the eyes of their parents and receive the warmth of their bodies. Babies' needs are really quite simple.
Before we had our first baby, we acquired a crib, diapers, a snuggly to carry the baby, a few outfits, and a car seat. After the baby arrived, many friends and relatives gave us gifts. People love giving baby presents. We received many presents from my mother's friends, some of whom we had never met. One of my friends from high school thanked me for having a baby because it gave her the opportunity to shop for baby clothes.
As a mother of five, I have accumulated many baby gadgets over the years. The most important items are a car seat, a sling or some device to help carry the baby, diapers, a crib or cradle with a mattress and sheets, and some clothes. My favorite gadget is called "My Breast Friend."
The hospital staff in the state of New Jersey is required by law to see that the newborn is safely buckled into a car seat when leaving the hospital. It works best to have an infant car seat for your newborn. Many times the baby will fall asleep in the car and when you carry the baby in the house or on the errand you can just leave the baby sleeping in the car seat. Make sure that the car seat works in your car and that you know how to properly install it in the car as well as how to buckle in the baby. Some assertive mothers get the store employees to let them try the car seats in their car before they select one to purchase.
Since the baby will not always be in the car, it is helpful to have another way to carry the baby besides the portable car seat. Babies love to be held. Slings and snugglies allow the baby to have contact with the mother but leave hands free to do things like shop or fold laundry. "Wearing the baby" allows him or her to hear mother's heart beat and is simpler than negotiating a stroller in aisles and on escalators. Babies love to be squished up next to their parents because that is similar to how they were positioned in the mother's uterus. A device to "wear" the baby can help simplify your life. Snugglies are front carries with clips that the adult wears. Slings are simpler to put on and have many more options on ways to put the baby in but this type of carrier may take more practice to become accustomed to it. Slings come in many colors and patterns. Most can be used until the baby is 30 lb. It takes a little bit of time to get used to using a sling or snuggly but is well worth the effort.
Parents are told to expect to change eight to ten wet diapers a day. However, some newborns wet or soil their diapers every half hour to two hours. Changing diapers obviously is a very integral part of newborn care. Diapers are a very useful gift for any new baby. When buying disposable diapers, they are least expensive if bought in bulk such as by the case. Changing the baby's diaper every two to three hours helps prevent leakage, diaper rash, and tends to make a happier baby.
Where will the baby sleep? Newborns can sleep anywhere, hence the saying "sleep like baby." Most babies do not care where they sleep. The average newborn will sleep about 20 hours a day. The standard in the United States is a crib. The May 2004 Consumer Reports gives the most up-to-date information on baby cribs. Any salesperson in a store selling cribs is happy to tell why their cribs are safe and wonderful.
The baby also needs clothes to keep warm. It is best to dress the baby with the same number of layers as the mother is dressed. Undershirts and onesies (undershirt that snap at the crotch) are great. White are nice because they are easiest to bleach when they become soiled. Washing all baby clothes before the first wearing and double rinsing the clothes for the first four months is generally recommended to help remove the soap residue since babies are born with sensitive skin. Since babies sleep most of the time, I frequently dress my babies in pajamas. Outfits that have front closures and large head openings are easiest to put on and take off the baby. Some days a newborn will need five changes of clothes in one day.
"My breast friend" is a great gadget. This large flat foam pillow is secured with a Velcro strap around the mother's waist perfectly positioning the baby to the breast for nursing. It alleviates positioning difficulties. It also helps support the baby if an older child wishes to hold the baby. Since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all babies are breastfed as soon as possible after birth and breastfed for at least one year, this is a great help to facilitate breastfeeding.
New parents may be overwhelmed in choices of what to buy the baby. Babies do not need a lot of equipment and gadgets. They just want your love and time. Shopping for baby items, having a baby shower, and stocking a nursery may be a lot of fun but mom and dad is what your baby wants most.