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New Baby Advice:
The Top 5 Things To Get Through The First Week Home With Baby
Being pregnant is one of the most exciting times in a woman’s life. The realization that you have a human life in you is amazing. For some first time mommies, the world of baby gear and products can be so confusing. We all get advice from friends and family as to what we will need when baby arrives.
We have nine months to assemble everything we think we will need. Will you use half of the things you received as gifts from your baby shower? Probably not. Some of the baby items you get such as an excersaucer will not be needed until your baby is a few months old.
When I became pregnant with my first child, I knew the basic things I would need for him such as a crib, bassinet, and of course diapers. There were so many other little extras that I wondered if I would need. I spent a lot of time on the computer researching these things. I didn’t have any prior experience with babies as I had no younger siblings. Also as a teenager I had only babysat for preschool aged children.
The stay at the hospital was great. My husband and I never changed one diaper. The nurses seemed to be in control and take care of most of the baby’s needs. It wasn’t soon after we got home that confusion and fear started to set in. I’ll never forget the first hour after we brought him home.
Our quiet, sleepy baby started screaming almost immediately after we walked through the front door. I frantically glanced over the house, looking at all of the baby items we had stacked everywhere. There were so many things that we received from our baby shower. But which ones would get us through that first week?
As I look back on it now, there were many things that we hardly used or never used at all. There were a few smaller items that we overlooked. And there are a few things that I could not have lived without. The following is the top 5 things you cannot be without for that first hectic week home.
Pacifiers-When our son started crying when we first came home, the first thing I did was to check his diaper. I changed his diaper and he was still crying. He had a bottle before we left the hospital so I knew he wasn’t hungry. After rocking him gently for an hour while he was going in and out of crying fits, we realized we hadn’t yet opened up any of the pacifiers.
My husband opened the package and popped one in his mouth. We couldn’t believe it. He stopped crying instantaneously. There is even research suggesting that the use of pacifiers can help to prevent SIDS(sudden infant death syndrome).
Diaper Genie-We were on the fence about getting this but it turned out to be an extremely useful item. On average, newborns can go through 12 diapers a day. That’s a lot of dirty diapers. I barely had any sleep those first few weeks. I didn’t have time to run each diaper outside to the garbage pail. The diaper genie was convenient and really contained the odor.
Diaper Cream and Vaseline Because babies go through so many diaper changes in one day, they can be prone to diaper rash. Diaper creams such as Desitin and Balmex are must-haves. However, I have found through my personal experience that Vaseline works even better than the diaper creams. It stays on longer and leaves a better protective layer over the skin.
Gas Medicine Most babies develop gas at some point. Some get it worse than others. It can be caused by many things and sometimes it takes a few days before it passes through their system and they begin to feel better. Liquid gas medicine like Mylicon Gas Drops really help to reduce the amount of gas in your baby’s sensitive digestive tract. When they feel better, they sleep better. And when they sleep, you sleep.
Baby Swing- Although babies enjoy being held close by their mothers, they definitely like motion. Our first born was a high needs type of baby. He needed to be held almost all day. Since it was impossible for me to do that, I had to find something that was soothing to him. The swing filled that need for the both of us.
There are so many great features on swings. Your baby can rock, swing, listen to soothing music, or play with the attached toys when they get older. Our son stayed in the swing for hours. Besides the car, it was one of the few places he would stay asleep. |
