Want to know the most important things and all those essentials that you’re going to need to have in your house before the baby arrives? Well, buckle up mama-to-be I am here to give you all my best recommendations.
Now, this is not covering things baby needs, this is covering things that you may need to keep your sanity right before the baby gets here.
When baby gets here you’re going to have a lot less time on your hands and you’re going to be getting a lot less sleep. You’re absolutely going to want to stay inside a lot more because you don’t want to expose the baby to all those germs right away.
So here are all the things I’d suggest you stock up on before baby arrives!
1. MEALS!
People may bring meals for you while you’re in the hospital or after you have a baby. BUT- I always suggest having a decent amount of meals stocked up in your freezer before the baby gets here.
If you’ve never done freezer cooking before, check out this post or you can check out my freezer meal guide right here.
The freezer meal guide outlines exactly how to make a month’s worth of meals in one day for hours. It’s genius and meals are going to become very stressful very fast with a new babe!
After having a baby, your body needs the calories and the baby needs the calories from you if you’re breastfeeding.
Even if you’re not breastfeeding, you need the energy from the food to heal and you DON’T need the stress of cooking every day.
Right now with a new baby, it is not time to be spending and eating out all the time either!
I usually recommend having a month’s worth of meals in your freezer as a great way to stress less and save money after giving birth.
General Household items
The next thing on the list is all those general cleaning products and household things that you’re going to want a decent amount before the baby gets here.
These are going to be things like toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products and sanitizing products.
For Laundry detergent that’s baby safe, I usually just suggest having a fragrance free. It doesn’t have to be Deft or baby laundry detergent. Those companies are charging you extra money for the word “baby”.
Having at least a month’s stock of these things on hand will make sure that you don’t have to go to the grocery for something random.
You’ll also have better peace of mind that you have everything you need right at home as soon as you need it, not when you realize that you’re out of paper towels, and you have a mess.
Diapers and wipes
Diapers and wipes might sound obvious, but make sure to have different sizes of them before the baby arrives!
I would not buy a ton of newborn diapers until you know you may need them, like if baby is born early or small.
For newborn diapers, stock up at the hospital! When they roll that cart in with diapers just stick them in your baby’s bag and let them bring more the next time they take the baby back.
Size ones are usually a good bet to really stock up on, even size twos as well!
Now of course, I’ve had two babies that are the exception to that rule. Both of my little ones were five pounds when they were born so I ended up needing a lot more newborns than I thought.
I still would not stock up a ton on newborns because some stores will make it difficult to take back diapers!
Usually, Walmart is one that’s easier to take them back to, but I’ve heard stores like Target are more difficult so you’ll have to feel it out as you go.
I buy wipes by the box, like a massive box of wipes usually about 1000 or so at a time, because it’s cheaper to do it that way. I recommend starting with fragrance-free wipes because babies’ skin can be sensitive!
Want my FREE Ultimate Pregnancy Checklist? Check it out here!
Hand Sanitizer and unscented lotion
Hand Sanitizer and unscented lotion are always on my list for new parents. You can always wash your hands too if you don’t have any hand sanitizer on hand.
But, especially with a new baby, you want to be conscious of the germs so they don’t get sick.
I say unscented lotion because babies have really sensitive little skin. If you’re putting lotion on yourself, it needs to be unscented because you’re going to have the baby up against you.
I would buy unscented baby lotion as well!
This is obviously somewhat a personal preference, I have two children with sensitive skin and the fragrance has always been a no-no for them. When my son was in the NICU this was in their guidelines as well!
Pads and granny panties
This one goes to you postpartum Mama, you’re going to want to have very large pads and granny panties at your house.
Granted, if you can take the mesh underwear home from the hospital, you’ll probably be covered in the panty department. Plus, make sure to grab that pack of pads that they brought in for you at the hospital. They are WAY better than your typical pads.
It never hurts to have more at home, get the extra long ones, so that you’re always covered.
Paper plates and utensils
Lastly, I’m gonna suggest that you get lots of paper plates and plastic utensils that you can throw away.
While this might not be as environmentally friendly as you want- the truth of the matter is when you are a new parent (with a small tiny baby who may or may not be screaming all the time) it is very hard to keep up with the household chores.
So taking away a few dishes can actually be a massive help to your overall mental health.
So how are you feeling mama? Ready for that baby?
If you need a little more guidance you can grab my Ultimate Pregnancy Checklist right here!
DavetteB
Tuesday 12th of January 2021
when you're getting the pads and diapers from the hospital, ask the nurses for more Tucks pads/witch hazel pads too - you'll thank me later!