It doesn’t matter if this is your first baby or your fifth, there are preparations to be done BEFORE your baby arrives.
So, what should YOU stock up on before the baby arrives?
Well, there are the obvious baby things but have you stopped to think about how your life is going to change. Will it be as easy to run to the store and grab a few things? Possibly. But, these are the things you’ll want to grab just in case it’s not.
The best way to feel prepared for the arrival of your bundle of joy is to know what to stock up on before baby arrives! This is super easy!
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This list of essential baby items is the things you’ve probably already thought about stocking up on before the baby arrives. BUT, just in case you’ve forgotten what you need, or you’re totally new to this mom thing, let me help you out!
The Not-So-Obvious Household Items
This is the list of not-so-obvious household items to stock up on before the baby arrives. I would recommend having them stocked for at least a month or so. Why a month? Once you hit that one-month mark, you should (hopefully) feel up to getting out more often and be more confident in traveling with your baby.
I’ve given birth via c-section and natural delivery, and I know that each recovery is different. But, with both types of deliveries, I usually felt pretty good at one-month post-partum.
Toilet Paper
I feel like this one goes without saying, but I’m going to say it. Spend the money and buy some nice, soft toilet paper. If your lady parts get mutilated during delivery, you’ll want to have super soft toilet paper to use after your time with the peri-bottle.
Hand Sanitizer
When you have people coming to visit your baby, you’ll want to make sure that you have plenty of hand sanitizer on hand. Some people don’t wash their hands very well, so have a rule that they need to put hand sanitizer on before touching your baby.
Freezer Meals
I promise you that you aren’t going to want to cook for at least a couple of weeks after delivering a baby. Do yourself a favor and prepare a dozen or so freezer meals. They can be crockpot dump meals, or even something as simple as the makings for spaghetti. Just think of simple things that can be quickly and easily prepared without much thought or effort.
Quick Grab Snacks and Meals
From my personal experiences as a breastfeeding mom, I know that it can be challenging to even remember to eat. I know this may seem silly now, but it’s totally legit. It can be so easy to become consumed with taking care of your baby that you forget to take care of yourself. Find some really good protein bars, snacks high in protein, fruit, and quick-grab meals that are easy. Some of my favorites are Clif bars, carrots or pretzels and hummus, bananas, grapes, and things like that.
Friends Who Are Willing to Help
So maybe you can’t stock up on your friends but take inventory of the people in your life who have offered to help. And then, don’t be afraid to ask them to help. This can be super hard, especially as a new mom because you don’t want to seem like you can’t handle it. If the people who are offering to help you out have their children, then they totally get it! The first few weeks after giving birth are hard in a variety of ways. Ask for help and don’t be afraid to do it!
An Extra Set of Sheets (or 2)
Washing crib sheets in the middle of the night is not something you want to find yourself doing. Having extra sheets is a must. I think two or three sets of sheets should be sufficient.
A Variety of Types of Batteries
If you have a bouncer, a swing, or some other device that is going to be used to either console your baby or help them sleep, then make sure you are stocked up on the types of batteries they take. It is crushing when the baby is ALMOST asleep after a super challenging day, and the batteries go out on the noise machine.
Thank You Notes and Stamps
I hope that you are richly blessed with visitors, gifts, and homemade meals. Seriously, having people celebrate the birth of your baby is a blessing. The things they bring with them are icing on top of the cake. Make sure that you take a couple of minutes to write a note of appreciation to them. (And then, try not to misplace them and find those beautifully written notes in a stack together in a box 8 months AFTER you wrote them and thought you mailed them! EEEKkk! Totally serious on that one. – side note, I didn’t send them when I found them. I just made sure to tell the “funny” story to the people they were intended for.)
Laundry Detergent
As if your baby doesn’t do a great enough job keeping the diaper and wipes companies in business, they will make sure to support the laundry companies as well. Stock up on a couple of types of laundry detergent that aren’t scented. I LOVED Dreft when my babies were little. Although it can be a bit expensive, the scent of it still gives me all the baby feels.
Pet Food
This is one most people don’t think about because it always seems like it’s there… until it’s not. Make sure you have a month’s worth of pet food (and any other pet supplies) already at your house before your delivery date.
Care Items for the New Mom
Dry Shampoo!
This is my FAVORITE dry shampoo. It smells AMAZING, is free of all types of bad things you don’t want to put in your hair, and is pretty cheap for a pack of two!
A Variety of Pads (No Tampons!)
If this is your first baby, and you aren’t really sure what to expect in the postpartum period, let me be the first to tell you there will be blood. From my experience, the amount of bleeding for a c-section was very different than a vagin*l delivery. I feel like they clean things out better during a c-section, and I didn’t experience as much bleeding versus vagin*l delivery. Either way, make sure you’ve stocked up on a variety of levels of flow pads.
Comfortable Underwear
It doesn’t matter how your baby came into this world, make sure you have comfortable, breathable underwear. Certainly, this is most important for mommas who are giving birth via c-section, but you want to be comfortable no matter what. Grab some granny panties and call it a day!
Ice Packs
If you are planning to have a vagin*l delivery, ice packs are a must! I am not a huge fan of medication and I desire to go a more natural route for pain management. I did minimal doses of Tylenol, and then my main source of pain relief was ice packs. You can use regular sports injury ice packs wrapped in a towel or you can do one better and make padsicles. Pad-what? I know it sounded silly to me too, but they seriously are incredible! To make a padsicles, you just take a regular pad and put some water on it. Then lay it flat to freeze in the freezer. For what it’s worth, I even had 2nd-degreetearing and stitches, and it was super helpful. I know some people will use witch hazel and essential oils, but I just used good ole’ water.
Nipple Cream if Breastfeeding
When I gave birth, I was given a decent number of samples of nipple cream. Thankfully, I never needed more than that, but I think it’s a good idea to have a tube at your house in case you need it. You can always return it if it goes unused.
Baby Items
Diapers and Wipes
It goes without saying that you’re going to need diapers and wipes, and LOTS of them. I would HIGHLY suggest that you stock up on a variety of sizes and brands. This is so important because your baby may not come home in newborn-size diapers. (If you find this to be the case, look into exchanging them for the right size!) If you’re going to cloth diapers, make sure you have secured a good supply of inserts and shells. As for the wipes, seriously, ask for them for every holiday. Ok, that may be an exaggeration. Ok, then again maybe not. LOL
Burp Cloths
You will find that your burp cloth will become your all-purpose rag. It is super handy to have these in every room of the house because you never know when you’ll need to QUICKLY grab one. You may think you’ll only need them for baby puke, but they’re great for all kinds of things. I even kept a couple in my breast pump bag for when I was pumping at work or pumping on the go.
NB, 0-3 months and 3-6 Month Clothes
There are so many things that can happen that you need to be prepared with a variety of sizes of clothes. If you aren’t going to find out the gender of your baby, we NEVER have, then make sure you have some gender-neutral clothes. We were incredibly blessed with awesome gender-specific clothes once we had our babies. And, you never know how big or small your baby will be, so it doesn’t hurt to have plenty of clothes laundered and ready to be worn.
Bottles
Even if you plan to breastfeed exclusively, I suggest having a bottle or two on hand. I also suggest having a breast pump. There is a feeling of freedom that comes with being able to take a break. If you find yourself with a baby who is diagnosed with colic, you’ll need a break. Trust me on this one.
And, if it happens that you aren’t able to breastfeed for some unforeseen reason, it will be less stressful if you have some bottles available. Best case scenario, you don’t need them and can return them! These are the bottles I recommend for breastfed babies!
A Variety Pack of Pacifiers
Similar to the above recommendation, even if you don’t think you want to give your baby a pacifier, have them available. I know that we always had like 5-6 different types of pacifiers when our kids were born, per some great advice from a friend. Not every baby will like a certain type of pacifier, and when your baby is screaming at 2 am, you don’t want to find yourself going to the store. These are my favorite pacifiers for breastfed babies!
Other Baby-Prepping Things to Consider
Clean Your House
This may sound silly, but if you like to have a clean house, do it now while you can. Take advantage of the nesting stage of your pregnancy and do some deep cleaning. This way, once your baby arrives, you’ll have a couple of weeks to not think about cleaning.
Make Sure Work is Taken Care Of
If you’ll be going back to work after your baby, make sure you have everything prepared for the time you’ll be away bonding with your new baby. The last thing you want is to be getting phone calls and emails while you’re on maternity leave or coming back to a huge mess.
Set Up Your Childcare
If you have other children, you may want to consider setting up some play dates for your kids. This will allow your kids to get out and play which they may not be able to do right away. It will also allow you some important bonding time with your new baby. Also, make sure you have someone lined up to care for your kids while you’re delivering your baby.
Prepare Freezer Meals
Having a freezer full of prepared meals is a lifesaver for a new mom. It’s super convenient to be able to pull a plastic bag of food out of the freezer and put it in the crockpot to cook. This is a worthwhile time investment before your baby is born.
More Awesome Baby Posts:
Minimalist Baby Registry- What Do You Need?
When to Start Buying Baby Stuff
Baby Items You Can Do Without
7 Baby Items You’ll Use Into Childhood
The Best Baby Travel Systems for First-Time Parents
Fun Baby Shower Songs for a Great Party!
Baby Essentials List for the First Year
Stock Up on the Essentials, Be Grateful Later
Having your home prepared to bring home your baby will help set your mind at ease.
And, as a new parent, it’s unlikely that you’ve thought of these things because you haven’t brought a new baby from the hospital yet. That’s one of the best parts of getting advice from a mom who’s been there!
I hope I haven’t forgotten anything, but if I have, let me know! Chances are, you’re already way ahead and you have most of this already covered! Yay, you!
Congratulations on your baby and best wishes in the journey ahead!
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