What do you REALLY need when getting ready for your delivery day?

Working with pregnant families, we frequently hear anxiety-filled complaints of there not being enough time to get everything ready before baby comes. We would like to offer some help prioritizing what really needs to be done.

Your baby doesn’t know if she has a 3 piece bedroom set assembled in the nursery or that his Dwell bedding is on backorder. Babies require very little! They need something to eat (boobs….. no assembly required), somewhere safe to sleep, a sling or carrier to be worn in, a carseat, a few cotton sleepers, and some diapers. Really! That is all… oh, and someone to hold them – all the time.

Now we appreciate that between Babies ‘R Us and your local baby boutiques you will acquire so much more, but you do not need it before you deliver. You do not know what your birth and postpartum period is going to look like. So let’s first see what happens, and then purchase according to need. For example, you may need an electric pump due to your milk supply (or lack thereof) but you will not know this until day 7 or so after you deliver. On the flip side, you may spend $600 on an electric pump before you give birth and you discover after delivering that you produce enough milk to feed an army of babies, in which case you could hand express or not pump at all.

We see many parents buying bassinets, play yards, cribs and co sleepers prenatally, which is premature, as you cannot predict what will work for you and your newborn! It is purely trial and error. Your baby may love co-sleeping (please contact us for safe co-sleeping instructions) and now you have a bassinet taking up precious floor space in your bedroom and turning into the master bedroom catchall rather than infant sleeping quarters.

You may order a fancy jogging stroller only to find out you do not like jogging with your baby, or buy bottles, warmers and sterilizers only to have your baby never use a bottle. You get where we are going with this – instead of scanning lists of mom-must-haves-for-2011 or of toys that have been recalled, enjoy your pregnancy and last bit of hands free time (for a while anyway)! Visit friends, take prenatal classes (knowledge is power as you enter the world of so many unknowns), SLEEP, and enjoy time with your partner and loved ones. Getting ready for your delivery day ensures you can embrace the moment with confidence and peace of mind. Check things no one tells you to pack in your hospital bag for delivery

When it comes to baby products, less is more! Your bank account and living room floor will thank us later.