The wonderful feeling of overwhelm-ment (uh, I mean JOY!) of being a first-time mommy-to-be!
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| hours old Puppy.....<3 |
First of all, I remember the day the Big Dog and I registered when I was pregnant with Snip like it was yesterday. I remember meeting him at the store and walking, excitedly, to the baby aisle with that gun, ready to scan anything and everything I thought we might need. I remember then, both of us standing in that aisle and looking up and then looking at the Big Dog and almost feeling sick to my stomach. We were both so very overwhelmed. It was like "What have we gotten ourselves into???" And while our Snip was SO planned, and SO wanted, for a minute I think we both were scared out of our minds! Of course before you're a parent, or parent-to-be in this case, you walk past these aisles thinking "Eeek! So freaking cute!" Now, we were standing there, open-mouthed, staring at the 76 different kinds of bottles, 79 different kinds of nipples, plastic inserts or not? Formula??? Pacifiers, a gazillion bibs, pacifier cleaners? What the heck are those? Don't even get me started on when we looked at the car seats, pack 'n play, floor gym, etc. Baby wash, butt paste, baby powder, shampoo, bathtubs, hooded towels, wash cloths, blankets, Boppy, feeding chair...... And the aisle of baby toys? Are you serious? Ok. Breathe. Whatever...we just started gunning stuff. The only actual recommendation I'd had was for bottles. I gunned those babies up and felt super proud of myself. Now what?
Well, Momma, breathe, breathe, breathe. What does a baby really need? He/she (for simplicity's sake, from here on out, he) needs a place to sleep, some stuff to eat, stuff to wear, and something to poop and pee in. If you're breast feeding, you've already got one of those areas covered (and if you are, you'll need to look elsewhere for advice on pumps and stuff because I never breast fed). So that leaves sleeping spot, clothes, and diapers. But let me break this down so it's a little easier. Let's start with that newborn bundle of joy. Unfortunately, I have 0 experience with baby girls. I am, however, and expert in baby boys. And they have one very different need, especially in the beginning.
Newborn Needs:
***Keep in mind that the hospital will provide you with a long-sleeve onezie and enough diapers, wipes, Vaseline, receiving blankets, and alcohol wipes to get you through your stay and then some.
Little Body.
NEEDS
You'll want to have ALCOHOL and CUE TIPS on hand at home for when baby is tiny. We had a BOTTLE OF RUBBING ALCOHOL for at home and we used the ALCOHOL WIPES from the hospital for in the diaper bag. You need alcohol to clean around the umbilical cord stump until it falls off. *Tip here: use a cue tip and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Dip the cue tip in the alcohol, quickly clean around the stump, and lastly, just saturate that thing with alcohol. With our first two, we were so tedious about cleaning it so carefully, but then with our third, the doctor told us just to make sure it was constantly saturated with the alcohol with every diaper change. Our third baby's stump fell off in half the time as the older two.
If you have a baby boy, you will need VASELINE if you have your little man circumcised. I bought a big tub of it for home and also a small tube of it for our diaper bag. Stick a big ol' glob right on his little peep each time you change his diaper so that it doesn't stick. And I mean a BIG glob.
You can either chose to put little mittens on your baby's hands, or you can clip or file his nails. I chose to clip or file his nails. I actually got one of those BABY SAFETY KITS that had the thermometer, toothbrush, comb, brush, CLIPPERS, etc. It was really nice to have and I have used every single thing in it a million times. I found this one at Babies R Us and it looks like the Mother of All Safety Kits...if I was a first-time Momma, this would be one of the top things I registered for! It also has the soooo important SUCKER (ASPIRATOR) for baby's snotty nose. Very important!!
I'll probably mention this later when I talk about sleep/baths, but, it goes with little bodies, too! You'll want to have some kind of LOTION for baby's sensitive skin. Anything that Johnson and Johnson makes is good. However, we used the purple lavender lotion after every bath for all three of our kids. Our little Puppy has more sensitive skin than the other two boys, so we have also had to use Aveeno Eczema lotion with him on his legs and arms, and it works really well. It's really important to keep their skin hydrated. It dries out so quickly. I also used good ol' BABY OIL with my Puppy (again, lessons learned with his brothers) on his cheeks before bed sometimes and also on his head with a cotton ball, and he never got cradle cap. You'll also want an all-over body wash. I always used the Johnson and Johnson Head to Toe body wash. It's great for hair and skin. Smells great, too! I tried the generic kind, and I hated it.
Baby's get gas a lot. GAS DROPS are good to always have on hand. Get generic!
AND....here's my BIGGEST MUST-HAVE....for diaper rash, skip the Desitin, butt paste, whatever, and just do yourself a favor and buy VITAMIN A and D CREAM. It heals simple diaper rashes almost between changes and it's also great for chapped skin. I only used Desitin in the early parts of Snip's life. When he got his first awful diaper rash, the ped told me about A and D, and we never, ever used Desitin or anything else again....except or Puppy's awful rash that required a prescription. A and D is sold beside the other diaper rash creams.
Well, I think that sums up taking care of that little cherub's body! At least at first when they're all squishy and new. And this is more like the outside of the body. I'll get to eating in the next post! I'm sure I forgot something really obvious. I'm sure my friend (and others) would love to hear other mommies' thoughts on "must-haves" for those itty bitty newborns! Leave comments below and I'll be sure to pass them on to her!
~Bye for now......
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