I found this old post sitting in my drafts.

Having read it now I’m loving it! And it reminds me that I need to get some of it for baby boy Nr 2’s arrival.

A while ago when I wrote about Stuff and Things for new parents I asked friends about tips on what isn’t really necessary and what was really good stuff for when being a new parent. I got inundated with great tips for what to get for the mama-to-be and also of course for the new baby. So this is kind of a continuing post. Or a v2 if you’d like.

Becoming a new parent is amazing, thrilling, exciting but also super scary at times.

I’ve put together a little list of things to prepare for the parents before baby arrives. Prepare in advance as once you have your little one in your arms it’s very hard to think of anything else for a while.

1. Pre-cook food or get easy-to-cook stuff to fill your freezer up with. This will make such a difference for you as you will not remember to eat properly and least of all cook food. You need something you can just pop in the oven or microwave during those first days and weeks when the world is slightly tilted.

2. Make sure to have water bottles easy at hand. It’s very important to stay hydrated for the new mum. Well for anyone really. But especially if the new mum is breastfeeding. Then you need to double up on your normal intake of fluids. The bottle I used until I accidentally dropped it and it broke was this one from Mui. A bit on the heavy side as it’s of glass but its great to drink from and it’s obviously reusable.

3. Thermal mugs. That tea and/or coffee will very quickly go cold. Or rather, you’ll very quickly forget about it because your baby is doing something that craves your attention. So a thermal mug will be appreciated, believe me. I don’t have a thermal mug but I wish I did when we were in the newborn haze. I probably would have gotten something like this one.

4. Comfortable sweatpants or leggings or other comfortable clothing of choice. Let’s face it, in the first week or maybe weeks for some (more like months for me), you’re not gonna spend much time out of the home. So get comfy and start the baby snuggling.

5. Cleansing Wipes everywhere. Both for your baby and for you. get the water wipes for your newborn and get some nice cleansing wipes for you. There will be times when you won’t remember when you last showered. Those times you will love the cleansing wipes. We’re using Mama Bear. We tried a few different ones and these seems to work best for Alfies skin. And the plus side is they’re bio-degradable.

6. Comfortable panties. Might sound silly and you’re thinking you can just use the ones you have. But oh man do I wish I had gotten new ones a size or two bigger than my normal size for the first time after the baby was born. Those massive maternity pads, the stitches, all of it… Next time I’ll for sure have a stash of big grandma pants at the ready. Also because you’re body is not the same size it used to be, so get big and comfy.

7. Snacks. Try to get healthy snacks though as it’s far too easy to just get crisps and chocolate and sweets. I mean who am I to dictate that – you do you! But you’re going to want to have snacks easy at hand to just keep you going in-between the baby feeds but when you’re not super hungry or not able to even pop something in the microwave.

8. Get yourself a little ‘I’m so awesome I’m the best parent’ award/present. Now don ‘t go too big as we all know being on maternity leave is by no means going to make you rich. But just something for you to celebrate parenthood and how awesome you are at it. Well Done! You are taking care of a tiny human being! AWESOME!!!

I think that will be a good start to get you to prepare to be prepared.
I’ve linked a few items that we’re using, and of course these are just a few suggestions that might help in those early times with the new bubs.

Enjoy your day and hopefully you’ll get to sleep well, even if it’s only five minutes at a time.
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