Preparing for the Baby: Things to Do Before Your Bundle of Joy Arrives
Whether you are expecting your first or fourth child, giving birth will always be an emotional roller coaster. Having a baby is a wonderful experience, but it can also be exhausting and overwhelming. Especially during the newborn stage, WHEN you may find it challenging to do previously usual duties owing to a lack of time, stamina, or both. Here are some ideas and ways to prepare before giving birth that will help you savour those precious, brief moments with your newborn.
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Have All of the Baby Essentials Ready
Certain items should be purchased, constructed, and tested before the baby arrives to ensure that they work and that you understand how to use them. When it comes to baby gear, hold on to the ‘less is more” mentality. A properly mounted car seat and a safe place for a baby to sleep, such as a bassinet or cot, are the essentials you need to take care of first. If you want to use other things, such as an infant swing or changing tables, you’ll need to set aside time to assemble and test them as well.
Some items won’t be necessary until the baby is older, but if you have the storage room, you may want to take care of that as well. Some pregnant women experience panic around the need to have everything ready and this is the ideal time to channel that energy into your list of essentials. Having a complete nursery room, as well as lots of seasonally suitable clothes, baby utensils, diapers, wipes and baby toys will provide you with peace of mind.
Infant Toys Are a Crucial Part of a Child’s Development
Babies enjoy looking at people and following them with their eyes. That is what they are typically mostly drawn to in their first weeks and it’s how they learn to mimic and adapt to their surrounding.
Toys Appropriate for Infants
Rattles, huge rings, squeeze toys, teething baby toys, soft dolls, textured balls, and vinyl and board books are all wonderful toys that you can get for your bundle of joy. With the help of the right infant toy babies can reach for, grip, suck on, shake, and create noise with it – all crucial steps towards building their motor skills. Books featuring nursery rhymes and poems, as well as recordings of lullabies and simple melodies, are good things to stock on as well.
Toys for Older Infants — 7 to 12 Months
Older babies move quickly, progressing from rolling over and sitting to scooting, bouncing, crawling, pulling themselves up, and standing. They can identify body parts, detect hidden objects, and put things in and out of containers, as well as understand their own names and other common words. Appropriate toys during this time can be balls, building blocks, and wooden toy vehicles.
Toys Suitable for Babies Older Than One
When your little one is moving onto the toddler stage, it’s smart to introduce toys for pretend play including baby dolls, puppets, plastic and wood vehicles with wheels, and water toys. Big soft bricks and wooden cubes can be used to build figures. Large balls, push and pull toys, and low, soft objects to crawl over are all good ways for them to exercise their muscles.
Baby-Proofing Your Home Is Crucial
It will be some months before babies can walk on their own, but there are still baby proofing tasks you must complete to keep your newborn safe. And you’re not just looking for items that could injure your child; anything that could harm you while you’re holding your infant (think slippery floors and wobbly furniture) will need to be handled as well. Here are some other safety measures you should consider:
- Use safety padding to protect all sharp furniture edges and corners.
- Use safety plugs or block all open outlets with furniture.
- Secure any drawers, doors, or cupboards that are within the baby’s reach.
- If you use gas or oil appliances or have a connected garage, install a UL Listed carbon monoxide detector on each storey of your home. Check the batteries in any existing detectors.
- Place smoke detectors on each floor of your home, as well as in hallways outside of bedrooms.
- Purchase and learn how to use a fire extinguisher.
- Maintain a well-stocked medicine cabinet or first-aid kit.
- Save emergency contacts and medical information to your phone, which may be accessible even when the phone is locked.
Ready-Made Meals (for the Whole Family)
Consider pre-making and freezing meals in the weeks preceding up to your due date so you aren’t scrambling for food or depending on less healthy packaged and take-out options. There are various healthy and wholesome recipes available online that are simple to prepare and can be frozen and reheated. Doubling the recipe for something you’re regularly eating for dinner is an obvious thing to stock your freezer with. It’s easy to get caught up in caring for a newborn, but it’s also crucial for parents to look after themselves by eating whole foods and drinking plenty of water.
Attend to Your Preventive Healthcare Appointments
Perhaps all of your healthcare has been pregnancy-related in the run-up to your baby’s delivery. However, before the baby’s birth, you should attend to other routine healthcare procedures. Preventative care should include visits to the dentist and optometrist. If you need dental treatment, new glasses, or contacts, take advantage of the time you don’t have to worry about bringing your bundle of joy with you to those appointments.
Prepare for Your Due Date
As the due date approaches, you should begin preparing for your hospital stay. This includes learning the best routes to the hospital and preparing baggage in case you need to leave right away.
At the end of it all, take time for yourself. Indulge in gentle yoga, breathing exercises, and anything else that brings you peace. Trust the process as it is normal and natural and remember that you don’t have to be and can never be perfect in your preparation for this great responsibility. So take care of what you can, and remember that your parental love is what your child needs most and that comes for free!
