Guest Post by Nichi Hirsch Kuechle
Have you ever noticed that when something *new* happens in your life you go out and spend money? For instance, when you get that new job, you shop for a new wardrobe, when you start dating a new guy, you go buy a new outfit, when you’ve had a bad day, you buy a pair of shoes.
Sound familiar? Preparing for your first baby is no different.
The minute we find out we are pregnant we start buying-just to be prepared, right?
Target has a sale on onesies and we are right there in line to buy four packs of them, because if there is one thing you know, it’s that babies go through a lot of onesies. Your mother-in-law comes into town to celebrate with you and, you go shopping. Outfits with ruffled edges, blankets with soft tags on the outside and diapers…oh, the diapers, those ultra big boxes begin to take up a lot of space, but they were on sale, so why not?
Going on these buying sprees while preparing for your first baby, are super fun! But when you’ve got a bun in the oven, however, they will leave you feeling unorganized if you don’t really know what you need.
For fifteen years I have been supporting women in their transition to motherhood as a parent coach and birth doula, and I’ve learned a few things about how to keep mom organized.
Preparing for Your First Baby
#1: When preparing for your first baby, you may be tempted to buy the crib first. It’s a huge expense and in reality most babies aren’t sleeping in them until around six months old. You have way more time to purchase a crib than you think. Start with a bedside bassinet, co-sleeper, pack’n’play, or easiest and most convenient is to keep baby in bed with you for the first few months and you’ll know when you’re ready for that crib. Then, you have time to catch it while it’s on sale or use money and gift cards from shower gifts to put toward this large expense.
#2: Highchairs are something I’m thrilled to say we never owned. They are typically so big and bulky and plastic and ugly and take up a chunk of space. There are small seats you can strap onto a kitchen chair you can use instead if space is an issue, or for us, we found a wooden restaurant high chair at a garage sale in mint condition for 5 buckaroos and it served us (no pun intended) for 3 years until our daughter was ready for a chair like everyone else.
As you are preparing for your first baby, you will most likely you will receive a high chair as a gift. Keep it in the box with the receipt taped to the side, so you can return or exchange it for exactly what you like and want. They are now coming out with some really cute and small wooden chairs that convert into tot chairs and eventually stepping stools, so check them out!
#3: Clothing…this one is tough because the stuff is so adorable these days. However, if you’re holding out for a surprise at the end of nine months on the sex of your baby (which is super fun, I highly recommend it), keep the tags on everything and create bags of where the items came from. Probably they are coming from one of three places people shop in your area for baby clothes, so mostly they should be easy to return or exchange. As you are preparing for your first baby, keep in mind that these little bundles of joy grow so quickly it’s likely you won’t use half of the clothes you have on hand.
#4: Breastpumps (the good ones, anyway) are expensive and worth it, HOWEVER, most moms won’t be pumping at all until around six weeks postpartum. You really need the first few weeks to establish your breastfeeding rhythm and the pump only occasionally comes in handy for that mom who is so engorged the baby can’t get a latch. You’ll have plenty of time to pump for when (if) you return back to work or for when you need a break now and again from the little cherub. Breastpumps are also a really individual choice. Some moms like the simple handheld versions and some like the big fancy dual action kind that allow you to multi task while you pump. Regardless, don’t open that box until you’re a day away from using it, when you can boil down the apparatus to sterilize before attaching it.
#5: Strollers are another item you’ll be glad you hung on to the receipt for. I highly recommend just wearing your baby. It’s the easiest way to get around, they are always warm and you can respond right away to his/her needs and build our confidence as well. There are a ridiculous number of strollers out there. I put one on my registry that you click the infant seat into and guess what? I NEVER used it. Lucky was the gal who got it after me! I carried my babies into and out of the car in a sling (at the time) and only needed a stroller when I was ready to start running again three months postpartum.
My father-in-law came to the rescue with a sweet jog stroller for Christmas that has well over 5,000 miles on it now that my oldest is eight. He knew exactly what I’d need: a weather cover for running in the rain/wind, it reclines, it’s rugged, has a sun shield, lots of pockets, easy to fold down and it’s become the ONE thing we always bring to the state fair because it holds all our gear for the day!
These are surprisingly personal in use and your choice isn’t what your neighbors or girlfriends might choose, so choose to your particular needs. Nod and smile when you open the huge box of apparatus that comes from grandma at your baby shower and say this, “thank you, we look forward to seeing how this fits our family”, and move on.
I recommend keeping these items in their boxes and keeping the receipts filed in an envelope and taped to your kitchen cupboard door. Or tape the receipts to the boxes, which will relieve a ton of hassle and headache when you realize what you do need and want to do some returns.
Preparing for your first baby doesn’t have to be expensive and you don’t need a mountain of apparatuses and toys cluttering up your home.
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About the Author
Nichole Hirsch Kuechle is a Parent Coach and Birth Doula. Her experience as a Postpartum Doula, Craniosacral Therapist and Certified Lifestyle Educator allows her the ability to work closely with families from preconception through early childhood.
She has authored the New Parent Tool Kit with tips on how to have a healthy pregnancy, how to support yourself in the postpartum stages and more! You can grab this for FREE by logging on to www.myhealthybeginning.com
