Thursday 20 February 2014

New mums! Add these to your shopping list!

Bassinet? Check. Change table? Check. 64 singlets and 182 onesies in sizes 0000 and 00? Check. Yeah, you need that stuff, for sure. It makes life easier, but really, if it came down to it, you could share your bed, change bub's nappy on the floor, and have a wardrobe of 4 singlets and 5 onesies and still be fine. Read on to find out what you REALLY need...
  1. A night light (or dimmer switch). Unless you want to fall on your arse, or attach your newborn to your elbow, or stick a bottle teat up their nostril.
  2. Ocky straps. If you don't know what these are, I'm not sure you're fit to be a parent. You can try to use those drawer lock thingos, or the fridge lock, but they're a pain to line up and screw in, and the stick on kind are no good against a determined baby. Get creative with ocky straps. The little bugger darling will never get into the cutlery drawer or pantry with one of those in place. Of course, neither will you, but the sacrifice is worth the safety of your child.
  3. Noisy toys. Don't listen to other people. Noisy toys are great! You quickly learnt to tune them out once you realise you can use them to distract your child while you make a mad dash to the loo or organise yourself a snack. Flashing lights are a must.
  4. This thing.
  5. Parenting books. Just kidding
  6. Paracetamol. Don't be shy about giving it, especially when bubs is teething. What do you do when you have a headache or a toothache? Exactly. 
  7. A sling or wrap. Hands free makes your life that much easier, and who wouldn't want their tiny baby close enough to kiss when doing the food shop or out for a walk? We both loved ours, and still use them almost daily (yes, we have a few).
  8. A big, comfy rocking chair. Make sure it's big enough to fit a toddler across it. We didn't really use ours until O was older and needed less milk and more cuddles to help him back to sleep. Make it a big plush one. Spare no expense and your arse will thank you for it (and your back. And your shoulders). We probably would have used ours more, but it wasn't that comfy. We bought another one from gumtree when it became apparent that we were going to spend hours-on-end in it.
  9. A universal remote. In the early days, keep it in your back pocket, so that no matter where you find yourself sitting in the lounge to feed, you can watch your stories. Once you have a toddler, give him the old TV remote (batteries removed, of course). Maybe still keep the universal in your pocket.
  10. Confidence. Fake it til you make it. You'll be fine :)