Knowing The Necessities and Accessories With A New Born

Before having my new born, there was SO much items I got either free, gifted or bought. It’s amazed me just how much I haven’t needed! In this blog, I’m going to help you prepare for a new born with what items are necessities and accessories.

Firstly, let’s talk about accessories; things that look lush but don’t serve much purpose or that are really not needed so much.

• Changing mats – where these can be practical mostly for traveling and easy to take to places e.g visiting family, they are actually quite messy when changing your baby and they have an accident. Due to being waterproof the accident stays and your baby gets messy so easily and it takes longer to clean up as well as longer time cleaning your baby.
• Feeding pillows – where these look super comfy and cute, it actually makes feeding a bit more difficult and they take up quite a bit of room.
• Prep Machine – where this looks super cool and a good bit of electronics to have in the house, a kettle is much better due to being much more sterile and you don’t have to worry too much about cleaning and worrying about any bacteria that may get trapped as it would in a prep machine.
• Joggers or jeans type outfits – for a newborn these are great for a photo shoot or a day out but practically speaking, it is a lot more difficult and time consuming to put these on! New borns have accidents and also suffer with colic so the tight waistband of these can make your baby a lot more uncomfortable.
• Fancy bottles and teats – this is the most important lesson I have learnt! Don’t buy too many of these until you have had your baby. When in hospital, there are two different types of teats and you will learn what works best for your baby whilst in hospital. When you go home, you can buy what works best then to save wasting money on bottles and teats!
• Fleece type blankets – where these are good for walks in the pram, practically for moses baskets and cribs these aren’t ideal! Your baby over heats so quickly with these and can cause your baby to become dehydrated and unwell very quickly.
• Pre made milk (if you are formula feeding) – I thought this would be most handy to have! The pre made milk takes longer to heat up than what it does to cool down a fresh made bottle with powdered formula.
• Maternity clothes – over priced and buying a size or two up saves you A LOT of money. I personally found the maternity jeans SO uncomfortable.

Of course, every baby is different so some things that one baby likes, another may not. For safety and great advice, read those booklets your health visitor gives you! They are packed full of great information and are so helpful.

Now for the necessities! Things that you need close by at all times and a stock of!

• Size 1 nappies – have a good stock of nappies! Even in your hospital bags for going into hospital. Try a few different brands or stick to one, whatever works best for your baby makes a happy baby. It’s handy to store some next to your bedside; which I’ll elaborate on in my next point.
• A storage caddy – these are so handy for keeping items close by, keeping them tidy and organised! In my caddy I have nappies, sudocrem, nappy sacks, wipes, sleep suits, vest suits, bibs, coconut oil, bed time oil, a fresh towel, the red book, cotton wool pads and soothers.
• Lots and lots of hooded towels – these are fantastic for nappy changes (any accidents are quickly absorbed) as well as their main purpose at Bath time.
• Coconut oil – this is a great way to keep your babies dry skin at bay and really good for massage time! It contains no perfumes and is totally natural.
• A bath support sponge – you can get these on amazon and I’m so glad I got one! You can use them in the sink, bath or in a baby bath to keep your baby supported during bath time. Making bath time so much easier.
• Drawers specifically for baby stuff – however many drawers you have, it’s good to keep your baby’s clothes, nappies, bathing items etc in their own drawers so it is easy to find them.
• Variety of sized clothing – now this is a BIG one! Different places are differently sized with clothing and it is super frustrating. So it’s good to shop around and get a variety of sized items.
• Cellular blankets – you can never have too many! You’d be surprised just how many you use and go through daily.
• An electric or cold water steriliser – both of these are just as good as the other. The cold water steriliser is great for keeping items in there for upto 24 hours if you don’t need them constantly and the electric steriliser is great for items you need sterilised quickly.
• Tummy time play mats – there are such varieties of these to choose from and are great for keeping your baby entertained when they are wide awake.
• Maternity pads/breast pads – these are a MUST. Normal pads simply don’t cut it, where everyone does bleed differently, there are some days you may bleed heavily and the maternity pads are super absorbent. The breast pads are handy when you leak and although I didn’t leak very much, it does help having them in your bra to avoid any staining on your bras and clothes as well as keeping you fresh.
• Nighties – I found these far better than pyjamas especially in hospital due to frequency of needing the toilet and vaginal examinations.
• Granny type pants!! – post partum these are a god send. If you are a c section mumma, even better; these help with recovery by not putting pressure or rubbing on your scar as normal underwear would. (If you are an ostomate, Vanilla Blush briefs are amazing for recovery after a c section by helping keep your bag away from your wound/scar.)
• A nappy changing bag – any will do but SUPER useful when you are out and about.

When it comes to baby chairs, bouncers, prams and car seats always make sure they are certified and within date if you are getting any second hand. There are so many gorgeous ones to pick from within any budget. If you are receiving benefits you should sign up for your best starts card (this may only be limited to Scotland – this I am unsure of) and make sure you get your MatB1 form. Scotland also has the baby box scheme which your midwife will give you to sign up for and you will receive it at around 34 weeks!

As I am a first time mum at just over 2 weeks I am sure there will be so much more things I find useful along the way as Odin grows up and so I will make sure to blog about those. It’s been such an exiting journey and I’ve loved how the most simple items have been the most useful for us!

Until next time, Alannah x