No matter how well prepared and confident parents-to-be appear on the surface, every one of them faces moments of nervousness in between all of the excitement. Preparing for the new arrival requires a lot of things to be considered, such as preparing the nursery, figuring out what help will be needed and buying more than enough newborn baby clothes.
As far as clothes are concerned, fortunately there are now lots of places to buy both clothes and baby equipment. The choice of clothes has certainly expanded since the 1970s when I had my children. Not only do stores like Target and Wal-Mart have special baby sections there are dedicated baby stores like Babies r Us so it is one stop shopping. Another resource is the Internet so you can choose everything for the new arrival in the comfort of your own home.
When you think about the necessary equipment you need for your baby you immediately think of car seat, stroller and crib. But equally important is also the question of what basic baby clothes will you need for the first few weeks? And how many of each item do you need?
Whether you are buying baby boy clothes or baby girl clothes there is no specified number of each garment that is essential. It is important to have enough of the basic baby clothes for a day or two so that you don't have to be constantly worrying about having to do the laundry every day.
Newborn babies can go through a surprising number of clothes changes in the course of a day so garments that are easy to get on and off make a lot of sense. So which clothes does it make sense to have? Here is a list of articles that are practical for the newborn:
* Make sure you have at least 5-10 snapsuits, either plain ones for use underneath pants and tops or the fancier ones as outerwear when its warmer.
* Use baby one piece sleeper suits in the first few weeks during the day - you'll need 5-10 of these.
* For use during those night-time diaper changes, have 4-5 baby gowns because they make the job a lot easier.
* 5-10 bibs - although babies don't take solid food they do have a tendency to drool and spit up.
* Buy a large amount of burp cloths so that your clothes can last for more than just one burp session!
* Keep baby's feet warm with socks, no matter how well the home is heated. You'll need 5 pairs of those.
* Decide which type of hat matches the weather you're likely to experience and get two of them.
* Keep baby warm with one baby coat, choosing the one you want that matches the season and the weather in your part of the world.
* Make drying baby easier by having two or three hooded baby towels.
* Avoid the scratches that babies are so good at inflicting on themselves by having at least two pairs of cotton mittens.
Please bear in mind that every baby's needs and habits are different and as a result the list of newborn baby clothes above cannot be exact. In particular, the frequency with which you wish to change your baby's clothes will affect the numbers.
Even so, I suggest that you use the list as a general guide so that the task of diaper changing and baby dressing is simple as possible. You can then supplement it with any additional outfits that you want for those extra special occasions.
As far as clothes are concerned, fortunately there are now lots of places to buy both clothes and baby equipment. The choice of clothes has certainly expanded since the 1970s when I had my children. Not only do stores like Target and Wal-Mart have special baby sections there are dedicated baby stores like Babies r Us so it is one stop shopping. Another resource is the Internet so you can choose everything for the new arrival in the comfort of your own home.
When you think about the necessary equipment you need for your baby you immediately think of car seat, stroller and crib. But equally important is also the question of what basic baby clothes will you need for the first few weeks? And how many of each item do you need?
Whether you are buying baby boy clothes or baby girl clothes there is no specified number of each garment that is essential. It is important to have enough of the basic baby clothes for a day or two so that you don't have to be constantly worrying about having to do the laundry every day.
Newborn babies can go through a surprising number of clothes changes in the course of a day so garments that are easy to get on and off make a lot of sense. So which clothes does it make sense to have? Here is a list of articles that are practical for the newborn:
* Make sure you have at least 5-10 snapsuits, either plain ones for use underneath pants and tops or the fancier ones as outerwear when its warmer.
* Use baby one piece sleeper suits in the first few weeks during the day - you'll need 5-10 of these.
* For use during those night-time diaper changes, have 4-5 baby gowns because they make the job a lot easier.
* 5-10 bibs - although babies don't take solid food they do have a tendency to drool and spit up.
* Buy a large amount of burp cloths so that your clothes can last for more than just one burp session!
* Keep baby's feet warm with socks, no matter how well the home is heated. You'll need 5 pairs of those.
* Decide which type of hat matches the weather you're likely to experience and get two of them.
* Keep baby warm with one baby coat, choosing the one you want that matches the season and the weather in your part of the world.
* Make drying baby easier by having two or three hooded baby towels.
* Avoid the scratches that babies are so good at inflicting on themselves by having at least two pairs of cotton mittens.
Please bear in mind that every baby's needs and habits are different and as a result the list of newborn baby clothes above cannot be exact. In particular, the frequency with which you wish to change your baby's clothes will affect the numbers.
Even so, I suggest that you use the list as a general guide so that the task of diaper changing and baby dressing is simple as possible. You can then supplement it with any additional outfits that you want for those extra special occasions.