If you are in the last stages of your pregnancy, you should slowly start to think about the things that a little baby needs in the first weeks of its life. The so-called first-time outfit includes almost every area of everyday life, from clothing for the baby, nursing clothes for the mother, equipment for meals, but also sleeping things and new furniture. It mainly concerns the period of the first few weeks of the baby’s life and the things that are needed during this time.
With the large selection that you can find in baby stores and stores today, expectant parents often don’t know exactly what their baby really needs in the first few weeks. To make sure that you don’t forget anything in all the excitement of the unknown new, even when buying your baby’s first outfit, you can find certain checklists on the Internet or in books about babies or even in baby magazines that make life and shopping a lot easier. Depending on the family’s financial budget, you can either limit yourself to the most important and necessary things for the first weeks of your baby’s life or, if you have a slightly larger budget, make certain purchases that may not seem so urgently necessary at first glance.
Future parents should have bought the initial equipment about 4-5 weeks before the calculated date of birth, since one never knows exactly whether it remains with the calculated date or whether the baby is born earlier. The first and most important part of the initial outfit is the clothing for the baby. Depending on whether the baby is born in summer or winter, there are some differences in the clothing to be considered, in terms of protection from the sun or cold.
Furthermore, sleeping clothes and certain furnishings for the children’s room are important and necessary. Also care, feeding and nursing utensils find their place in the initial equipment. As part of the first outfit, expectant parents should buy a certain number of cotton bodysuits with short or long arms for their baby, preferably in size 56.
Also in the same size, rompers should be bought, preferably with feet. Again, not just one, but as a guideline maybe about 4-6 pieces, because they get dirty faster and you need change possibilities. In addition, the baby needs jackets and/or easy to open sweaters with long arms.
Depending on the season, thick or thin jackets or sweaters should be purchased. The initial outfit should also include a pair of warm socks, an outdoor jacket and a thin cotton cap (about size 37 and 39). If the child is born in summer, a sun hat and a thin blanket are also important.
If the child is born in winter, you will need a thick winter sack or pillow or alternatively a thick jacket for outside. Also important are a scarf, a thick cap and mittens to keep your hands warm. Additionally a blanket would be useful.
For sleeping the first equipment should include a baby crib. An appropriate mattress with pads and edge protection to line the bed and protect the child are also necessary. Becoming parents should additionally buy a waterproof carpet pad which can be wiped off quickly and which can also get wet.
Fitted sheets and a sleeping bag are also important. Neither a pillow nor a blanket should be bought for the crib, because there is a danger that the little baby could lie down by moving around a lot, so that it cannot get air through the blanket or the pillow and there is a danger that it suffocates. Therefore, parents should refrain from buying a pillow and blanket and rather tend to buy a sleeping bag.
A music box or a mobile are not absolutely necessary for an initial equipment, straight if on the money attention must be paid. To the furniture belongs naturally also still another changing opportunity, like for example a changing table. For the chest of drawers you need an upholstered changing mat, on which you can lay the baby to change it.
A diaper pail with lid would also be important in the context of the furnishing. Not absolutely necessary is a so-called changing table heater, which should warm the baby from above when changing and dressing so that it does not cool down and freeze so quickly. A baby monitor could also be part of the initial outfit if one would like it.It may also be a good idea to buy a crib if you cannot take the stroller with you into every room.
Of course, the most important thing for baby care in the initial fitting is the diapers. A bowl for warm water at the changing table would also be helpful as it makes it easier to clean the baby. In addition to the bowl you will also need washcloths.
A baby bathtub or a bucket for bathing should also be provided. To make sure that the temperature for bathing is not too hot, it is a good idea to buy a bath thermometer. Bath towels with a hood should not be missing, of course.
Baby oil, creams, care products and wet wipes are needed at home and on the road. Gauze cloths, which can be used as spitting cloths, should be part of the first equipment. A thermometer and baby nail scissors are also needed.
A brush with soft bristles should also be provided. For breastfeeding and feeding the little one a number of utensils are needed. Depending on whether the mother is planning to breastfeed her baby, the equipment varies a little.
If the baby is mainly fed with breast milk, a nursing pillow is needed on which the baby can be placed. Nursing bras for the mother, so that she does not always have to take everything off completely, as well as nursing pads for the bra. If breastfeeding is not going well, you may have to buy so-called nursing caps which are placed over the nipples to make breastfeeding easier for the baby.
They are also suitable if the woman’s nipples are sore and hurt from breastfeeding. You may also need a breastpump, which can be used to pump the breast milk from the breast. If breastfeeding is not possible or perhaps not desired, the baby will be fed with bottled milk instead.
For this you will need some more accessories. First and foremost the baby food. For the initial feeding, it is best to ask your midwife which food is most suitable and recommended.
Then you need some bottles with appropriate teats. In the beginning, size 1 teats should be used. To clean the bottles you need small bottle brushes.
For cleaning you can also buy a sterilizer. If your budget is rather tight, you can also boil the bottles and teats in a pot of water. Tea bottles and teats are also part of the initial equipment.
When travelling, an insulated bag for the bottles is suitable to keep the milk warm. The bottles can either be warmed up in a baby food warmer or more easily and cheaply in a water bath on the stove. Finally, pacifiers and bibs should not be missing.
Last but not least there are the things for on the road that you should think of when you buy your first baby. A baby carriage should definitely not be missing here. Additionally you can get a sling or a carrying bag.
A diaper bag, which contains everything you need for diapers, should always be with you. If necessary, you should buy an age-appropriate car seat or seat shell. In summer you should think about sun visors.
Also for the stroller, so that the baby is not too exposed to the sun. The purchase of a crawling blanket or a blanket to lie on may also be a good idea for visits to relatives or friends. All in all, it has to be said that the initial outfit varies a lot from one person to another and one or the other has very different preferences, what he likes or dislikes.
A few things are really essential and should be present in every first-time outfit. Everything else around it everyone should do as he likes. Since the child grows fast, you should always consider not to buy too much clothes of one size, but rather to have a few pieces one size larger in stock.
