White plush bear in baby crib – Image Courtesy of Pexels
The arrival of a baby is exciting and scary at the same time. If this is your first, you must plan for many things. Here are some of the most crucial things to make both of you comfortable.
Baby-Friendly Developmental Toys
Around 4 months, your baby will probably be very interested in sensory toys for newborns that make noise when pressed or shaken. These toys might squeak, rattle, trill, or tweet. Give them a variety so they can try out what they like. Babies who have just been born are too small to hold anything or see much to need toys. But after just a few weeks, your baby will start to notice colors and sounds. Then they begin listening to things that rattle, jingle or shake. These include baby rattles, play rings, squeeze toys, teething toys, soft dolls, and textured balls.
Ear Muffs to Reduce Disturbances
Your baby’s eyes aren’t the only thing that can get too much information all at once. At such a young age, the ears are also very sensitive. Your baby won’t be able to sleep well if there’s too much noise, and their natural sleep pattern will be thrown off. Parents and babies are both upset by this because babies’ natural response is to cry. You can try little ear muffs for babies that are made to fit over a baby’s ears comfortably. When you’re out and about with the baby in a pushchair, these will block out annoying sounds like the people, music, or traffic.
Get Proper Sleeping Clothes for the Arrival of a Baby
Newborns sleep. After you feed them, they go back to sleep. Then they wake up, cry out for food, and go back to sleep. And that’s pretty much it for the next six months until they start teething and moving around, destroying the safety of their cradle. During all that crying and sleeping, your baby will need a lot of sleep clothes and things for bed. Even though they grow pretty fast, you can buy a lot of newborn “babygrows”. You will need a lot of them because they will all get sick. Then there are the pee and poop accidents that don’t stay in the diapers.
Make a Comfy and Cozy Space
From what they wear to where they sleep, your baby needs as much comfort as possible. Buy the best crib mattress you can afford because the cheapest ones don’t last as long and will cost you more in the long run. Also, get comfortable things for your parents. Feeding your pet at night can take a long time, so it’s a good idea to get a comfortable chair to sit in while you do it. Some warm clothes, like wool, can also keep you warm on cold nights when you don’t need to turn on your heating, or can’t afford to, given the current high cost of doing so.
Tone Down the Lighting
At night, a darker room can help your baby’s circadian rhythm. Babies aren’t afraid of the dark when they are born. This fear develops over time from the time they are a toddler into childhood. So, a night light won’t help your baby sleep, but it can help you a lot:
- Provides light when you have to change diapers or feed them in the middle of the night.
- They also don’t bother a baby’s sensitive eyes as much as a standard light.
- You don’t have to turn on a ceiling light that might be too bright for a night feed.
Additionally, a night light means you won’t disturb the rest of the house when getting up to feed or change diapers. They provide just enough light to see what you are doing without disruption. There’s also just enough light to read a book aloud or to yourself when feeding takes a while.
Somewhere for Soiled Stuff
Babies drink a lot of milk, and it has to go somewhere. The place where it goes is a diaper, and they can be awful. With all the trash you have to get rid of, you need a place to put the used diapers until they are picked up. You can’t run up and down the stairs four to eight times a day. You did read that correctly! Diaper Genies are great for putting dirty diapers from the day away so you can throw them away later. You could also buy a trash can and use scented trash bags or powders that get rid of smells like you would in the kitchen. Just make sure you empty them!
Prepare for the Arrival of a Baby with Plenty of Diapers
The first week with your new baby will be busy as you learn how to be a parent. So you won’t have to run to the store every few days to get diapers. Because of this, it’s a good idea to get as much as you can beforehand. Of course, they aren’t free, so you should buy what you can afford, but make sure you have enough for at least the first week until you are ready to leave the house with a newborn. There are a lot of great baby products at discount supermarkets that are just as good as products from more well-known brands that charge a premium.
Swaddle-Safe Clothing
It makes sense to want to wrap your baby up and keep them as safe as possible. Most baby researchers, however, think that swaddling might make a baby less comfortable and increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This is a terrible occurrence that kills thousands of newborns every year. So instead, you should dress your baby in loose clothes, like a vest with a onesie or a sleep sack, unless the room is very cold. Also, make sure your baby sleeps on their back rather than their stomach. And that something prevents them from rolling.
A Comfy Crib
Most of your baby’s time will be spent in their crib. For the first year of their lives, they will sleep and watch the world go by here while they grow and learn how to use their muscles. Because of this, it’s best to put fitted sheets and dimple blankets in the baby crib to make it as comfortable as possible. You can also put in memory foam mattresses that are made for cribs. You should check the size so that the mattress fits snugly and there aren’t any gaps between the crib and the mattress that could be dangerous if your baby moves or rolls over into them.
Summary
There are numerous things when preparing for the arrival of a baby. Toys will help them develop their senses. Nightlights help tone down the brightness, and a comfy crib is essential.
