My Minimal(ish) Baby Prep Strategies
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- Опубликовано: 6 апр 2024
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As a mom who has given birth to two children, a swing is important. Our daughter had colic and the swing helped. Both of our babies loved it and both of our grandchildren liked a swing, especially our grandson. Also… just relax, worry less. Things don’t have to be perfect or everything planned. The biggest thing is giving that baby your time and love.
To your comment about advertising, when I had my son, the hospital gave me literature about breastfeeding and about choosing cloth vs. disposable diapers. I had a close friend who was breastfeeding and had already gotten some good advice. When I read the pamphlet I was disappointed at some of the advice they gave. I read the fine print in the pamphlet and saw it was from similac. The diaper one I checked before reading and saw it was from pampers so I didn’t even bother reading that.
I can’t believe the HOSPITAL gave those to you! 😮
Aw congrats. After having 2 children, I can confidently say that the things you can definitely skip are a changing table (I just changed mine on the bed/floor even when I had a changing table), a fancy diaper bag (for my second baby I got a leather backpack from madewell that I can use even when he’s older), excessive newborn diapers and newborn clothes (my second was born at about 9 lbs and never fit into his!), and a walker/bulky toys. I did love using swing with mine because it helped to soothe them. Things I wish I had focused on postpartum was meals, comfy breezy clothes, and more patience and understanding for myself. Soak it all in because it really does go by so fast. ❤ (everyone says it but it’s so true!)
I'm also skipping the diaper bag for my baby. I just want a larger purse that I can use for years to come. When you did a diaper changed on the bed/floor, what did you put under baby to protect your bedding/floor? I see the changing mats and love that they are wipeable, but I'm also considering just using a receiving blanket.
As a mom of 4( now grown up) children the use of a receiving blanket as a changing pad is a great idea. It’s nice and soft for the baby, one less thing to carry and you just throw it in the wash when dirty. Receiving blankets are so useful to use as change pads, for swaddling, for protecting your shoulders when burping your baby and also for a make shift curtain to protect your baby from the sun or wind when in the stroller and or car.
Id say you need a changing pad, not a changing table. It really saves your back. Then put the changing pad on top of a chest of drawers you are already using
No way, I ABSOLUTELY needed a changing table! We started without one and changed on the floor and it was agony! I agree with you about a backpack for a diaper bag though. We still use the backpack as my son's daycare bag. It's technically a diaper bag as there's wet item pockets and an insulated section which I think was for storing bottles, but the design and colours are very backpacky and sooo much easier carrying baby gear on your back, as opposed to a shoulder bag which is the style most diaper bags seem to be.
me too, especially if it is upstairs!
Love this. You are so intelligent. Also, you may not even need a crib.. I bought one and neither of my kids slept in it.🤷♀️
I really miss that period of my life. You are right to take your time, enjoy!
Great video! I’m due any day now and I think the best investments so far have been hiring a doula, taking a birth class, and finding a therapist. We will see how I feel about it on the other side of birth!
I have a great local gifting economy so I’ve gotten almost all of my baby clothes and supplies for free. Lately we’ve been focusing more on postpartum life, our freezer is full, I got some adult diapers, numbing spray, a sitz bath, and all that fun stuff to help me heal, we dug a hole to bury the placenta, and have a stock of dog treats (I probably should have prepared them more but there is only so much you can do).
I didn't have a lot of stuff when my boy was born (i did buy some clothes and a crib and my sister had handed down a pram to us. I had also bought a front pack that ended up being a bad idea and i had to buy more that fitted me better later on). I had planned to take a month off before he was born to get everything in order and buy bits and pieces and get a hidpital bag ready etc) but he was five weeks early as i got preeclampsia. The crib wasn't assembled, his room wasn't sorted (didn't matter in the end as he was in our room forever). We didn't have nappies (they were free for the first couple of weeks as we were in the Special care baby unit and we live in NZ so you don't have to pay anything to have a baby). We got some free meals from a community service. Made me realise how little you actually need as we felt really unprepared but were actually fine. Assembling the crib in a very limited time was stressful though! I do wish id made some meals ahead of time and had them in the freezer (that had been my plan). Elin I recommend getting a microwave steriliser as that was a game changer for baby bottles and breast pump parts. I see them at a lot of second hand shops. And the Haakaa battery operated baby nail file was amazing and took away a lot of stress with cutting my baby's fingernails. Also meant we could skip those baby mittens which I think prevents a baby from using their sense of touch.
The most important thing you can give your baby is a calm and happy you! Do take care of yourself. Every day is like Christmas morning with a baby . Seeing their sweet face is a gift💕
You may be encouraged by other ‘minimalist’ RUclipsrs ….i would watch Madison Gray. She is having her third and just made a video about preparing and minimalism and not needing a lot of things. For good preparation, especially in terms of food prep, I would recommend Delilah Loeppkey she had her 4 th about 4/6? months ago and she did food/ meal prep videos for postpartum.
Just a few thoughts for the birth...I took a small vial of coconut oil for baby's feet. Newly born babies sometimes have flaky dry skin. Your favorite chapstick is a must. I don't know why my lips get chapped during birth but they do. Snacks for during the night is so necessary. I remember being so hungry after birth!
Wishing you a smooth birth and healthy recovery!
I'm expecting my first baby as well! Some things I'm not buying are swings, jumpers, walkers, etc. that my baby may or may not need/like. I've watched a lot of newborn and 1st year necessities and regrets videos, and these things are the most hit or miss with a baby. So I'm waiting to have my baby to see if she actually needs them. They are easily accessible secondhand where I live, so I know it will be fine to wait.
a swing is a godsend - they relax while we get some things done.
It is good that you bring up about fear-based products. Because products have the biggest stick in the world for new parents by my product or you're a bad mom. And it's terrible to think they use it but they're the ones making the money and that's what it's about. Definitely products to think twice about. By the way congratulations looks like you're doing great❤
Really thoughtful. We tried to buy a large majority of our baby things second hand to minimize waste. Our only real essentials were: Next to Me cot, cot mattress which we used as a floor bed and later upgraded to a small double for co-sleeping, all-in-one cloth nappies and cloth cheeky wipes, silver nipple cups for the first weeks of breastfeeding, changing mat, travel/foldable changing mat, stretchy wrap, angel bath seat. A nice to have was the baby Bjorn bouncer x
I had twins the first time, and I definitely overbought. 10 years later, I got a baby surprise! I was able to function perfectly fine with a lot less. There are nice minimal lists online for baby needs
Such a good video. You really don’t need all of the equipment clutter. I just watched your 50 Things to Declutter from a year ago.
All of the items listed spoke loud and clear to me. I really had a mind shift after watching that one. Please please do more like this.
So helpful!
There isn't a new mom out there that hasn't felt this. And once they are born, oh gosh. My youngest came very early and I was obsessed about her not breathing. This was my 5th child! I hope you have help and someone to reassure you. It is all going to be OK.
If you are unsure if you want something waiting is always a great idea 😊 with amazon and online shopping you can just buy it as needed instead of stocking up and having "everything" beforehand. Even spares of things, I was surprised at how reasonable I could get by with one of most things and just wash it and make do in the meantime.
Yes! I made that mistake. I bought a front pack on sale that my sister recommended, but when my baby was born the style didn't work with my body shape. I needed one where the straps would cross at the back. I went to Babywearing club sessions where I found that out and was able to borrow different types to find out what worked best for me and baby.
I was a young mom and perhaps a bit superstitious, I only prepared with things I knew we would use (or so I thought 😉) and some of it was borrowed. We bought a crib (first baby never slept in it and BTW he’s turning 18 this coming friday), a stroller, a changing table combined with a dresser for all clothes and diapers. We borrowed a car seat, a babycarrier (babybjörn), a babysitter (hmm that’s not the correct term in english though) and newborn clothes. I got those free gift boxes with some diapers in them. We had to stop at the grocery store on our way home with both kids to buy diapers etc. 😅 at the time we hadn’t yet imported the babyshower concept from America (I live in Sweden) but we have a tradition that everyone who comes to visit the baby after it’s born bring a gift, usually clothing. So that’s how we got almost all clothes for our kids.
Oh, I used my dad’s baby blankets for my kids as well!
One thing my mother in law is doing for our children is investing $10 per month for each kid. The compund interest have been amazing 🤑🤑
When my first was born, we were in a one bedroom apt and had little money. My brother made a lovely wooden cradle for her, which she stayed in for several months until she started rolling over too much. We had a stroller and car seat. And a changing table, which I used all the time. But you can use a changing pad too. Clothes - as cute and adorable as they seem, 3 month and newborn sizes don’t last more than a couple weeks, if that. Larger babies can’t wear them at all. And you’re right not to stock up on diapers. You don’t know what size or brand will fit your baby best. Newborn doesn’t last long, especially larger babies. Once you know what works, you will go through a lot of them! But better not to stock up too much ahead of time. Often, new mothers have showers too or family and friends want to give you gifts when the baby is born - so you will get more stuff anyway. After the baby comes home, you’ll naturally find what works for you and anything else you may want to add. Newborns don’t need that much: mom’s milk (or formula), safe place to sleep, something to cuddle them and keep them warm, and above all LOVE! Which I know you have in boundless supply! 💕 Wishing you all the best! And don’t worry too much - your baby will guide you. 🤗
Listen to the pain free birth podcast by Karen Welton!
Don't forget to enjoy the process...time will fly by. Be sure you are prepared for post-partum. Taking care of baby, eating, and sleeping will be just about all you will be doing. Showers and getting dressed will be a bonus, at least for the first 2 weeks. :-)
My daughter has fear based OCD. It affects her hygiene, school and basic responsibility. She doesn’t have compulsions but the intrusive thoughts are horrible for her.
This is a great list for preparing for a baby. I bought way too much with my daughter and reused a bunch for my son.
Do you know the gender of your baby? I’m excited for you!
Do you know the gender or saving the surprise? It looks pretty gender neutral in the nursery. Congratulations!
Just for goodness sake’s let kids experience color. It’s fun and good for their development. Too many neutral, boring kids rooms that care more about concept than what kids love.