More, More, More! 5 Things I Should Have Stockpiled Before Baby Arrived
I like to be prepared. When we found out that Elvie was going to be in our family, I started making lists of things I'd need. I'd nannied many babies, so I was familiar with what a baby would need in addition to having my own preferences for things to buy and things to skip. It felt like quite a rush to get Elvie home, and I did my best to get everything we'd need, but there were some surprises. While we had plenty of most things for the very beginning, once she started eating more and moving more, it didn't take long to realize that there were some things I need more of than I ever thought possible. Here are the five things I wish I would have known I'd need more of.
1. Burp Cloths
I knew I'd need a lot, and I thought I had plenty, but when I started needing to do laundry every day just for burp cloths, that's when I realized that my stash wasn't as big as I thought.
2. Bibs
At first, bibs are good for spit-up, and then they're good for drool. I had about five, and it was not even close to enough.
Related: Top 3 things parents need after having a second child
3. Pajamas
Between the spit-up, drool, diaper leaks, and blow-outs, we've never had a pair of pajamas survive more than one night without needing a wash, and sometimes we need more than one each night.
4. Pants
What I didn't think of was that food and spit-up messes would not be confined to the top half of my baby's body. Then, when baby is mobile, the pants are often what get dirtiest as they crawl and scoot around. It is rare that we make it a full day in one pair of pants, and sometimes I need to change my baby's pants twice.
5. Wipes
Every mom will tell you to buy lots of wipes, and I'm no exception. I ordered a case of wipes before Elvie arrived, and we went through them in record time. We use them for everything! They're good for cleaning hands, faces, and of course bottoms, but they're also good for getting that spot of spit-up off my jeans so I don't have to change, or scrubbing up the blueberry Elvie found under her high chair and ground into the carpet.
-By Mary McBride
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