Preparing for Baby: An Expectant Mom’s List

Congratulations! You are expecting a baby! Whether it is your first or your fourth, having a baby is a very exciting time for you. There are all sorts of new gadgets and do-dads that the markets have come up with. I have compiled a list to hopefully make things easier for you.

Breast pads. You may be one of those blessed women who don’t leak but I was not! After I started leaking in a restaurant, I bought and started using washable breast pads to save us some money. If you are expecting your first, maybe getting some disposable ones or just a couple of pairs of the washables until you know for sure how your body will take the change is a good idea.

Breast Pump. I started out with a cheap hand pump and it worked great, that is until till I learnt that breast infections happen. Just make sure that if you are borrowing one or get one online, you sterilize it big time to avoid infections.

Burp Cloths. You absolutely can’t have enough of these. I found that cloth diapers work the best for being cheap, durable, and way absorbent. If you want to make them cute there are a ton of tutorials on pinterest on just how to do make them.

Swaddling Blanket. There are lots of different swaddling blankets out there; Again, you don’t have to go buy the fanciest ones either. Chances are at your baby shower you will get a ton of them. Which is deeply appreciated, believe me.

Bassinet. Ok, let me start by saying that I did think this was a necessary item. Now not so much. When the first baby arrives, you think you need one but you really don’t. It’s nice yes, but going out and buying a brand new one just doesn’t cut it on a budget. You can find a ton online if not at garage sales for cheap. I once found one in super good used condition for $10.

Baby Clothes. If this is your first baby, chances are, you will get a lot of baby clothes at your baby shower, but you still need to find clothes for those in between stages. All I need to say to you is Garage Sales!! The baby clothes are more often then not in good used condition and like I have found when my daughter was born, tags still on the clothes because their baby either out grew that particular stage and didn’t get a chance to use it. Or they forgot about it. Either way its a win win for you!

Diapers. Let’s face it, diapers can be a huge expense. The stores lots of the time will have diapers on sale, lots of the time its the generic brand but they are just as good as the name brand. Plus, you will get coupons in the mail after you have your precious bundle of joy. If you chose to use cloth diapers (kudos to you, I was to lazy).
Take advantage of online discounts and cash backs. There are a ton of deals and free stuff online. I even found coupons online if you are bottle feeding. I won’t get into the battle of breast feeding vs. bottle feeding, other wise this article would on FOREVER!