When you’re in your third trimester of pregnancy, it’s safe to say you can feel like a chicken with its head cut off. There is so much to do before the baby arrives and such little time to do it! We’ve put together a list of essential items that you should have in your nursery before the baby even arrives — even if your nursery isn’t fully completed yet.
- Bassinet/Crib: Your baby needs to sleep on something, right? Whether it’s a bassinet you can have in your room or a crib in their own nursery, you need something your baby can sleep on once she/he comes home.
- Baby Monitor: If you plan on having your baby sleep in his/her crib once you bring them home, a baby monitor is a must! After all, you need to wake up for feedings every 2-3 hours; how are you going to know it’s time if you are not monitoring your baby?
- Diapers: The hospital will probably give you a pack or two of diapers, but having your own stash at home is a MUST so you don’t have to worry about it when you bring the baby home. Besides, you are going to go through so many boxes the first couple of months — better to stock up now!
- Bathtub: You usually need to give your baby a sponge bath once you get home from the hospital, and that first bath is probably going to be the scariest thing ever! Having a bathtub specifically designed for an infant that you can place either in the sink or your bathtub is ideal.
- Baby Bottles: If you plan on bottle-feeding your baby, you will need to have bottles on hand once you come home. We recommend buying at least 6-7 bottles so you end up just doing one round of dishes at the end of the day versus having to wash several times throughout the day. Besides, you can be napping during that time — and you’re gonna need as much sleep as you can squeeze in!
- Pump: If you plan on pumping, make sure you have your pump ready to go once you get home! Trust us, you’re gonna have to get straight to work. It’s always better to be prepared!
- Baby Changing Pad: You will spend a lot of time changing diapers once you get home from the hospital with your little bundle of joy, and having a designated baby changing table with a pad is a necessity. This is your fair warning: Things can — and will — get messy.
- Onesies/Swaddles: Make sure to have a few onesies on hand because once the baby comes home, you won’t have the time to shop for something as essential as a comfy onesie. We recommend zippered onesies — because who is awake enough to align snaps correctly in the middle of the night? Not us, and probably not you, either. And don’t forget about the swaddle blankets. Your baby needs to feel cozy when he/she comes home and the only way that’s going to happen is if they are swaddled and feel like they’re still in your womb. And to not sound bias, the Snugababe will have your baby sleeping as soon as she gets wrapped.
- Wipes: When you’re buying diapers, make sure you are buying wipes, too. No joke, with every diaper you change, you are going to be using about 4-5 wipes. Stock up!
- Burp Cloths: If you don’t want to change your baby out of their onesie roughly a hundred times a day, we recommend buy a pack of “burp clothes,” because let’s face it — babies spit up a lot, and all that time changing your tiny tot out of their clothes and doing laundry could be spent doing other things, like squeezing in some much-needed new mom shut-eye.
