Writing this baby checklist has been a labour of love; one which began the moment I found out I was pregnant. Don’t get me wrong, being told that you’re going to have a baby is one of the most exciting moments of your whole life – but nothing quite prepared me for how fast it all goes. I didn’t think I’d need to start checking items off my baby checklist this soon.
One minute, my pregnancy tracking app showed an eight-week old almond, the next, I’ll see a 40-week watermelon who is literally kicking me to start getting organised before they decide to arrive. The sheer amount of baby essentials I need is overwhelming (almost as overwhelming as the fact that I need to wee 20 times an hour despite having ‘only just gone’).
There are so many questions I have to ask myself before I even start thinking about shopping. Will I solely breast feed? What type of birth plan would I like? Just how many nappies will we actually need to buy?
Thanks to lots of research, the reading of endless reviews, and having very detailed conversations with mums, dads, grandparents and friends, I’ve managed to take away a few stresses and have created the ultimate baby checklist. It’ll help with my baby shopping as much as it’ll hopefully help you – so whether you’re expecting your first baby or your third, here’s everything you might want/need. No details spared.
GLAMOUR’s top five baby essentials at a glance:
1. Bedroom bits…
The items you’ll need:
I am so excited to start decorating the baby’s room, with Pinterest providing all the inspiration from how to make the room feel warm to the latest panelling techniques. There are some adorable, more traditional pink and blue schemes, but as we’re keeping the baby’s gender a surprise, we’ve opted for neutral items that’ll see us through the first few years of their life.
It’s worth noting that for the first 12 months after your baby is born, the only bedding you will actually need is a fitted bed sheet and baby sleeping bag or swaddle – a comfortable alternative that’ll keep your baby safe and cosy.
What I’m shopping:
2. Clothing…
The items you’ll need:
Baby’s grow quick so I definitely recommend buying a few different sizes of clothes before they’re actually here. Some knowledge I’ve picked up from fellow mums is that your newborn baby might not necessarily fit into newborn sized clothes – it’s only really applicable if they’re between 5-8 pounds. So if you have a feeling your baby might be bigger, don’t splurge on newborn size straight away.