I agree completely – a sense of humor, patience, and love are essential! Also, it helped me a lot when I realized that the relationship between my daughter and me & my partner would not automatically be perfect. We had to work at it – we had to get to know her and she had to get to know us. It’s a lot of work and will take time, but it will happen!
The two things that have helped my partner and me the most, in terms of tangible items: diaper service and our New Native baby sling! New Native Baby Sling In the long run, having diaper service is cheaper than disposables, not to mention cloth diapers are more environmentally friendly. Also, my partner and I have noticed that our daughter gets less diaper rash with cloth diapers. The diaper service that we use comes every Wednesday to drop off enough diapers for one week and picks up the dirty diapers. It’s so easy, I can’t believe more people don’t use it! And instead of using store-bought wipes we use wash cloths with warm water. Works great and less chemicals touching and irritating her skin. As for the sling, it’s absolutely great for a newborn, you know he/she is safe and close. It’s also great for when your baby turns into a toddler, he/she is just in a different possition than before.
We use Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo because it doesn’t contain Sodium Laureth Sulfate, which means it is less likely to irritate her skin (my partner and I are both sensitive to it). Receiving blankets are a big help! They can be used for anything! From a swaddler to a burp cloth – really great and inexpensive!
We don’t use a changing table. We bought waterproof reusable mats to place under her during a diaper change. They’re also great for “tummy time.” She can lay on her tummy with her diaper off (more freedom of movement) and we don’t have to worry about a blanket getting wet or dirty.
I disagree with the statement that baby clothes in sizes 0–3 months and 3–6 months are not useful. Our daughter was 8 pounds 4 ounces when she was born but lost weight (as most do in the first few days after birth) and weighed in at 7 pounds 4 ounces. The 0–3 month size was very useful for quite some time, roughly 3 1/2 – 4 months actually. Our daughter is 5 months and about 13–14 pounds now and we’re still using 3–6 month sized clothing. A friend of mine had a baby 4 months before me – he weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces and grew fast! They didn’t use the 0–3 month sized clothing for very long at all. It really depends a lot on the baby. I would suggest at least having some in each size just in case. Sleepers are very handy, especially for the first month.
We never used our baby bath, I always take my daughter into a normal bath with me. It’s great especially for the first few baths – if she got upset half-way through her bath I was able to sit there and breastfeed until she was in a better mood then quickly finish up.
I highly recommend breastfeeding – it’s healthier for both mother and baby and so much less work then having to make up a bottle at night or when you’re out-and-about. If mother is breastfeeding, drink lots of water!!! It’s really helpful for me to carry around a water bottle everywhere I go Klean Kanteen. And eat all through-out the day, more snacks/small meals rather than 3 large meals.
You have probably already heard a lot of people saying how bad and unsafe it is to have your baby sleep in your bed. This is completely untrue. Our daughter has slept in our bed since she was a week or two old. We started out by putting her in a bassinet to sleep but she didn’t take to it at all! So, we pushed our bed up against the wall, she sleeps between me and the wall and my partner sleeps on the other side of me. She feels so much more content and so do we. It’s also great for night feedings – my daughter can eat while I lay down then we both fall asleep, making sure she is on her back while she sleeps of course!
I hope all of this helps! Congratulations and take care!
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