Welcoming Your Baby: Four Must-Have Essentials You Should Have
Are you expecting a newborn baby? Or do you already have one? Living at home and going on your daily routine with a baby can be stressful, as there are times you have to sacrifice hours of sleep and free time. After all, most of the things you will be doing will revolve around your new child.
However, not all activities with a baby have to be stressful. Besides the help and support of the people around you, there are things specifically for babies that can assist you and your child in your everyday routine. Here are some of the baby items that you must have.
Car Seat
Speaking of outdoors, is your baby old enough for you to bring on road trips? If so, you need to begin baby-proofing your car. One way of doing so is purchasing a car seat specialised in securing your baby while the car moves, keeping them in a comfortable, safe position. Different seats are designed for comfort, convenience, and age groups.
One such type of car seat is a convertible car seat. A convertible car set can be both rear-facing or forward-facing. Moreover, it is large and can be used by infants, toddlers, and sometimes even school age children. You can check out some car seats for your children at https://www.motherschoice.com.au/car-seats/convertible-car-seat.
Bassinet/Crib
One of the most apparent essentials for your baby is their bed. You want to ensure that your child will be close to you for feeding or comfort when they cry. However, while you can share the same room as your baby, having them sleep in a different bed is encouraged. And soon enough, you may want to move them to their own room when they’ve grown enough.
With this, you would need a bed for your baby to sleep in by themselves, which comes in the form of bassinets and cribs. A bassinet is a bed shaped like a basket and small in size. The shape is intended to keep babies from falling, and its size can handle babies about six months and below. Some models are portable, allowing for easy transport. However, parents can only keep babies in bassinets until they’ve outgrown them.
This is where the crib comes in. It is much bigger, making it a bed babies can sleep in until they grow as toddlers. Its large size requires it to be sturdier than the bassinet, typically made from wood, and has a high barricade to keep the baby from falling off, no matter how much they move.
High Chair
How are you and your baby during mealtime? Breastfeeding is one thing, but it gets different once you introduce the baby to solid foods and start spoon-feeding them. When babies begin eating solids, it would be best that they could also get used to eating at the dining table with the family. Having a high chair helps in doing so.
A high chair is a type of chair suited for babies. This chair has legs high enough to reach the top of a table and a little seat on top with enough space for a baby. It also has a small tray in front of the seat, serving as the little table where one can put the baby food. High chairs are not only household furniture; some restaurants have them available to cater to customers with babies old enough to use them.
While a baby can dine without a high chair, it is highly encouraged to use one. This is so they could sit with their families at the dinner table, enabling them to get used to eating with the family. It gets them accustomed to mealtime routines and is also a way to bond with loved ones.
Changing Mat
Diapers are one of the most, if not the most critical, baby essentials. There’s no knowing when babies take a dump, and thankfully diapers are there to prevent leaking. Diapers should be changed regularly to ensure proper hygiene. However, you don’t just change the diapers anywhere, do you?
With this, a changing mat is used during a change of diapers. It is a mat, usually made of waterproof or water-resistant material such as rubber, and is placed underneath the baby, particularly in the lower body area. This is so any mess that escapes the soiled diaper lands on the mat and can easily be cleaned afterwards.
Changing mats come in varying shapes and sizes. Other similar variants are a changing station, a kind of furniture specifically designed for diaper changing, and a changing kit you can bring with you should you and your baby go outdoors.
To Conclude
Caring for a baby requires time, money, and patience. It can get stressful, but with the right essentials and the support of your loved ones, you’re sure to raise a happy and healthy child.