Everything You’ll Need to Bring Baby Home from the Hospital
You’ve gone through morning sickness, body aches, swollen feet, and insane cravings, and a whirlwind of emotions, but the time has finally come. In just a short amount of time, your bundle of joy will enter the world. Though you’ll be in the hospital for a few days to ensure you’re both in good health, eventually you’ll be bringing your little one home. Before that day arrives, however, you want to make sure you have everything prepared to bring your baby home from the hospital. Here’s a list of important things you’ll need.
A Place for Baby to Sleep
One of the first things you’ll need to bring baby home from the hospital is a place for them to sleep. Whether you have the space for a nursery, you plan on having the baby sleep in your room, or you want to try co-sleeping, you need to make sure the space is comfortable and safe for your little one. Be sure that the crib or basinet has been properly assembled, invest in comfortable bedding, and, if you plan on co-sleeping, make sure you’ve purchased a guard for the edge of the bed to make sure baby doesn’t roll off.
Baby Clothes
Though you probably got a ton of cute outfits from your baby shower, you’ll want to make sure you’ve chosen a few special outfits to have with you at the hospital. Though the hospital has undershirts and blankets, you’ll want to have clothes to keep your baby warm and secure. You can pack a onesie for your baby to wear while in the hospital. However, the day you leave, they’ll need to be fully dressed for the weather. If it’s colder out, you might opt for a nice outfit with a crochet sweater and crochet baby shoes. They even have stylish crochet Jordans that can keep your baby’s feet warm without the discomfort of putting them in hard bottom shoes too soon.
Diaper Bag and Diapering Essentials
If there’s one thing you don’t want to bring your baby home from the hospital without, it’s diapering essentials. Babies tend to soil their diapers quite often, so you want to have a stockpile in varying sizes at home. You should also have a few diapers, wipes, diaper ointment, and a change of clothes in the diaper bag for regular changes on the go.
Bottles and Formula
For mothers who have decided not to breastfeed, you’ll need to have a surplus of bottles and baby formula on hand. Hopefully, you’ve done your research on formulas to determine which is best suited for your baby. You can purchase them pretty affordably when you buy in bulk. Simply decide whether you want powder or liquid form. Bring both the bottles and formula with you in the diaper bag just in case you need some on the ride home from the hospital.
Nursing Supplies
If you have decided that breastfeeding is the better option for your baby, there are still things you need to purchase. For starters, you’ll need a nursing pillow to make breastfeeding more comfortable. You’ll also want to have a few nursing bras for easier access. Lastly, be sure that you have a quality breast pump and bottles for times you’re not able to do breastfeedings so your baby can still get the nutrients it needs from your breast milk.
Car Seat
You’ll never be able to take your baby home from the hospital if you don’t have an approved car seat to transport them in. If you haven’t gotten one already, they are pretty affordable and easy to find online or in stores. You can purchase an infant car seat or look at other car seat options that grow as your baby grows. Be sure that the base of the car seat has been securely installed in whatever car you’ll be going home in. Also, bring the car seat into the hospital to properly secure your baby before leaving.
There are a lot of products on the market you can invest in to make caring for your newborn a lot easier. While it is okay to invest in these types of things, you cannot forget the importance of making sure you have the necessities your baby will need when they come home from the hospital. As long as you have provided a safe place to stay, food, clothes, diapering supplies, and a car seat for safe transportation, you and your baby will do just fine at home.
