Preparing for Baby - Must Have Baby Gear

There's a lot that goes into preparing for a new baby because a baby is a tiny bundle of completely helpless love. You need to prepare the house, the room, the car, any siblings, and even mom and dad. While some of the preparation is definitely mental and emotional, most of it centers on making sure baby has all of the necessary little items. There are a lot, to be sure. While you'll probably never have quite enough of what you need, here are a few necessary items to get before baby is born.

We'll start with the bigger items. The car seat is the most important thing you can't leave the hospital unless you can strap the baby safely in the car, so make sure you get one. If you want a stroller, which you will need unless you like the idea of carrying that baby everywhere, invest in a car seat/stroller combo. These are extremely nice. The car seat usually has a base that stays permanently in the car. You can snap the seat into the car or snap it into the stroller as needed. Very convenient for when your baby isn't sitting up.

The next thing you'll need is a bassinet or a crib. The bassinets are wonderful because they can go right by the bed where you can simply reach over and pick up the baby if you need to do a midnight feeding. If you want to save money then you can simply get a crib. Baby can sleep in this until he is at least two... old enough not to roll off the toddler bed.

While there are plenty of larger items, such as a swing and bouncer, the car seat and bed are the most important. You could fill your house with small baby items, but here are a few essentials. Necessary clothes consist of two or three nightgowns with elastic or a drawstring around the bottom, eight undershirts (onesies), at least four pairs of footed pajamas, two hats, and a package of socks (six pairs). For bath time make sure you have a hooded towel or a couple hooded towels (so you don't have to do wash quite as often) baby washcloths, and baby soap.

When planning for a new baby you can, quite literally, fill the house with new baby items. It's easy to go overboard. However, if you start with the essentials you can always add to your stash later. The items mentioned above are absolutely necessary but don't forget blankets, receiving blankets, burp cloths, and crib sheets. If you want to protect baby's clothes than get some bibs as well because he is guaranteed to spit up all over the front of his shirt. Make sure you have these things ready at least a month before baby comes. That way if he comes early, you'll be prepared and ready for him.