How to properly prepare for the arrival of a baby?

The arrival of a baby changes your life... and you have get ready for it !

It is not a discovery but... Beyond the cliché and the emotional ""big-bang"" that a birth provokes, this little one, who will soon settle in your home, will upset everything... your daily life, your habits, your organization and your family budget! It's best to be prepared, to take into account what you need to buy and to be well equipped to welcome baby in the best conditions!

Make a choice between the useful and the useless

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To make the right choice, keep 2 or 3 little tips in mind.

Certain purchases are of course unavoidable... But there are also things that are not necessary. In order not to clutter up the house unnecessarily and to save on certain expenses (which is not a luxury for young parents)

You want to offer the best to your baby. This desire is quite legitimate. But, unless you have an unlimited budget, you will have to make choices. So don't feel guilty, use common sense and ingenuity and don't lose sight of the most important thing: your baby needs love, tenderness and attention above all else.

Here is the shopping lists we've put together for you. They concern the very first months of your baby's life. And to make your life easier, we have organized them around the key moments of the day.

Putting together baby's first trousseau

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Shopping list

• 7 short or long sleeve bodysuits.
• 5 cover-ups or bras.
• 4/5 pairs of socks (more practical than slippers).
• 10 easy-to-open pajamas to dress and undress baby easy.
• 2 small hats.
• 2 complete sets: pants + cardigan with buttons or snaps.
• A convertible angel's nest that you can use both as a comforter and as a suit.
• 1 fleece blanket or cotton blanket to wrap up baby.

Our advice :
Depending on the season, the trousseau remains essentially the same. You just have to adapt the choice of materials: cotton or fine knit for nice days, polar or soft wool for colder weather.
Wash all the clothes before packing, preferably with a hypoallergenic or ecological detergent.
Also remember to consult the list provided by your hospital.

The essentials for your baby's sleep

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Baby sleeps a lot... In the bedroom or any other space you reserve for them in your own room, they need calm and well-being.

Shopping list

• a crib or a bed with bars.
• a foam mattress.
• Several waterproof and washable covers to protect the mattress.
• fitted sheets.
• a sleeping bag to prevent baby from sleeping uncovered

A chest of drawers (possibly combined with a changing table) or a wardrobe for clothes.

A baby monitor to place in the room to stay tuned.

Our advice :
The cradle or a crib , is a good solution.
probably the best, but relatively expensive and very temporary. If you can, get it for yourself. If you opt for a bed with bars, baby can stay there for several years. Choose a bed with a variable height base.
In this ""big"" bed, baby can feel a little lost at first. Try to create a cozy world for your baby with a mobile, a bed tower... Also think of having around the bed some comforters, a music box, a night light... Landmarks that are both reassuring and stimulating for your baby's development.

The essentials for baby's meals

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Even if you are breastfeeding: think about breast pumps and bottles, they will be very useful when you are on the move.

Shopping list

• a dozen bibs.
• 5 or 6 large bottles and spare nipples.
• a brush to clean them.
• a bra and nursing pads if you are breastfeeding.

Our advice: You can sterilize your bottles in a large plastic container or use a sterilizer.
To warm the bottle, you can use a bottle warmer or a pot in a water bath. You can also give it at room temperature. This eliminates the risk of burns and is convenient when you are not at home. In this case, leave your bottle of mineral water out of your refrigerator.
Consider a nursing pillow. For both feeding and bottle-feeding, it takes the strain off your arm and keeps baby in a good position. And when your baby starts to sit up, you can use it to cushion him.

The accessories to have for the bath of your child

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A privileged moment of relaxation, games, contacts and complicity... Enjoy it, without making it last too long because baby can quickly get cold.

Shopping list

• a plastic bathtub specially adapted to your baby.
• a bath cape with a hood.
• 7 towels and washcloths in soft terry cloth.
• a hairbrush for baby.
• a changing mat.
• a bath thermometer.

Our advice:
If you can, the bathroom is the best room to install your changing table: change, massage, dry, dress your baby...

ON THE GO

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The choice of equipment for outings requires thought and attention. It's all about the safety and comfort of your child. Moreover, you will be spending a significant part of your budget on it.

Shopping list
The baby carrier, belly or side, is very appreciated by young mothers for the first weeks because it allows to carry your little one against you while keeping your hands free. If you can afford it, the baby carriage is also ideal with its carrycot that can be used as a bassinet. Choose one equipped with a car kit for perfectly safe journeys. A car seat - group 0 or 0+ - adapted to the morphology of the smallest babies. A changing bag with multiple pockets and compartments.

Our advice:
Think about the "3 in one" stroller formula which certainly requires a larger investment at the beginning but which you will use daily from birth to 3 years. The principle: a carrycot + a first age car seat + a stroller to be adapted on the same base. To choose your stroller, evaluate the available space in the trunk of your car.
The folding bed is practical if baby has to sleep elsewhere, for vacations or to install them comfortably everywhere in the house.

Let's add to these lists: a bouncer to keep baby close to you during your activities.
Finally, in anticipation of your return home (where you will have many other things to do than shopping), stock up on the most common products:

• 1st age diapers,
• toiletries: cotton balls, eosin, saline, umbilical strips, sterile compresses...
• PH neutral soaps,
• cream to calm the irritations of its small buttocks, moisturizing cream,
• sweet almond oil for massage,
• change cream,
• mineral water adapted to children,
• milk 1st age if you do not breast-feed,
• sterilization tablets...

Remember to renew this stock regularly. We have all met a breathless dad just before the supermarket closes, looking for a box of milk for baby's meal... Don't laugh, it will surely happen to you!