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| Necessary Items For Newborn Baby |
Even so, the entry fee is high. There is a lot of stuff you need to have, and soon. The sheer quantity of infant-related paraphernalia takes the breath away, especially when you are carrying it all. Before Arbuthnot or Iolanthe have issued their first meconium poo, you will need to at least think about acquiring all of the following:
1. Somewhere for baby to sleep. Most of the books recommend buying a Moses basket. This is a conveniently baby-shaped basket which comes with a sheet lining and has handles so you can carry it from room to room. Baby can sleep there during the day and during the night as well. Only problem: with a wooden stand thrown in, Moses baskets cost about £50. A ridiculous expense for a piece of equipment you won't need in a couple of months. Does anyone you know have one lying around the house? That they would be only too happy to lend or give you at no cost to you at all?
2. A pushchair or pram. It's said that no one pushes prams any more, other than the very rich, who know a status symbol when they see one. But I'm not sure about this. I suspect some new parents buy prams because they think that's what you are supposed to buy, not realizing that within two or three months they won't need it any more for anything. Most parenthood books now warn you away from prams, because they are so expensive, and because they are awkward: it's marginally easier to swim the English Channel than get a pram on a bus.
Nonetheless, tiny babies do like a pram. Its flat surface is more comfortable, which means Junior is more likely to fall asleep and less likely to cry, both of which are good. So you have a few options. You could forget the pram entirely and go straight for the pushchair. Brutal, but cost effective. Or you could buy one of those pram-cum-pushchair convertibles, which are fun to tinker with, although like sofa beds, never quite as comfortable as the salesman will have you believe.
Or you can find someone else who has bought a pram and doesn't need it any more. They will be desperate to get rid of it, because it takes up so much space. Offer to take it off their hands, and worry about pushchairs later.
3. Nappies. A newborn baby needs its nappy changed up to 60 times a week. In the past, scary-sounding 'terry' nappies were the only option: you could use them again and again but your entire supply of them had to be boiled clean twice a day. Thanks to Pampers, Huggies and the like, this is no longer necessary.
Unfortunately the disposable nappies create problems of their own. One is their expense: quite simply, they cost more than you ever imagined possible. Then there is their effect on the environment. This may not be an issue you care about greatly, but there's no avoiding the simple, horrendous truth: that by the end of the century, shit- and piss-filled nappies will occupy landfill sites the size of Belgium. And that's just the ones the Belgians have used, so you can imagine how badly off the rest of us are. But the manufacturers know that we are all now too lazy and soft to go back to 'terry' nappies. Disposables will probably be your single greatest expense in the first two years (More on this later.)
4. Changing mat. This is just a plastic, padded rectangle with either Winnie the Pooh or Mickey Mouse plastered all over it, just as shit will be quite soon. It may not look much but this will save your furniture and carpets and maybe your sanity into the bargain. An essential purchase.
5. Muslins. You can't have too many of these either. They are cloth squares, about the size of large handkerchiefs, and you will use them for mopping up all kinds of stuff (let's not worry about the details just yet). 'Muslin' is another word you never used, or even heard, before parenthood. Now, whenever you hear anyone mention muslins, you will know that they too are members of the club.
6. A car seat. Essential if you drive, as it's illegal to transport a small baby in a car without one. They are removable, which is helpful if baby drops off, as you can then carry it around as it sleeps. Again there is no need to buy this if you can get it for free.
Someone you know will have a car seat they no longer need. Taking it off their hands will only do them a favour. (Children usually graduate to a bigger car seat when they are about a year old. Don't be shy about asking parents of one-year-olds if they need their old car seat. They will already be trying to blag a booster seat from someone else.) To find out more, you can check out Necessary Items For Newborn Baby.