Its such an exciting time when you’re expecting a baby and when that due date is approaching, you’ll want to make sure everything is set up and ready for his/her arrival.
It can be daunting being a first-time parent and not knowing exactly what they’ll need coming straight from the hospital however I’m here to help and give you a few tips I’ve learnt on the way.
First is the nursery, this room will be the main hub for you babies first few years. Be sure you’ve got all the essentials starting off with the cot this is very important as its where your baby will be sleeping for the first 3 years of their life. Choose one where the side can be removed and converted into a toddler bed.
Once your cot is chosen then you can look at the following things:
Mattress
Cot Sheets (recommend at least 2-3 sets)
Mattress Protector
Swaddle Blankets
Sleeping Bags
Checkout the adorable Hello Chooki range for organic cotton and bamboo wraps, bibs & towels.
Then comes more furniture, change table, rocking chair, cupboards, drawers & bookcase!
When selecting a change table, I recommend one with higher sides as its very helpful especially when they start crawling and becoming a houdini trying to escape for the dreaded nappy change!
OH and then the late night/early morning feeding, you’re going to want somewhere comfortable to sit trust me. There is three types of chairs, these are; glider, rocker or nursing chair.
Rocking chairs are great the two legs move back and forward giving you that gentle rock that is soothing for babies, they come is such cute greys, whites, blacks and will fit every nursey décor.
Nursing chair or some people call them an occasional chair are a stationary chair and does not move and is usually wide then a rocker. Look at our occasional chairs as a lot of them would work well for this type of use as well.
Glider chairs are designed to move forward back and usually 360 degrees spin movement, this type of chair usually only comes in two colours and is not always that modern looking.
Also having a feeding chair in their room is great for reading baby books before their bedtime.
Must haves to go with your chair is a nursing/feeding pillow & foot stool this is a great accessory and can help when feeding you baby.
Next is drawers and cupboards, make sure the draws have plenty of storage space, babies maybe small but they come with lots of clothes, blankets, nappies, wipes, creams, beanies, socks the list could go on! That’s why I recommend when choosing the draws remember these draws will last them a long time so buy quality.
Another must-have is a baby monitor, there’s two types of monitors the audio, video, or combination of both. We personally had a combination of audio & video. The video monitor has a screen that you can watch you baby and check on them if you hear a noise. We have also used a normal house CCTV camera which is the same if not better than the baby cameras why? Because you can connect the camera to your phone, so you don’t have to carry around a monitor device and a mobile phone and is usually a lot cheaper than some baby monitors ranging at $400+. If this is something you’d be interested in buying I’ve attached the link to a great home camera that can be set up in baby’s room.
Arenti 2K Indoor Pan & Tilt Security Camera DOME1 - Oi Store
Now bookcases, reading to your baby, toddler and child is such an important part of their early learning and creates a bond between you and them. It’s a great routine to get into reading a book before bed and that’s why I recommend a bookcase. Depending on the style of your room you could mound shelves on the walls or use an actual bookcase with great storable capacity.
Chances are you would have thought about buying a pram. There are so many variations and styles to choose from. The currently list of prams are upright and front facing strollers, flatback prams, double or twin prams, joggers and exercise prams these are designed for every type of living and use.
If this is your first or second baby, you may want to be looking for a pram that can grow with your family and not be grown out of. Choosing a pram that can convert from single use to double and making sure that each seat can hold a suitable amount of weight will help later. Great tip about the tandem prams is you don’t have to have both seats always attached making it less bulky and easier to transport when only needing one chair, however you still have the availability of a second seat if needed.
See the link below for available prams
Baby Stroller Australia | Baby Buggy - Oi Store
Finally, a baby rocker or swing, this is a game changer and it’s like another set of hands that are ready to help take a load off you. Babies love being held but as a parent you still need to get things done, washing, cooking, cleaning and it can become hard if you baby won’t get put down that why a rock or swing is great.
Being prepared before baby arrives makes life less stressful and gives you more time to enjoy those newborn cuddles.
