Does A Newborn Baby Really Need…

When Bob was a baby she had everything. Literally!

I’d like to think that all first time parents are the same and that we weren’t crazy but the more I think about it the more I am convinced that it might be the latter.

We thought we needed every gadget and gizmo. We had a bin that magically wrapped nappies and some special swaddle pods. I obviously thought that swaddling with regular blankets would be too tricky.

Bob also had 4 beds which you will probably find very strange for a child who didn’t sleep. She had a cot in her nursery, a crib and 2 Moses baskets. I was right, we were crazy!

I am sure it would be different if we had a second child. This wouldn’t be because we loved the child any less it would simply be that we have a much better idea of the things that we actually needed.

Of course it is essential that a baby has a safe place to sleep but they do not need 4! There are several baby bedding guides out there to help you to keep baby safe. I think that this one by Tesco is really helpful. I would highly recommend cellular blankets!

As Bob struggled to sleep in all of her beds we also had many things that were supposed to help her to sleep. Some of these things came highly recommended and I am sure they work in many cases but Bob was having none of it. Nothing from the slumber bear to the several light and sound displays could lull this child to sleep.

Many of these things soon became surplus to requirements. She does still use her musical butterfly but this was packed away in a box until recently. She found it when we moved house and she now likes to listen to it as she is going to sleep.

It is also nice for babies to have some toys but a newborn does not need 3 play mats! In my defence I only bought 1 of these. We had 1 bought for us and 1 given to us.

Bob also had more clothes than she had time to wear them. For the first few months of her life she mainly lived in pretty sleep suits. The dresses that I thought she simply had to have stayed looking pretty in the wardrobe. When she was a bit older she wore her fair share of pretty dresses but by then she had already out grown some of my favourites.

She also had several pairs of baby shoes. These may have been adorable but Bob didn’t wear a pair of shoes until she was cruising. No, wait, I tell a lie. She did wear the pair of Uggs that she really needed. If she hadn’t my husband would have killed me!

I also don’t think that Bob really needed a Burnley strip. She still hasn’t been to watch them play.

On the other hand I didn’t think about the things that I would need after Bob was born. Luckily my sister gave me a hamper full of essentials. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have had any breast pads or nipple cream. It would have been alright though as Bob would have had lots of shoes. 🙂

I am not saying that you shouldn’t buy things for your new baby. Of course you should! That’s all part of the fun! Just maybe don’t be as crazy as we were. That wouldn’t be very difficult!

Written for Tesco