Don’t forget Mum! Non baby related essentials for those early days!

Hi Everyone,

Now, hopefully, when baby arrives you’ll be as prepared as you can be.  You’ve bought the many, many , many (!!) items recommended, and hopefully had some time getting to grips with them all.  But it’s dawned on me there are a few essentials that aren’t mentioned quite as much as the crib/buggy/car seat and so on.  So here’s my list of what I think I’ll definitely be wanting to hand during those life changing first few weeks:

Tea!!!!!!!

Tea is my saviour! There is no way I could get through a day without it.  Even in the depths of horrendous morning sickness, a cup of tea always made me feel better.  So make sure you are well stocked up on tea before baby is born.  You’re bound to have loads of visitors (not that you will be running around making them tea – true friends will stick the kettle on!) so it’s good to make sure you’ve got plenty of tea, coffee, and sugar for all those visits.  You can also stock up on milk too – remember it’s freezable which can be a godsend.  And of course with tea…..

Cake… Biscuits… anything sweet really 

Lets face it – you’ve either just pushed a human out of one of the smallest areas of your body, or gone through major surgery to enable baby to pop out!  You deserve cake, and biscuits and vast amounts of chocolate! Treat yourself now, you deserve it!

Batteries 

Given the insane amount of stuff your new baby requires, it should come as no surprise that a lot of it will require batteries. Make sure you’ve got a good supply of these to see you through at least the first couple of months; it might seem expensive at the time, but the last thing you want is batteries running out on essential items in the middle of the night!

Spill Safe Mugs

Babies and hot liquids DO NOT MIX!  Plus you’ve more chance of your cuppa staying warm in one of these nifty travel mugs.  Also, when breastfeeding and holding baby, it’s going to be tricky to use your average glass so invest in one with a lid and a straw – helps to keep spillages to a minimum.

Household Essentials: Non Bio Soap Powder, Kitchen Roll, Bin Liners, Dishwasher Tablets, Toilet Roll

Before baby arrives, bite the bullet and do a massive supermarket shop of all these, typically boring items – as much as they are boring, the last thing you’ll want to do 3 days after giving birth is nip out to Tesco to pick up soap powder and you’ll soon realise that life isn’t as easy as just popping out to the shops anymore.  Whilst you’re there…..

“You” Essentials: 

I’m talking toothpaste, face wipes/make up remover, face creams (especially if they are on offer), shampoo and conditioner, dry shampoo (I already know this will be a lifesaver), hand cream – any of these toiletries that you use every day without thinking about it, stock up now so you don’t have to arse around doing it once baby is here.  Whilst you’re at it you may as well as stock up on the less desirable toiletries which you are going to need (breast pads, maternity pads etc).

Food

Most of us Mums to Be have read about this top tip and I think it’s a great one.  In the weeks leading up to birth, cook and then freeze some meals so that when baby arrives you and your other half don’t have to worry about cooking, at least for the first couple of weeks. Get family and friends on board too and if they ask if they can do anything to help ask them to cook you their speciality to save you from having to do so for one night! Lazy, yes, effective – definitely!

Handwash and Sanitiser 

Some people will roll their eyes at you for this but who cares; your baby, your rules! Your baby is in for a lot of cuddles when he or she is born and as much as babies do need to build up their immunity, there is no harm in making sure people have nice clean hands when handling your new born. Don’t feel embarrassed about this, it’s not over the top; you’ve spent 9 months growing this precious bundle of joy, you’re not going to want someone who doesn’t wash their hands after the toilet (a basic human decency!!!) holding him or her. Plus you are going to be changing A LOT of nappies!

Some comfortable clothes/pyjamas 

You’re going to be at that in-between stage now of not having an enormous baby bump, but not going back to a size 8 immediately (unless you’re Abbey Clancey who has some wonderful gift that enables her to do this).  Don’t worry about fitting straight back into your skinny jeans – relax in some cosy sweats, and cuddle up to your gorgeous baby.  Being comfortable is the important thing here, at least for the first few weeks whilst you adjust.

So that’s just a few things that, I for one, will certainly be making sure I am stocked up on for those first few weeks. What are your tips for essentials in the first few days of being a new Mum – leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading

xx