Women's Interests

Having a baby is an exciting time in your life, particularly if it is your first baby.  A baby brings many changes, along with it the need to buy certain essential pieces of furniture and baby items.  Once you have found out you are pregnant and bought all the maternity wear you will need you can start thinking about what you need to buy for your new baby.

Photo: J. McPherskesen

Bassinet
Having a bassinet as well as a cot is a good idea.  When you first bring your baby home you will most likely what it keep it close to you and have it sleep in your room with you.  This makes it easier when the baby wakes for feeds during the night as it is close by.  As new parents you often find that you will worry, usually unnecessarily, and having your baby where you can hear it through the night will put your mind at rest.  Choose a bassinet that meets that right safety standards and one that doesn’t have any sort of canopy that might fall over onto your baby.

Change table
You can do without a change table and change your baby on the bed or floor but a change table will make it a lot easier on your back.  It is not unusual for new mothers to get a sore back once they have had the baby due to carrying the baby awkwardly and bending over changing nappies.  Being able to change your baby without bending over is ideal.  If you don’t want to spend money on something that is only going to be used for a short time you can also buy chests of drawers that have a removable change table that sits on top.  Once your baby has grown out of nappies you simply remove the top section and your child can continue to use the drawers to store their clothes.

Baby sling
A baby sling or carrier is great for a new baby.  As well as being able to carry your baby on your front and have your hands free your new baby will also love being snuggled up close to your chest.  There are a few different types of slings available ranging in price.  They are a handy piece of equipment to use when going to the supermarket because you have your hands free to push the trolley and do the shopping easily.  They can also be good to wear around the house when your baby is unsettled and you need to continue with whatever it is you are doing.

Nappy bag
Having a nappy bag is essential because when you leave the house you will find that you need to take a lot of things with you.  No longer can you just leave the house with your purse and your keys.  You will need a bag large enough to carry several changes of clothes, spare nappies, bibs, wipes, toys, dummies and bottles if you are feeding your baby formula.  You can buy great nappy bags that have a fold out change mat and lots of pockets for all the essentials.

Bouncer
Bouncers are great to sit your baby in, and as well as giving you somewhere to put your baby when they are awake, you can buy bouncers will all sorts of toys and mobiles hanging on them to entertain your baby.  You can even buy bouncers that vibrate and rock so you can soothe an unsettled baby.  If you don’t want to spend a lot of money you can get simple bouncers that just have a wire frame and a piece of stretch material that the baby sits on.  These work just as well and you baby can still see what is going on around them.