Preparing for a new baby is very exciting but it can be really expensive if you don’t shop carefully. It can be difficult as new parents-to-be to decide on what the essential items are that you will need in order to be prepared for your new arrival. Don’t be misled into thinking that you must buy everything on offer for your baby.
We’ve asked mums and dads to put together a checklist of items you may need for the early months.
Below is a complete list of what you’ll need for your new baby.
Clothes
• Hat
• 6 cotton vests
• 2 cardigans or jumpers
• 2 pairs of cotton socks
• Slip on bootees or pram shoes
• 2 Shawls
• 6 cotton stretch suits
• Scratch mittens
Changing
• Changing bag with mat
• Nappy rash/barrier cream
• Baby wipes
• Changing unit
Sleeping
• Moses basket or carrycot & stand
• Cot or cot bed
• Cot bumpers
• Mattress
• 4 fitted sheets
• 3 cellular blankets
• Baby monitor
• Room thermometer
• Night light
Bathing
• Baby bath
• Top & tail bowl
• 2 soft sponges
• Baby liquid soap/shampoo
• 2 soft new towels
• Bath thermometer
• Cotton wool
• Baby lotion
• Baby talc
• Non-slip bath mat
• Brush & comb
• Baby nail scissors
Miscellaneous Equipment
• Car seat
• Blinds or sunshade for the car
• Baby view mirror
• Pram or newborn buggy
• Rain covers/sunshade parasol
• Baby sling
Bottle Feeding
• 6 bottles, teats & caps
• Sterilising kit
• Bottle brush
• Dried baby formula milk
• Bottle warmer
Breastfeeding
• 3 nursing bras
• Breast pads
• Breast pump
• Nipple shields
• Storage kits
• Nursing cushion/chair

Dads don’t get a lot of credit for being soothing, nurturing types. But if you ask most dads, you’ll find that, out of love and sheer necessity, they have indeed developed their own special ways to soothe their babies. Here’s how it’s done:

Feel your baby’s pain
Putting on your baby’s favourite reggae CD will not stop her being hungry, nor will a teething baby stop crying when you change her nappy. In other words, first find the real reason your baby is crying. Yes, this seems almost too logical, but when the crying train gets going, logic is usually left at the station.

Try the pinky
If you’re not sure what’s causing the problem, wash your hands then whip out your littlest finger and offer it to your baby to suck on. This could be a much better alternative to the “handing-baby-back-to-partner” technique. The key is to insert your finger upside down, so that you don’t scratch the roof of your baby’s mouth with your fingernail.

Get a drink
For the baby, we mean. Try offering your baby a warm bottle of expressed breast milk or formula.

Rock and swing
Babies love movement – and what better way to swing around than in daddy’s strong arms? “Our detachable car seat doubled as a baby carrier,” says Eric Jones, father of one. “When my daughter started to cry, I would lean against a chair or wall and swing the infant seat back and forth.” Eric calls this the “dual-purpose swing,” as it worked both as a baby sedative and a form of exercise. “I eventually stopped using this method when I noticed my right arm muscles were more developed than the left,” he says.

Cut a rug
We could suggest tossing your baby in the air and catching her, but though your child will love it, your partner probably won’t. So you could try this little move, submitted by veteran dad James Rothson, as an alternative. Hold your baby up to your shoulder and wrap his arms around your neck. Then, dance gently – rocking slowly back and forth -with a spin or two thrown in for good measure. Draw the curtains if you feel that nosey neighbours might be cramping your style. Tap the floor with your foot and try chanting. It doesn’t really matter what you chant, as long as it’s repetitive and matches the beat of your dance. Gradually lower your voice as your baby begins to quiet. And he will.

Fine-tune embarrassing personal stunts
Bodily function noises. Horrific contorted faces. Spontaneous belly flops onto the nearest hard surface. Finally, there is a positive outlet for the physical gags you’ve practiced since childhood. Try BabyCentre dad Mark Browne’s trick: this father of two has turned cries into stares and giggles by putting something on his head, letting it fall off, and shouting, “Oh no, they fell again!”. Repeat until boredom (baby’s) sets in. This may take some time.

Rock and sing
For many, this could easily fit under “embarrassing personal stunts.” Lee, another BabyCentre dad, could quiet his first son, Andrew, by singing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” a beautiful albeit depressing song that doesn’t teach a baby much about positive relationships. Mark Browne recommends any song by Ray Charles, as he contends it’s the swaying motion, not the song itself, which will soothe. However, respect your baby’s taste, too: Mark was “met with little success” when imitating Pavarotti while singing “Hush Little Baby.”

Wear your baby
Place the baby in a front-loading sling. Between the warmth of your body, the rhythmic beating of your heart, the rise and fall of your breathing, and the gentle swaying motion as you walk, at least one of you should be asleep in minutes.

Wait it out
Mums may view this as a decidedly detached and therefore “male” approach, but sometimes, babies are just going to cry – and sometimes what they want is for you to listen. If your baby’s not in pain, she’s not hungry, tired, or wet, and she doesn’t want to be held or rocked, then let her cry, at least for as long as you can stand it.

Hand the baby to your partner
At times, you may want to fall back on the oldest standby of all: tell her you tried.

A woman in Indonesia has given birth to the country’s biggest ever baby tipping the scales at a whopping 19.2lbs. This big bundle of joy needs almost non-stop feeding.
The 62cms boy was born by caesarean section at a hospital in North Sumatra province. A gynaecologist who took part in the operation said the ‘special delivery’ was not easy. The boy’s huge size was most likely the result of his 41-year-old mother having diabetes. When a diabetic mother’s glucose level is high during pregnancy, the baby can receive too much glucose and grow too large. The baby is the mother’s fourth child, but her only child not traditionally delivered by a midwife. The boy is said to be in a healthy condition despite having to initially be given oxygen to overcome breathing problems.

Forget about housework and cooking and just sleep when you can.
Remind yourself continually that this chaos will not last.
Remind yourself that you need to rest to make milk for your baby.
Try to not get hung up on bathtimes. If he really does not like being bathed just ‘top and tail’ for a few days.
Do not worry about daytime versus night-time clothes as your baby will not know the difference. As long as he is clean he does not need to be in a new outfit twice a day.
Remember that quite often a calmer pair of arms will settle baby. If there is no one else around simply put him in his cot/Moses basket and then walk away for a few minutes. Sometimes babies get over-stimulated and just want a bit of time on their own to cool off.

1. Audio Science – Actress Shannyn Sossamon gave her child this name.
2. Moxie CrimeFighter – Comedian Penn Jillette named his daughter.
3. Sage Moonblood – Son of actor Sylvester Stallone.
4. Track – Sarah Palin’s oldest child.
5. Moon Unit – The daughter of Frank Zappa.
6. Pilot Inspektor – The name of Actor Jason Lee’s son.
7. Jermajesty – Jermaine Jackson named is his child
8. Memphis Eve – Bonogave his daughter this unusual name.
9. Kal-El Coppola – Nicholas Cage’s son is named after Superman.
10. Camera – Father Arthur Ashe’s wife Jeanne Moutoussamy is a photographer and creatively chose this name!