08 Things That Need To Be Done When You're Having A Baby
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This article is from the General Pregnancy FAQ, by swnymph@FensEnde.com (Sabrina Cuddy) with numerous contributions by others.
08 Things That Need To Be Done When You're Having A Baby
I'm not a parent, but these are my suggestions based on what family and
friends have done.
>After that, WHEN (or at least in what order) do I do the following:
>- move furniture to create a nursery
This was done anywhere from a week to three months before the due date,
and in one case while the mother was recovering in the hospital from
the birth. The last one was because they had only recently moved their
toddler out of the crib and in to his "big boy" bed and they didn't
want him to think he was going to be put back in the crib.
- buy major baby items (crib, carseat, stroller, etc.)
Before the baby arrives you might want to spend a few weeks with the
carseat in the car so that you can adjust to its presence, and maybe
practice for the baby by putting in/taking out a stuffed animal each
time you use the car.
Umbrella strollers seem very popular with people, but I have rarely
seen them used with babies under 3 months, either because the parents
like carrying the baby, or the're unsure of the stroller's ability to
support the baby. Maybe someone else can offer some advice on this.
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Hi Elisa: Sounds like you have a really good handle on what should be
accomplished before the little one is born. I'm not so sure it's all
that vitally important to have a specific time-table so long as you
have everything done at least 6 weeks before your due date (on the
chance your baby might be born early).
I had a feeling early on that we needed to get things done for my
daughter Emma. My due date was Nov. 4 but by August we had everything
done except selecting a pediatrician and my husband was building Em a
cradle and thought he had "plenty of time" to finish it. Wrong! She
was born on Sept. 16 (7 weeks early) so I was _very_ grateful that we
had planned ahead. I ended up picking her pediatrician the day she was
born :) (I knew who I wanted to use but hadn't ever gotten around to
talking to her ahead of time, oops! It all worked out just fine
though) My husband never did get the cradle done. We had set up her
crib already so she just went right into that when she got to come
home.
I would avoid buying too much in the way of baby clothes ahead of time
unless you happen to have an amniocentisis and _know_ that you're
having a boy or girl. Ultrasound technicians only make a guess based
on what they see and they aren't always right :) They couldn't see
anything at my ultrasound but I was convinced I was having a boy. I
didn't buy too much ahead of time, thankfully and anyway Emma did look
stunning in blue :)
Another reason not to buy too much for clothing is that you don't know
how big your baby will be. If you have a 10 1/2 pounder like my
husband's sister did none of the newborn stuff will fit and if you have
a 4 pounder like we did, it may be a different season of the year
before the baby is big enough to wear it.
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