Planning pregnancy after 30? Here’s a simple checklist to guide you

You’re here after pulling off an extensively confusing & tempting search for essentials that you need for your new baby’s arrival, or if you are already figuring out stuff with him/her. Well, I feel more alive again, after a brief hiatus from here, courtesy the birth of our Baby # 2! And I love to tell you what Baby & Mom care products you will ACTUALLY need for the next couple of months & years to come.

Having had my first one in 2013 & the second in 2021, I can tell how newborn & maternity shopping has progressed massively, to cater to parental convenience, while solving problems that the older gen products posed.

In my honest opinion, if you’re a minimalist, you might be left to wonder about how having a baby will, sometimes, make you stock up a lot of stuff as they exhaust really fast. Also, if you’re someone for whom the word ‘organized’ is an understatement, you might be in for a surprise at how new parenthood does NOT require such kind of exhaustive & meticulous planning, either. Quite a paradox, I know.

But, I got you covered & you might just want to bookmark this! 🙂

Here we go with the most BASIC Baby care essentials that you better keep ready, days/weeks before your due date. That’s right. The BASIC list.

I know how tempting it is to get carried away by all the cute & fancy newborn clothes that you see online, but remember to first prioritize over clothes that will be soft, comfortable & breathable for the baby. The bling & bauble can always wait for the later years of your kid.

Basic BABY ESSENTIALS to keep ready

Baby Clothes

1. Cotton/Muslin Jhablas (At least 4; more, if yours is a winter/monsoon baby)
2. Shorts & Pants (At least 4 & 2, respectively; more, if it’s going to be winter/monsoon again)
3. Rompers/ One-sies with snap buttons (Minimum 4)
4. Sweaters with front buttons (2)
5. Mittens (2 cotton pairs, to protect that cute face from those tiny yet razor-sharp nails!)
6. Socks (2 pairs)
7. Caps (2 Cotton, 2 soft Woollens)

Other Baby Must-Haves

1. 1-sided water-proof Baby Mat (Maximum 2)
2. Cotton Nappies (A dozen of small nappies is an ideal & reasonable number for the frequency of pee & poop of your little one)
3. Baby Carrier (choose one that can accommodate your baby’s posture & weight while being easy on your body for at least 1.5 years)
4. Pram
5. Swaddle blankets/drapes (At least 3; May be I should do a dedicated post about how swaddling is a life-saver for new parents & babies alike in the initial weeks! Stay tuned! ;-))
6. Baby bath Towels (2 are enough)
7. Cotton napkins to use as burp towels/wiping drool or spit-ups
8. Baby Cradle / Crib (for long term use, even if you’re co-sleeping at night)
9. Reusable Diapers (3 are good enough)
10. Cotton cloth as diaper inserts (At least 6)
11. Coconut oil
12. Baby Soap & Moisturizer

By the way, I loved reviewing Mylo’s re-usable diapers, on my Instagram a few months ago.

Well, in a lot of places in India, using hand-me-down baby items & accessories in the family is common. And it is, in fact, a sustainable practice to avoid over expenditure on mom care products & baby stuff which will be outgrown soon.

Hence, it would always be wise to plan your shopping accordingly.

Also, remember to WASH CLEAN & SUNDRY your baby’s clothes even if they’re brand new, before you fold & tuck them neatly in your hospital bag. Babies have super sensitive skin & are prone to allergies & rashes caused due to dampness or rough & suffocating fabric.

Mom Care Products that you MUST have for yourself

Nursing Bras

If you’re breastfeeding, it would be good to have at least 3 nursing/feeding bras. Besides, you may also require breast pads to cope up with leaky nipples initially that may show up with milk stain outlines on your tops.

Body Butter for Dry Skin

Pregnancy often comes with skin troubled by dryness, acne & temporary pigmentation. You may need to adopt a different skincare routine do deal with these issues. So, you could find great help with these totally safe range of body butters.

Nipple Care Butter

It’s not uncommon to find your new breastfeeding experience bringing about cracked, sore & painful nipples, often with milk blebs, out of cluster feeding or challenges with latching & breast engorgement. Whatever, the issue be, I know you’re doing awesome at trying to latch your newborn properly. Although, these do go away once the baby has learnt to latch well on to your breast, your nipples could hurt terribly each time you nurse. To deal with this, using a Lanolin based nipple cream or these excellent nipple care butters could totally make your breastfeeding journey literally start smooth.

Sanitary Pads

Lochia, or the after-birth bleeding may require sanitary napkins capable of soaking much greater amounts of blood, in comparison to your regular period pads/cloth pads. Well, at least, for the initial few days.