preparing for babypart 3non food items~

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When I was expecting my first baby I was working full time.  I continued to do that until the day before she was born.  My preparations looked like any first time mother's.  I registered, had a couple of baby showers, got the room ready, and that was about it.  It never occured to me to do much else...  

Until the night before she was born.  I (ignorantly) decided to be induced for no good reason other than impatience, so I knew the next day was the day.  I rushed around like a crazy lady trying to get everything clean.  There wasn't really a whole lot I needed to do since it was just Glen and myself at home, but I did want to have everything nice, clean, and in order.  (Which ended up coming in handy since I couldn't walk for two weeks.  But that's a different story...)   It didn't occur to me to have meals prepared or extra supplies on hand.  Now, with a first baby (and possibly even a second) it wasn't a huge deal to not have much prepared or stocked up, but once you hit that third baby, it is quite advantageous to put a little forethought into baby preparation.

So I approach baby preparation with these things in mind:

*not having to get my husband to have to pick up anything other than perishables in the days following the   birth

*having enough paper products and non perishables food items on hand to last for awhile to make shopping trips with an infant as infrequent and quick as possible

*having some meals in the freezer for those days

*having supplies and ingredients for quick meals on hand

*having the clothes organized, bedding ready, and house cleaned

I am an intense nester.  After that intial first trimester cooking spree, it kicks in again around week 18 when we find out the gender (earlier in the case of Grace.)  Once I know boy or girl the clothes are out, washed and folded by 20 weeks. Seriously.  With Grace, since I found out way early, I think I had clothes out by like 16 weeks.  But that's my OCD shining through.  I don't think that's normal.  I have friends that can be overdue and say things like, "I guess I should get some clothes out of the attic,"  or  (cannot imagine in a million years) don't even find out what they're having!  I feel faint even thinking about it  :)

Anyway, the first things I begin to stock up on are paper goods and other non-food items.  I do this starting around 30 weeks or so.  I usually spread it out over a few weeks of shopping and often will get coupons from the coupon clippers. Over the years, and as my family has grown, my goals for quantity have changed.  You will need to think about your budget, your habits, how much you like shopping (considering that you will have an infant in tow and possibly other children), distance from the store, and storage space.  With Grace I wanted to have a stockpile of non food items to last six months.  That is probably quite a bit more than most people will want to have, but for me it was great.  

This is my preparing for baby checklist #1~

Baby~

*newborn diapers

*size 1 diapers

*diapers for other children

*diaper cream/baby powder

*baby wipes

*baby lotion

*infant gas drops

*infant tylenol & motrin

*pacifiers

*bottles if needed
*lansinoh - if you are nursing, you will want this.  Trust me.
*nursing pads possibly

Personal Care/Household~

*shampoo/conditioner

*soap/body wash

*hand soap and lotion

*toothpaste and toothbrushes

*razor blades/shaving cream

*any medicines you use on a regular basis 
(non prescription, if you can get prescription meds in advance that's great, too)

*laundry detergent/fabric softener

*stain remover

*deodarant

*feminine products

*toilet paper

*bathroom trash bags

Kitchen~

*paper towels

*napkins

*paper plates

*kitchen trash bags

*sandwich bags

*freezer bags (quart and gallon)

*dishwashing detergent

*dishwasher detergent


That's it.  I kind of miscalculated with Grace.  She was the first one that I aimed for a six month stockpile.  I ended up with almost a year's worth of supplies in some things!  Next time, I don't think I'll be quite as ambitious in my quantities, but nevertheless it came in handy!