Six Things To Get For Your New Baby  

by Carol Stack

What do new babies need? There are certain pieces of equipment that every new baby needs. Actually some of these things need to be ready before the new baby arrives, such as a crib and a car seat. Others can be purchased after your baby comes home.

What are these six things that your new baby will need, or that will make your life easier? The first and perhaps most important is a car seat. In many places this is the law and a hospital will not even let the baby go home unless the parents have a car seat that meets safety standards.

This is one item that you baby will need at least two of before they are old enough to ride in a car without it. The first car seat will be one that faces backwards. Eventually, probably sometime before your baby is one year old, he or she will graduate to a forward facing car seat.

In some areas it is required that they sit in a car seat until they are six years old and a certain weight and height. In that case, they might need a third car seat made especially for older children.

Another piece of equipment you are going to need is a crib. Even if the baby sleeps with you at night, a crib is a nice, safe place to let the baby sleep for naps during the day. There are some safety features the crib should have such as a mattress that fits the crib snugly on all four sides, guardrails that are 26 inches above the top of the mattress, slats that are no more than 2.375" apart, and a bumper to keep the baby's legs and arms out of the slats.

A baby monitor is nice so you can hear the baby from anywhere in the house, but it's not a necessity. It can give you peace of mind knowing you will hear the baby if you take the speaker with you outside while you are doing yard work or something outdoors.

Another item that is really nice to have is a bouncy seat. They seem to really enjoy sitting up a little when they are really small. Eventually they are old enough to play with the various toys that are attached to the bar. This is one thing that is highly recommended by experienced moms.

The last piece of equipment that many moms and dads find very valuable for a baby is a sling or backpack. A sling is a great way for mom to be able to carry her baby with her while keeping her hands free for working around the house. Be careful, though, that you don't use it too much or it could cause back or neck problems. Also be sure that the backpack or sling fits the adult really well.

These are six pieces of equipment that moms and dads agree are either necessary or at least really nice to have available for a baby.

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