So you're having a baby… GREAT! If you're a young, first-time Mother, this is a big responsibility caring for a new life. First things first… babies will cry. Take it from an older Mom who's been there - done that. This new baby is not able to talk right away, only cry eat and sleep. You will learn to listen for the different pitches and tones of your new baby. A wet diaper cry is different from an "I"m hungry' cry. And a tummy-ache cry can last what may seem forever.
You are wanting to get everything for the baby before he/she arrives. First…. Get the cheap diapers! They are only used once, and then thrown away anyways, and you'll need a lot of them over the next year or two! Save the money for the stuff that will last thru multiple babies, like a crib… clothes, car-carriers, and such.
Speaking of baby clothes….forget the pink and blue clothes. Just a get a few pink or blue things for visiting family to show off the baby. Around your house where the baby lives…..you don't need to dress him/her in pink and blue everyday. The baby does not know what colors they wear yet. Get a box big enough to hold the little clothes if you're planning on more babies later. Save the clothes if they are still in good shape, you'll need them for the next little addition. Same with baby toys…. Box them up to save for the next one. The first baby is always the most expensive, but if you save things from the first, that saves YOU money on getting these things… again.
The Crib will most likely be the baby's bed for a year or so. Get one that is sturdy, long lasting, and latches the way it should. Get some padding to put on top of the little mattress all around the crib. As the baby grows, so will the squirming around as they sleep. And forget about the pillow for the first year, babies don't need one that first year of life. (after that first year, it's ok to use a small pillow then.) When you put the little one in the crib for the night, or napping… take all the toys or whatever out of the crib… completely! The only thing that needs to be in the crib, is the baby and a bottle, if you have chosen to bottle-feed. When your baby grows into a toddler and is ready for their own regular bed…. Get a regular-sized twin bed; it'll last for years and years as they grow up.
If you have chosen to bottle-feed your baby, get several bottles, and at the beginning of the day mix the formula, load them up and put them in the fridge. Then when you need one, it's already made and all you do is heat it up. If you are going to heat by microwave, take the nipple off then heat, then put it back on and test the warmth. It should be between luke-warm to mid-warm for you, don't let it get too hot to burn the baby's tongue, throat and tummy. They can't "blow" on it like small kid's do if the food is too hot.
Lastly…. New mothers tend to forget about themselves, and focus on just the baby. Taking care of a little person, is hard work, especially emotional work and can drain the energy right out of you. When the baby sleeps, you take a nap too! Don't worry about not hearing the baby… you are a mom now, you will hear him/her. Instincts have kicked in now. I was a deep sleeper before my kid's came, I thought I'd not be able to hear them at night, but in a couple nights of bringing my son home, the first little squeak and I was out of that bed! And that was 19 years ago, from my last baby.
