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I remember these days like they were yesterday with each of my girls. With Maddie and Ashley, I had months to prepare to bring them home from the hospital, and prepare I did! I had EVERYTHING you could imagine for both of them. With Emmy, we had less than a month from finding out about her to the day we brought her home from the hospital… that’s adoption for you!
But even with a month’s notice, I still didn’t buy her anything until about a week before she was born. I was scared to “jinx” the situation. We wanted another baby so bad that I was worried that if I planned too much, or bought too much, that the adoption would fall apart. She was actually our first go at adoptions, but I had heard horror stories so I was preparing my then fragile heart for a worst case scenario.
Finally, about a week before Emmy was born, I finally let myself get excited. I started telling family members, and I bought things I knew I would need for the first 100 days after she was born. I wanted to stock up for that period of time so that we could hunker down as a family and not worry about running out to buy things.
My plan ended up working out perfectly and those first few months were pure magic!
I learned between shopping for all three girls when they were each babies, that there are some key “must-haves” that every new parent should have for their new babies. Here are my top items:
- The best car seat you can afford. Put a big percentage of your baby money into a good car seat. Look for one that fits your car that can grow with the baby. You will never regret this purchase.
- Cloth diapers. Cloth diapers were one of my go-to items throughout the day for so many things… and not a single one of my babies actually wore cloth diapers as diapers! We used them as burp rags, to change the girls on, and so much more. I was lost without them.
- Packs of Pampers Diapers in all different sizes. Babies grow so quickly and what fits one day will literally not fit the next day. Having different size diapers at your reach whenever you need them will save your sanity!
- Dreft Baby Laundry Detergent. We kept a bottle right next to the sink in the laundry room to treat and soak big messes. I won’t go into more details, but trust me… it’s nice to have it right there waiting for you!
- A diaper bag you love that your husband/partner will be happy to carry too. With Maddie, we had a floral, pink diaper bag. It wasn’t really Pete’s look, so for subsequent babies, we got a diaper bag that he was comfortable carrying around.
What are your must-haves during the first 100 days?
That is a great list. I had so much stuff that I didn’t need at first.
I will have to remember all of this. I’ve had 6 and this summer will be welcoming #7 but my memory is awful so I tend to forget what I did and needed in those early days way back when!