Must have things for the new born in your hospital bag

If you are expecting a baby anytime soon pack your bags as it will be any time when you will have to make the hospital run.

Here are five essentials for new born that you must have in your prep bag so that you have all the essentials for the first few weeks. We have prepared this list based on our experience and the products recomended here are curated ones.

1. Soft Cotton Nappies

Make sure that you have atleast 20 disposable soft cotton nappies in your bag while you are packing. Baby's skin is way too delicate to be exposed to harmful chemicals so please make sure that you have washed them atleast twice and properly dried them in sun. Don't use one with the elastic.  Initially, we prepared these at home from old soft muslin cloth and purchased few later on. However, if you can't make them at home do try these options available at Amazon.  

STRICTLY NO DIAPERS FOR INITIAL TWO WEEKS!! 

Though, a lot of hospitals nowadays provide their own clothing for newborns but emphasise for using the ones you have as you don't know how well have they managed the fabric and the hygiene of the stuff they are giving. 

2. Pure cotton Swaddles (baby wraps)

Gosh ! I cannot express how helpful these swaddles have been. It is something that grows with your kid. Our kid has been using the swaddles right from the day he was born and it is useful now when he is two.  We have used our swaddle as baby wraps, feeding covers, for covering our baby to protect him from sun, dust, even light when the baby was sleeping, while travelling, mats literally everything that you can think of. In our case, we were not aware that such kind of swaddles do exist, we were gifted by a friend and we just loved it.

Consider these as investments for your kid and don't go for the cheapest option available. Buy atleast three so that you have more than one at your disposal any time. 

3. Mosquito Net 

Initial few days are difficult for you child and as a new parent it is your responsibility to make sure that your baby is safe from all kinds of infections and their carriers even if you are one of them. 

Also, in the initial days there are a lot of visitors also and everyone wants to touch the puddle of cuteness. Having such an cover will help you to  not only monitor you baby while he is asleep but also make sure that it is a little out of reach of every visitor who has come to greet the newborn. By the way the net will also keeps the mosquitoes away ;-). We used the umberalla design as it is easy to lift and carry. 

4. Baby Feed Powder

Though, it is absolutely necessary that baby lactates from the very moment she is born. However at times it might not be possible for mothers to start lactating due to several reasons. Thus, Baby Milk Powder is handy.  We initially used Dexolac as supplementary meal for a month then we switched to Nan Pro. Both were good, it's just that which one suits to your baby's tummy.

Don't wait for the last moment to buy this as your options may get limited to the availability of the product at the store and you certainly want the best for your baby to have. Also have an insulated water bottle to have adequate ready supply of hot water to prepare the baby feed.

5. Dry Mats

If you are a clean freak like me and don't want your linens to be soiled then this may be the best option for you. The dry mats come in various sizes and I recommend buying at least 2 larger one. One you can keep as it is and another you can cut it into 4 pieces. The larger one you can keep under the bedsheets. And the smaller ones can be kept just underneath the baby and it will also become handy to carry your baby. We bought BayBee dry sheets and we still use it for our baby at night.

Nowadays the mats are very different then they used to be earlier, the are soft, breathable and come in various color options. The dry mats also can be used as diaper changing sheets for your baby and they also provide soft cushioning if not much to your kid while changing diaper.

I hope the above list will help you to prepare better for the upcoming adventure of parenthood. I personally have used all of the items from above list and I vouch by these. 

All the best and Welcome to the  Parent club !!