Seeing a positive pregnancy test sets a variety of actions in motion. You need to find a reputable obstetrician, begin prenatal care and let people know about your impending arrival. As your pregnancy progresses, you need to begin gathering the various baby gear you'll need to care for your baby when she arrives. Baby supply stores want you to think that you need thousands of dollars in pricey gear, but you really only need a few basics to care for your baby properly during the first few months of life.
Car Seat
Perhaps the most important piece of baby gear you need is an infant car seat. In fact, most hospitals won't allow you to leave without a car seat properly installed in your vehicle. Although you can buy a secondhand car seat, it usually is safer to buy new. Car seats become less safe over a period of five to seven years, especially if they have been in an accident. Choose a rear-facing seat, and learn how to install it properly every time.
Diapers
Before your baby makes his arrival, decide how you'll diaper; both cloth and disposable diapers are viable options. If you use disposable diapers, buy several packages of diapers for newborns, and stock up on wipes. If you want to use cloth diapers, you might be able to use a diaper service. Otherwise, buy cloth diapers, diaper covers and wipes. Add diaper cream to your diapering supplies.
Safe Sleep Solution
Your baby needs somewhere to sleep safely. Although some parents choose cosleeping, the March of Dimes warns that an estimated half of all deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, are the result of a baby sharing a too-soft sleeping surface, such as a bed or sofa, with another person. If you choose to cosleep, do so with a firm baby bed that attaches to or is placed on your own bed to give your baby her own safe space in which to sleep. If you choose a crib, make sure it passes all the recent safety requirements, including having slats that are too close for a soda can to pass through and not having drop-down sides, which can pose a risk for entrapment and suffocation, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Feeding Gear
If you decide to breastfeed your baby, you need breast pads, a pump and nipple cream to relieve chapped nipples. If you want to bottle feed, you need a few cans of formula and bottles and nipples made especially for young babies to streamline your first few feedings.
