Do I Really Need That For My Newborn?
A guide to shopping for the new baby
When I was pregnant with my first baby, I knew plenty about babies and how to care for them, but very little about what I actually needed to buy.
Every product was screaming at me that it was ’essential’. Of course it was. There’s big money in selling stuff to nervous first time parents.
I am forever grateful to my friend Ciara, who, when I was 34 weeks pregnant, brought me to Dundrum Shopping Centre, and with military precision marched me through the baby shops and pharmacies, equipping me with the exact things I needed for baby and for myself in those first six weeks. I used every single thing she advised me to buy. Nothing was wasted.
In a single afternoon, Ciara imparted a wisdom that I in turn have passed to my sister and cousins. And embedded in that wisdom is a secret. You don’t need half the crap social media is telling you that you need. Babies have very simple requirements. Milk, clean nappies, soft clothing, somewhere safe to sleep, and… love.
You might not have anyone to go shopping with you. So let me be your guide. In this article you’ll find a checklist of the things you REALLY need to buy ahead of baby’s arrival, plus some tips for birthing mums, because if this is the first time giving birth, you might not know this stuff. I didn’t! (It’s not on the curriculum in Med School!)
