Mama-Come-Lately

Well, naturally as soon as I put up my baby basics post I began to think of things I’d forgotten… And so here we go again:

– Play mat: This is for further down the line, and more for the folks with hardwood floors, but they provide a space of the kid’s own as well as cushioning when they’re first rolling around. This one is fun, and free of the nasty stuff some of them have.

– Batteries: Ds and AAAs. Lots of them. Because not having them when a favorite toy or God forbid the swing runs out of juice when that’s all the baby wants is not a fun scene.

– Sunscreen: You need it from day one, basically. Didn’t know that until one of our early pediatrician visits. And don’t think that your baby doesn’t need it because of their lovely caramel or olive skin. That’s a big ole myth.

– “The Happiest Baby on the Block” by Dr. Harvey Karp: Another excellent, compassionate, sensible book about how to soothe a fussy tot. The basis of his methods is the idea of the “fourth trimester,” i.e., the baby’s first three months of life, during which some of them need a lot of help adjusting to life outside the womb.

– Infant massage: Find a class or watch some videos. This is a wonderful way for both mom and dad to connect with a newborn, and it’s quite soothing for all of you.

– Hand sanitizer: Because there will be times when washing your hands is too much of a hassle. Trust me. Get two or three dispensers and a super-mongo one to refill them from. Keep one near the front door for visitors (and yourself — it’s always a good idea to clean your hands when you come home). If you think I’m being alarmist consider that newborns (3 months and under) who spike a fever get an automatic hospital stay.

– Cart cover. Because there is no way to wipe all the surfaces your baby will touch, and suck, and you have no idea how disgusting or sick the last person to use the cart was. Also, carts are hard, and babies are soft — why not make it a little cozier for them? This article explains various features and reviews popular models.

– Baby hangers. Even if you’re having a boy, you’ll want to hang some stuff, and many store hangers are flimsy. Also: Cute! And handy for air-drying certain items.

– Speaking of hangers: If the nursery is dinky and the closet is of a reasonable size, look into having it customized. You will quickly find that you need to maximize all available space to store your baby’s accoutrements.

– Bibs. Long before you need them for mealtimes, you’ll need them for both drool and spit up. If your baby is like mine, you’ll need a couple dozen if you don’t want to do laundry twice a day. Get snap ones, not Velcro ones (it quickly becomes useless). Terry cloth ones are cool, but the waterproof ones are better. Carter’s makes nice durable ones.

– Socks. Many of them are useless for tiny, wiggly feet, but they make great hand-hiders. See, your kid’s hands will ATTACK and TERRIFY him or her! And you will be too scared of trimming those itty bitty nails to keep them from scratching the bejesus out of that sweet little mug. Bonus: They’re perfect infant mittens.