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After your first visit with your obstetrician, you will find your mailbox swamped with all kinds of baby magazines and ads for every promising piece of baby equipment that you can think of. This does not even take into account all of the people that will gladly give you opinion, even when not requested.

Though many of the things are handy and work well, there are many that play upon your fears as a first time parent. The following list tells you about the items that you will want to think about purchasing. To save money, you can even look at second hand stores for many of these items or ask friends with babies older than yours if you can borrow or buy their items.

1) A car seat is mandatory, as some hospitals will not even let you leave with the baby until you show them that you know how to buckle the baby in the seat. Many times, they will also accompany you to the car to ensure it is installed properly in the car. Car seats will be outgrown at least two times before your child grows out of them by the age of eight. If you are considering a second-hand car seat, make sure that it meets safety requirements.

2) A baby monitor is a great tool to be able to hear the baby from any room in the house. This way you do not have to remain near their room all the time. At night, I suggest that you turn the monitor off because you will hear every moan and movement that the baby makes and this can keep you wakeful. You have to get your rest to take care of your baby.

3) When you are choosing a crib, you need to look for one that has these features.

- Select a good quality mattress that is firm.

- The mattress should fit the crib tightly on all four sides.

- The railing should be at least 26 inches above the top of the mattress.

- The crib slats space should be no more than 2.375″.

- The crib bumper will help keep the baby’s legs and arms out of the crib slats.

4) A bouncy seat is a great place for you baby to be when it is not feasible to hold her and is a great place to feed them their first meals of rice cereal. They cannot typically sit up well enough for a high chair when they begin cereals and the bouncy seat is a great answer to this problem.

5) A sling or backpack is a great tool to carry baby if you use caution with it. If you use it too often, however, your baby could perhaps have neck or back problems. Pick a sling or backpack that fits you very well and that grows with the baby. The Snugli is great for younger babies that cannot sit up and for older babies the Hip Hammock is great.

6) A playpen is a great way for you to get things like housework done and keep the baby protected. Around five months old is when a baby should be placed in it, unless it is used for a sleeping area when you are traveling, etc. Containing a baby that cannot crawl or roll is not necessary and you can use a floor gym for entertainment.

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The benefit of getting and arranging the equipment and supplies you require to take care of you baby ahead of time is that it lightens the burden later. A certain number of mothers feel weary and easily discouraged at the time they commence taking care of the baby themselves. Then a little job like buying half-a-dozen nipples looms is a true ordeal.

What do you actually have to have, in the way of equipment, to take care of a new baby (let’s say it’s a girl)? There are no precise rules, but here are some suggestions:

A place to sleep

You may want to get a lovely bassinet, lined with silk. But the baby doesn’t care. All she wants is sides to keep her from rolling out, and something soft but firm in the bottom for a mattress. Sometimes there’s a cradle that’s been in the family for many years, or the parents want to make a crib, especially for their first child.

Most parents begin with a crib with a buffer pad to go all around the inside. Cribs should have a snug-fitting mattress, childproof side locking mechanisms, no pointed edges or lead paint, and at least 26 inches from the top of the rail to the mattress set at its lowest height.

Most mattresses are now constructed of foam-wrapped, coiled innerspring with a waterproof covering or high-density foam with a moisture-repellent covering. Mattresses packed with animal hair can still occasionally be found and have been known to trigger allergies in a susceptible infant in an allergic family. (This hazard can be avoided by enclosing the mattress in an airtight casing made for this reason.)

You can make a mattress by folding up an old blanket and tufting it, or by obtaining the proper size foam and covering it with a waterproof enclosure. The sides of a small bassinet will possibly have to be lined to guard your baby from injury. She doesn’t require a pillow for her head, and it’s better not to use one.

Something to bathe her in and dress her on

The baby can be bathed in the kitchen sink, a plastic tub (get one with a broad edge to lean your arm on), a dishpan, or a washstand. Molded plastic bathing tubs and contoured tubs of sponge material to fit the baby’s body are available and normally inexpensive.

You can cleanse and dress the baby on a low table, at which you sit (a card table with steady legs is a good size), or on the top of a rather high bureau, at which you stand. You can sit on a high stool at the sink. Convenient is a dressing or changing table with a waterproof pad, safety straps, and storage shelves. Some types fold.

Other equipment:

1. Diaper pins. Rustproof, stainless steel with a lock head for safety.

2. Vitamin drops, typically containing vitamins A, C, and D. Ask your doctor which preparation to get.

3. Diaper pail. This should hold 3 gallons. Polyethylene is the common material. If you are open to washing your own diapers, you may want two, one for wet and another, containing soapy water, for soiled diapers. If you are going to use a diaper service, they will give a container.

4. An inclined plastic seat in which the baby can be strapped, carried short distances, set down almost anyplace, and from which she can view the world go by, is a most practical accessory. (Some infant carriers can be used as seats.) The base should be larger than the seat; otherwise it will tip over when the baby gets active.

The seat tends, however, to be overused in the sense that the baby is apt to be always in it and so is deprived of physical contact with people. A baby should be held for feedings, comforting, and at other times.

Carriers to hold a baby on the parent’s chest, back, or side are useful for shopping, walks, visits, housework, and fretful periods. They offer physical and emotional closeness. The chest carrier may look clumsy but it is favored by more parents because it is simple to get the baby in and out, you can see and check on her, and the physical and emotional contact is the closest.

Chest carriers need to be used early and often or neither the parent nor infant may be able to tolerate them. People who do use them commonly soon find them indispensable. The side carrier has almost the same advantages.

Framed backpacks are satisfactory, and are easy to carry on long walks, for older babies who can sit straight. The top rim needs to be padded for when a sleeping baby’s face rests on it. You cannot sit comfortably - on a bus, for example. Some types can be propped up as infant seats.

Government-approved, dynamically tested automobile restraints - a carrier for a baby, a seat for an infant - are necessary pieces of equipment for all children who ever ride in a car - and what child doesn’t!

A baby should be able to travel reclining strapped into a carrier. A child between 20 and 45 pounds should be strapped into a special seat that protects from side crashes as well as head-on crashes.

In getting a car carrier or seat, don’t take one unless it conforms to a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard and has been dynamically (crash) tested. It’s a good idea to take your car seat along when you are going to visit friends or relatives by plane or bus, so that you’ll have it with you when you go on automobile trips after you have reached your destination.

The best way to educate children good safety habits in the car is to have a ruling that the car doesn’t get started up until the children are in their car seats and the older children and grown-ups have their seat belts on. If you absolutely have to take a child in a car without a car seat, the best place for the youngster is in the back seat, not in the arms of a passenger in the front seat or loose on the rear deck of a station wagon or truck bed.

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So you’re three months into having a new baby in your arms? It’s time you begin figuring out what furniture you require for the nursery. While some parents want to sleep with their newborn beside them on a large bed, most of us acquire baby cribs to give our children something they can call their personal space. But before you go and find out what crib you should get for your baby, you ought to ask yourself these five questions first.

1) Do you need drop sides?

Most baby cribs are equipped with single or double-drop side features. This means, either one side or both may be collapsed so you can take your baby in and out of the crib easily. Baby cribs have different kinds of drop sides. There are those that may be lowered using a knee thrust, which is the most familiar in the market, while others may be adjusted with a foot bar or a two-handed dual-trigger, which requires more effort on your part. There also are baby crib sides that may be folded down.

Baby cribs with fixed sides are good for parents who are relatively tall and can access in and out with no hassle or if the crib will not be used regularly. Double drop sides can also be good as long as you ensure you’re monitoring your child’s movements while the sides are down.

2) Does the crib fulfill safety standards?

Stores do not release baby cribs that neglect to meet the government’s standards of safety. So as long as the crib is confirmed safe to use, you don’t actually have to buy a costly one (Well, unless you’re particular about design and make).

When choosing baby cribs, take notice of the following:

- they should have tight-fitting and firm mattresses

- there should be no cracked or missing slats and cutouts anyplace

- the slat gaps should not exceed 2.38 inches (should not be wider than a soda can)

- the sides and post should be well padded, or have provisions to place padding

3) Do you want a baby crib that converts to larger bed?

For the prudent parents, baby cribs that may be converted into bigger beds for future use is important. There are baby cribs that can be converted into toddler or full-size adult beds, depending on what you’re looking for. Convertible baby cribs can be fairly pricey, though. Ask around about the costs and see if you can allow to squeeze this into your budget.

4) What is the proper crib mattress support and height?

Almost all the baby cribs offered have adjustable mattresses so you can lay your baby down with ease. Two to three mattress heights are best. Cribs that use metal bars or metal spring systems to adjust the height are also your best choices. Vinyl straps are cheaper but they break easily.

5) Where can you buy good quality low-cost baby cribs?

Not all baby cribs will break your bank. As long as the crib meets safety standards and your baby’s comfort standards, it should be alright. Major retailers and large furniture warehouses generally carry discount baby cribs in reserve. The Internet is also a good tool for finding what you need. However, be careful with used cribs. Be sure you know the crib’s history and manufacturing details before you purchase.

Remember, your child’s comfort and safety are your top priorities.

In closing, it will benefit you to seek out other resources on this topic if you feel that you don’t yet have a firm understanding of the subject matter.