Getting organised for the birth

There are hundreds of books that will tell you all the things you need to buy for you and your newborn baby, but I haven’t found many of these necessary at all. My advice to new mums is to not feel you have to have everything. Babies need very little bought ‘stuff’. But don’t think that I wasn’t captivated by the baby books and didn’t head out and spend a mini fortune on things that I eventually didn’t use, because I did. With each baby I’ve used less stuff. I’ve gradually worked out what makes life easier for me, bubs and the rest of the family. The items I consider essential for newborns are:

• nappies and wipes

• nappy-rash cream

• cloth nappies or clean-up cloths

• bath oil or wash