Equipment and clothing for the newborn
It is desirable that parents should arrange to procure and keep ready the various items which would be required for the care of the newborn baby well before the expected date of his arrival, so as to avoid unnecessary last minute hassles.
Newborn Equipment List
You would require the following items for his day.
To-day care:
- a baby cot with mattress;
- baby sheets;
- a waterproof sheet;
- soft baby blanket;
- small soft towels or napkins;
- bath towels;
- baby clothes;
- napkins and safety pins;
- plastic underwear;
- clean cotton wool;
- baby soap;
- baby powder;
- baby oil;
- a plastic bath tub;
- and a baby pram.
Newborn Clothes
The baby’s clothes should be soft, comfortable, easy to put on and take off and comparatively loose.
They should be cool in summer and warm in winter.
The clothing should allow easy access to his nappy because it requires frequent changing.
Clothes which are open at the back or down the front are easy to put on and take off.
Vests, cardigans and top clothes with narrow necks can be extremely annoying for the baby.
The underclothes should be made of cotton which is soft to the skin and absorbs sweat.
There is no need to buy too many costly clothes because the rapidly growing baby will soon outgrow them.
The clothing material for the top clothes should be soft, light in weight , non-irritating to delicate skin and non-inflammable.
Avoid synthetic clothes as they can be very uncomfortable in hot weather.
The baby’s nappies should be soft, absorbent and comfortable. He should have an adequate number of them as they would require frequent changing.
Disposable napkins, though costly, are handy and convenient, particularly when travelling.
While using a square napkin, you would need to place its double thickness in front for a baby boy and at the back for the baby girl.
The positioning of pins on the sides would help to avoid hurting the baby’s genitalia.
Special one-way liners are now available in India, these are useful since these allow urine to pass through to the toweling napkin outside leaving a dry layer next to the baby’s skin.