Preparing for the arrival of a new baby is an exciting time. Shopping for essentials is an experience that many parents enjoy, as it allows them to put practical steps in motion to begin their journey to family life.

However, for first time parents deciding what to buy can be confusing. So many accessories and accoutrements are marketed as essentials and families can find it hard to discern which items are needed and which will never be used.

At Vertbaudet, parents will find a great stock of essentials for those early days, all of which have been carefully selected to help ease the path into new parenthood.

New Baby Clothing Essentials

New babies need clothing that is cosy and comfortable, keeps them warm and accommodates their first tentative movements without chafing or rubbing.

When buying baby clothes for the first time, parents should bear a few things in mind:

• New babies need frequent changing. Buying large numbers of essentials, such as vests and sleepsuits, is advisable. The last thing a tired new mother wants to do is find herself without any clean baby clothes for her precious charge after a night time change, or just as she hopes to leave the house for a visit or check up.
• While fashionable little outfits such as jeans or fancy dresses may look adorable on a newborn, these should really be reserved for special occasions. The reason for this is that they do not have the same comfort level as traditional baby clothes.
• Ease of access is the key to successful changing on the go. Parents will want to buy baby clothes that take this into account and allow for the fast removal of outfits if necessary, such as after nappy leaks or spit-up incidents.

New Baby Feeding Essentials

If your family plans on exclusive breastfeeding, then you won’t necessarily need much feeding equipment in the early days. However, having a breast pump on hand can be a good idea if mum wants to express feeds to be offered by others. In this case she will also need a supply of bottles and a steriliser, both of which are essentials for families that plan to formula feed.

Helpful feeding accessories for both breast and bottle-feeding families include:

• Feeding cushions – These carefully shaped cushions can be used to help a breastfeeding baby to achieve an optimum latching position, while they also make a great support for babies taking a bottle feed.
• Muslin squares – Many mums swear by muslin squares as their must-have feeding accessory. Perfect for mopping up spills and spits, these wash and dry easily and can be put to a variety of ingenious uses as the baby grows.

New Baby Bathing and Changing Essentials

Regular bathing is an important part of the newborn routine, helping to keep the little ones happy and healthy as well as being a cornerstone in the establishment of a recognisable night time routine. This can, in turn, help to establish healthy sleep patterns.

New parents will want to invest in a baby bath, which can be placed on a stand or surface to help save parents from stretching and straining. The addition of a bath support can also help ease the stress of baby bath time with inflatable and foam designs reducing the risk of baby slipping during bathing (although parents should ensure that baby is manually supported at all times). Mums and dads-to-be may wish to consider purchasing baby towels with hooded or apron designs, which help to keep everyone warm and dry at bath time.

Every family will need a well-stocked changing box or nappy caddy, which can be moved from room to room. This saves parents from frantic searches for wipes, baby powder or clean nappies when required.