How many times have your heard new – or not so new – parents bemoan the fact that parenting doesn’t come with a manual? Frequently, no doubt. What’s certain is that for many people, their lives will never be the same again.
Parenting manuals, or lack of aside, there are ways in which you can make sure you are at least partially prepared for the day when the stork drops that precious bundle into your arms.
Firstly, there’s the shopping list and what a list it is! For such a tiny little thing, that baby needs a lot of equipment. You’ll need some sort of cot or moses basket in which your baby can sleep, a change mat, pram (those that later transform into pushchairs are great value for money), nappies and clothes.
If that sounds like it’s going to hurt the wallet, then look around on Gumtree, eBay or ask to borrow items from friends. You’ll be amazed at how willing people will be to offload baby gear.
Then there’s preparing the nursery. This can be done once the baby has been born as for the first few months, the baby should sleep in the parents’ room. Choose a soothing colour scheme that will have a calming effect, promoting sleep.
Many expectant women worry about “going on too much” about their pregnancy; boring friends and family. This is rarely the case if they are genuine mates, so share your experience, ask advice and get some reassurance.
Go to pre-natal classes and join associated groups. It’s a nice way to socialise with like-minded couples, some of whom may turn out to be life long friends. You will also learn a lot in the classes to help with the birth and how to look after the child.
Do some research about how to ensure your baby sleeps safely; it’s important to be aware of the dangers. The internet holds lots of information, posted by credible charities, dispensing essential advice.
Not quite a manual, but hopefully the list above will help with your baby preparations in some way.

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