Have you ever had a checklist for your baby before they were born? Do you know what are items that you should buy and get ready for the arrival of your little ones? There are items that you need to purchase before the baby are born, there are items that you can purchase after the baby was born and there is the item you can buy in stages according to the age and development of the baby.
Some parents-to-be bought almost everything as their plan is to concentrate on looking after the baby when their little one arrives. However, most of us buy in stages as some of the items are not really a need after you realizing the usage and you know and understand your baby after they were born.
For the baby products in the baby checklist, there are products that you use daily, for travel, for sleeping, nursing, baby care, home safety, etc. In this article today, we will talk about all the baby products you will need almost daily. And you need to prepare before the arrival of the baby.
A friendly reminder to all the parents-to-be, this list is according to the recommended baby checklist on our website and is highly recommended. Some items might not be necessary according to your lifestyle or needs.
Baby Napkin
Some modern parents will not even consider Baby Napkin. This is rather important as disposable baby diapers will be more popular due to it is more convenient. If you can manage to get your nanny or yourself to use this for your baby, you could really save up a lot because every disposable diaper is $$. An average of 12 pieces will cost you an average of RM40+-, it will last you for at least up to 2 years of usage.
You are advised to prepare an average of 12-24 pieces of baby napkins for your baby. The other advantage of using this is also could cause lesser skin irritation to the baby.
Baby Napkin usage is not only as a washable diaper, some parents use it as a wrap, nap time blanket, or fold it to become a temporary pillow for a nap.
You can look into the Pigeon and Pureen brand that we have for this.
Baby Bottle Detergent
The baby bottle will need to be clean every day after each use. To get this job done, baby bottle detergent will be able to clean your baby bottle without strong odor and also chemical items. The main reason is that this product normally does not have any scent to it as the baby is very sensitive during the first few months. Some of these products are organic and are really safe for your baby.
Some of these baby bottle detergents are also safe to wash the vegetable or fruits. However, you are recommended to check the usage before purchasing.
Some of these popular brands are Buds, Pigeon, Bumble Bee, BabyOrganix, Nuk, Pureen, etc.
Baby Bottle Brush
It is normal that the bottom of the bottle is hard to clean. Even the water bottle that we use daily is hard to clean. Bottle brushes are able to perform this task perfectly. Most bottle brushes come with a teat brush for cleaning the teat.
Some of these bottle brushes are made of silicone, some made of sponge, and some made of bristle. Some are a combination of both. Usually, the sponge will be cleaner and able to clean most parts of the bottle but the issue with the sponge is that it is recommended to change more frequently.
Bottle Tong
Bottle Tong is to help the mother to take out the items in the sterilizer after the sterilization process. This item will ensure that your hand does not touch the baby items and contaminate them.
Some sterilizers will include this bottle tong in the package. You might not need to purchase this separately.
Baby Bottle Warmer
This is to help the mother to warm the breast milk conveniently. Some parents think this is not necessary but many moms love this as it really does the job faster and make parenting life easier.
Older baby warmer is designed for standard neck baby bottles, due to the popularity of the wide-neck bottle (maybe because it is much easier to clean the bottle), most of this baby warmer can fit the wide-neck bottles. Please check the size before purchasing.
Home and car warmer was really popular due to its usage for both in the car and at home. But some parents will just use a hot water store into Thermo flask when going out with their baby.
There are also some portable warmer in the market that you can consider if you are the type of parents that travel often. These warmer will be able to warm the milk while you are outside.
Disposable Baby Diaper | Cloth Diaper
Baby diaper is not new to most people. You could be using the baby napkins with a nappy liner which is the old school way. The most popular now is disposable diaper because it is the most convenient way as you use and throw. For a cloth diaper, you will have to wash it and dry it, it is quite troublesome for most people who have a busy lifestyle.
Clothes diapers, it is gaining popularity now but it is still a lack of awareness and some good cloth diapers could cost approximately RM50 per piece. It is quite a huge investment at the beginning to buy 20 pieces. Thus it makes it hard for many average-income people to look into this option one-off.
Some of these cloth diapers have sizes, some are designed in a way that they could be expanded for the baby’s growth. You are also advised to check this recommended usage size for the one you are going to purchase.
Baby Wipes
Baby wipes are also important to baby daily essentials. Apart from wiping baby backside each time they poo, it is also very useful as cleaning products to clean baby’s toys or baby’s high chair, etc.
For baby wipes, there is a convenient package for you to carry out when going out with the baby. Some come with a can where it is easier for you to pull out the baby wipes and some come in a bigger pack for indoor and outdoor usage. Many of these baby wipes now are odorless.
Brands like Pigeon, Nuk, K-Mom, Pureen, etc are the most popular brands in the market.
Baby Milk Bottle | Baby Feeding Bottle
Baby will need a bottle regardless of whether they are fully breastfed or bottle feed. The baby will need a baby bottle to drink water and other liquid. You are advised to understand how you want to feed your baby.
Baby Milk bottles are made in many different types of material, such as silicone, plastic – pp, pes, ppsu, stainless steel, and also glass. Each type of material has its advantages and weakness. You can read more on the baby bottle material before deciding which is more suitable.
Bottles need to change after a few months, especially those made of plastic. The general rule is that PP bottles are 6 months, PPSU, PU, PES can be up to 9 months.
Most of the bottles in the market will come with a newborn teat regardless of the size. Usually, you need to buy the teat separately if you are buying for bigger kids. Check with the retailers what teat size it comes with before you purchase.
Baby Thermometer
It has become an essential baby item to check your baby’s temperature whether they have a fever or not. Of course, you can also use it for the adults at home. Baby thermometers come in few types. Some are for ears, some for forehead, some are for the mouth, armpit, or rectal.
According to the pediatrician, the most accurate method is to check the rectal temperature but of course, it will be not comfortable for the baby, followed by the armpit and then the ear.
We would not recommend you to get a forehead or ear thermometer that is too cheap as it is a piece of important equipment and is recommended to get one that is reliable. It is also recommended to change or service the thermometer frequently.
Bottle Drying Rack
This item will become essential if you use boiling water or steam sterilize the baby bottles. For such a method, all the items will be wet and need to be dry-off so that you can use them for your baby.
Some steam sterilizer comes with a drying function that you do not need this item. And, if you purchase a UV Sterilizer that is rather popular these days, you will not need this as most UV sterilizers will have drying functions too. However, a note we would like parents to be aware of is that drying functions will tend to consume more electricity.
For getting this item, you also need to ensure that your kitchen top of the house has extra space to put this item. Some of these bottle dryings racks need bigger space due to their size.
Nappy Liner
Nappy liners’ main function is to reduce nappy rash by helping to absorb the baby’s urine into the cloth diaper/napkin. Usually, you would not need this if you are using a disposable diaper for your baby.
Usually, a box of baby liners (approx 100 pieces) can last for approximately 15 days. It is also subject from baby to baby and your usage, some babies urinate more than others.
Nappy Liners can be available everywhere from hypermarkets to pharmacies.
Pacifiers | Soothers
Another quite debatable baby product in this list, some parents do not want to get this for their baby due to some research shows that pacifiers will cause dental problems. Some study shows that baby with pacifiers are easier to take care due to the usage of pacifiers as it helps to pacifier the baby.
Most of the time, we will recommend you to get one but try not to get your baby relied on it too much, and do not let your child use it for a long period of time. Long usage of pacifiers will definitely lead to dental issues.
Most parents will get 2 of these as sometimes you might want to wash or clean one, or you might misplace one and would not want to keep looking for it especially when the baby is crying asking for their pacifier.
Most reputable baby bottles brands like Philips Avent, Tommee Tippee, Nuk, MAM, He or She, Simba, Pigeon designed their baby pacifiers that are orthodontic. Most of these pacifiers are using silicone material as it will last longer compared to latex. Some babies will need a latex material pacifier as it is usually much softer.
You are also advised to check the recommended usage of the pacifiers, some are for newborns and some are for bigger babies or approximately 6 months and above. Those designed for newborns normally will be shorter in length. You are advised to change these pacifiers often, approximately 2-3 months.
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Nappy Rash Cream
Babies’ skin is soft and tender, their skin normally gets raches easily. That’s why you need to have this to prevent rashes and to soothe the baby’s skin if they have rashes.
However, it is very important for you to take note of the ingredients as we encounter before some reputable brands are also not suitable for some babies due to the ingredients, some babies are allergic to some ingredients and thus you need to also be extra careful when buying it.
Usually, there is no major issue for most brands, it is just to advise that this could be one of the reasons why some brands are not suitable for some babies.
Baby Booster Chair / Baby High Chair
Baby High Chair is gaining popularity in Malaysia nowadays. Modern parents will know that this is an item not to be missed or neglect especially if you want to train your baby to eat independently on their own when they grow up.
To train your child to eat on their own will required some hard work too. One of the hardest parts is to clean up the high chair and utensils after they made a mess up, which is one of the main reasons why many people think the high chair is not required as the baby will mess up the entire area if you let them eat on their own.
Some high chairs can recline for a baby for a short nap, some have the adjustable height for different areas and usage. If space is an issue, you would want to consider those which can be folded for easy storage.
Stability is among the main concern for high chairs, babies sit high up and you would want to consider those with a wide base and stability for the baby.
