Some of you may remember my previous post about baby shopping. I went to an NCT newarly new sale and was a little overwhelmed but did make a few little purchases.
I left with, in total, 7 baby grows, 4 bibs and 2 blankets. From horror stories I have heard, this is probably enough for about a day and a half... Apparently these babies puke and poop on all their stuff and have to get changed a million times a day.
Since the nearly new sale my mother in law has bought Plum an adorable little 7 piece set with mitts and booties and some baby grows, a pack of 3 vests and some muslin cloths. My granny has knitted some beautiful cardigans and we have 3 or 4 novelty baby grows people have given to Dav.
A friend of a friend donated us a bundle of boys clothes as well so if Plum is a boy- there's a little bag of clothing treasure
This still doesnt seem like very much. it won't fill one draw. Hell, it wont even fill half a draw, these clothes are so small!
On top of this tiny amount of clothing, we have a bath chair thing and my mum bought the baby's bed. The ones I have, friends have recommended them to me but I obviously have yet to try them! See the links at the end of this post if you're interested and if anyone has any reviews or tips to share- please do!
Anyway, I feel like my poor child has nothing. I know this is such an exaggeration and there are children who literally have nothing nothing nothing but what I really want to reflect on honestly is why I have seemingly, so little.
1. "Oh don't buy that, people will buy you that!!"
I know people love to give gifts to babies. I know I do. Its really exciting when a new baby comes and you can buy it a little outfit or whatever so I dont want to find myself overrun with things for it and then it not get to wear things and I wont have anywhere to put an excess of stuff lalalala I've been told all about this abundance of stuff people will give me... but what if they dont? What if everyone thinks 'oh she'll have already got lots of this and that' and I dont. I really really dont.
2. "Em, where shall I put this?!"
We don't have a lot of space. The 'nursery' is not even started.I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing. I would like to do something in there soon because you hear these stories of babies coming early; but everyone has busy lives and it needs to be a bit of a team effort from the whole household as there is A LOT of stuff in there that will need to find new homes (that I hasten to add, dont exist) and so it isn't a job I can do on my own.
The plus point it it wont be sleeping in there straight away so it isn't the end of the world but I would like to have it ready to go... just in case.
I feel like it has become a bit of a storage area and it has no identity as a nursery, it is a dumping ground for excess bits my husband and I don't know where to put and theres lots of papers and boxes stored under the bed. The draws are easily emptied and the curtains easy enough to put up and I know we will get there with a changing table or something of the like but right now... it isn't a nursery. There is no point buying things if I don't have anywhere to put them, clutter gives me anxiety and I don't want to be labeling my baby's belongings as 'clutter'.
3. "What do babies even wear?!"
I recently posted on my Facebook a cry for help, I genuinely do not know what babies wear.
So many of my lovely friends gave me lots of advice and it seems that sleepsuits are the way forward. I've since looked at a few online and got some sale items but nothing substantial...
Seriously though, what do babies actually wear. Everything is legless?! The all in ones look like they're really thick and I don't want it to be hot do I? But then I dont want it to be cold!? What is hot and cold for a baby?!
What is the getting dressed process like? Is it like; baby wakes up in the morning and cries, you feed it, it pukes, it shits, you get it 'dressed' it cries again, it goes back to sleep, it wakes up a few hours later because it needs to eat again, then it shits on its clothes or pukes on its clothes so you change it again... and so the cycle continues? Is this how you dress it? I imagine if this is what its like then it may as well be in a vest and a blanket all day and save me time when I change it?
I literally have NO idea.
This is the crux of it, this is the nitty gritty of my anxiety coming right up-
So, I go into shops and see outfits and I'm like, when would it need to wear that?! Babies don't need jeans?! I pick up things, put them in my basket and then worry I shouldn't be buying that because there is much more important things it will need to stay alive like baby monitors and nappies. I put it back. Then comes the guilt. What if I'm supposed to not care about any of that and be desperate to dress it up like a doll. Wake up each day and play with it and just dress it in jeans or dresses or little sailor outfits...
I don't want to though. I want it to wear pyjamas like me and I want us to sit there any cry together about how confusing life is. I want us to scrabble around together in the mornings trying to work out what on earth we are up to and whether its even worth going downstairs today let alone putting on an outfit! When we do put on outfits I want them to be comfortable and soft and so we both feel like its all gonna be okay and the last of our worries is jeans...
You know what, reading that back through I realise that actually, if that's what I want to do then that's what we are going to do.
People can buy
Maybe I am putting too much pressure on it and over thinking it. Maybe its because everything is everywhere and nothing has a place yet, maybe its because like every other first time pregnito mum to be out there, I just do not have a clue what I am doing.
No comments