1) If you have anything that needs to be done in the Nursery, get it done now. Also, get a crib tent for the crib... eventually they figure out how to crawl out of the crib. (They might be unsafe?? What.. ugh) Also, you need child proof gates in front of any stairs, or dangerous areas of the house.
1a) Put latches high up out of reach on doors you don't want the kids to be able to open until they're old enough. Simple hook and eye latches work well.
2) There is a parallel universe, kind of like dark matter... that will only become visible once you're a parent. Second hand clothing shops are your friend, find them! If things go well, you'll connect with parents of children slightly older and younger than your child, and become the link in a chain of ownership. -- Rick Grubbs told me this ahead of time, and it was really weird once it happened.
3) Take lots of photos and videos, save them locally, back them up. I can show you my child's face changed at least 5 times in the first year... you can always delete them later. DigiKam is open source photo management that does facial recognition.
3a) There's one picture I never took, and wish I had.... the placenta... so beautiful and it was a wild mix of red and deep blue. (Yeah, weird... but anyway)
3b) I store photos in c:\photos\yyyy\yyyymmdd\ folders, I've never tried to name them all... 700 Gigabytes worth! If you leave them that way, you'll be able to navigate your own history by date much better. It's a handy reference for "when did this happen"
4) You will learn to deal with bodily fluids and solids... it's no big deal after the first few times. ALWAYS keep a boy covered when changing, lest you or the surroundings get sprayed. GET a garbage can with a foot activated lid that takes tall kitchen bags. EMPTY it nightly, and you'll have almost zero smell. You can NEVER have too many packages of wet wipes.
4a) I HAD TO HAVE a diaper genie.... never used it. The garbage can with foot operated lid was MUCH better.
5) GET a stroller that can be deployed and stowed with ONE HAND. If you can get it second hand, that's fine.
6) Car seats are one thing you will likely buy new, make darned sure you've got it installed right, have someone else check it. You'll buy more than one as the child grows.
7) You will find yourself completely cured of any irritation from other people's children crying, and have a strong sympathy.
8) GET a Boopy... they are SOOOO handy
9) There exist pads, sold at stores, that are sold in bulk, "chucks pads", that go under the child while changing, and into the trash. These, along with Disposable diapers and wipes, are game changers. I can't imagine parenting without them.
9a) There exist washable versions of the above, if you have a good washer/dryer and time, and live where water isn't in shortage.
1a) Put latches high up out of reach on doors you don't want the kids to be able to open until they're old enough. Simple hook and eye latches work well.
2) There is a parallel universe, kind of like dark matter... that will only become visible once you're a parent. Second hand clothing shops are your friend, find them! If things go well, you'll connect with parents of children slightly older and younger than your child, and become the link in a chain of ownership. -- Rick Grubbs told me this ahead of time, and it was really weird once it happened.
3) Take lots of photos and videos, save them locally, back them up. I can show you my child's face changed at least 5 times in the first year... you can always delete them later. DigiKam is open source photo management that does facial recognition.
3a) There's one picture I never took, and wish I had.... the placenta... so beautiful and it was a wild mix of red and deep blue. (Yeah, weird... but anyway)
3b) I store photos in c:\photos\yyyy\yyyymmdd\ folders, I've never tried to name them all... 700 Gigabytes worth! If you leave them that way, you'll be able to navigate your own history by date much better. It's a handy reference for "when did this happen"
4) You will learn to deal with bodily fluids and solids... it's no big deal after the first few times. ALWAYS keep a boy covered when changing, lest you or the surroundings get sprayed. GET a garbage can with a foot activated lid that takes tall kitchen bags. EMPTY it nightly, and you'll have almost zero smell. You can NEVER have too many packages of wet wipes.
4a) I HAD TO HAVE a diaper genie.... never used it. The garbage can with foot operated lid was MUCH better.
5) GET a stroller that can be deployed and stowed with ONE HAND. If you can get it second hand, that's fine.
6) Car seats are one thing you will likely buy new, make darned sure you've got it installed right, have someone else check it. You'll buy more than one as the child grows.
7) You will find yourself completely cured of any irritation from other people's children crying, and have a strong sympathy.
8) GET a Boopy... they are SOOOO handy
9) There exist pads, sold at stores, that are sold in bulk, "chucks pads", that go under the child while changing, and into the trash. These, along with Disposable diapers and wipes, are game changers. I can't imagine parenting without them.
9a) There exist washable versions of the above, if you have a good washer/dryer and time, and live where water isn't in shortage.
10) You're going to make mistakes, it's fine.