Are You Expecting Your First Baby?

The Gender Reveal Party is perfectly planned. The invitations have been sent out. The guests know that when they arrive they have to select either a pink card stock dress or a blue card stock shirt. On the predrawn lines they need to write a name, a delivery date, and a weight. Once all of the guests have arrived the gender of the baby will be revealed when a set of color balloons are released from a large box that will be opened.

The parents themselves have decided to find out the sex of their first baby ahead of time, but even that happened on their own schedule. They went to the doctor\’s appointment, but asked the nurse to tell them when to look away so that the secret would not be spoiled. At the end of the appointment, the nurse wrote the sex of the baby on a piece of paper and sealed that paper in an envelope. Over dinner that night, the couple opened the envelope and began making all kinds of plans, including ideas for the nursery that would also be revealed at the big party.

Planning for Your First Baby Involves Many Details

Few things are simple these days. From the gender reveal parties that are weeks in the planning to all of the newborn gadgets that are now available, there seem to be many more things to think about than what first time parents concerned themselves with in the past. Along with all of the extras that new parents sometimes invent themselves, however, are some important health and safety tips that are now common knowledge. From the kind of finishes that are safe for babies to the kinds of linens that make keeping a nursery as safe as possible, many of the newest ideas and products provide real advantages.

Tightly fitting baby sheet protectors and waterproof mattress protectors, for instance, make late night clean ups much easier. Having a second set of crib sheets and baby sheet protectors also makes sense for busy parents who want to always have a clean and safe place for their newest additions to their families.

Newborns sleep a total of 10.5 to 18 hours a day, so it should come as no surprise that parents pay such special attention to the details of a nursery and the most important piece of furniture: the crib. In addition to preparing a proper sleep environment, however, new parents also have to educate themselves about everything from bathing a baby to keeping them safe when they are outside.

Did you know, for instance, that the latest recommendations are that babies really only need two to three baths a week in warm, not hot, water to stay clean. The first step to a great baby bath, in fact, is to find the perfect temperature and then fill the bathtub with no more than two to three inches of water. As far as taking a baby outside, it is important to know that babies should not be exposed to sunlight before they are six months old. Even then, however, it is important to apply sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30 all over exposed skin. Applying the sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outside will provide the best protection. Even with the sunscreen, though, it is important to remember that because of their underdeveloped sweat glands, babies are very susceptible to heat rash.

Talk of Gender Reveal Parties and baby sheet protectors make seem a little more detailed than how you or your parents prepared for your first born, but there are many details and stresses that new parents need to be prepared for, so maybe a little celebration revealing the sex of the baby is, in fact, the perfect start to the never ending job of parenting. Whether you are going to be a first time parent or a first time grandparent, get ready for all kinds of talk about baby sheet protectors, gender reveals, and all kinds of new ideas about the age old task of parenting.