#1: Daycare or Family care?
Of course with all the excitement about being pregnant and getting the basics ready like a crib, clothes, diapers, and whatever else, no one’s thinking about making the decision ahead of time so there’s no headache when the time comes. There’s so many questions for this plan alone, it should be it’s own post. Right? Well, have no fear, there’s more than enough info you’ll need right here😉.
If you’re taking the daycare option, here’s a few questions that need to be clarified:
A. When will you be ready to send the baby to daycare? Setting up your mutually agreed age with your partner or amongst yourself if your a single parent, just helps you start the getting ready process the closer it gets to sending baby off.
B. What daycare will accept babies under 1 years old? (I had to learn this one the hard way. After thinking it was going to be a breeze going back to work and putting my last daughter in the same daycare as my middle daughter without a problem, I was quickly shut down and disappointed. She was not only full but not accepting babies under 1. As were the other 6 id called in my area. Boy, was I frustrated)
C. What’s your work schedule like so you know what hours you’re looking for in a daycare? (Of course you won’t be able to pick one that’s 9-4:30 if you start at 9 and don’t get off until 5. Then that leads to the next question)
D. Who is your pick up and drop off back up? Emergencies happen. So picking the right daycare location and times for all involved heavily is a must.
E. How much is daycare weekly? (If you don’t already have kids, then you won’t know the fact that daycare is a whole entire second rent tab😩. Pricey, but the way I look at it, it’s an investment and a very much appreciated job. Whooh! God bless the hearts of you all daycare workers and teachers)
F. What are all The start up costs? (Application Fee, registration fee, first and last week’s fees, processing fee? Just ask or read the parent handbook when you go for a meeting)
G. Are there any materials that need to be purchased? (Some daycare’s require parents to provide the bedding, and of course health equipment like a nebulizer machine if breathing treatments are needed in the day)
H. Don’t forget to ask whether they’ll be able to provide special needs care. (Some facilitators don’t have what every unique child needs and that’s ok. Just ask if their service is available and if they say yes, then be prepared with those follow ups to ensure that all needs are being met to your liking.)
#2: Maternity Leave
The amount of time mom, or, both mom and dad take for leave from work, depends on a list of things. For example, mom and baby’s health state, work obligation, money saved, support, etc… every situation is different. But let me tell you, the importance of planning this part out will take off a chunk of stress when it gets down to that decision making time.
Even when everything is 100% Good, there’s still that mommy and me bond every mommy struggles with when thinking about leaving their newborn to get back to work. So please just do your research in this department. Some of the questions you need to make clear are:
-How much time does your job allow for maternity leave?
-same question should be asked of daddy’s job… (let’s trash that whole ancient mindset y’all)
-does that time frame work for me? And if not, how much more time do I need?
-what is my cost of living budget currently?
-what are the projected additional spending I need to add onto my monthly cost of living?
-can I afford to go over my maternity leave time? If not then back to #1 decision making. If yes, then it’s time to start getting to business. Which leads me to #3.
#3: Save to Survive
As we all know, the key to comfort is having the money to personalize our lifestyle to fit our needs. This should be self explanatory. But i Will gladly explain. By far is saving the easiest thing to do, but it sure as hell will be among the most helpful when you’re considering being out of work for months. Some people are blessed to have it where they’re paid during leave, but others barely receive word of job security. Saving enough to maintain all your bills, and pay for miscellaneous expenses like transportation to and from docs appointments, the grocery store,etc. And paying for self care products,
Should be among the bare necessities that you should have enough money saved up for. This goes hand and hand with #1,2,&3. You definitely need the money to make both maternity leave and the option of daycare, now or later possible and easier on you.
#4: Start stashing
Now you don’t need to do this from the very beginning of your pregnancy, but by 5 months you should have started as you’re getting things little by little. By stashing, I mean, buy up and store baby necessities like pampers, wipes, and baby detergent. Save receipts in the same area as your purchases for needed exchanges in pamper size. I was personally so happy for the support in getting this done. I remember telling my best friend, (who you’ll often see me refer to as my sister)mom, and boyfriend that I had already calculated how much pampers and wipes would estimate for one year(I quoted this price through Amazon and Sams Club for comparison and best deal). As soon as I could give definite numbers, my sister ordered wipes through Amazon all the way from Canada and they came in 3 packs each month for about 3 or 4 months. Just enough to give me the amount of packs I said I would need. And sure enough it lasted even til’ now, and my daughter is almost 2 (in April). As for the pampers, between my mother and I, we were able to purchase about 8-9 months worth of pampers. This was simply due to not wanting to buy too much of the wrong size if we were off (which we weren’t, yaay!lol). All this plus the baby soap stock up from Sam’s club were all an inspiration I seen while browsing Pinterest. This definitely is a savior because I was down much longer with my last baby and hated even looking at a store . If you want to go check out more, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest and click on the BLANK BOARD.
#5: Build Your Nursing Kit
Just up this is one of the last must Do’s on the list, it doesn’t have to be something you need to run and do ASAP. You can actually hold off on building up your nursing kit until you’re about 7 months pregnant, then it’s time to go shopping and put your kit together. Listening to include stuff for both of you and the baby. Here are a list of a few things that you might want to go ahead and add to your kit.
•Baby Tylenol
• Baby Motrin
•Baby Vics
•Saline water
•Tux witchazel pads(For mom)
•Ibupropben 800mg
•Dermablast
•aquaphor
•Cerave
•Cetaphil
•Desatin (Original & Maximum Strength)
•cornstarch powder
•lanolin cream
•Baby care packs (includes nail clippers,thermometer, suction, medication dispenser, etc.)
*at least 3 of each item listed, was the goal for me. I do suggest more than just one of each for your kit. Remember this is only suggestion and not requirement. Please follow your own desired wants and doctor recommended needs. Add and take away products as desired.
#6: Self/Partner Check
This topic really is broader then I’m going to make it. Just for this post sake, I’ll keep it as simple and sweet as I can. Nonetheless, communicating with you’re partner and clarifying everything that you could possibly think of, is key in this plan.
You need to not only know what you want for yourself, but what you would like to bring to the table as a new parent. Presenting this to your partner should open up that same Lane of communication for the same thoughts to be shared with you (meaning- this is not a one way street. Both of you are expected to be open).
The tone of your conversation should be real (honest) and respectful. You got to talk about things like who’s going to pay for what, and how you will respect each others needs for growth, even the mindset of how the baby will be taken care of between you two.
Don’t forget that it’s very important for you both to have your personal time. Mommy needs her timeout by herself and to hang once a month with her friends or once every 3 months, 6 months, or however long.
The same thing should be the case for Dad. Weather dad gets his Friday’s to hang with his friends, it should still be noted mutually that of course priorities take precedence, but space is needed. Not only to hang out and be social with friends and family, but alone time as well.
I hope you all enjoyed The Top 6 Overlooked Baby Planning Guide. Hopefully, you are able to take away a few pointers here and there as well. Don’t forget that if you have any questions, concerns, or comments, you could always leave them below or write in the Dear Jae page.
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