As a new mom, you are bombarded with a dizzying array of “must-have” baby products and services. As a first-timer, it is easy to get caught up in all of the options and not be able to make sense of what you really need and what you can skip.
If you want to minimize your worries and embrace this new season of life in the most practical way, here are a few services worth signing up for:
Cord Blood Banking
From the moment you first hold your sweet baby in your arms, you’ll know you would do anything to protect him or her. One way you can protect your baby is by banking his or her cord blood. The process of collecting and storing the excess blood from your baby’s umbilical cord after birth could save your child from a number of life-threatening diseases and other ailments. From blood cancers to metabolic diseases and inherited cell abnormalities, stem cells have been proven as an effective treatment for over 80 diseases and there are even more applications being studied in clinical trials around the world.
There are a number of options to consider when you are choosing the best cord blood banking company. You can choose to bank the cord blood privately, reserved for your personal use, or publicly, where anyone in need can use it. While it does require a nominal investment, private cord blood banking is preferred because it offers you much more security of this most precious resource.
Diapering Essentials, Delivered
As a new parent, you are going to be spending more time than ever at home, which means you’ll develop an entirely new appreciation for anything that you can have delivered to your doorstep. Sign up for a diaper delivery service from the very beginning to save yourself frantic runs to Target where your end up blowing $150 on more than just diapers.
There are quite a few options to choose from depending on your needs. The Honest Co. and Parasol are two popular diaper subscription services. Amazon Prime members can also use the site’s Subscribe & Save option to set up a recurring order for diapers and wipes from a variety of brands. If cloth diapering is more your thing, there are also cloth diaper cleaning services in many cities around the U.S. that will launder your cloth diapers for you and deliver a fresh set to you regularly.
Meals Made Easy
If you think your appetite is out of control during pregnancy, just wait until you begin breastfeeding and those postpartum hormones kick in. Often when caring for a new baby, making something to eat is the last thing that you want to do, so having simple, fast healthy meal options is crucial.
Take advantage of all of the technology at your fingertips by having groceries delivered via Instacart or your local grocery store’s website. Use Uber Eats or DoorDash to get your favorite meal from a local restaurant. Or outsource meal planning altogether by signing up for a subscription to Hello Fresh or Blue Apron.
Learn as You Go
These three types of services will get you off to a good start, but from there, it’s up to you to refine your arsenal of must-haves to make your life a little easier so you can stress less. A happy mama makes for a happy baby, so do whatever you need to find your bliss in motherhood.
