Things to keep ready by the 8th Month!!! It's time - anytime - now!!

When we browse through the internet, we find a lot of blogs and Pinterest pictures that prepare us for our pregnancy and motherhood. But most of them are international writers. And that leads to cultural differences that we have to face while being in India and wanting to follow them. Indian culture and its impact on our day to day lives cannot be denied. And, we may claim ourselves to be however modern, we always succumb to a lot of those myths and superstitions.. 

The biggest example in our case is - we usually do not buy anything related to the baby before the baby is born. It is supposed to bring bad omen. Now with so many elaborate lists out there on the internet about buying the cradle and the clothes and the diapers and so on - nothing is going to be of any help - because half the things no one is going to let you buy. 

So what do you do instead?

=> Make two lists!! One for yourself and one for your partner (the one about things that he is supposed to do the day you give birth). 

Mother’s List: Things to keep ready in the Eighth Month [Won’t bring any bad luck - don’t worry!!

• Keep your Hospital Bag Ready by now! (This is the third post that mentions of a Hospital Bag!! Trust me it IS THAT IMPORTANT!!)
• Call for the clothes your relatives plan to give you. (As strange as it may sound - some people believe that your new born shouldn’t be wearing new clothes when just born. Rather wear the ones that their cousins wore when they were born. Ask around - your sisters or sister-in-laws with kids would have probably preserved them for such occasions. And you will be surprised that they have been eagerly waiting to hand them over to you.)
• Stock up on some mild detergent that you plan to use for the kid’s clothes and use it to pre-wash all those clothes and keep ready. (Pre-washing the clothes is important - they haven’t been used in a long long time. And you wouldn’t know what would cause the baby even mild irritation.)
• Buy three-four Hand sanitisers and stock them strategically in the house already. (One in your hospital bag, one in the hall, one in the bedroom where the baby is going to settle with you - these are subtle ways in which you can tell the guests who are going to come to see the baby to use it on their hands before they touch the baby)
• Make the buying list for the Father that he is going to shop for once the baby is born. (This might even need some orientation class - You see men and their disabilities to understand basic stuff at times. For e.g.. Pampers are diapers and can be available in the medical store - but mittens and booties are socks for the hands and legs and are only available in the stores that sell new-born babies’ clothes and other things)
• Clear the shelves in the wardrobe where you are going to put all the baby stuff (Let me give you a hint - there will be a lot of your clothes that are not going to fit you at least for a few months. Sort them out and make some space for the baby clothes and other things to be needed in the first few months. Later you could do whatever - buy a new cupboard for the baby or one of those cotton, hanging ones - with alphabets on them!!)
• Keep the boxes/trays labelled and ready. (You may not be able to stock up on clothes and diapers, but you can certainly set up the boxes or trays in which you are going to store them. 
• Make your list of websites where you had seen interesting clothes or things and who deliver in one or two working days. (Keep your online buying list ready and place the order from the hospital and before you reach home - all your essentials are already waiting for you! That way you won’t have to trust anyone else for their taste for the things you want to buy!)
• Buy things for yourself- sanitary pads, nipple pads, nursing bras, cotton rolls, wet tissues, toilet napkins, extra dustbin bags, extra dustbin even - keep it in your bedroom, anti fungal cream, soothing cream, anti bacterial talcum powder (You may not be able to buy the diapers, but no one will stop you from stocking up on sanitary pads!!)
• Buy all the mats and bed spreads (Technically these are pieces of cloths that are going to be spread on the bed or in the cradle while the baby is sleeping. They may or may not be fancy - but you are going to need loads of them)
• Keep all your documents’ file handy, including your kundalis (As much as you are going to need the regular KYC to make the birth certificate of your child; most probably you are going to need your kundalis as well - you could be one of those who belong to a family that is not so much into astrology - then this is not for you. But for others, do not overlook this - the VidhataPurush is going to write down the baby’s future you know ;-)!)

Father’s List: Things the Father needs to do or buy while his child and baby are still in the Hospital:

• Basic Purchases: Diapers (Mothers, please chose your brand beforehand); clothes for the baby - a dozen each - cotton nappies, front open tops, mittens, booties, a baby suit, baby cap; Baby products (Consult your doctor and chose your brand before hand) - Powder, Oil, Cream, Rashes Cream, Nail cutter) 
• Pick up the Cradle and place it in the room: Either you are inheriting a cradle from someone or buying a new one. In either case, father needs to keep it ready in the room (the position for which should be discussed and locked before hand). If you are buying, then please don't leave that decision solely to him - on one of your visits to the market during your pregnancy, chose the one you like and clearly instruct him to only pick that one up. 
• And Bask as the Proud Father!! Suddenly while I was tying I thought - Father's list is just two things.. Isn't it too short!?! And then I realised - Let him do this much at least!! Haha..