Planning a Family? 5 Must-Haves!

Being a mom is a full-time job and being a mom of two kids (Taher, 9-years-old and Burhanuddin, 4-years-old) has kept me on my toes over the years. Today, I want to talk about a couple of things I wish someone told me when I was planning my first baby. You know, everyone will tell you how you should invest in your physical and mental well-being before planning a family.

What they will not tell you is what are the most important ‘things’ you should invest in to ensure a smooth journey thereafter. So, ladies, if you are planning on expanding your family – take it from a mom, it is the most beautiful decision ever! And to make sure, you have all the essentials handy to keep yourself and your baby safe, comfy and healthy - you need to invest in a few things. And I will list the 5 most important and often neglected things here.

Air Purifier

You have no idea how important it is to invest in a good air purifier. Do you know what indoor air pollution can do to your unborn child? – It can give him/her breathing problems, low-birth weight, premature delivery and the list go on. Indoor air pollution is an invisible devil that you must fight against as much as you can even before planning a pregnancy for the sake of your child’s health and well-being. Dust in the carpet, cooking gas, pollen, cleaning agents, fresh paint, cigarette smoke and even incense sticks and mosquito coils are air polluting agents. And trust me, these pollutants can have a long term and short term effect on the mother and the baby. An air purifier removes impurities such dust, pollen, pet dander, particulate matter and moulds from the air, which can act as allergens, triggering allergies in babies.

My elder son had suffered a lot due to respiratory tract infections time and again, and an air purifier seemed like a good investment rather than repeated visits to the doctor. Not to mention, the mental strain it brought along. So, get yourself a good air purifier that is ozone free, effective, portable and medically endorsed. This product will go a long way.

Breast Pump

Yes, ladies the next item a mom can invest in would be a good breast pump and a baby bottle. This is one lesson I wish I had learnt earlier because to a large extent we live in a society where both men and women work, or we go out travelling and don't get the privacy and comfort of our homes. It comes in handy when the baby is not latching on well or even when you are not feeling well and have the choice of storing some feed for the baby to have some time later. Manual and electric pumps both are available in the market and one has to choose based on what is comfortable and convenient for them.

Steriliser

Storing the feed is necessary and so is sterilising a bottle-feeding equipment. Babies are vulnerable to illnesses. If bottles aren't sterilised, viruses, bacteria, and parasites can gather and make your baby sick. Sterilising can be either manual or using an electric steam sterilizer. They are quick and efficient, taking eight minutes to 12 minutes, plus cooling time. The main advantage is that there is no smell or taste left in the bottles after being sterilised; also, you can keep the bottles in the unit for max three hours.

Baby Car Seat

Now that your baby is happy and fed, let's take him/her out for a drive! For such impromptu plans make sure you buy an infant baby car seat cum carry cot and rocker. It makes life very convenient, comfortable and safe. I recently gifted one to my friend who is expecting her first in a couple of months. This is one gift, I bet, she will cherish for a long time! Car seats may not be mandatory in India unlike other countries, but it makes me wonder why should we wait for people to make rules, which actually concerns our safety.

Stem Cell Banking

Speaking of safety, I would like to talk about umbilical cord stem cell banking. This is a simple process and a once in a lifetime opportunity to preserve the baby’s umbilical cord blood and tissue, which would otherwise be discarded as a medical waste. Stem cells extracted from cord blood are used efficiently in the treatment of blood-related conditions such as Thalassemia, spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, burns, cancer and osteoarthritis to mention a few. Saving your child’s stem cells is an investment towards your family’s future health. It is most important for people who have conditions that run in their families, hence preserving the cord is one thing that would-be parents need to seriously think about, discuss and plan on. I hope you found the above information useful. And I hope these will help you analyse your budgets well so that you can plan on expanding your family better.