Finances, Practicality & Emotions–Baby’s Coming!
The vast majority of preparing for a baby is great fun. The minute you hit one of those Baby-on-the-Way websites, you’re bombarded by pictures of adorable blue-eyed, peach-fuzzed infants and brown-eyed, black-mopped newborns. As soon as your hormones are on the fast track to “What-do-I-need-to-buy?” your computer screen is covered with pictures of furry teddy bears, colorful little trains and cars, and sparkle-bedecked princesses and fairies. If they are even mentioned, financial, practical, and emotional preparations for a new baby tend to fall into the background.
Even though these aspects of having a baby are absolutely necessary to consider, they’re just not as much fun to research. Especially if the person who has the most time available for all the reading is not the person most directly responsible for the family finances, that aspect of parenthood may get pushed to the side, to worry about later. Often as not, financial considerations end up right beside consideration of the emotional preparations that just aren’t so in line with the warm-fuzzies that we much prefer. Things like layette, nursery decorating themes, and feeding gadgets are a whole lot safer, in that emotional sense, and they’re definitely more fun, with better pictures, too! All of that, though, doesn’t change the fact that these things really need to be considered ahead of time. As rough as the emotional roller coaster may be now, during the pregnancy (thank you, Hormones!), it just doesn’t get any easier when the baby is in your hands, instead of in your belly. Besides, a lot of things will be easier, if you think them through ahead of time, before you’re also required to think through when to change the diapers and how to get the cream on before you need another diaper, and another onesie, and another changing pad, and . . . . Anyway, you get the point.
Take the time, now, to think through things like the family budget that will, of necessity, have to change to accommodate this new little one. Consider what preparations you need to make for the emotions that are about to slam into you (or you into them). Don’t forget to plan for the practical changes, either, no matter how obvious the concept may be. This baby will need a place to sleep, and you’ll need to have a clean place to change his or her diapers (something waterproof will make life a whole lot easier, even if you have a girl).
There are big changes ahead, and many of them have already begun. Prepare yourself as well as you can, and then relax, stay flexible, and enjoy this grand adventure!