I wanted to talk to you today about a way that you can prepare in advance before your baby comes for all of the time that you are gonna spend feeding your baby, whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding your baby. Your brand new baby, a newborn will eat about every two hours, and so in a 24-hour period, you will probably feed them about 10 times. Each feeding will take anywhere from 15-20 minutes to an hour, depending on how things are going. And so you’re gonna spend a lot of time feeding your baby, and so I have some ideas on preparing a cozy little spot to feed your baby that will not only meet the needs of your baby, but also will be a place that you will enjoy being for all those hours in those first few weeks.

A comfortable chair

So the first thing you’re gonna need is a really comfortable chair. While an ordinary chair or the top of your bed may suffice for some, they don’t really offer the kind of support that your back truly needs. You have to remember that you’ll be spending a good amount of time sitting (depending on how long it takes for your baby to feel full), so investing on a good chair can really help. A soft cushy chair or a rocker, if you happen to have one, is really great for feeding. Having padded arm rests or a foot rest can also help with bearing the weight of a baby who can feel heavy after a long time of carrying. But mostly, you really wanna think about support for your upper and lower back because you are gonna spend so much time in that chair. And so you want one that’s got some good, firm support. You may use some pillows that you can adjust to make it feel comfortable for you. You might be kind of sore in those first days, and you might need some extra help in being comfortable as you feed your baby. Another feature that you might want your comfortable chair to have is the ability to recline so you can get off it easily without waking the baby.

Read more about feeding your newborn with the right amount

A nursing pillow

Another thing that you might wanna have is a nursing pillow. Even if you are bottle-feeding, the nursing pillow is really great for supporting your babies in the right position without needing to hold them in a certain angle for long periods of time. They’re also made to relieve the weight from your arms, making a nursing pillow great for your own comfort as well. While some mothers are okay with bed pillows and throw pillows, these types of pillows are usually too soft (and so the baby just sinks into it), have an uncomfortable texture (which isn’t entirely good for your baby’s tender skin to rub against), or they’re simply not in the right shape (they’re mostly rectangular, square, or a shape that simply doesn’t fit the purpose of baby feeding). The right shape for the right nursing pillow is rounded which you can eventually wrap around your waist. It should also have the right curve to help give your baby a boost when they’re feeding.

A lightweight blanket

It’s not enough that your baby is comfortable, you as the mother should feel relaxed as well. If you’re a person who gets chilly easily, a lightweight blanket that you can drape over your legs or over your shoulders as you nurse would be comfortable and cozy. Find something that’s easy to fold, doesn’t make rustling noises, has a comfortable and soft texture, and is light-colored, helping you identify anything that might cause disturbance to the baby such as insects or any other foreign object.

A water bottle

While you’re nursing, there is a tendency that you’ll feel dehydrated. Because of this, having a dependable water bottle can help quench your thirst from time to time. Get yourself a high quality water bottle that you can have filled with ice water and ready to go. Find one that doesn’t condensate on the outside, but instead, keeps the water nice and cold for a long period of time. It will be good to have it prepared during the night to help you stay hydrated when you’re up tending to the baby.

A basket of healthy snacks

Another thing you might want is a little basket of snacks. Maybe some bars, energy bars or canola bars or nuts or other things that would feel good for you to eat while you are feeding your baby because especially, again, if you’re breastfeeding, you do get especially hungry while you’re going through that process. Whether you’re breastfeeding, pumping, or bottle feeding, you have to make sure that your needs are met as well. As long as the snacks you’ll be eating are nutritious, easy to prepare, and encourages lactation (if breastfeeding), your snacking will be guilt-less and healthy overall. 

A phone charger

While your baby is nursing, you’ll need something to keep you entertained. Having your phone charger beside you will make sure that you won’t miss out on any calls, messages, notifications, emails, or any kind of communication and learning tools that you can access from your phone. 

A dimmable lamp

A lamp with a dimmable switch is best to have beside you while you’re nursing. Why not just use a regular lamp? It’s because in the middle of the night, you’re not gonna wanna have a lot of light on. You want your baby to stay asleep and become accustomed to the darkness during sleep times. You want to help your baby get his or her days and nights right side up. And so, by keeping everything kind of dark and quiet in the middle of the night, you’re teaching them, “Hey, this is the time to sleep and then you can be awake during the day.” So that’s one way that we help them get their little systems adjusted at first.

A candle with a calming scent

I personally love a great-smelling candle. Candles just make me feel more peaceful. If you think it’s something that would be good for you, then go ahead and get yourself a special candle that smells great, that you will enjoy during breastfeeding time, even while you’re relaxing and watching over your baby as he/she sleeps. Whatever you might have that you would enjoy having with you and near you during your baby’s sleeping times, that would be a great idea.

For your baby…

So, that’s what you would need. But for your baby, you need to have extra burp cloths, maybe an extra blanket, you need to have pacifiers if you’re gonna use them, of course, all your feeding supplies. If you are nursing, you might need to have some lanolin and some other creams that will help you in the healing process through that. Those are just some of the most important things that you can think through before you start breastfeeding or bottle feeding. Have all the stuff ready, have it ready to go so that when you come home with that baby or when they first arrive from the adoption agency, you are ready to go. You don’t have to think through them because you’ve already thought about it in advance. I hope that helps!