I’ve been reading “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss, and quite honestly, I can highly recommend it. So far what I’ve read aligns very practically and directly with lots of basic truths about how we use our time, how our thoughts limit our lives, and the need to live life with passion and excitement rather than postponing real adventures until retirement.
A lot of what rings true from the book relates to use of time – what activities do I spend time on that are busywork rather than contributing meaningfully to my happiness, productivity and income? Well, I can think of a few – obsessive organization, particularly in relation to files, lists, etc. Some of this is useful; some is organizing b/c I think it should be done.
So, in the interests of directly applying what I’ve learned so far from the book – prioritize what I’m passionate about (writing) and eliminate what I waste time on (excessive organizing) – I’m ditching my detailed baby-needs spreadsheet and am simply going to list here – because it’s convenient and easy to update – the things we currently need for baby. I should add that we’ve been fortunate already to have been given lots of lovely items from friends and family, for which we are very grateful!
Current baby/family needs:
Nursing pillow, preferably with a removable cover
Breast pump (don’t know yet how this will work, so I’m thinking of it more as something to try)
Reusable nursing pads (maybe 16+ of these?)
Cloth diapers for newborns/the first 6 months + diaper covers (20 – 26 diapers + 10 – 12 covers)
Co-sleeper, mattress (non-toxic) & sheets – M might build something for this
Changing pad
Diaper wipes (I’ve got several large, wonderful flannel sheets that I might rip up for this)
Diaper bucket
Diaper sprayer (I think M will rig this up for us)
Plain cloths for swaddling (4 – they just need to be the right size, with possibly a bit of stretch)
Baby soap & moisturizer & bum cream (I’ve had a few suggestions – ideally, being me, I’d like to make it or use a super-natural one-ingredient product)
Baby hairbrush
Baby nail file & clipper
Fabric baby-wearer device for around the house/ the first while (we’ll see if baby likes it!)
Car seat
Stroller (looking for 2nd hand for sure for this one)
Blue light nightlight (my mom is looking into these – the blue spectrum doesn’t disrupt your biorhythms – I forget the technical term)
Nasal aspirator
Baby thermometer
We’re also looking into a glider rocker, though I’ve been slow to do much about this – a friend was selling one for a great price, but I couldn’t find the time to look at it. For myself, I’ll probably buy a nice pair of comfy pajamas shortly before the birth, and maybe some new slippers, but I can’t think of anything else I need for myself. And closer to the time I’d like to put together a medical/ first aid kit for baby with natural ingredients.
There are also several books I’d like:
The Baby Book – Dr. William Sears
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding – La Leche League
Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child – Zand, Rountree & Walton
Ahh, that was satisfying. Now I can close that file and never re-open it.