Based from experience, I've gathered a few shopping/ preparation tips for you new expectant mothers and fathers:
1. Stock up on well-known branded diapers, as they have more quality compared to the one that aren't, well, not that well-known. Newborn babies have sensitive skin, therefore you need to test out which brand suits them best (and also suits your wallet). Myself, I stocked up on Mami Poko, Huggies and Drypers. My baby didn't have any skin reaction towards Mami Poko and Huggies. Drypers, on the other hand, gave him blisters.
2. Go easy when buying baby care items. Because firstly, as I've mentioned, babies have sensitive skin, so they don't need us slapping on anything and everything on them. And secondly, you'll be surprised at the amount of baby care items people will give you when they come for a visit. My baby's 4 months and two weeks old, and I still have lots of baby care stock stashed away.
3. Baby cot, stroller and car seat can wait if you have limited shopping funds. This is because your baby will end up sleeping on the bed with you so breastfeeding will be a lot easier, otherwise you will need to carry him in and out of his cot every feeding time. As for the stroller and car seat, you won't be bringing your baby out anytime soon until he's at least 3 months old (or right after the 2 months confinement period for those eager new parents).
4. Do not buy too many clothing sized for newborns, as babies grow at a very fast rate. Buy the ones sized for 3 months old onwards. I can say there are quite a number of clothing that my baby didn't get a chance to wear at all!
5. Survey, survey, survey. If you have an eye for a pricey item, make sure you survey a few places first before making the purchase. For example, I wanted to get Medela Harmony, retailing at RM249 at Metrojaya. Then I went to Babyland in SS2, PJ, and they had 10% discount on it. I didn't stop there. A week later I went to Robinsons, The Gardens, and they had 20% discount on Medela Harmony.
6. Preferably, don't get the modern swaddling blanket as it is too easy for babies to 'escape' from being swaddled. Get the traditional swaddling blanket and secure it with a safety pin. But first, you'd need to learn how to swaddle them, yes? Easy peasy.
7. Before you start splurging, ask your siblings/ relatives whether they have anything they want to hand-down to you.
