GUEST BLOG: 3 Questions From a Mom-to-Be

The first guest blogger to submit t0 Working Mom's Blog is my good friend Karen, a mom-to-be due in June. Proving she's much smarter than I was before my first son was born, she sent out the email below to all of her mom friends asking for the kind of advice we all should have had: not what to expect during labor (that falls under the category of advice no one should get but everyone always wants to give); no, Karen wants practical advice.

My answers are in red, but if you have any suggestions post them to the comments section and I'll pass them on. And if you want to be my next Guest Blogger, send your submission to me at heidi.guarino@gmail.com.

Hello friends,
I hope this email finds you (and your babies) all doing well. I'm writing to you because all of you have become mothers (most for the first time) within the last year. As I think about all that needs to be done before our little one arrives June 3rd, I tend to get a little overwhelmed. OK, specifically, Babies R Us overwhelms me. I think I need a glossary of terms to navigate the store and sometimes I'm not even sure what to do with some of the products!

As I know I need to stock up on essentials, my nervous twitch begins to activate. Then I thought of all of you - very intelligent women who have all gone through this same thing rather recently. Rather than reinvent the wheel (or maybe I'm just being lazy), I'm seeking your advice. Knowing how busy you all are, I fully understand if you don't respond. But if you have a second, would you mind thinking about the following couple of questions?

1. What are the top 3-5 items that were essential to you in the first few months? Were these things that you didn't know you needed? (My answer: Good swaddling blankets, an assortment of onesies, lots of good TV on your DVR, and a stack of takeout menus, preferably from places that deliver.)

2. Were there any items that you bought that you thought you needed but in reality haven't really used? (Fancy outfits that were overpriced, hard to put on and generally unnecessary. Let friends buy your baby the expensive clothes; stick to the basics because that's what you'll really want to use. Also stuffed animals. They are awfully cute but the baby won't pay any attention to them for a while so for now they're just going to get in your way.)

3. Let me know if you have any strong feelings about various brands of items (bottles for example). I've spoken with some of you already and learned that cloth diapers make great burp cloths and that bouncy seats are a wonderful invention. These are perfect examples of things I did not know! (I am a big fan of the Avent bottles. I was wooed for a while by the cool shape of the Dr. Brown's bottles, but they have so many pieces they're a pain to wash, so stick with Avent. Also we have had good luck with anything from Graco.)

Thank you for all of your support! I'm looking forward to play dates already!