Heading Out With Google Baby

Getting Organised for Your First Trip out With Google Baby


Remember the good old days when you used to ‘pop out to the shops’ or ‘nip out to meet a friend for a bite to eat’ or make a ‘quick detour to the pub on your way home’?

Pop, Nip and Quick, your friends from yesteryear, have dropped you like a hot potato, traded you in for a hip young thing with the slim windows in their diary that necessitate a pop, nip and quick. Leaving you stuck with your new friends Preparation, Planning and Packing.

Here’s the reality of Your New Life: If you need to go anywhere, near or far, for minutes or hours, you need to hold a full board meeting with your new Board Members, Preparation, Planning and Packing. Here is the agreed Agenda:

1. Where are you going?
2. Who will be there?
3. What is the weather like?
4. Is the weather likely to change when you are out?
5. When did Google Baby last feed?
6. When is Google Baby’s next feed due?
7. Should we get everything ready just in case the baby wants to feed early?
8. Should we change baby’s nappy now or wait?
9. Should we pack a nappy to change baby when we’re out
10. Should we take a spare nappy in case we need to change baby again when we are out?
11. Should we taken an extra nappy just in case?
12. Or 2 extra nappies?
13. Have you packed the wipes and cream?
14. How many muslins are in the bag?
15. Should we pack a couple more in just in case?
16. Is there a change of clothes in the bag?
17. Should we pack an extra cardigan in case it gets cold?
18. Should we pack an extra blanket?
19. Shall we take that gorgeous blue elephant teddy that he (you) likes
20. And the fabric book Day at the Farm?
21. And his music cd for the car?
22. And the toy that attaches to the pram?
23. Do we need the sun shade?
24. Do we need the parasol?
25. Should we take the rain cover, just in case?
26. What about sun cream?
27. Should we put a cardigan on him now or is it ok?
28. Don’t forget the change mat?
29. And another nappy, just in case.
30. Don’t forget to pack the Dettox antibacterial ‘kills all known germs dead so leave my precious little baby alone you horrible germs’ spray
31. And some tissues
32. Have you got any money?
33. Have a look in his money box but make sure you pay it back
34. Stick an IOU in so you don’t forget
35. Or a cheque
36. Are you going to change out of your pyjamas?
37. What do you mean nothing fits you?
38. See, that outfit looks really nice. No one would know that you’ve just had a baby
39. Wait. What’s that wet mark, oh, I think you might need to change your top
40. I'll go and put this in the wash then.

41. Yes i do have to do it now as i only have two bras.
42. I think maybe I’ll feed him now before we head out.
43. And then I’ll change his nappy.
44. OK, let’s go!
45. Just put another nappy in the bag just in case


Exhausted?

Welcome to your new life!

Photo is from hey-gem on Flickr

What's In Your Bag?

Right – it’s time to get serious. The due date is looming so I’ve got to get organized and to pack the hospital bag. I’m guessing I need a nightdress, toiletries, a book and a camera.

My mum, aka Google-Grannie-To-Be, laughed at this list when I told her and said at best I’d need a trashy magazine with lots of pictures and minimal text as the chances of reading a book at any stage in the foreseeable future were slim to say the least. She also said that I might want to think about packing a few things for the baby.

She is such a know it all….

Anyway, those who know me know that I don’t do packing. It’s a chore too far. I’ll organize and book holidays, but I don’t do packing. Thankfully, the husband, aka Google-Daddy-To-Be, is a LEGEND at packing. I sit and point at things that I need to take away and, hey presto, 30 minutes after we arrive at our destination, all my clothes, shoes, toiletries, bags etc are unpacked and ready to use. It really is a skill that every girl should insist on in a husband.

So, I’m hoping he’s going to extend this 'packing for holiday' skill to 'packing for hospital', although this is not without risk given that neither of us have ever stayed in hospital before so we’re not really sure what we need.

Google to the rescue! This time in the shape of Little Stork who prepare and pack your hospital bag for you. They do four different bags: Essential, Original, Deluxe and Mother of All Bags. Guess which one appeals to me?

I’m loving the going home outfits for baby and mum – and there’s even stuff for the new Daddy. It is the celebrity hospital bag du jour and apparently loved/used by Gwen Stefani, Brooke Shields, Martina McBride, Marcia Cross, Rosa Blasi, Michelle Williams and Jaime Pressly. (Does it matter that I don’t know who all those people are?).

This is an American based company, but surely there is a market for one here in the UK. I think Google-Daddy-To-Be should consider a career change….

Picture taken from Rosemea's Photostream on Flickr