Depending on the type of birth you plan to have, most women have a list of the same types of essentials to pack for a hospital birth. Aside of labor tools like flame-less candles, ipods for music or hypnobabies, or massage oils, the essentials are pretty common:

A Camera!
Socks! Nothing gets your socks wet faster than your water breaking.
A change of bed clothes and street clothes. A robe is also nice.
Nursing bra – Essential!!!
Make up and personal essentials – you will want your own shampoo and body wash after giving birth.
Car Seat properly installed in your vehicle.
Baby clothes for hospital pictures and to go home in For baby’s sake – keep it washed and soft and comfortable.
Baby book or keepsake paper for footprints.
Nursing pillow – wonderful to have, especially if you will be breastfeeding for the first time.
Glasses or Contacts if you use them.
Diaper Bag – to pack away baby goodies to take home
Snacks – you will be HUNGRY!
Your phone!

You won’t need:
A stop watch to time contractions. If they are close enough together then you are already in the hospital and the monitors will time the contractions.
Baby bottles, pacifiers, diapers and blankets – the hospital will provide for your baby. You may only need these items if you live far from the hospital or don’t plan on going straight home.
Jewelry – leave it home!
Baby shoes – they aren’t walking anywhere.

A lot of parents today do not realize that their baby products may contain harsh chemicals that can possibly harm their children. Even products that advertise words such as “natural,” and “fragrance free,” may still contain harsh chemicals.

It is always important to read all of the ingredients contained on the label of your products. If you would like information on which products may contain harmful chemicals, SkinDeep, a cosmetic safety database, is a site that breaks down any harmful ingredients that your products may contain.

Additionally, if you would like to purchase baby products that do not contact harsh chemicals, but don’t know where to shop, I recently came across a website that contains a lot of natural products that your baby can use.

The website is called Baby Earth and contains everything a parent could need from nursery gear, to clothes, to bath products. I really like that a lot of Baby Earth’s products are natural and free of harsh chemicals. One of my favorite products is the SwaddleMe Bamboo wrap, which is eco-friendly.

Another company that sells natural baby products is Burt’s Bees. Burt’s Bees products can be purchased online, and also at stores such as CVS, Target, Ulta, and Wegmans.

I am sure everyone is feeling the down-turn of the economy in one way or the other, especially if you have a baby on the way, or have mounting daycare expenses to pay. While having a baby is a miracle that only a parent can even begin to describe; having to pay all of those extra expenses, like buying clothes and shoes every few months for your growing bundle of joy, can certainly put a strain on your finances, and even add stress to your relationship.

That is why I highly recommend purchasing gently used, and sometimes even new baby clothes on EBay. A woman I once worked with use to sell her baby boy’s clothes in lots and buy them in lots from EBay. By doing this, she barely spent any money at all on baby clothes, and even made some extra money for the purchase of diapers and formula. Babies grow so quickly, so you can usually find very nice clothes and shoes on EBay for a fraction of the price that you would pay at department stores.

I recently bought my baby daughter 6 pairs of shoes in excellent condition from EBay. These shoes included name brands like Baby Gap and Stride Rite, and I received all 6 pairs, with shipping, for about $35.00. At the department stores, one pair of Stride Rite shoes is usually around $40.00. The seller was Auctionmojostores, and I was extremely pleased with the quality of his baby shoes. All of the shoes looked brand new and were shipped quickly. I was so pleased with the shoes I received, I contacted him and he said as his daughter outgrows her shoes and clothes, he will be listing the items on EBay. Here is the link to his EBay store if you have a daughter or granddaughter that needs gently used, name brand clothing and shoes: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/auctionmojostores_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ.

Of course, after my daughter out-grows the items I purchased, I will be relisting everything on EBay as well. As you can see, by buying and selling baby clothes on EBay, you can save money, possibly make money, and help other parents in need during the tough times of our current economy. EBay truly creates a situation, where everybody wins.