Non-essential baby care items that can make baby care easier.

When it comes to newborn and child care, there are things a mother cannot do without; the essentials such as baby wears and diapers. There are also those that may not be essential but can make the daunting tasks of childcare a tad easier; those that can be described as non-essential but very helpful. They include 

1. A pacifier. While not exactly essential, a pacifier can be helpful especially during those moments when the baby just keeps looking for something to nibble on even after being fed, or those moments when you are trying to round off a task and need the baby distracted. It could also help replace the comfort of a mum's nipple when the baby wants to sleep for babies who like sleeping while latched on to their mums# breasts. Pacifiers also serve as better alternatives for babies who want to suck their thumbs as the habit can easily be broken, unlike thumb sucking. Finally, research seems to suggest a relationship between pacifier usage and reduction in cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). 

2. Diaper bucket/pail. In baby care, diaper disposal can be a major source of headache to mothers especially when the baby's poop begins to smell very bad and necessitates throwing away the thrash each time one such poop-filled diaper shows up. This cannot always be realistic no matter the part of the world you live in, more so a place like Nigeria that lacks an effective refuse disposal system. A diaper bucket/pail can take away the stress of daily diaper disposal.
 The diaper bucket is used to discard soiled diapers.  Having one means you do not need to dispose of used diapers daily without bothering about the smell of baby poo or urine as they are usually airtight and have odor suppressing mechanisms that does not allow smell sift out. A diaper bucket allows you the convenience of discarding soiled diapers at your convenience while keeping your house diaper-stink free.

Diaper buckets/pails

3. Diaper bag. While a mum can do without a diaper bag, having one makes going out with a baby much more convenient as compared to using a handbag. Most diaper bags come with different compartments that can contain different baby items as well as what a mum would want to put in her handbag, with everything in its compartment you don't need to search to find an item as each item has a location meant for it. Besides, a mum can decide to always leave certain baby supplies like diapers, wipes or baby cloths in the bag to reduce the risk of forgetting to take one item or the other her baby may need outside the home. Few handbags are as big as diaper bags that can contain all a mother and her baby may need outside the house. 

An open diaper bag showing how different baby items can be fitted into different compartments for easy accessibility

4. Breast Pump. Every mother knows that there are times when she needs her "me time" and would be willing to pay so much to be relieved of her mummy duties no matter how short the duration. There are also those moments at night when a mother needs her much-deserved sleep but cannot afford to because she has to nurse.The breast pump can be of help in such situations provided the mum has someone who can take care of her baby. The breast pump helps extract breast milk faster than using the hands. All the mum needs to do is pump out the much milk she believes her baby will need, store in the refrigerator and go rejuvenate. A breast pump can help a nursing mother work towards keeping her baby fed when she is not available. Some baby pumps can be manually operated while others are electrically operated. The electric ones can be quite pricey but they make pumping a lot easier than when using the manual ones. This baby care equipment can be of immense value for mums who after their maternity leave need to resume work but want to sustain exclusive breastfeeding.

A manual breast pump

An electrically operated breast pump

5. Baby carrier/wrap. Our mothers used to carry their babies on their backs with a wrapper tied at the front and sometimes a shawl to hold the baby's leg in place. The baby carrier brings a modern twist to that and what's more,  a mother can carry her baby in front and have a complete view of the baby unlike when the baby is tied to the back. Reminds one of an Igbo proverb that talks about not vouching for anyone, not even the baby tied to your back. Perhaps the carrier can make a mum vouch for the baby in her front since she has it in her complete view. 
Before buying a carrier or wrap, the mum needs to find out  the strength of the carrier/wrap , it should come with weight specifications stating the maximum weight of a child it can support so she doesn't carry a baby heavier than it can support and risk throwing the baby to the ground from a height as high as it's mum's chest.

A baby carrier

A mum carrying her baby in a  baby wrap

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