Parenting : Preparing for New Arrival

For those getting ready to meet baby, experts recommend the following:

* Select and get to know your pediatrician before the infant arrives. Talk with friends and/or secure some recommendations from the hospital. Make a list of questions and interview potential candidates until you find the one you feel most comfortable with. Find out how to contact the doctor during non-business hours.

* Take the car seat out of the box and learn how to use it properly.

* Take a baby-care class at your local hospital. These classes might seem elementary on the surface, but they can be helpful, even to those who have experience caring for babies. Holding and washing the baby, and caring for the umbilical cord are just a few of the topics covered. Hospitals also offer infant CPR classes, a good idea for anyone who plans to be around a new baby.

* Get the birth announcements ready. It may not seem like a taxing job, but the point again is to eliminate stress once the baby arrives. You won’t know when the baby is going to arrive, but you know who you are going to inform once that happens. So address and stamp the envelopes. Once the baby is born, all that’s left to do is fill in the name, date, time, height and weight.

* Arrange for a helper--a relative or a hired professional--and decide in advance what their responsibilities are going to be.