Advice For New Parents

Whether you just received the news that you’re expecting, or if you’ve been planning the arrival of your little one for months, we would like to extend our most joyful congratulations! You and your family are on a remarkable journey full of excitement and joy. Many of us at MiracleCord are parents who have been in your shoes, wondering if you’ll be a good mom or dad (you will) or if you have prepared enough for the baby's arrival (you can sure try)!

With all of the planning and preparation you’re going through, we have plenty of advice for new parents!

New Parent Checklist

Baby clothes for the first year
If your friends and family throw you a baby shower chances are you will soon have more newborn baby clothes than you know what to do with! Your baby will grow out of clothes faster than you can blink. Be sure to stock up on t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, onesies, mittens, cotton pajamas and socks in multiple sizes. Try to gather a full set of clothes and clothing accessories in the next size up for every month of your baby’s first year. Collecting so many articles of clothing can get costly, so you may want to visit second-hand stores for children, and other consignment stores where you can purchase gently used baby clothes.

Nursery must haves
Nurseries are a great way to let your creativity soar! A nursery should be a quiet and comfortable place for both baby and their parents. You can customize your nursery in just about any way imaginable, but there are a few must-haves you need to to complete your nursery project:

• Crib and mattress
• Bassinet
• Mobile
• Nursing glider or rocking chair
• Changing table
• Baby monitor

Diapers and diaper accessories
Some parents will opt for reusable or cloth diapers, while others prefer name brand disposable diapers. No matter your choice, you’ll want to stock up on plenty of diapers and these key diaper accessories:

• Changing table pad
• Changing pad covers (multiple)
• Diaper bin or diaper hamper
• Baby wipes
• Diaper covers
• Diaper bag

Baby bottles and baby bottle cleaner
Moms have many choices when it comes to feeding time, and modern technology has made feeding your baby more comfortable and less stressful than ever before. Whether you will breastfeed, bottle feed or a combination of both, you will want to have plenty of these on hand:

• Baby bottles with newborn nipples (5 - 10)
• Burp cloths (multiple)
• Bottle brushes
• Nursing pads
• Bibs (multiple)
• Nipple cream or nipple ointment

Crib bedding
Crib bedding and baby linens are another popular baby shower gift that you will probably receive in dozens! A stockpile of crib bedding is key to tackling emergency messes and having lots of linen on hand helps you buy time between laundry loads. Make sure you stock up on:

• Receiving blankets
• Swaddlers
• Crib mattress pads
• Waterproof crib liners
• Cotton crib and bassinet sheets

Stroller and car seat
A stroller and car seat are some of the most important purchases you’ll make for your baby. There are many safe and reliable options on the market for many budget levels. Take plenty of time to evaluate all of your options and follow the American Academy of Pediatrics safety data and tips for choosing the right products. You’ll need:

• Rear facing infant car seat with carrier handle
• Convertible car seat
• Sun shields
• Stroller

Cord blood and cord tissue banking
An often overlooked “newborn essential” is cord blood and cord tissue banking. On the day your baby arrives you have an incredible opportunity to safely collect, process and store your baby’s cord blood and cord tissue so that you can access lifegiving stem cell treatments now, or later in life as needed. Every year, over 200,000 parents in the US bank their baby’s cord blood with a cord blood bank such as MiracleCord.

Cord blood banking is a safe process wherein a newborn’s cord blood is collected and sent off to a secure laboratory for testing, processing and cryogenic storage. Parents are given documents detailing the outcomes of the cord blood testing and the cord blood stem cells are preserved cryogenically so that they may be accessed at any time for use in approved stem cell treatments and therapies.

Cord Blood Banking

The FDA has approved cord blood stem cells for routine treatment of more than 80 diseases and medical conditions. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people in the U.S. may benefit from a stem cell treatment by age 70. Even families without a known genetic predisposition or family history of any of the diseases or conditions currently treated by cord blood stem cells should seriously consider private cord blood and cord tissue banking.

Many expecting parents wonder if they should choose public cord blood banking or private cord blood banking, citing concerns that private banking may be too expensive. While it may seem convenient or cost effective to rely on a public cord blood bank in the event you need stem cell treatment, there is a high probability you will not find a suitable match at the public donor bank.  

Furthermore, 80% of all publicly donated cord blood samples are not stored for future transplantation and are instead discarded or sold to private research firms.

Private cord blood banking provides your family with secure and lifelong access to cord blood and cord tissue stem cells that offer the highest chance of successfully engrafting in a stem cell transplant.

Cord Blood Banking Pricing

MiracleCord has earned the distinction as a leader in the private cord blood banking industry because of our high quality standards and affordability. We have made significant investments in our laboratories and cord blood storage facilities to ensure your baby’s precious cord blood and cord tissue stem cells will be safe and accessible for years to come.

Our cord blood banking service is backed by our $100,000 Quality Guarantee. If you use your baby’s cord blood in a stem cell transplant and the cells fail to engraft, MiracleCord will pay up to $100,000 toward the cost of procuring alternative stem cells. We stand behind the safety, quality and security of our cord blood and cord tissue bank, and we’re committed to ensuring that your family has peace of mind for a lifetime.

We understand that having a new baby can be expensive, and finances are often tight as new parents prepare for the arrival of their little miracle. Our founder is a parent too! That’s why MiracleCord has worked hard to provide affordable cord blood banking. We believe every family should have lifetime access to their child’s unique cord blood stem cells without having to worry about skyhigh costs.

MiracleCord offers many affordable cord blood and cord tissue banking options that are available as a one-time payment or a convenient 12-month payment plan. We offer annual storage plans, 20-year storage plans and lifetime storage plans to accommodate any budget.

When enrolling with MiracleCord you will have the option of banking your baby’s cord blood, or you may choose to bank cord blood and cord tissue. Many parents choose to bank cord tissue in addition to cord blood, because cord tissue yields a unique type of stem cell called Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), which is different from cord blood stem cells, but equally valuable.

There are over 300 MSC clinical trials underway exploring therapies for conditions such as autism, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and many more medical conditions and diseases. As research into MSC therapies continues, parents opt to bank umbilical cord tissue in anticipation of a time when many treatments will be available.

Private cord blood and cord tissue banking is an investment in your peace of mind, and gives you and your immediate family the best opportunity to access genetically compatible stem cell treatments. We understand you might have a lot of questions about cord blood banking and what is right for your family.

To help answer your questions we have made our Free Info Kit available for immediate download. Click here to get started, or call us at 888-743-2673 to speak with one of our helpful cord blood experts.

As you work through all of the fun and practical items on your checklist, be sure to spend some time reading additional new parent tips in our blog. We have resources about prenatal testing, navigating pregnancy concerns during COVID-19, and many more insightful articles to help you prepare for the arrival of your little miracle.

DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION ON THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE USED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.The materials and information contained on the MiracleCord website is provided for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended to, and does not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis, and should not be used as such. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. If you are seeking personal medical advice, you should consult with a licensed physician. Always consult with a qualified health care provider regarding a medical condition.