Baby Must Haves
Here is my list of baby must haves! Not complete, and not necessarily brand specific, but lots of things to think about when welcoming your little bundle.
Sleep
Having a bassinet near the bed is great for the first few months if the baby will be in the room with you. Some people recommend a pack n’ play, but none of my children ever slept well in those. They are close to the floor, and I think the difference in temperature was enough to make them restless.
This Halo brand bedside sleeper is popular for keeping them close.
These swings are great. Especially when you live in a two-story house. You can have the baby right with you asleep where you can see them during the day. You don’t necessarily have to turn it on, some just prefer the snuggly feel. But, if you get one, make sure it has a wall plug to prevent using up a ton of batteries.
This was an amazing device to calm all three of my newborns. The womb is really loud, like a vacuum cleaner almost, so they are used to whooshing noises. This one is great because you can take it with you–the car, the stroller, the store.
It’s helpful to have a plug-in white noise machine in the room for them to sleep.
This pacifier. We loved these–easy to find, they don’t roll away, and many newborns prefer them.
I used this blanket sleeper a lot when Revi was born, since she was a February baby.
These adjustable swaddle blankets will help keep baby from “startling” themselves awake.
These are the swaddlers we had on hand for our littles.
With swaddlers, you have to watch the sizes. It may not make sense to get newborn size. Then, you can decide which type you like and just get the bigger ones as he grows.
Diaper Changes
Someone gave me this brand of diaper pail before I had Dexter, and it was awesome. No specialty bag to buy, just whichever garbage bags you already use. There were definitely times I just put the diaper in one of these bags and threw it right in the trash can.
You may want to have a small changing area downstairs, instead of heading upstairs each time it’s time for a change. Having a little caddy is really helpful.
This portable changing pad/station was really nice to have in the car, if there wasn’t a changing table in public, or on an airplane, etc.
I cannot tell you how many times I would have had to change the changing pad cover if it wasn’t for these Waterproof pads. I always had one of these on top of the changing pad, and they are super easy to replace/throw in the wash during and after changes, without having to change the entire cover. There were times I went through two of them during one diaper change.
We loved the Pamper’s Swaddlers for newborn stage. But, in all honestly, my favorite diapers were Aldi brand. And, in my opinion, the best wipes are the frangrance-free Walmart brand.
Something like this organizer would be great to hang on the side of your changing table.
This is the diaper rash cream I swore by.
Bath Time
This would be a great tub to have–one that transitions from newborn all the way to toddler.
Some towels & washcloths for bath time. (Which is not very often)
These are essential for bath time.
Maybe not necessary for newborns, but we have one of these on the tub spout to prevent bumps.
Baby Essentials
This kit would be good to have on hand–their digestive systems are not really well developed, hence the need to help them burp, etc. You’ll also want to bicycle their legs to help them poop in the early days. Sometimes, they cry endlessly, and it’s just gas or discomfort.
One of these thermometers in case they are running a fever.
Cradle cap–it’s basically a layer of skin on their head’s that flakes off. Not every baby ends up with a terrible case, and it’s not an emergency, just kind of dead skin. There are shampoos and brushes made for taking care of it. It doesn’t typically happen immediately, more like when they are a few weeks old–or even a couple months.
These “care kits” can seem nice to have. I know the bulb aspirator is helpful for congestion. The nail trimmers in these aren’t usually great–I prefer to use a file for their nails until they are a bit bigger. Their nails are so tiny. And, as far as brushes, they won’t need it until later.
Travel
For car seats, it can be a really good deal to get a “system” where it’s a combo stroller and infant car seat & base. That is three pieces. The base is installed in one car, and it doesn’t really ever come out. It lets you place the infant car seat in with a click. That’s helpful because you don’t have to fuss with buckling after getting the baby buckled in the car seat in the house. Some recommend getting 2nd base if there is more than one car, but we found that it was kind of a waste. We just took the same car all the time. And, the infant car seat can go in a baseless car, you just have to use the seat belt to buckle it in. Britax is a really great brand–I got a Graco when we registered, and it was frustrating–the straps roll and the stroller was only “so-so.” We’ve stuck with Britax for all of our seats since.
These car seat covers are nice, since the baby can’t be in extra layers/jacket in the seat to keep the straps firm. This protects them from the elements.
These mirrors give peace of mind when driving.
When my oldest started walking (running) at 11 months, it was important to be as hands-free as possible. I stuck with the “backpack” diaper bag–and never looked back.
Feeding
In the hospital, I used these “ready to serve” already mixed formula bottles. I took them with me so I didn’t have to think about mixing things. You also buy the nipples to go with. It’s more expensive, but it was one less thing to think about. Newborns tend to sleep a lot and not eat too much, depending on the baby.
For feeding, all three of my babies loved these bottles. It’s the Medela brand, which is known for breastfeeding, but the bottle is super simple and easy to clean. One thing to keep in mind is the “flow” of the nipple. No matter which brand you get, you’ll need slow flow for newborns, and not too long after–if the baby seems frustrated, it may be because the milk isn’t coming fast enough, and you can use the same bottle but switch to a new nipple.
Dr. Brown’s bottles are popular, but there are so many parts. Cleaning is a pain. I never noticed much difference when it came to response/gas, etc.
Bottle brushes can be convenient to have around–we also just put all of it in the dishwasher with one of these baskets on the upper drawer.
Muslin burp cloths are great for keeping on your shoulder.
Products to Avoid
This is just my opinion, based on personal experience or what I’ve heard from other families: wipes warmer (dries out wipes), bottle warmer (they’ll be fine with room temp), bath kneeler, long sleeve newborn “tight” fit (like the long sleeve onesies), receiving blankets (a couple is fine, but you don’t use them for much), I felt that Gerber onesie packs were kind of a scratchy fabric
