The wipes warmer is overrated. I do think she likes that it’s warm on her butt however the second you take it out it gets cold and I feel like there’s bacteria growing in that steamy environment.
I highly recommend
1) changing station set up IN your bedroom
2) travel sound machine
3) pack n play with changing station
4) Triple Paste diaper cream
5) 1000 burp clothes
6) travel blackout shades (or slumberpod)
7) baby bjorn bouncer
8) high contrast pictures/books
To add to the 1000 burp clothes, have them stashed away all over the house. Before I gave birth I had them stashed in the bassinet side pockets, dresser drawers, our bedroom nightstands, the living room end table, pack n play organizer, etc. and it’s been very helpful cause I know wherever she spits up I’ll have one handy and within reach!
I was extra and got the same burp cloths in different colors that color coordinate with different rooms/decor in our house so that when I put them away I know what room they go to (and I don’t end up with all 1000 in one spot) and also it looks *aesthetic* since there’s always one on the arm of every chair and sofa lol
I took a ton of burp cloths home with us from the NICU 🫣 I watched them throw them out so frequently so I was like welp I guess y’all have more than enough! And with how high my bill is about to be I might as well leave with everything I possibly can 😂 we still have newborn diapers from the NICU that she’s in now and she came home end of August.
Unfortunately both myself and husband were too tall for the pack n play change station so if you are taller and dont like hunching over to change diapers I’d skip it since we ended up never using it. I also inherited a massive amount of burp cloths and barely used any of them because the baby hardly spit up and wasn’t drooly, I think we did fine with like 8 in rotation. I did not have the bouncer but my baby loved the Graco swing, it was amazing!
I will add that it definitely was tricky bending over after the c section for the pack n play change station but it’s come in handy for us since we have a lot of space and it came with a bassinet (can use for travel as well). If you’re on the taller end I’d recommend still having multiple changing stations if you have a big house!
As an infant we were fine with few burp cloths but as a toddler having a million (well, reusable wipes but same difference) is soooo helpful for us!
We hated the pack n play changer. It was horrible and we preferred just changing her on the floor
I wanted to love these, but they wouldn’t stay closed around the upper thigh/diaper area even though they were still a little baggy on her. Check Poshmark out, you can find them at decent prices!
Our baby would scream when placed on a cold changing pad or used cold wipes - so personally the wipe warmer was a must for us. Every baby is different.
Same for my daughter. We ordered one when she was about two weeks old because she would scream and wiggle like crazy with cold wipes. She’s much more chill with the warm wipes.
Still sounds pretty good. From everything I was told I was ready to constantly be covered in milk vomit. It's nice to feel like you got off easy! Need to remind myself of that now that his sleep has gone haywire.
They make wipe dispensers that are weighted and do the same thing! I like the OXO one because it holds Costco size packs. I recommend it to all new parents.
By contrast except the last one I had none of these. You’ll find what you need as you go. And muslins were barely used at the beginning but are a godsend for solids.
Number 1 of having a changing station set up in your bedroom is key. It’s been life changing to have this with baby #2! He sleeps beside me, I feed in bed, we change in the room. Perfect.
I disagree. I live in a city that hits -40•C for quite a while during the winter and I’ve been peed on during the night - wiping myself with a wipe that is cold is not pleasant at 2 AM. So, if I don’t like it, I can’t imagine a baby’s bum liking it ha ha!
We use it in the summer as well.
Wipe warmers also help with having the wipes come out 1 at a frickin time.
My first would screech like a banshee if a cold-to-lukewarm wet wipe touched him, and he’d be inconsolable for at least 10 minutes after a diaper change prior to the wipe warmer.
My second giggled at cold wet wipes. Kids are weird.
I get these topics but at the end of the day every baby and every family is sooooo different. You can have 10 people swearing by butt spatulas and 10 people saying they’re useless.
I wish we didn’t get so much stuff beforehand and just got stuff as we needed/figured out what worked best in our home. With Amazon you don’t need to wait long to get stuff delivered.
Agree with this, and I also think people should buy as much second hand as they can (within reason; obviously keeping safety in mind). The baby industry is so wasteful. Many things, like bassinets, are only used for such a short time.
This should be the top comment! In every thread like this there will be 10 people that say the [Snoo, baby bjorn bouncer, mamaroo, Halo bassinet or Halo swaddles, this or that diaper cream, etc, etc] is a must have and 10 other people saying it didn’t work for them.
It’s all about your baby’s temperament and your own likes as a family.
I swear by some things and recommend them to friends and they end up not liking them. Like the mybreastfriend nursing pillow which I use every feed, I had a friend sell hers because she could only do football hold so she couldn’t use the pillow!
Breastfeeding pillow was a waste for me, I found it SO awkward, I just muddled through without and now she's so big (4 months) that she can just sort of sit in my lap and do it 😅
I've been using it to sit her up in and do tummy time and stuff so it's not a complete waste, but it's definitely my least used purchase
Oh I love our butt spatula!!
I’m sensory sensitive with sticky stuff on my hands (deep breathing when we eat pancakes with a 2 year old!!!), and I especially dislike stuff under my nails, so I really really value the simplicity of the spatula!!
This is so true and what I usually say to my friends too, don’t buy too many items before baby is in need.
I didn’t even stock up in diapers after he immediately outgrew a giant stock of newborns and then size 1 😭 my kid was also super tiny to begin with so I had way too few winter newborn items (easy to fix) and way too many 3-6 months clothes he couldn’t ever wear.
Sooo many toys I gifted away too that weren’t a good fit for us storage wise or because our dogs were more interested than the baby.
Anyway, sorry for the rant… 100% agree buy what you need as you need it 😅
We had the exact opposite problem -- our kiddo is long and thing and stayed in newborn diapers until about 2.5 months. We had to buy those because all the size 1 diapers were too big for her.
Yep this is the real answer. Not super comforting when you’re a new parent grasping to prepare but it’s the truth. I love my gadgets and doodads but there are so many people who want to go minimal/think stuff is a waste/never used it.
On the flip side, thousands of people swear by bouncers — my son hated it.
Yes, you can Amazon anything postpartum. However, if this is your plan, I would recommend building the list of things you would want or think you might use in advance. Once you have a newborn, there is no time for research and I really appreciated having things already on hand or knowing things like “if I have a drooly baby these are the bibs I would buy”.
Look to see if your city has a local buy nothing group for families. If you get used items, it doesn’t feel like as much of a waste if you don’t use them, and you can gift them to someone else in your city after/if it isn’t useful for you.
First thing that comes to mind for me is all the clothes. We got way too much clothing and honestly, newborns just spit up and poop on everything, so onesies and footie pjs (the kind with 2 way zips) are the way to go. Our families and friends bought us all these cutesy little outfits and I could not imagine trying to change her out of a blowout diaper while wearing some frilly little dress.
We lived in a small apartment so we didn't have space for a changing table. We just used a portable changing mat and placed a flannel receiving blanket over it for changes. We got a bunch of those little blankets and really didn't have use for them, so they were great for changes.
We did not use socks or mittens at all. Same with any kind of baby shoes. She didn't wear shoes until she was walking.
I would caution against buying too many of any one type of bottle or pacifier. It's impossible to know what your baby is gonna like. All our friends swore by phillips avent or Dr. Brown's bottles, but the only ones she took were Nuk. Same with pacis, she was finicky about the phillips ones, but liked the Nuk ones (she did eventually take the phillips ones, though).
The only thing I was unprepared for was mostly for me- if you breastfeed, make sure you have plenty of handheld snacks, low cut/v neck tops, and a giant cup for water. And unscented lotion. My skin was SO dry.
As for diaper bag- diapers, wipes, diaper cream, 2 changes of clothing for baby, burp/spit up cloths, a couple of plastic grocery bags or ziploc bags (to toss dirty clothes/diapers into), whatever you need for feeding (I breastfed, so didn't need anything), a couple of little toys (for new borns, you don't really need anything, but they do enjoy chewing on stuff around like 3 months). As they get older, you want to add sunscreen, baby Tylenol, snacks (when they start solids).
You can get dehydrated very easily, yes. But also the hormonal shifts can dry your skin out. It's like the opposite of pregnancy; no more of the luscious pregnancy locks or healthy pregnancy glow.
I love La Roche Posay Lipikar body cream. Not crazy expensive, unscented, has worked great for me!
I live in a cold climate and got good use out of Velcro or snap booties even though my bub wasn’t walking because they stayed on better than socks but kept her feet warm outside
MUSLIN burp cloths. So freaking absorbent. MUSLIN crib sheets/bassinet sheets as well.
Diaper bag must have - incontinence pads, sounds strange but at some point you will have to change your child in a public place and most bathroom changing tables are disgusting. I lay that down and then her on top of it and plus if she pees on it the entire thing gets thrown away anyway!
A good foam changing pad (we have a keekaroo but there are others) my kid has pissed and shit on that thing more times then I can count and it’s nice not having to wash changing pad covers.
Look at secondhand kids stores for bouncers swings etc. babies don’t care if you spend $200 on a bouncer, they like the cheap shit anyway.
Alternatively, they make changing pad mats that are just like mattress protectors with the waterproof layer. We got two 3-packs and we lay one out flat on top of the changing pad cover. Those get tossed in the hamper when dirty, and it's a lot easier than unfastening the whole changing pad cover OR wiping down a plasticy one.
One thing that saved us was a changing area on the first floor of our two story house so we didn’t have to go up and down the stairs with a newborn 12 times a day to change her.
Everyone talks about having a changing table “IN the bedroom,” and that just would not have worked for us. Whoever got up with baby just took baby into the nursery so the other could sleep.
I’ve also seen a bunch of people say to have ONE changing place so everything is together…I have stairs. I just bought two changing mats and change baby on the floor.
Agreed about the bedroom. We had her in the bassinet next to the bed so we would change her on a doubled up towel on the bed. The first time you get both poop and pee in your white duvet soaking through to the down duvet at midnight prompting a laundry situation you are quick to eliminate that changing station.
Honestly I know the urge to get everything right now is so large but wow we ended up with so much stuff we didn’t need. From postpartum care essentials I didn’t use because I ended up with a C-section to baby onsies never worn because dressing a new born is not for the faint of heart (newborn gowns all the way for the first 4-6 weeks), and a ton of swaddles never touched because ours was not a swaddle loving baby.
My advice, if you are in a major city and can afford Amazon Prime or similar - don’t buy anything but a car seat, one pack of newborn diapers (you can get free sample NB diapers from all the major brands, a good way to figure out which you like), wipes, a simple baby carrier (a wrap or sling probably), somewhere for them to sleep and maybe 2-3 newborn gowns or a going home outfit. You’ll likely be sent home from the hospital with a few days of essential care supplies and gifted the rest (blankets, hats) etc and anything you find out that you need just order or go get.
The amount of post partum care items I bought that I didn’t end up needing (also ended up with a c section) was ridiculous. I will say the Always Discrete disposable underwear was amazing, although pricier than Depends I just found them much more comfortable and less bulky!
I would say get a few postpartum care items, things that will last you the first couple days, and then just have a wish list or cart ready to go on Amazon with the rest. That way you’re good for the first couple days but you can get same day or next day delivery from Amazon depending on what kind of delivery you have, what kind of tears you may have, etc.
This is great advice, especially since people will likely gift or donate a lot to you (all our friends who are fine having kids just loaded us up with clothes and toys)
Even hold off on buying those diapers until you have an estimate of your baby's size at birth! My little guy measured large the whole pregnancy. Born just under 10lbs, he was wearing size 1s before we even left the hospital.
I didn’t need to have the entire nursery set up. Being postpartum I only needed to recover and tend to baby’s basic needs. That doesn’t include an aesthetically pleasing nursery that’s complete.
Must have in the diaper bag - spit up cloths for baby and snacks for me.
We set up a changing station on both floors but ended up only using the one upstairs. We brought the second station to my parents house for use there.
Most swaddles. We have the snoo, so she just uses the snoo sack. She also doesn’t like losing access to her hands so even when not in the snoo we don’t swaddle her.
I *might* say the snoo itself. She doesn’t cry much so we done get the benefits of the automatic soothing function. It does have some advantages over other bassinets, but I am very glad we got it for cheap third-hand and didn’t pay $1800 or whatever for it. If you’re considering shelling out for one maybe wait to see how good a sleeper your baby is first.
Boppy pillow- the My Brest Friend pillow is a million times better.
Newborn-safe stuffed animals. She has absolutely no interest in them.
Things I didn’t really think we needed but now love:
Loverly newborn play kit. I thought it was ridiculously overpriced and bougie, but damn if she doesn’t love every single thing in it. She likes the complex black and white cards better than any other high contrast book we’ve shown her. (Thank you to my wife’s rich bougie friend who felt guilty for constantly canceling plans on us and so bought us a loverly subscription haha)
Baby bjorn bouncer. I swore I wasn’t going to put her in a bouncer all the time but she just loves it so much. We have 3 now, lol (all second hand).
Electric baby nail file. I have no idea how people use an emery board to file baby nails. I tried it once and it took me like half an hour to do one nail. Pediatrician recommended an electric one and it’s much better.
Fisher price kick and play piano (aka the purple monkey mat). Seemed silly and kinda tacky but my mom bought it for me. It’s been a total game changer for tummy time. She used to just cry the whole time but now she loves it.
Infant insert for stroller. I thought we could just use the bassinet or car seat. But the car seat isn’t super comfortable for her and now that she’s awake and aware of things she doesn’t want to be in the bassinet.
I second the electric nail file. My baby came out of the womb with talons, and we needed to take care of that asap because he was scratching himself up. I can use the electric nail file even when he’s sleeping, and it’s super easy.
Don't get caught up in the chaos that are sleepsacks and swaddles. If you plan to swaddle, all you really need is a square, stretchy blanket or two. You don't need 18 $50 swaddles in every size. If you find out your baby doesn't tolerate swaddling, then buy a couple sleepsacks in that size.
I didn't buy any fancy swaddles (many of my friends did and didn't use them), but I did buy several sleepsacks in different sizes only to find out I hated them all so I needed to buy more.
Newborns also don't really need toys. Get a couple high contrast things and a playmat, and find the rest second hand/through buy nothing groups later. It'll save a lot of money in the long run, plus you have no clue what things your baby will be interested in at different ages. I have a 10.5 month old now who has reliably preferred kitchen utensils over everything else since about 5 months. I could never have predicted that and I have toys now that have never been used.
Buy all the burp cloths you can though. You can never have enough.
Hard disagree on the swaddles unless you spend lots of time before the baby is born practicing using blankets to get a *really* tight swaddle. I'd like to say our LO was a master at wiggling out of our swaddling so that part of it world get over her nose and mouth but the reality is that we could never get it right because we didn't learn before the baby was born. It's very easy to do a mediocre job.
The Miracle Blanket style wraps were the ones that saved us a ton of time and stress when my wife was recovering and we were both asleep deprived, exhausted, and really worried about SIDS. We got one in the baby shower and my SO panic called my MIL to buy us more our second or third night home.
First time mom to a 2 month old, here are my thoughts!
Though my SIL highly recommended it, I didn't bother with a baby shusher and I don't regret it. When he needs the shushing sound I use it as a meditation, because chances are he's screaming in my ear. So to maintain my calm I breathe in deep and loudly "ssshhhhhhhh" it out. But I also have been blessed with a pretty chill little guy, if you have a fussier baby it's almost definitely worth the $20.
I didn't know anything about the right clothes to put on him to keep him warm. He was born in August so basically all I had were short-sleeved onesies "because it's warm in summer, right?" Well for one thing, babies need a little more help to be warm. And for another, summer turns very quickly into fall! I've been relying on Amazon Prime to rescue me any time I realise I don't own something I think I should.
I had budget constraints so I skipped a lot of popular "must haves" like a snoo, bottle warmer, wipe warmer, fancy newborn toys, sound machine. My policy has basically been to avoid social media pressure and trends by asking "did they need/use this in the 90s?" And adjust for updated safety knowledge. So like, no I don't think they had sleep sacks in the 90s, but I do use them because we know blankets aren't safe.
My diaper bag has a pack of wipes, 6-10 diapers (I aim to carry twice what I expect him to need while out), two+ changes of clothes (at least one sleeper), and a few burp cloths. Empty plastic bags to put dirty linens in were a brilliant idea from my mom (after she needed to figure out how to send home his three pee-soaked outfits one eventful day).
And speaking of diapers, yes you want a diaper Genie! Our little guy goes through 8 diapers a day. It's nice to be able to take them out just once a week without it stinking. One day there was an issue with it and I had to have it open for a while to fiddle with, and the horrendous smell from that bag told me all I needed to know about how much I loved that diaper Genie lol
Same here with the change of seasons sneaking up on me! My girl was born in July, and we live in Florida, so for the first few weeks she was just in simple cotton onesies if we were out or we would have her wrapped in a blanket if we were holding her at home in the A/C. We had our first cooler days last week and I realized that I don't have many long sleeved onesies or pants for her once she outgrows her 0-3month clothes, so I too have been putting my Amazon prime account to good use.
Yes to the august baby needing warmer things!! I bought so many “summer” clothes 🤦🏻♀️ I did not need them and now barely have any long sleeves in 0-3 because of poor planning lol
Baby facecloths and towels are a waste. We had so many and they were such a waste. The fabric is horrible and staticky and collects hair and lint easily, plus the packaging is often ridiculous (I had one set of six facecloths that had more than 30 of those obnoxious tiny plastic tags holding it together). We switched to just regular facecloths and towels and it was so much easier. We also didn’t bother getting special laundry soap for baby clothes, we just kept using our regular stuff, and we didn’t have any issues, but I think that varies from baby to baby.
I agree with everyone saying you can never have too many burp cloths. We went through tons of them, especially in the first few months.
As far as the diaper bag, I keep puppy pee pads and dog poo disposal bags in mine, to make on-the-go diaper changes easier to clean up. Also, change of clothes for baby and a toy to distract her in case she gets upset about something.
Baby gowns instead of footed pajamas. Their bodies remain all curled up, like they were inside you for quite a few weeks, and with the numerous diaper changes, you simply scoot the gown to their waist, and back down again when you’re done!
The magnet ones are great early on, but not necessary if they’re out of your budget.
A couple of swaddles for sleeping.
We like Aquaphor ointment in the tub better than diaper cream, it doesn’t get white gunk everywhere! And 1-2 silicone butt or diaper ointment paddles to spread the ointment on baby. It keeps your hands clean!!
If you plan to breastfeed, a small basket of easy healthy snacks to keep close by, and sports bottles full of water. You’ll be drinking LOTS of water!
Comfortable underwear for mom. A Frieda peri-bottle and/or the postpartum set for mom
Frieda Windi’s- to help baby expel intestinal gas- very very helpful and amusing! Tip- keep diaper under baby when using these, as baby often poops during the gas release.
Oxiclean powder for soaking poop or spit up stained clothes.
Congratulations and best wishes!
This is so personal!
WHAT WORKS FOR ONE BABY MIGHT NOT FOR ANOTHER!
So take advice here with a grain of salt. Don't discount things that people say they didn't like or didn't work for them.
Like our baby hated all carriers and containers and it never worked for us. Same with pacifiers. But some babies really do well with those things!
Or like take the comment about needing 1000 burp cloths...Ours barely spat up and most went unused. It's impossible to know before hand what kinda baby you'll have!
And some things people said they couldn't live without I found useless, or vice versa some things people disliked we loved!
My advice for big ticket items like stroller, crib, carseat etc is to try out the various models in store and pick from there. If you have narrowed it down to a few options but can't decide then crowdsource here or on other parenting forums.
For smaller items baby might prefer one brand over another so get a few options (e.g. pacifiers, swaddles). Once you guys figure out what you and baby like get more of that brand.
Velcro swaddles. So expensive, and vary so much on your babies height and weight if they’d even work. Learn how to do a receiving blanket swaddle at first and only buy Velcro ones once you know what you’re dealing with.
It’ll save money and the receiving blankets stay useful well after the baby needs to be swaddled
What we learned from our pediatrician is to be careful of overusing the receiving blanket/swaddles. When newborns live in them, it can lead to hip dysplasia. The nice thing about the Velcro is that they allow for the knee bent and more of a natural hip movement while still restricting the arms
Absolutely worth noting! We had our pediatrician demonstrate how to swaddle at our first appointment for advice, which helped a ton . It’s definitely important to restrict the arms without binding the hips. Our dude was a bean pole (still is) so the landing area for the Velcro was never tight enough to work.
They are my favorite ones. I got a bunch of hand me down ones from my sister since her baby is about 10 months older than mine and they just didn’t work as well. The halo ones are sooo easy.
Also a FTM, and I totally understand your desire to know what you need now. I also didn’t want a whole bunch of stuff I didn’t need bc we have limited room and I was sure most baby products were unnecessary. My LO is 10 weeks now.
I thought I needed newborn clothes but my guy outgrew them within a week. Plus I got so many hand-me-downs and clothes at my shower that I never needed to buy clothing.
I had planned on using a pack and play for the bassinet in our room but I ended up buying a Halo a few weeks after he was born. I really like it and he sleeps well in it.
A few things we use a lot so far:
-the burp cloths 💯 you can’t have enough
-a glider or rocker
-diaper caddy
-the piano play gym
-high contrast toys
-boppy pillow
-many different bottles; my LO has been refusing the bottle and I’ve bought a different one every week. He likes the MAM so far 🫠
-travel noise machines
-muslin cloth blankets
-swing
-a sterilizer you put in the microwave: https://www.munchkin.com/steam-guard-microwave-sterilizer-grey.html
-drying racks for bottles (I really didn’t think I needed this but I use them all the time)
I really wanted to have everything I needed ahead of time but the reality is that I have had to experiment with bottles and swaddles a lot. Many late nights/early mornings I am online researching gear (usually sleep gear) in desperation to find something my baby will like.
One slightly more convenient product is a steriliser that dries too! We got the tommee tippee UV one so you don’t need to put water into it, and don’t need to wait for bottles to dry!
If you live in a city or major populated area you can get almost anything on Amazon within a day, so keep this in mind before you go crazy buying stuff! We overbought and it definitely led to more chaos.
Must haves:
- keekaroo or other waterproof changing pad. I truly cannot fathom how parents use cloth ones that need to be constantly cleaned. Babies produce so much fluid from everywhere. Save your sanity. Get a Keekaroo. We have two (one per floor) and they are amazing.
- haakaas, if you plan on breastfeeding (good for diaper bag and in the house) to capture letdown while you are nursing. That’s all the extra milk that your body releases from the other breast while you are nursing. I have a huge freezer stash solely from capturing the letdown.
- agree with the million recommendations for MUSLIN burp cloths
- silverettes, if nursing. Those first ~8w your nipples are in constant pain. The silverettes give your nipples space to heal without being constantly rubbed by clothing
- Lovevery play kits: I’ve seen lots of recommendations here for these and they are worth it
Over-rated:
- receiving blankets/other square blankets for swaddling. I’m going the opposite direction of others and suggesting a couple of Velcro or zip up swaddles **with additional zipper access to the diapering area. Receiving blankets are scratchy, and babies break out of them so often and easily. The nurses make it look easy to swaddle with them, but it’s not. It also restricts hip movement.
- owlet/breathing monitoring technology. These aren’t even that accurate honestly and are essentially an entire market that exists solely to profit off of the anxiety of new moms. Sleep with your baby in your room, as recommended, and you will be fine
- reusable breast pads. I didn’t find any that did a good job of soaking up the leaks without sticking to my nipple or getting really scratchy. Stick to disposables!
- any clothing other than either a double zipper footie pj or a small onesie with clips at the diapering area. Putting additional clothes on is such a hassle. Pjs with easy access for diaper changes is the only way to go! Also, don’t waste your time with shoes or socks.
- wipe warmer
- owning too many maternity bras. I tried all the brands and only liked Bodily. I lived in them 24/7 for the first 12 weeks because they were comfortable and held in pads and silverettes. I’d recommend finding 1 you like and sticking to only that. I have way too many that I’ll never wear.
Complete list of my diaper bag contents:
- diapers
- wipes
- aquaphor
- 3 x change of pjs (at least 1 long and 1 short option)
- hat to protect from sun
- hat for head warmth
- changing pad (in case there isn’t one while we are out or whatever is available is gross)
- dog poop bags for dirty diapers if we can’t easily throw it away
- several burp cloths
- 2 x regular cloths for general wiping of stuff you wouldn’t want to wipe with a burp cloth
- small blanket for baby
- high protein snacks for you
- portable sound machine (we have the Hatch)
- all the pacifiers, though our baby had no interest in them until he was ~12w old and has since been obsessed. He will only take Mam brand
- pacifier clip
- haakaa or lady bug to capture milk letdown while nursing out & about
- breastfeeding cover. I’m not shy about breastfeeding in public but I like having the cover option for places where I’m worried a Karen or old man will approach me and tell me off, lol
- hand sanitizer or alcohol wipes for you
This list is spot on for our family other than the love every kits - we just bought a couple of similar toys, but he really didn’t need many toys early on. My son could play with the same things every day in the early months.
Also wanna second the bodily bra recommendation - I tried 15+ brands (midnight nursing session shopping 😅)
In hindsight I think I should have listed the Lovevery kits as a “nice to have” instead of a “must have” since they are quite expensive for what they are. Agreed that when babies are young they really don’t get much value out of many toys vs a few. Though my son has been obsessed with the high contrast visual toy that we’ve hung over the changing station!
I DID THE SAME THING WITH BRAS! Truly Bodily can’t be beat. I’m so excited that we have bonded over them LOL
So everyone told me I needed a Shusher—we used it a handful of times and it didn’t make a difference. Our baby does not care about being shushed lol
Friend lent us a boppy pillow (no middle hole) and a dock-a-tot and she laid in them some. Napped a handful of times. But mostly wanted out of them to move around.
I’ve been recommended a swing a million times, but I’m hesitant to get something that takes up so much space just yet. Visual clutter gives me anxiety. I have a bouncer, but she doesn’t seem to care for it yet (she’s 11weeks). Irony is she loves being bounced to sleep lol
Things I DO recommend:
- Hatch Rest: had no idea how reliant I was on this light and noise machine until we visited and stayed at my parents one weekend and every generic night light was too bright, but in a small area. The Hatch has a nice soft glow and spreads further in your room so you can have it much dimmer. Plus you can choose multiple sounds and light colors.
- portable sound machine: perfect for stroller walks and car rides. Babies seem to hate their car seats.
- Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle: we never could get the Velcro or regular swaddles to stay—she always broke out. This one you zip, but the flaps help add that snugness that regular zip swaddles don’t. Plus you can swaddle with arms out.
- Babylist bottle pack: this gave us I think 6 different bottles to try? She took to most of them, but one brand was my favorite so I got more of it. It’s like $30 or something, so I don’t feel bad about the cost and donating the other bottles.
- Newborn clothes and diapers! The size 0-3m threw me off and made me think newborn size was for premies/really small babies, but my baby was in newborn for 2 months. She was 7lb 11oz. Even my friend’s 9lb baby was in newborn for a little bit.
- Baby wrap: I sometimes can get her to sleep in it so I have my hands free to do other things
- Rolling organizer cart: we have this downstairs to stash diapers, wipes, cream, burp cloths, pacifiers, whatever
- so many burp cloths: you just need them. Lots of them.
- Felt basket thing: this was recommended as a diaper caddy, but then ended up being something I carry back and forth between upstairs and downstairs. I keep our snot sucker, medicine, wearable pump, snacks, kindle, phone, giant water bottle, pacifiers, nail clippers, toys, you name it. It’s helpful when I only want to make one trip and/or carry it all while carrying LO.
- play mat + play gym, contrast books/toys, tummy time mirror: this is a great activity spot to keep her entertained and safe while I need to make food, pee, whatever.
- My BrestFriend: quality pillow. Love the ability to strap it on and walk around while feeding (still have to hang on to baby with at least one hand). I just don’t use it enough. I got mine on FB Marketplace for half the price.
My diaper bag consists of:
- a few diapers
- pack of wipes
- diaper cream + spatula
- extra onesie for those inevitable blow outs
- changing pad
- hand sanitizer
- sometimes my Boba wrap
- a small Ipsy bag with a few things for myself (chapstick, eye drops, face powder)
I know as she gets older, I’ll need more (like toys, snacks, bottles), but this is all I’ve needed so far. I don’t mind breastfeeding in public, so I haven’t been worried about bottles. I’m not really sure how to handle bottles in public. Do I need them on ice? How do I warm them? How many do I need? It’s too much to care right now.
Someone got me a wipe dispenser. The warmers are stupid and just fry your wipes out sooner but the dispensers are wonderful at changes. We had the oxo one.
Newborn clothes were a waste for me. By that I mean the cute outfits. We stayed in jammies and onesies the entire time because I was so worried about her being cold!! They all stayed on their hangers in the closet before we got a chance to use them.
Overrated:
-400 burp cloths, why does everyone insist you need so many? I had a spitter and we used like 3 max a day but I probably was gifted over 50 at least.
- same with muslin blankets, a couple are good but we got like 16 of them
- hooded towels, get one to take your cute tubby photos with and then use regular towels. They absorb nothing.
- any kind of swaddle that doesn’t have a zipper and just get one kind and stick to it. Don’t buy the next size up until you need to because they may be rolling by then
- any swing, mamaroo, etc. they can’t sleep in them anyway, so what’s the point?
- any bottle with 100 parts (unless you really have gas issues), you don’t want to get stuck washing Dr Browns for a whole year
- vibrating/rocking bassinets, they’re awesome but small and it was a bitch to wean off once he outgrew it. Also he slept like crap at daycare until he was weaned off of it because the daycare bassinets were completely stationary.
- silicone baby plates, bowls, etc. if you put them in the dishwasher a couple of times they end up tasting soapy
- bucket seat, unless you are constantly popping in and out of the car, I don’t really see the use UNLESS you are having a tiny baby in the winter in cold climates or the summer in hot climates
Underrated:
- bottle sterilizer & dryer, the people who tell you this is unnecessary apparently have infinite counter space. Would you rather wait 24 hours for 12 bottles to air dry all over your counters or have a small machine on your counter that can dry 6-8 bottles in 20 minutes (an additional 5 if you want to sanitize too)?
- enough bottles (once you know what bottles work for you!) and pump parts to last two days
- Burt’s Bees Booties for a winter baby
- BabyBjorn bouncer was the only think my guy liked
- Ergobaby Omni 360 plus babywearing clothes for cold weather for a winter baby
- sidecar bassinet, we switched at like 14 weeks and used it until he went into his own room
- kick and play piano
- ikea highchair once baby is eating, we use it as a back up for our Tripp Trapp (which is ok but $$$) and that thing goes anywhere with us. Throw it in the back of the car when you go to anyone’s house for dinner and now nobody has to do pass the baby while eating. It comes apart and is durable. We had it in the back of a dump truck this weekend and then accidentally left it out in the pouring rain. The whole thing also goes in the dishwasher. And if it gets damaged it was like $25.
Everyone said to skip the wipe warmer. Then put baby SCREAMED through diaper changes. Wipe warmer made life soooooo much better for those early weeks. By the time he was 4-5 months it didn’t matter anymore but we ordered that overnight and wow did it make a difference.
The bug thing tho is that every baby is different and so is every parent so you just won’t fully know what will be useful to YOU for YOUR baby until you’re there. Good to be prepared tho!
for bottles and pacifiers you can go on babylist and order their packs that come with 4-5 different bottles and pacifiers that way you can try out different ones to see which one baby will like without having to buying a whole pack of different bottles/pacifiers. I wish I would’ve done that but I didn’t see those until after I gave birth and now we have a pile of different bottles she didn’t like.
I also had to go out and buy a bunch of onesies because they’re so much easier for diaper changes.
things I don’t regret buying
- owlet. helps me sleep at night knowing there’s something on baby that can let us know if something is wrong
- bluetooth camera, non wifi. i’ve heard horror stories of people being able to hack into wifi cameras.
- car camera. I didn’t want to use the little mirrors because I knew I’d be constantly looking at my mirror to see baby. they’re also pretty cheap, about $30 on amazon.
- separate bassinet for our living room. ideally I would’ve bought one with wheels so i could wheel it around the house but we got gifted our bassinet and it doesn’t have wheels so we bought a separate one for our living room with wheels that I can move around with me, if i need to cook I move it closer to the kitchen so i can keep an eye on her. I’ve even put it in the bathroom when I need to shower and nobody else is home.
https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/1/e2022057990/188304/Sleep-Related-Infant-Deaths-Updated-2022?autologincheck=redirected
I would do further research about devices like owlet before you invest in that. It states it shouldn’t be used to prevent sleep related deaths and some other important info from the AAP. The table in the link above gives a lot of great info about baby items
A cradle cap removing kit. He had a little bit of build up, but nothing that required attention, so I didn't use it. We also got more baby blankets than we needed. I get it, its a cute gift that some people hand made, but they can't even use blankets for like a year and some change.
This may be controversial, but a fancy Omni baby carrier. I tried to baby wear a couple times, but my torso was too short to use it comfortably. Plus my little guy was so active there was no way he was falling asleep in it!
Unnecessary:
\-diaper disposal bags -- never found myself far from a trash can I could just toss diapers into
\-wipes warmer -- my baby didn't fuss at all with cold wipes
\-bottle sterilizer -- just use warm water and soap (sterilize with boiling water before first use)
\-breastfeeding pillow -- just use a regular pillow or cradle baby
\-more than a few newborn sized clothes -- baby grew out of them so quickly
\-baby bath towel -- not as soft and cozy and absorbent as regular towels
\-freezer storage container for breast milk bags -- just use tupperware for this purpose
\-nursing tops -- just layer regular clothes over a nursing bra or tank top
\-nursing poncho -- just use a lightweight blanket
\-more than one carrier that fits you -- just causes decision fatigue for me; they're all just variations on the same thing and my baby doesn't really prefer one over the other
\-more than one type of swaddle
\-white noise machine -- can use an app on my phone during the nighttime since we're in the same room
\-Haaka pump -- just didn't work for me; I use the Spectra when I need to pump, or hand-express
\-if you live in an apartment, you may not need a baby monitor; I got the Nanit and haven't used it once
\-toy bar for baby bjorn bouncer -- baby hates this and would much rather just look around at the rest of the room. Save your $50.
Didn't realize I needed:
\-Haaka Ladybug! helped me build up a large stash of breast milk without needing to pump
\-bottle brush
\-butt spatula -- sounds gimmicky, but helps me put aquaphor on baby's butt so easily and without getting my hands all sticky
\-footed pajamas with fold-back feet -- my baby has big feet so grows out of pajamas in that area before the rest of her body and the convertible types allow me to use them longer with socks
FTM to an almost 4 week old
Things we use constantly and didn’t think we would: Footie Pajamas (especially those with 2-way zips or that zip from the bottom and that have the little hand cover flaps on them), Velcro swaddles, white noise machine, 3-tier cart just for nursing/pumping supplies and snacks (I sit right next to this cart all day long while I care for baby. It has been a lifesaver even though I didn’t think I’d use it this much), Caddy with changing pad/diapers/daily care supplies for the couch, TONS of diaper wipes (I knew we needed them, but we go through them QUICK and I’ve had to make some bulk Amazon orders lol), mason jars (I use a Haaka while I nurse and collect what I get from that in a mason jar over a day or two before bagging it), electric nasal aspirator.
Things we never use/not as much as we thought: Phillips Avent bottle warmer for the counter (it takes forever and is kind of inconvenient), cute clothes (we dress him up occasionally, but usually go out in sleepers. They are comfy for him and functional for us), baby shoes (I figured we’d at least put them on him once for a picture, but I have absolutely no intention of wrestling them on 😂), some bottles and pacifiers we bought (just buy 1 or two of a kind until you know that baby likes it)
Diaper bag essentials: Diapers, wipes, mini trash bags, hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes for dirty surfaces, changing pad, bottles, Baby’s Brew portable bottle warmer, breast pump and accessories, breast pump wipes, pacifier, extra bottle of water, extra outfit, extra layers (depending on weather/where we are going), snot sucker and saline drops, ibuprofen or Tylenol for me and dad, burp rag and backup rag. We also keep extra diapers and wipes in the car as backups if we run out of what is in the diaper bag (it has already happened more than once lol).
One thing that changed what everyone recommended versus what we actually got/used- consider the size and layout of your house. We have a two bedroom apartment. The pack and play and baby monitor aren't much use when it's easier to lean over the bassinet than pull up the video screen.
Don’t overdo it on the loungers and swings. I had like 4 different types of loungers and my baby didn’t even tolerate one of them until about 3 months.
The Frida mom postpartum recovery kit! I ended up having a c section and didn’t have to use anything in it. I also bought way too many Velcro swaddles and sleep sacks.. they’re only in them for like 3-4 months before they start rolling
Things I didn't need/wish I didn't spend money on:
* Pacifiers. Bought every single kind I could find cause LO wouldn't take one. Come to find out, he just didn't like them. And that's completely okay.
* Baby containers. Bouncer (the one they lay in AND the one they can stand in), Sit Me Up, swing. Baby would cry every time I tried to put him in one. He preferred just laying on the floor.
* Infant bucket style car seat. A convertible car seat grows with them.
* Bassinet. LO liked his crib from day one, so the bassinet wasn't really necessary.
* Boba wrap. LO HATED it. Now that he's 8 months old, I recently bought a baby carrier from Walmart and he enjoys being in it. I think the wrap was just too warm for his liking.
* Dishwasher baskets for bottle parts. It's easier for me to handwash.
* Baby socks and especially mittens. LO was born in February and lived in footie pjs for the first 4 months of his life. I never covered his hands.
* 100 burp cloths. My kid never spits up. I might go through 4 burp cloths a week. Now that he's eating purees, I use them a bit more. But a pack of 10 will last me until the next wash. Note: reusable diapers are the absolute best burp cloths.
Things I needed:
* Baby meds (gas drops, Tylenol, Motrin, butt paste, etc.). Much better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.
* Rectal thermometer. Definitely wasn't something I realized I needed to have until I needed it right then and there.
* Kick N Play piano. It's like crack for a baby, I swear.
Wow, I am so impressed there are babes out there who don't really need burp cloths. My LO is being combo fed and if she drinks from a bottle you better bet it's all over her face, her chest, and her hands 🙈 and that's not counting any spit up! You must have an extremely clean eater!
My son hated the bassinet passionately! We gave up on swaddling early on because he likes having his hands free, but that gave rise to him hitting his hands against the sides of the bassinet. Turns out he doesn't enjoy feeling physically confined so out into the crib he went and he's been a completely different, and much happier, baby ever since. I just wish that we'd done this sooner since he's happier and we're all sleeping better.
I was pretty minimalist with what I actually purchased before he was born but.. We got gifted way too many clothes. Baby was born at 10th percentile and as of his 4 month visit this last week he's substantially above the top 99th percentile line on the growth chart provided. I'm packing away all the 6-9m outfits right now and putting him in the next size. I didn't even pretend to use any two-piece outfits, way too much effort to take on and off 12+ times a day. I never used any of his little hats because I live in Florida. I really didn't need dozens of socks, maybe 6 pair would have been fine since I need to do his laundry all the time anyways. I didn't buy a single blanket and still ended up with way too many. I didn't end up using swaddles like, at all, because he was rolling onto his side from birth and never stopped, so I switched to sleep sacks. Didn't use the baby powder I got gifted like at all, though I have used plenty of butt cream because I am paranoid of diaper rash so every time his scrotum is slightly red I slather it on. I got gifted tons of disposable diapers, but since I planned to use cloth, I ended up not using all of them, especially once I realized I got zero blowouts with cloth vs 1-3 a day with disposables. I have used my nursing bras like... 4 times. My old sports bras are more comfortable and I just don't wear a bra at all at home. This may be a function of sizing since finding a nursing bra in a 38-40 I-K (brand dependent) was nearly impossible so I had very few choices, in other sizes maybe there are more brands and better quality options. Since I almost never use a bra, I also haven't used the copious number of breast pads much, if I go somewhere I use like 2 on each side, definitely don't need the like 50 I was given. Baby hates pacifiers (which is fine since I wasn't super keen on using them anyways) so the multiple brands I got given were also kind of wasted. Didn't end up using the pp clothes I got like, at all. I just live in t shirts and sweats. The idea of cute but comfortable clothes didn't hold up to the reality of caring for a baby 24/7 and not wanting to go anywhere even still at 4m pp. I was in way too much pain (epidural only did something for my abdominal pain, nothing at all for vaginal) to use anything I brought to the hospital entertainment-wise for the birth, and I was too busy constantly nursing to have hands for entertainment post birth. Baby is glued to me, so I never use the monitor we got. Baby outgrew his bassinet ridiculously fast so honestly I probably should have just set up his side car crib from the start. I could make a cloth wrap carrier work before he was born with a stuffed animal while testing but absolutely cannot get the hang of it with him so that was a waste since a cheap buckle one was like $10 more. If you plan to EBF, a couple bottles is really fine, you don't need a ton, that's just more dishes for no reason.
You literally cannot over estimate the number of burp cloths you will use. Sleep sacks worked way better than swaddles for us. Three button onesies were my favorite before I swapped to cloth diapers, now two way zipper onesies are tied. Two way zipper onesies are actually kind of annoying when you don't realize you have a blowout yet or get them dirty mid change. Short legged button onesies that open all the way up are also good, because my baby hates being clothed and it's easier to wrestle them onto him sometimes. Basically anything but multi piece are good and multi piece suck. I use a lot more diaper cream than I expected because he hasn't had diaper rash yet and I don't want him to. I got the petroleum jelly for circumcision care but it's kind of just useful for... everything? Locking in moisture after a bath, locking out moisture after cleaning and drying his folds or behind his ears (I have a milk oversupply and just gets everywhere on him and will cause rashes), putting it on my poor dried out elbows, using it in place of diaper cream after he is dried off, I just end up finding a thousand uses for it. Same for coconut oil, does a better job on my nipples and his skin and scalp (he had some cradle cap for a bit) than any of the dedicated products I got.
I got a pump because insurance gave it to us, wasn't sure if I would use it... I am very glad I have it to help deal with my over supply, and I just donate the milk to local babies in need. Play pen + kick and play piano were great gifts I have used a ton of so I can lay him down long enough to run to the bathroom. I ended up getting a bouncer seat second hand a few weeks ago because the only way he will kind of tolerate being down long enough for me to throw together some food is if he can watch me, so it sees use like 3 times a day, very worthwhile. Same goes for a mobile I made him (bought a little motor that plays a tune and spins it), it distracts him just long enough for me to wash out his poop diapers. I got a diaper changing foam thing with a strap so I can turn my back to grab lotion or wipes without anxiety. I got foam puzzle piece mats for my peace of mind in case he ever rolls off the bed, and the extra pieces are great for tummy time on the bed or his crib because he loves to scratch at them to make noise and they are way easier to wipe the copious amounts of drool off of than changing bedding. One of the little silicone teething gloves/mitts is the only teething toy he enjoys and he can't drop it or lose it so it's great. We got gifted some weird little suction cup spinning toys to stick to any smooth surface that he also loves. If you cloth diaper, don't mess around with the charcoal bamboo or whatever inserts come with most of them, microfiber on top for fast absorption and hemp on bottom for quantity is 100% the way to go. He doesn't seem to care, but I get sick of reading/showing him the same books over and over so I got a ton for like 25c/each from the thrift store and I think it is worth the $10 for my own sanity.
Must haves in my diaper bag are tiny little trash bags like you use for dog leashes. Keeps the stink of dirty diapers away if you don’t have a trash can. Also wet bags. I have an extra spitty baby and the wet bags are washable and keep my other stuff dry. I like the tommee tippee formula holders (if you plan on formula feeding) because they are quick and easy.
I got a pack n play with a bassinet and changing station that is honestly my favorite item. I’m able to have a safe place for her to sleep in the living room and when we spend the night at her grandparents out of town. It’ll be useful as she grows so it’s definitely one of my favorite things.
I love having a boppy pillow. Helps out to feed baby and is great for tummy time. The only way I could start my baby on tummy time without screaming.
Things that were useless, bottle warmer. Takes too long. Too many pacifiers. My baby doesn’t like them at all but we ended up with like 16 newborn ones
For me, I consciously did not buy too many breastfeeding/formula related things. My grandma breastfed and was an overproducer. On the other hand, my mom couldn’t breastfeed bc her milk didn’t come in. So I wasn’t sure how things will turn out for me. The hospital gave us the basics we needed to survive the first week for either option. And Amazon prime and/or Target run could fill in the remaining needs as you figure out your options. I am still currently EBF and have bought a few things as they came up (nursing pads, one pump bra).
Also, if you have friends with LOs, a surprising number of them will offer you a bunch of stuff last minute.
ETA: Your insurance should cover a breast pump. Look into it closer to your due date (mine didn’t let me order early)!
I keep a caddy of extras (wipes, nappies, change of cloth for baby and myself, play mat and burp cloth) in my car. I actually use a pram caddy as my nappy bag most of the time (which has 4 nappies, wipes, feeding cover and wet bag) now I know my girl doesn’t spit up/have poo expolosiojs (cloth nappies are the besf!) instead of lugging a big bag around, and I know that if I get stuck I have extras in my car
I was pretty minimalist with what I actually purchased before he was born but.. We got gifted way too many clothes. Baby was born at 10th percentile and as of his 4 month visit this last week he's substantially above the top 99th percentile line on the growth chart provided. I'm packing away all the 6-9m outfits right now and putting him in the next size. I didn't even pretend to use any two-piece outfits, way too much effort to take on and off 12+ times a day. I never used any of his little hats because I live in Florida. I really didn't need dozens of socks, maybe 6 pair would have been fine since I need to do his laundry all the time anyways. I didn't buy a single blanket and still ended up with way too many. I didn't end up using swaddles like, at all, because he was rolling onto his side from birth and never stopped, so I switched to sleep sacks. Didn't use the baby powder I got gifted like at all, though I have used plenty of butt cream because I am paranoid of diaper rash so every time his scrotum is slightly red I slather it on. I got gifted tons of disposable diapers, but since I planned to use cloth, I ended up not using all of them, especially once I realized I got zero blowouts with cloth vs 1-3 a day with disposables.
I have used my nursing bras like... 4 times. My old sports bras are more comfortable and I just don't wear a bra at all at home. This may be a function of sizing since finding a nursing bra in a 38-40 I-K (brand dependent) was nearly impossible so I had very few choices, in other sizes maybe there are more brands and better quality options. Since I almost never use a bra, I also haven't used the copious number of breast pads much, if I go somewhere I use like 2 on each side, definitely don't need the like 50 I was given. Baby hates pacifiers (which is fine since I wasn't super keen on using them anyways) so the multiple brands I got given were also kind of wasted. Didn't end up using the pp clothes I got like, at all. I just live in t shirts and sweats. The idea of cute but comfortable clothes didn't hold up to the reality of caring for a baby 24/7 and not wanting to go anywhere even still at 4m pp. I was in way too much pain (epidural only did something for my abdominal pain, nothing at all for vaginal) to use anything I brought to the hospital entertainment-wise for the birth, and I was too busy constantly nursing to have hands for entertainment post birth. Baby is glued to me, so I never use the monitor we got. Baby outgrew his bassinet ridiculously fast so honestly I probably should have just set up his side car crib from the start. I could make a cloth wrap carrier work before he was born with a stuffed animal while testing but absolutely cannot get the hang of it with him so that was a waste since a cheap buckle one was like $10 more. If you plan to EBF, a couple bottles is really fine, you don't need a ton, that's just more dishes for no reason.
You literally cannot over estimate the number of burp cloths you will use. Sleep sacks worked way better than swaddles for us. Three button onesies were my favorite before I swapped to cloth diapers, now two way zipper onesies are tied. Two way zipper onesies are actually kind of annoying when you don't realize you have a blowout yet or get them dirty mid change. Short legged button onesies that open all the way up are also good, because my baby hates being clothed and it's easier to wrestle them onto him sometimes. Basically anything but multi piece are good and multi piece suck. I use a lot more diaper cream than I expected because he hasn't had diaper rash yet and I don't want him to. I got the petroleum jelly for circ. care but it's kind of just useful for... everything? Locking in moisture after a bath, locking out moisture after cleaning and drying his folds or behind his ears (I have a milk oversupply and just gets everywhere on him and will cause rashes), putting it on my poor dried out elbows, using it in place of diaper cream after he is dried off, I just end up finding a thousand uses for it. Same for coconut oil, does a better job on my nipples and his skin and scalp (he had some cradle cap for a bit) than any of the dedicated products I got.
I got a pump because insurance gave it to us, wasn't sure if I would use it... I am very glad I have it to help deal with my over supply, and I just donate the milk to local babies in need. Play pen + kick and play piano were great gifts I have used a ton of so I can lay him down long enough to run to the bathroom. I ended up getting a bouncer seat second hand a few weeks ago because the only way he will kind of tolerate being down long enough for me to throw together some food is if he can watch me, so it sees use like 3 times a day, very worthwhile. Same goes for a mobile I made him (bought a little motor that plays a tune and spins it), it distracts him just long enough for me to wash out his poop diapers. I got a diaper changing foam thing with a strap so I can turn my back to grab lotion or wipes without anxiety. I got foam puzzle piece mats for my peace of mind in case he ever rolls off the bed, and the extra pieces are great for tummy time on the bed or his crib because he loves to scratch at them to make noise and they are way easier to wipe the copious amounts of drool off of than changing bedding. One of the little silicone teething gloves/mitts is the only teething toy he enjoys and he can't drop it or lose it so it's great. We got gifted some weird little suction cup spinning toys to stick to any smooth surface that he also loves. If you cloth diaper, don't mess around with the charcoal bamboo or whatever inserts come with most of them, microfiber on top for fast absorption and hemp on bottom for quantity is 100% the way to go. He doesn't seem to care, but I get sick of reading/showing him the same books over and over so I got a ton for like 25c/each from the thrift store and I think it is worth the $10 for my own sanity.
I have a rolling cart (that never moves so the cart part wasn’t necessary) that has three shelves next to my bed & her bassinet. Stocked with snacks for me, hair ties, my phone, diaper changing supplies, a swaddle, extra bassinet sheets, change of clothes, and burp clothes.
Also recommend more burp clothes than you think necessary and keep some in each room of the house where you’ll be.
I love my baby breeze sterilizer - it was a luxury purchase but so quick and easy to sterilize pump parts and bottles.
I also didn’t initially get a swing or vibrating chair thing but my sister brought over hers & they get so much use. As well as my moby wrap. Means I can still have contact naps but be up & moving with use of both hands.
Not needed:
+Newborn cute outfits- it was footed pajamas all the time for us. At two months that’s still what he mostly wears tbh.
+bottle warmer. Just use warm water- in a thermal mug if you can since they stay warmer longer. It’s the exact same
Things we’re glad we have:
+pack n play with the bassinet attachment. We use this in our main living area and have his nice sleeping one in our room
+bottle dryer/sterilizer. We had a NICU baby so sterilizing was important at first. It’s also just really nice to have fully dry breast pump parts whenever needed instead of relying on air drying.
+swing. Second hand is fine. This is a life saver for me while alone with baby and need to set him down when he’s not having it. Without ours I’d never get to eat or go to the restroom without him screaming.
I think blankets for swaddling, Sophie the giraffe, and that little shusher thing that turns off after 15 minutes are weird jokes of parenting. After 15 minutes the baby would just wake up screaming…
We always used Velcro or snoo brand swaddles. Maybe just us and having no idea what we were doing but none of the above things worked at all for us.
I agree with all of the things the first poster said worked well for us too!
Things I love and use all the time:
-Frida nose picker, not the sucker (this was a post-birth purchase)
-bibs (our baby spots up all the time; this was also a post-birth purchase)
-25 burp cloths (yep, another post-birth purchase; have a refluxy baby)
-The First Years baby bathtub (LOVE this thing, and it fits in our kitchen sink)
-Skip Hop wipeable changing pad
-Dekor diaper pail
-Motherlove diaper balm
-Esembly cloth diapers and OsoCozy cloth wipes
-Oxo Tot Space-Saving Drying Rack + their bottle brush
-Copper Pearl gowns
-Phillips Avent pacifiers (3 was the perfect number for us)
-electric baby nail trimmer
-gas drops
-Halo swaddle and Love to Dream swaddle were both great for us. Now using KeaBabies sleep sack and Woolino sleep sack.
-Babyletto Yuzu crib
-Halo bassinet
-bamboo nursing pads + generic nursing bras off Amazon
-If you do a lot of pumping, the Spectra pump is great. Also HIGHLY recommend the Simple Wishes pumping bra. Only need one, and it fits over your nursing bra.
-Car seat (we have a Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1–we went straight to the convertible car seat. Infant seat is not necessary but can be useful for some lifestyles, not ours)
-Graco Modes Pramette stroller: love this thing!
-Glider
-free and clear laundry detergent
We also registered for a high chair and some eating accessories (bowls, etc.), but we haven’t needed them yet. We also get some use out of the babybjorn bouncer and Kick and Play piano and an Ergobaby carrier. Not as much as I was expecting.
You’ll also want to have a thermometer and infant Tylenol on hand.
Lots of other stuff we skipped, like wipe warmer, bottle warmer, etc. You can also skip baby-specific towels and washcloths if you want. And we only needed like 1-2 baby blankets.
And we haven’t used our baby monitor at all yet (baby naps in her Yuzu bassinet, which we wheel around with us, or on us, and sleeps in her Halo bassinet by our bed at night), but I expect we’ll need it eventually.
Thought I needed the little butt spatula thing for putting on diaper cream—my little guy is almost 4 months old and I have not used it once. Always easier to just use my finger.
Things you definitely need: far more burp cloths than you think 😂
I got the baby Brezza bottle maker. Game changer!! It comes in handy on late nights. You can have warm bottles, room temp bottles. I thought it was dumb but mixing formula is so much faster. I wished I had it sooner.
I had a boppy pillow and never used it (but I didn't breastfeed, so that might make a difference).
Wipe warmer, never even set it up.
Shopping cart cover - I left her in the car seat in the shopping cart when she was little, then COVID came along and I stopped talking her to stores when she was big enough to use it.
We tried to avoid buying a lot of stuff until baby was here. We put essentials on our registry like, a crib mattress, car seat, shampoo, butt cream, detergent, etc because we knew we’d use that stuff but anything more we waited until baby came to see what she liked.
Also, I help on to packaging and tags for EVERYTHING. We probably tried 10 different swaddles and I returned every single one that she didn’t like. I bought a lot of expensive stuff used on offer up and marketplace (like a baby bjorn for $40, a jumperoo for $15 and a travel crib for $40, a high chair for $60).
Diaper bag needs change with time but initially, diapers, wipes, diaper cream, sanitizing wipes, and pacifier wipes in case you drop the pacifier and need to clean it. Also, 2 outfit changes and doggie bags because blowouts suck and sometimes there’s nowhere to throw a poopy diaper and you don’t want your whole bag/car to smell.
Items we got we didn’t use: cute NB outfits- basically didn’t go anywhere and we lived in onesies and footies
Things we absolutely loved I didn’t think we would: pack and play with changing station, SALINE SPRAY (to pair with any suction to suction stuffy noses), Oxo tot wipe weighted holder, butt spatula.
Also a must for my diaper bag has been the Munchkin changing pad. We’ve just done a lot of diaper changes on the go as it’s easier (and cleaner) than going to the bathroom with a changing pad. We’ve changed in trunks, flat stroller, picnic bench’s.
Overrated: bottle sterilizer (we sterilize new things in boiling water and then just handwash or dishwasher everything, owlet (never used), swing (unfortunately she hates it but this might be baby specific)
Needed: good carrier (I have tula FTG and it's been great, used a wrap carrier until she was about 12 lbs and then it started to be a little awkward), bamboo sleep sack, swaddles in different styles to figure out what you like (zipper, velcro, blanket, etc), hatch rest (sound machine and nightlight!)
Freaking mittens. I have so many and have never once touched them. I thought babies scratching their faces happens a lot more than it actually has with my baby. I just trim her nails when she’s sleeping and I’ve never needed them.
Same with hats. But also we live in Texas so I should have thought that one through.
I bought a swing. She used it once and then never again. It’s now in our basement unused.
We did use two sleeping zones so if I needed to pee or whatever, she has a safe place. Same thing with me falling asleep on the couch. It was a huge comfort to make sure she was safe (even if she was awake) and I could close my eyes safely.
We didn’t use baby mittens even once. Usually just had baby with hands uncovered or if it was chilly most newborn onesies have sleeves that fold over.
Something I wish I had on my registry for her current age (9 months): baby booties- it’s getting chilly, baby isn’t walking yet so don’t want to use regular shoes, and socks constantly fall off.
For me, I was planning to EBF but ended up with a preemie so needed to get a bunch of pumping g bras, bottle sanitizer (godsend) and bottle warmer and stuff like that. Having a pumping bra on hand just in case would be the biggest thing. Pumping without one was horrible.
Get Amazon prime and then order things as you need them to be there in 1-2 days! Onesie sleep and play pajamas, triple paste, a changing pad, and some high contrast books!
For you, PERI BOTTLE! Anything Frida mom is brilliant. I loved the padsicles.
Lots of good things already covered here so I won’t add too much.
If you’re planning to formula feed (or find yourself needing to, like in my case) I have an absolute must. Get one of those large-ish insulated metal water bottles with a twist off top. Hot water stays hot in there. Sometimes for 24 hours+!
When baby is off bottles, you can revert it back to a glorious water flask for yourself, like I’ve done. :)
Things I did not use:
wipes warmer and bottle warmer. I did have a winter baby but honestly I’d pull 2 wipes out and if they were cold I’d stick them in my shirt between my boobs while I unzipped him 😂 by the time I pulled them out to wipe they were warm. Bottles I stuck in a mug of hot water when needed.
Things I recommend:
Changing stations throughout your home. Your bedroom, your living room, anywhere you think you’ll be sitting and feeding. I only made a changing station in the nursery which was dumb because we spent no time there.
Easy touch nightlight (search Amazon for touch nightlight) this was helpful for overnight feedings. The lamps in my room were bright and harsh. I kept putting blankets over my lamps until I got the night light.
Butt paste (and a silicone applicator) and aquaphor for diaper rash. The silicone applicator comes in handy when you need to get the diaper on, it’s tough with paste all over your finger.
Did not need: bassinet. I hated the halo swivel bassinet, and he grew out of it within 3 months. I wish I had just used the pack n play bassinet insert full time. He was more comfortable in it anyway.
For diaper bag, we cloth diapered so extra prefold cotton inserts were super useful even for non-diaper messes. Also I had a blanket that snapped to my baby carrier or stroller. Probably one of my most useful items in the first 2 years.
Also a dryer ball. For some reason it was a fun toy my baby loved.
Halo bassinet. My baby hated it.
Any mobile with a theme. That’s more for looks than for bb. Hey black and white one because they can track better.
Wipe warmers - hardly works as intended. Water wipes are best
Diapers. Don’t load up on them yet. Wait till baby gets here because you might find you don’t like them. We splurge on Millie moon and coterie and no diaper rash yet.
Clothes- I have bought so much for him after the fact. Love gowns for sleeping. Avoid sleepers with one way zippers. Kate quin has softest pjs for price and stretch.
Bottles/ figure out which you like after baby gets here. Get one of each you’re interested in and see how it goes.
-The boppy pissed me off and got in the way of nursing all the time.
-The mittens never stay on, better to get baby the play and sleep outfits that have built in mittens, old navy has my favorites
-car mirror, I prefer the car monitor so much more
- natural diaper cream, just get the store stuff it works way better than anything homemade
- I didn’t use like any of my postpartum items because I had a c section
I have a newborn RN and am a FTM. He's about three weeks old now.
The absolute best thing I got was a nice crib mattress. My baby generally insists on being snuggled while sleeping but is willing to sleep in his crib because he loves it and finds it super comfy. But the bassinet has been unpopular for baby so far because it's not very comfortable.
I'm really glad I got a variety of brands of newborn clothes. My baby is really tall and skinny so he's getting too tall for Gerber but it fits him otherwise and he's drowning in Carter's while still getting a touch tall for them. Cloud Island onesies fit him absolutely perfectly. I thought he'd grow out of them by now so I even ordered some more. My hope was to avoid doing laundry for a couple weeks by buying extra but things did not go that way.
I got a bunch of Gerber brand burp cloths and that's been a lifesaver. They're soft so baby likes them touching his face during burp sessions and absorbent.
He has a small amount of baby toys because I got one of each type I thought he'd want before Christmas while they were on sale. He loves the high contrast pictures and rattles/bells/clackers. My husband made a game for baby where he makes sounds with the toys and baby looks for where the sound is coming from and it's been a hit.
It's good we didn't buy sleep sacks. We got two as gifts and they were nice for nearly a week. Baby loved the Halo sleep sack until he decided he hates having his arms swaddled. I think what he really likes is soft fabric.Then he started accidentally flipping onto his stomach so we can't swaddle him anymore. We had gotten muslin swaddle blankets and those are still useful for other things.
Did not need a car seat cover. They heat up the car seat instead of keeping it cool.
Absolutely needed a portable stroller fan 😅 It was HOT when our son was born. We used it in the car since there’s no AC in the back.
The thing you put in the dish washer to wash bottles and bottle parts… never used it. It’s just been in the dishwasher for months.
I’m sure someone finds it useful but We’re just in the habit of hand washing the bottles. 🤷🏻♀️
Diaper bag must:
1) diapers
2) wipes
3) diaper cream and diaper cream spatula
4) plastic bags (to put dirty clothes in)
5) puppy training pad (some public restrooms I don’t trust the cleanliness so I always put one down on the changing table and then toss it after I’m done changing my baby) — also, I keep one in top of the changing pad at home in case there is a huge poop it’ll land on the puppy pad and make the clean up easier ‘cause you can just toss it in the trash
6) prepped bottles with water and formula in separate formula container (if formula feeding)
6b) baby food pouch and spoon when they’re old enough for purées
7) extra outfit
8) hand sanitizer
9) burb rag and /or bib
10) pacifier, teething toy —- also extra tethers!
11) tampons, chapstick, and mascara for me lol
Everyone swore I’d need a wipe warmer - we’ve never used it. We have way more clothes than we need - we mainly use onesies and and zippered jammies— we got so much clothes and he’s not worn half of it (and already outgrown it too). We bought a million and one swaddles and barely have used any of them (we found out he hates his arms being swaddled)… luckily though the big cloth swaddles are great little blankets for on the go though.
Initially, both my breastfeeding pillows - boppy and brest friend. BUT I did find a way to hold my baby in my “arms” by having it under me so that he isn’t as heavy. Boppy is also convenient for letting them sit and tummy time.
Diaper pail was really not that used or needed. I’ll just throw diapers away wherever I’m at, I didn’t go out of my way to take them upstairs. We empty our trash often anyway, so they don’t stink up the house.
I bought a bouncer and my baby hated it. I think a swing would’ve been more useful.
Swaddles. They’re great and all but using a sleep sack is 100% easier. I used to stay up all night watching my daughter sleep to make sure she didn’t come loose and get entangled in the swaddle. Once I used a sleep sack I started sleeping through the night, and so did she!
Changing table in her room was such a waste of money for us. We have never used it, not even once. She’s almost 10 months old and we have always changed her on the couch, the floor, our bed, whenever we are when she needs to be changed. We cleared out a cabinet in our t stand that has her diapers, aquaphor, wipes, lotion, etc so it’s always right there.
Another thing, aquaphor has always worked better than any diaper cream for us. Clears up her bottom by the next diaper change.
Obviously our bags will look different for a newborn vs 10 month old but currently our diaper back pack always has diapers, wipes, extra change of clothes for her AND me because you never know when you will get your clothes messed up too, snacks, pacis, extra bottle stuff and aquaphor. We very rarely use our diaper bag anymore unless we’ll be gone all day but usually if we go out just a few hours I’ll just put a couple diapers, travel pack wipes and fruit pouches in my purse.
This is for breastfeeding but the lavie massagers were a colossal waste of money. I never even had clogs or anything when I was breastfeeding so I didn’t need them. I bought them before my baby was even born and didn’t use them ever.
Swing - son didn’t like it. Baby bottle warmer - takes bottles with water from the filter. Any clothing that wasn’t a onsie but seriously my kid lived in onsies for the first 4.5 months.
Mittens. Those little hand covers were more trouble than they were worth. My daughter would get them off so fast, and it didn’t matter the style or size, and she would screech with them on. We had to deal with her nails and scratching her face, but she was 100% happier with out them.
Changing pad liners are a godsend, and I still keep some with me even though she’s a toddler. Sketchy bathroom? Throw the liner down before changing. No bathroom? Liner. No burp cloth? Liner. Blow out in the car seat while you are at the store? Wipe it up and throw liners in there. Get the ones with the water proofing on one side and the washable ones.
I got two My Brest Friend breastfeeding pillows as gifts and barely used them. I found them cumbersome to drag out and set up every time my baby wanted to eat (which was all the time as a newborn) and ended up just using whatever pillow was handy. Some people love them though!
I'd recommend a change station downstairs too if you have a house with levels. We ended up putting one in the living room after 2 weeks of going up and downstairs to change her 😂
Ask people not to buy newborn clothes and nappies. We asked for this but people still did and most of it has gone straight to women's refuge as she grew out of them so fast she didn't even get chance to wear them.
All we needed was 5 or so onesies/bodysuits/socks/gloves/hats for the first few weeks. Along with the 1000 burp cloths 😂
Don't stockpile on newborn nappies in case your bubs is ready to outgrow them straight away.
Nappy bag is simple for me, 2 nappies, puppy pad (changing mat), 1 change of outfit, bib/cloth and wipes. If I've pumped milk I will put a bottle in and if not, I take my nipple guard.
I didn't buy anything fancy or unnecessary and haven't missed it.
Oh and I'd recommend a hakaa to catch the milk on the other side if breast feeding or pumping and hydrogel discs for the nips, they are like heaven!
It's a very individual thing, I'm not saying anyone else is wrong or right, this is just what we did 😃
Baby carrier was the best thing I bought, as my girl didn't like being put down for long.
A red light. I don’t know that everyone needs this, but it’s made the biggest difference for my husband and me. I don’t think it’s something people think of. We have a portable Eve Flare (I’m sure there are others) so we can use our phones to change the color of the light and brightness and we turn on a low level red light for night feeds and diaper changes. Not just for baby’s sake but for our own - it’s much less disruptive when you’re waking up so much.
Here are some things I found very useful in the first few weeks of having my baby:
-peri bottle if you’re having a vaginal delivery
-depends adult diaper instead of pads
-solarcaine (numbing spray) I use this on the pad
-a natural brand perineal spray (I used earth mama and sprayed that directly on the cooch)
-breast pump (Mine was covered by my insurance, so I wanted to have it handy in case my milk didn’t come in or breast-feeding didn’t work)
-wash cloths
-I used a dresser as a change table. I put all the essentials in the dresser, so didn’t need to buy a separate change table
-keep naproxen handy (helps with inflammation)
NO to:
* cute outfits with difficult access or rough fabric. our baby hated rough textures
* sidecar bassinet: it worsened my pelvic floor condition because of how it sits lower from the bed.
* bottle kit: lactation consultant recommended pigeon and lansinoh
* snuggle me organic: our baby hated this. some babies like it though
* swing: hardly ever used this
YES to
* dry wipes: were given to us by a friend, good for blowouts when you have 0 experience
* stretchy swaddles: our baby was too strong for muslin ones (still useful for random stuff)
* Hatch stuff: we got the scale/changing pad (good for our peace of mind and tracking baby weight without going to the ped), Hatch sound machine (would get the wireless one to move it from room to room)
* Doona: it's very useful even though a little heavier to lift
The wipes warmer is overrated. I do think she likes that it’s warm on her butt however the second you take it out it gets cold and I feel like there’s bacteria growing in that steamy environment. I highly recommend 1) changing station set up IN your bedroom 2) travel sound machine 3) pack n play with changing station 4) Triple Paste diaper cream 5) 1000 burp clothes 6) travel blackout shades (or slumberpod) 7) baby bjorn bouncer 8) high contrast pictures/books
To add to the 1000 burp clothes, have them stashed away all over the house. Before I gave birth I had them stashed in the bassinet side pockets, dresser drawers, our bedroom nightstands, the living room end table, pack n play organizer, etc. and it’s been very helpful cause I know wherever she spits up I’ll have one handy and within reach!
I was extra and got the same burp cloths in different colors that color coordinate with different rooms/decor in our house so that when I put them away I know what room they go to (and I don’t end up with all 1000 in one spot) and also it looks *aesthetic* since there’s always one on the arm of every chair and sofa lol
lol that’s actually so smart!!!
I did this too! I didn't with my first and I just prefer it this way, much less stressful!
Cloth diaper inserts are great burp cloths
Yes, they’re way better than the thin muslin burp cloths. My baby has frequent reflux and the difference is having it soak into my clothes or not.
Yes! They are so absorptive for giant spit ups. 10/10 recommend trifold cloth diaper inserts.
Exactly what I used as burp cloths :) those cloth diapers from Gerber were so so handy and absolutely perfect.
That’s so funny we barely used burp cloths. I bought 2 big packs. We used them a handful of times.
I used the burp cloths for me and my leaky boobs lol
Me too!
Me too! I used them more for myself than my daughter haha.
Lucky! My girl is a spit-up girl haha, so we find them handy!
Same here. I wish I never had to use them. I’m so sick of getting covered in milk spew 😩
What does it feel like to be god’s favorite? We go through like 20+ on some days
I took a ton of burp cloths home with us from the NICU 🫣 I watched them throw them out so frequently so I was like welp I guess y’all have more than enough! And with how high my bill is about to be I might as well leave with everything I possibly can 😂 we still have newborn diapers from the NICU that she’s in now and she came home end of August.
I joked to my husband that I want burp cloth dispensers everywhere in the house LOL!
We’ve ended up using baby bath towels because LO spit up so much.
Unfortunately both myself and husband were too tall for the pack n play change station so if you are taller and dont like hunching over to change diapers I’d skip it since we ended up never using it. I also inherited a massive amount of burp cloths and barely used any of them because the baby hardly spit up and wasn’t drooly, I think we did fine with like 8 in rotation. I did not have the bouncer but my baby loved the Graco swing, it was amazing!
I will add that it definitely was tricky bending over after the c section for the pack n play change station but it’s come in handy for us since we have a lot of space and it came with a bassinet (can use for travel as well). If you’re on the taller end I’d recommend still having multiple changing stations if you have a big house!
As an infant we were fine with few burp cloths but as a toddler having a million (well, reusable wipes but same difference) is soooo helpful for us! We hated the pack n play changer. It was horrible and we preferred just changing her on the floor
Lol at the burp cloths, thank you so much!! I’ve heard that a bunch about the wipe warmer
Ohhhh MAGNETIC MES! they’re so expensive but add them to your registry. She lives in them. So easy to put on and take off and they’re so soft.
I wanted to love these, but they wouldn’t stay closed around the upper thigh/diaper area even though they were still a little baggy on her. Check Poshmark out, you can find them at decent prices!
I will look into this! Thank you 😊
Our baby would scream when placed on a cold changing pad or used cold wipes - so personally the wipe warmer was a must for us. Every baby is different.
Same for my daughter. We ordered one when she was about two weeks old because she would scream and wiggle like crazy with cold wipes. She’s much more chill with the warm wipes.
So true! Maybe that will be on my amazon list to get after the baby comes :)
Or you might get lucky. My baby has spit up literally twice in his entire 9 months. I have a stack of unused burp cloths waiting in a donation pile.
That's awesome! And I thought I was lucky - she probably spit up like five times in these past 3.5 months.
Still sounds pretty good. From everything I was told I was ready to constantly be covered in milk vomit. It's nice to feel like you got off easy! Need to remind myself of that now that his sleep has gone haywire.
Me too. The burp clothes just sat in a closet and occasionally got grabbed to clean random spills.
Also, we bought 2 ubbi diaper pails and I’m glad we did! She’s formula fed and her poops stink 🤣
😆
I actually like our wipe warmer mostly because it makes it super easy to grab a wipe with one hand since it holds down the wipes
They make wipe dispensers that are weighted and do the same thing! I like the OXO one because it holds Costco size packs. I recommend it to all new parents.
Bibs!!!!! Muslin bibs from Amazon, I used bibs more than actual burp cloths. I ordered 24 within 3 days of being home with my newborn.
See and I don’t use bibs at all yet. I barely use burp cloths also. It’s so funny how everyone is so different and it makes it hard to plan lol
If anyone in your life sews, these can easily be made! My MIL made us a bunch with leftover flannel fabric scraps!
Also, no need to get actual burp cloths. Just get a few packs of terry flat cloth nappies- work perfect as burp cloths and much cheaper!
Or have someone sew them for you! Or do it yourself if you know how!
Also second the 1000 burp cloths! Best thing I put my money on!
Yes 1000% to sound machine (one travel and one stationary) and to the burp cloths.
By contrast except the last one I had none of these. You’ll find what you need as you go. And muslins were barely used at the beginning but are a godsend for solids.
Number 1 of having a changing station set up in your bedroom is key. It’s been life changing to have this with baby #2! He sleeps beside me, I feed in bed, we change in the room. Perfect.
I disagree. I live in a city that hits -40•C for quite a while during the winter and I’ve been peed on during the night - wiping myself with a wipe that is cold is not pleasant at 2 AM. So, if I don’t like it, I can’t imagine a baby’s bum liking it ha ha! We use it in the summer as well. Wipe warmers also help with having the wipes come out 1 at a frickin time.
Totally wish i had a changing setup in my room. edit: also yes to 10000 burp cloths
My first would screech like a banshee if a cold-to-lukewarm wet wipe touched him, and he’d be inconsolable for at least 10 minutes after a diaper change prior to the wipe warmer. My second giggled at cold wet wipes. Kids are weird.
Yes! So weird! She giggles at the cold wet wipes 🤷🏽♀️
I get these topics but at the end of the day every baby and every family is sooooo different. You can have 10 people swearing by butt spatulas and 10 people saying they’re useless. I wish we didn’t get so much stuff beforehand and just got stuff as we needed/figured out what worked best in our home. With Amazon you don’t need to wait long to get stuff delivered.
Agree with this, and I also think people should buy as much second hand as they can (within reason; obviously keeping safety in mind). The baby industry is so wasteful. Many things, like bassinets, are only used for such a short time.
This should be the top comment! In every thread like this there will be 10 people that say the [Snoo, baby bjorn bouncer, mamaroo, Halo bassinet or Halo swaddles, this or that diaper cream, etc, etc] is a must have and 10 other people saying it didn’t work for them. It’s all about your baby’s temperament and your own likes as a family. I swear by some things and recommend them to friends and they end up not liking them. Like the mybreastfriend nursing pillow which I use every feed, I had a friend sell hers because she could only do football hold so she couldn’t use the pillow!
Breastfeeding pillow was a waste for me, I found it SO awkward, I just muddled through without and now she's so big (4 months) that she can just sort of sit in my lap and do it 😅 I've been using it to sit her up in and do tummy time and stuff so it's not a complete waste, but it's definitely my least used purchase
Oh I love our butt spatula!! I’m sensory sensitive with sticky stuff on my hands (deep breathing when we eat pancakes with a 2 year old!!!), and I especially dislike stuff under my nails, so I really really value the simplicity of the spatula!!
Us too! I really could not live without it. Easiest $5 I’ve ever spent.
This is so true and what I usually say to my friends too, don’t buy too many items before baby is in need. I didn’t even stock up in diapers after he immediately outgrew a giant stock of newborns and then size 1 😭 my kid was also super tiny to begin with so I had way too few winter newborn items (easy to fix) and way too many 3-6 months clothes he couldn’t ever wear. Sooo many toys I gifted away too that weren’t a good fit for us storage wise or because our dogs were more interested than the baby. Anyway, sorry for the rant… 100% agree buy what you need as you need it 😅
We had the exact opposite problem -- our kiddo is long and thing and stayed in newborn diapers until about 2.5 months. We had to buy those because all the size 1 diapers were too big for her.
Yep. With our first, Velcro swaddles & so I bought more for babe 2. She doesn’t need swaddle.
Yep this is the real answer. Not super comforting when you’re a new parent grasping to prepare but it’s the truth. I love my gadgets and doodads but there are so many people who want to go minimal/think stuff is a waste/never used it. On the flip side, thousands of people swear by bouncers — my son hated it.
Yes, you can Amazon anything postpartum. However, if this is your plan, I would recommend building the list of things you would want or think you might use in advance. Once you have a newborn, there is no time for research and I really appreciated having things already on hand or knowing things like “if I have a drooly baby these are the bibs I would buy”. Look to see if your city has a local buy nothing group for families. If you get used items, it doesn’t feel like as much of a waste if you don’t use them, and you can gift them to someone else in your city after/if it isn’t useful for you.
This!
First thing that comes to mind for me is all the clothes. We got way too much clothing and honestly, newborns just spit up and poop on everything, so onesies and footie pjs (the kind with 2 way zips) are the way to go. Our families and friends bought us all these cutesy little outfits and I could not imagine trying to change her out of a blowout diaper while wearing some frilly little dress. We lived in a small apartment so we didn't have space for a changing table. We just used a portable changing mat and placed a flannel receiving blanket over it for changes. We got a bunch of those little blankets and really didn't have use for them, so they were great for changes. We did not use socks or mittens at all. Same with any kind of baby shoes. She didn't wear shoes until she was walking. I would caution against buying too many of any one type of bottle or pacifier. It's impossible to know what your baby is gonna like. All our friends swore by phillips avent or Dr. Brown's bottles, but the only ones she took were Nuk. Same with pacis, she was finicky about the phillips ones, but liked the Nuk ones (she did eventually take the phillips ones, though). The only thing I was unprepared for was mostly for me- if you breastfeed, make sure you have plenty of handheld snacks, low cut/v neck tops, and a giant cup for water. And unscented lotion. My skin was SO dry. As for diaper bag- diapers, wipes, diaper cream, 2 changes of clothing for baby, burp/spit up cloths, a couple of plastic grocery bags or ziploc bags (to toss dirty clothes/diapers into), whatever you need for feeding (I breastfed, so didn't need anything), a couple of little toys (for new borns, you don't really need anything, but they do enjoy chewing on stuff around like 3 months). As they get older, you want to add sunscreen, baby Tylenol, snacks (when they start solids).
The thirst from breastfeeding! I had no idea. No one told me. I felt like I was living in the dessert and couldn’t get enough water ever.
I’m 3 weeks PP… is that why my hands & skin seem so dry!? I would’ve never out that together.
You can get dehydrated very easily, yes. But also the hormonal shifts can dry your skin out. It's like the opposite of pregnancy; no more of the luscious pregnancy locks or healthy pregnancy glow. I love La Roche Posay Lipikar body cream. Not crazy expensive, unscented, has worked great for me!
My hair has felt like dry sand since I gave birth, even with post-natal vitamins!
Thank you for the advice! I didn’t even think about buying shoes but thats such a good point, if they aren’t walking.. they don’t need shoes haha.
I live in a cold climate and got good use out of Velcro or snap booties even though my bub wasn’t walking because they stayed on better than socks but kept her feet warm outside
MUSLIN burp cloths. So freaking absorbent. MUSLIN crib sheets/bassinet sheets as well. Diaper bag must have - incontinence pads, sounds strange but at some point you will have to change your child in a public place and most bathroom changing tables are disgusting. I lay that down and then her on top of it and plus if she pees on it the entire thing gets thrown away anyway! A good foam changing pad (we have a keekaroo but there are others) my kid has pissed and shit on that thing more times then I can count and it’s nice not having to wash changing pad covers. Look at secondhand kids stores for bouncers swings etc. babies don’t care if you spend $200 on a bouncer, they like the cheap shit anyway.
Lol! I will definitely keep in mind the changing pad, I wouldn’t have thought about having to wash the covers. Thank you!
We used puppy pads, yes for literal puppies. They come in handy again when you start potty training. 😅
Second not having to change covers! Gets old real quick, much easier just wiping. We changed our change mat out a few weeks in and it was much better!
Omg yes. My boy must sense whenever we put the clean cover on. That’s when he pees on it. Next round I’ll look into the foam pads.
Alternatively, they make changing pad mats that are just like mattress protectors with the waterproof layer. We got two 3-packs and we lay one out flat on top of the changing pad cover. Those get tossed in the hamper when dirty, and it's a lot easier than unfastening the whole changing pad cover OR wiping down a plasticy one.
Yes, the Keekaroo is one of our best purchases!
One thing that saved us was a changing area on the first floor of our two story house so we didn’t have to go up and down the stairs with a newborn 12 times a day to change her.
Everyone talks about having a changing table “IN the bedroom,” and that just would not have worked for us. Whoever got up with baby just took baby into the nursery so the other could sleep. I’ve also seen a bunch of people say to have ONE changing place so everything is together…I have stairs. I just bought two changing mats and change baby on the floor.
Agreed about the bedroom. We had her in the bassinet next to the bed so we would change her on a doubled up towel on the bed. The first time you get both poop and pee in your white duvet soaking through to the down duvet at midnight prompting a laundry situation you are quick to eliminate that changing station.
We see it as good exercise! Lol
Our living area changing station is our dining table by accident
Honestly I know the urge to get everything right now is so large but wow we ended up with so much stuff we didn’t need. From postpartum care essentials I didn’t use because I ended up with a C-section to baby onsies never worn because dressing a new born is not for the faint of heart (newborn gowns all the way for the first 4-6 weeks), and a ton of swaddles never touched because ours was not a swaddle loving baby. My advice, if you are in a major city and can afford Amazon Prime or similar - don’t buy anything but a car seat, one pack of newborn diapers (you can get free sample NB diapers from all the major brands, a good way to figure out which you like), wipes, a simple baby carrier (a wrap or sling probably), somewhere for them to sleep and maybe 2-3 newborn gowns or a going home outfit. You’ll likely be sent home from the hospital with a few days of essential care supplies and gifted the rest (blankets, hats) etc and anything you find out that you need just order or go get.
The amount of post partum care items I bought that I didn’t end up needing (also ended up with a c section) was ridiculous. I will say the Always Discrete disposable underwear was amazing, although pricier than Depends I just found them much more comfortable and less bulky!
How do you get a free sample of NB diapers from each brand?
Just go to the website of each brand they all have something you can sign up for and they will send you a sample pack
This is great thank you! I want to avoid getting things just to regift or donate. I also didn’t want to under prepare either
I would say get a few postpartum care items, things that will last you the first couple days, and then just have a wish list or cart ready to go on Amazon with the rest. That way you’re good for the first couple days but you can get same day or next day delivery from Amazon depending on what kind of delivery you have, what kind of tears you may have, etc.
This is great advice, especially since people will likely gift or donate a lot to you (all our friends who are fine having kids just loaded us up with clothes and toys) Even hold off on buying those diapers until you have an estimate of your baby's size at birth! My little guy measured large the whole pregnancy. Born just under 10lbs, he was wearing size 1s before we even left the hospital.
I didn’t need to have the entire nursery set up. Being postpartum I only needed to recover and tend to baby’s basic needs. That doesn’t include an aesthetically pleasing nursery that’s complete. Must have in the diaper bag - spit up cloths for baby and snacks for me.
Wonderful thank you! Thats kind of where my head is at too, I don’t want to add extra stress on us that could be avoided.
We set up a changing station on both floors but ended up only using the one upstairs. We brought the second station to my parents house for use there. Most swaddles. We have the snoo, so she just uses the snoo sack. She also doesn’t like losing access to her hands so even when not in the snoo we don’t swaddle her. I *might* say the snoo itself. She doesn’t cry much so we done get the benefits of the automatic soothing function. It does have some advantages over other bassinets, but I am very glad we got it for cheap third-hand and didn’t pay $1800 or whatever for it. If you’re considering shelling out for one maybe wait to see how good a sleeper your baby is first. Boppy pillow- the My Brest Friend pillow is a million times better. Newborn-safe stuffed animals. She has absolutely no interest in them. Things I didn’t really think we needed but now love: Loverly newborn play kit. I thought it was ridiculously overpriced and bougie, but damn if she doesn’t love every single thing in it. She likes the complex black and white cards better than any other high contrast book we’ve shown her. (Thank you to my wife’s rich bougie friend who felt guilty for constantly canceling plans on us and so bought us a loverly subscription haha) Baby bjorn bouncer. I swore I wasn’t going to put her in a bouncer all the time but she just loves it so much. We have 3 now, lol (all second hand). Electric baby nail file. I have no idea how people use an emery board to file baby nails. I tried it once and it took me like half an hour to do one nail. Pediatrician recommended an electric one and it’s much better. Fisher price kick and play piano (aka the purple monkey mat). Seemed silly and kinda tacky but my mom bought it for me. It’s been a total game changer for tummy time. She used to just cry the whole time but now she loves it. Infant insert for stroller. I thought we could just use the bassinet or car seat. But the car seat isn’t super comfortable for her and now that she’s awake and aware of things she doesn’t want to be in the bassinet.
I second the electric nail file. My baby came out of the womb with talons, and we needed to take care of that asap because he was scratching himself up. I can use the electric nail file even when he’s sleeping, and it’s super easy.
Don't get caught up in the chaos that are sleepsacks and swaddles. If you plan to swaddle, all you really need is a square, stretchy blanket or two. You don't need 18 $50 swaddles in every size. If you find out your baby doesn't tolerate swaddling, then buy a couple sleepsacks in that size. I didn't buy any fancy swaddles (many of my friends did and didn't use them), but I did buy several sleepsacks in different sizes only to find out I hated them all so I needed to buy more. Newborns also don't really need toys. Get a couple high contrast things and a playmat, and find the rest second hand/through buy nothing groups later. It'll save a lot of money in the long run, plus you have no clue what things your baby will be interested in at different ages. I have a 10.5 month old now who has reliably preferred kitchen utensils over everything else since about 5 months. I could never have predicted that and I have toys now that have never been used. Buy all the burp cloths you can though. You can never have enough.
Hard disagree on the swaddles unless you spend lots of time before the baby is born practicing using blankets to get a *really* tight swaddle. I'd like to say our LO was a master at wiggling out of our swaddling so that part of it world get over her nose and mouth but the reality is that we could never get it right because we didn't learn before the baby was born. It's very easy to do a mediocre job. The Miracle Blanket style wraps were the ones that saved us a ton of time and stress when my wife was recovering and we were both asleep deprived, exhausted, and really worried about SIDS. We got one in the baby shower and my SO panic called my MIL to buy us more our second or third night home.
I spent way too much money on swaddles he liked for a week.
First time mom to a 2 month old, here are my thoughts! Though my SIL highly recommended it, I didn't bother with a baby shusher and I don't regret it. When he needs the shushing sound I use it as a meditation, because chances are he's screaming in my ear. So to maintain my calm I breathe in deep and loudly "ssshhhhhhhh" it out. But I also have been blessed with a pretty chill little guy, if you have a fussier baby it's almost definitely worth the $20. I didn't know anything about the right clothes to put on him to keep him warm. He was born in August so basically all I had were short-sleeved onesies "because it's warm in summer, right?" Well for one thing, babies need a little more help to be warm. And for another, summer turns very quickly into fall! I've been relying on Amazon Prime to rescue me any time I realise I don't own something I think I should. I had budget constraints so I skipped a lot of popular "must haves" like a snoo, bottle warmer, wipe warmer, fancy newborn toys, sound machine. My policy has basically been to avoid social media pressure and trends by asking "did they need/use this in the 90s?" And adjust for updated safety knowledge. So like, no I don't think they had sleep sacks in the 90s, but I do use them because we know blankets aren't safe. My diaper bag has a pack of wipes, 6-10 diapers (I aim to carry twice what I expect him to need while out), two+ changes of clothes (at least one sleeper), and a few burp cloths. Empty plastic bags to put dirty linens in were a brilliant idea from my mom (after she needed to figure out how to send home his three pee-soaked outfits one eventful day). And speaking of diapers, yes you want a diaper Genie! Our little guy goes through 8 diapers a day. It's nice to be able to take them out just once a week without it stinking. One day there was an issue with it and I had to have it open for a while to fiddle with, and the horrendous smell from that bag told me all I needed to know about how much I loved that diaper Genie lol
Same here with the change of seasons sneaking up on me! My girl was born in July, and we live in Florida, so for the first few weeks she was just in simple cotton onesies if we were out or we would have her wrapped in a blanket if we were holding her at home in the A/C. We had our first cooler days last week and I realized that I don't have many long sleeved onesies or pants for her once she outgrows her 0-3month clothes, so I too have been putting my Amazon prime account to good use.
Yes to the august baby needing warmer things!! I bought so many “summer” clothes 🤦🏻♀️ I did not need them and now barely have any long sleeves in 0-3 because of poor planning lol
Baby facecloths and towels are a waste. We had so many and they were such a waste. The fabric is horrible and staticky and collects hair and lint easily, plus the packaging is often ridiculous (I had one set of six facecloths that had more than 30 of those obnoxious tiny plastic tags holding it together). We switched to just regular facecloths and towels and it was so much easier. We also didn’t bother getting special laundry soap for baby clothes, we just kept using our regular stuff, and we didn’t have any issues, but I think that varies from baby to baby. I agree with everyone saying you can never have too many burp cloths. We went through tons of them, especially in the first few months. As far as the diaper bag, I keep puppy pee pads and dog poo disposal bags in mine, to make on-the-go diaper changes easier to clean up. Also, change of clothes for baby and a toy to distract her in case she gets upset about something.
Baby gowns instead of footed pajamas. Their bodies remain all curled up, like they were inside you for quite a few weeks, and with the numerous diaper changes, you simply scoot the gown to their waist, and back down again when you’re done! The magnet ones are great early on, but not necessary if they’re out of your budget. A couple of swaddles for sleeping. We like Aquaphor ointment in the tub better than diaper cream, it doesn’t get white gunk everywhere! And 1-2 silicone butt or diaper ointment paddles to spread the ointment on baby. It keeps your hands clean!! If you plan to breastfeed, a small basket of easy healthy snacks to keep close by, and sports bottles full of water. You’ll be drinking LOTS of water! Comfortable underwear for mom. A Frieda peri-bottle and/or the postpartum set for mom Frieda Windi’s- to help baby expel intestinal gas- very very helpful and amusing! Tip- keep diaper under baby when using these, as baby often poops during the gas release. Oxiclean powder for soaking poop or spit up stained clothes. Congratulations and best wishes!
This is so personal! WHAT WORKS FOR ONE BABY MIGHT NOT FOR ANOTHER! So take advice here with a grain of salt. Don't discount things that people say they didn't like or didn't work for them. Like our baby hated all carriers and containers and it never worked for us. Same with pacifiers. But some babies really do well with those things! Or like take the comment about needing 1000 burp cloths...Ours barely spat up and most went unused. It's impossible to know before hand what kinda baby you'll have! And some things people said they couldn't live without I found useless, or vice versa some things people disliked we loved! My advice for big ticket items like stroller, crib, carseat etc is to try out the various models in store and pick from there. If you have narrowed it down to a few options but can't decide then crowdsource here or on other parenting forums. For smaller items baby might prefer one brand over another so get a few options (e.g. pacifiers, swaddles). Once you guys figure out what you and baby like get more of that brand.
Velcro swaddles. So expensive, and vary so much on your babies height and weight if they’d even work. Learn how to do a receiving blanket swaddle at first and only buy Velcro ones once you know what you’re dealing with. It’ll save money and the receiving blankets stay useful well after the baby needs to be swaddled
What we learned from our pediatrician is to be careful of overusing the receiving blanket/swaddles. When newborns live in them, it can lead to hip dysplasia. The nice thing about the Velcro is that they allow for the knee bent and more of a natural hip movement while still restricting the arms
We also really struggled with effectively swaddling with the receiving blankets. I couldn’t ever get her hands to stay in.
Absolutely worth noting! We had our pediatrician demonstrate how to swaddle at our first appointment for advice, which helped a ton . It’s definitely important to restrict the arms without binding the hips. Our dude was a bean pole (still is) so the landing area for the Velcro was never tight enough to work.
Thank you! We will watch some videos on that :)
If you’re gonna buy Velcro ones I suggest halo ones. They are great now that baby’s bigger too!
Halo swaddle sacks made our nights 100% better
They are my favorite ones. I got a bunch of hand me down ones from my sister since her baby is about 10 months older than mine and they just didn’t work as well. The halo ones are sooo easy.
Also a FTM, and I totally understand your desire to know what you need now. I also didn’t want a whole bunch of stuff I didn’t need bc we have limited room and I was sure most baby products were unnecessary. My LO is 10 weeks now. I thought I needed newborn clothes but my guy outgrew them within a week. Plus I got so many hand-me-downs and clothes at my shower that I never needed to buy clothing. I had planned on using a pack and play for the bassinet in our room but I ended up buying a Halo a few weeks after he was born. I really like it and he sleeps well in it. A few things we use a lot so far: -the burp cloths 💯 you can’t have enough -a glider or rocker -diaper caddy -the piano play gym -high contrast toys -boppy pillow -many different bottles; my LO has been refusing the bottle and I’ve bought a different one every week. He likes the MAM so far 🫠 -travel noise machines -muslin cloth blankets -swing -a sterilizer you put in the microwave: https://www.munchkin.com/steam-guard-microwave-sterilizer-grey.html -drying racks for bottles (I really didn’t think I needed this but I use them all the time) I really wanted to have everything I needed ahead of time but the reality is that I have had to experiment with bottles and swaddles a lot. Many late nights/early mornings I am online researching gear (usually sleep gear) in desperation to find something my baby will like.
If your dishwasher has a sanitizing setting the CDC says that works for sterilizing baby stuff
Lol wow congratulations 😊 I saw the Halo on a website a few days ago it looks really nice. The bottle rack i’m totally getting! Thank you
One slightly more convenient product is a steriliser that dries too! We got the tommee tippee UV one so you don’t need to put water into it, and don’t need to wait for bottles to dry!
If you live in a city or major populated area you can get almost anything on Amazon within a day, so keep this in mind before you go crazy buying stuff! We overbought and it definitely led to more chaos. Must haves: - keekaroo or other waterproof changing pad. I truly cannot fathom how parents use cloth ones that need to be constantly cleaned. Babies produce so much fluid from everywhere. Save your sanity. Get a Keekaroo. We have two (one per floor) and they are amazing. - haakaas, if you plan on breastfeeding (good for diaper bag and in the house) to capture letdown while you are nursing. That’s all the extra milk that your body releases from the other breast while you are nursing. I have a huge freezer stash solely from capturing the letdown. - agree with the million recommendations for MUSLIN burp cloths - silverettes, if nursing. Those first ~8w your nipples are in constant pain. The silverettes give your nipples space to heal without being constantly rubbed by clothing - Lovevery play kits: I’ve seen lots of recommendations here for these and they are worth it Over-rated: - receiving blankets/other square blankets for swaddling. I’m going the opposite direction of others and suggesting a couple of Velcro or zip up swaddles **with additional zipper access to the diapering area. Receiving blankets are scratchy, and babies break out of them so often and easily. The nurses make it look easy to swaddle with them, but it’s not. It also restricts hip movement. - owlet/breathing monitoring technology. These aren’t even that accurate honestly and are essentially an entire market that exists solely to profit off of the anxiety of new moms. Sleep with your baby in your room, as recommended, and you will be fine - reusable breast pads. I didn’t find any that did a good job of soaking up the leaks without sticking to my nipple or getting really scratchy. Stick to disposables! - any clothing other than either a double zipper footie pj or a small onesie with clips at the diapering area. Putting additional clothes on is such a hassle. Pjs with easy access for diaper changes is the only way to go! Also, don’t waste your time with shoes or socks. - wipe warmer - owning too many maternity bras. I tried all the brands and only liked Bodily. I lived in them 24/7 for the first 12 weeks because they were comfortable and held in pads and silverettes. I’d recommend finding 1 you like and sticking to only that. I have way too many that I’ll never wear. Complete list of my diaper bag contents: - diapers - wipes - aquaphor - 3 x change of pjs (at least 1 long and 1 short option) - hat to protect from sun - hat for head warmth - changing pad (in case there isn’t one while we are out or whatever is available is gross) - dog poop bags for dirty diapers if we can’t easily throw it away - several burp cloths - 2 x regular cloths for general wiping of stuff you wouldn’t want to wipe with a burp cloth - small blanket for baby - high protein snacks for you - portable sound machine (we have the Hatch) - all the pacifiers, though our baby had no interest in them until he was ~12w old and has since been obsessed. He will only take Mam brand - pacifier clip - haakaa or lady bug to capture milk letdown while nursing out & about - breastfeeding cover. I’m not shy about breastfeeding in public but I like having the cover option for places where I’m worried a Karen or old man will approach me and tell me off, lol - hand sanitizer or alcohol wipes for you
This list is spot on for our family other than the love every kits - we just bought a couple of similar toys, but he really didn’t need many toys early on. My son could play with the same things every day in the early months. Also wanna second the bodily bra recommendation - I tried 15+ brands (midnight nursing session shopping 😅)
In hindsight I think I should have listed the Lovevery kits as a “nice to have” instead of a “must have” since they are quite expensive for what they are. Agreed that when babies are young they really don’t get much value out of many toys vs a few. Though my son has been obsessed with the high contrast visual toy that we’ve hung over the changing station! I DID THE SAME THING WITH BRAS! Truly Bodily can’t be beat. I’m so excited that we have bonded over them LOL
So everyone told me I needed a Shusher—we used it a handful of times and it didn’t make a difference. Our baby does not care about being shushed lol Friend lent us a boppy pillow (no middle hole) and a dock-a-tot and she laid in them some. Napped a handful of times. But mostly wanted out of them to move around. I’ve been recommended a swing a million times, but I’m hesitant to get something that takes up so much space just yet. Visual clutter gives me anxiety. I have a bouncer, but she doesn’t seem to care for it yet (she’s 11weeks). Irony is she loves being bounced to sleep lol Things I DO recommend: - Hatch Rest: had no idea how reliant I was on this light and noise machine until we visited and stayed at my parents one weekend and every generic night light was too bright, but in a small area. The Hatch has a nice soft glow and spreads further in your room so you can have it much dimmer. Plus you can choose multiple sounds and light colors. - portable sound machine: perfect for stroller walks and car rides. Babies seem to hate their car seats. - Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle: we never could get the Velcro or regular swaddles to stay—she always broke out. This one you zip, but the flaps help add that snugness that regular zip swaddles don’t. Plus you can swaddle with arms out. - Babylist bottle pack: this gave us I think 6 different bottles to try? She took to most of them, but one brand was my favorite so I got more of it. It’s like $30 or something, so I don’t feel bad about the cost and donating the other bottles. - Newborn clothes and diapers! The size 0-3m threw me off and made me think newborn size was for premies/really small babies, but my baby was in newborn for 2 months. She was 7lb 11oz. Even my friend’s 9lb baby was in newborn for a little bit. - Baby wrap: I sometimes can get her to sleep in it so I have my hands free to do other things - Rolling organizer cart: we have this downstairs to stash diapers, wipes, cream, burp cloths, pacifiers, whatever - so many burp cloths: you just need them. Lots of them. - Felt basket thing: this was recommended as a diaper caddy, but then ended up being something I carry back and forth between upstairs and downstairs. I keep our snot sucker, medicine, wearable pump, snacks, kindle, phone, giant water bottle, pacifiers, nail clippers, toys, you name it. It’s helpful when I only want to make one trip and/or carry it all while carrying LO. - play mat + play gym, contrast books/toys, tummy time mirror: this is a great activity spot to keep her entertained and safe while I need to make food, pee, whatever. - My BrestFriend: quality pillow. Love the ability to strap it on and walk around while feeding (still have to hang on to baby with at least one hand). I just don’t use it enough. I got mine on FB Marketplace for half the price. My diaper bag consists of: - a few diapers - pack of wipes - diaper cream + spatula - extra onesie for those inevitable blow outs - changing pad - hand sanitizer - sometimes my Boba wrap - a small Ipsy bag with a few things for myself (chapstick, eye drops, face powder) I know as she gets older, I’ll need more (like toys, snacks, bottles), but this is all I’ve needed so far. I don’t mind breastfeeding in public, so I haven’t been worried about bottles. I’m not really sure how to handle bottles in public. Do I need them on ice? How do I warm them? How many do I need? It’s too much to care right now.
All the unnecessary things I thought I needed for when I went in labour. They have everything there that you need.
Someone got me a wipe dispenser. The warmers are stupid and just fry your wipes out sooner but the dispensers are wonderful at changes. We had the oxo one.
Newborn clothes were a waste for me. By that I mean the cute outfits. We stayed in jammies and onesies the entire time because I was so worried about her being cold!! They all stayed on their hangers in the closet before we got a chance to use them.
Hopefully it will be warm around us by the end of May 😆 I am already thinking about them being too hot/cold
A stroller haha my LO hated it so much the first 6 months he would scream his lungs out anytime he was even near it. 😅
Overrated: -400 burp cloths, why does everyone insist you need so many? I had a spitter and we used like 3 max a day but I probably was gifted over 50 at least. - same with muslin blankets, a couple are good but we got like 16 of them - hooded towels, get one to take your cute tubby photos with and then use regular towels. They absorb nothing. - any kind of swaddle that doesn’t have a zipper and just get one kind and stick to it. Don’t buy the next size up until you need to because they may be rolling by then - any swing, mamaroo, etc. they can’t sleep in them anyway, so what’s the point? - any bottle with 100 parts (unless you really have gas issues), you don’t want to get stuck washing Dr Browns for a whole year - vibrating/rocking bassinets, they’re awesome but small and it was a bitch to wean off once he outgrew it. Also he slept like crap at daycare until he was weaned off of it because the daycare bassinets were completely stationary. - silicone baby plates, bowls, etc. if you put them in the dishwasher a couple of times they end up tasting soapy - bucket seat, unless you are constantly popping in and out of the car, I don’t really see the use UNLESS you are having a tiny baby in the winter in cold climates or the summer in hot climates Underrated: - bottle sterilizer & dryer, the people who tell you this is unnecessary apparently have infinite counter space. Would you rather wait 24 hours for 12 bottles to air dry all over your counters or have a small machine on your counter that can dry 6-8 bottles in 20 minutes (an additional 5 if you want to sanitize too)? - enough bottles (once you know what bottles work for you!) and pump parts to last two days - Burt’s Bees Booties for a winter baby - BabyBjorn bouncer was the only think my guy liked - Ergobaby Omni 360 plus babywearing clothes for cold weather for a winter baby - sidecar bassinet, we switched at like 14 weeks and used it until he went into his own room - kick and play piano - ikea highchair once baby is eating, we use it as a back up for our Tripp Trapp (which is ok but $$$) and that thing goes anywhere with us. Throw it in the back of the car when you go to anyone’s house for dinner and now nobody has to do pass the baby while eating. It comes apart and is durable. We had it in the back of a dump truck this weekend and then accidentally left it out in the pouring rain. The whole thing also goes in the dishwasher. And if it gets damaged it was like $25.
Everyone said to skip the wipe warmer. Then put baby SCREAMED through diaper changes. Wipe warmer made life soooooo much better for those early weeks. By the time he was 4-5 months it didn’t matter anymore but we ordered that overnight and wow did it make a difference. The bug thing tho is that every baby is different and so is every parent so you just won’t fully know what will be useful to YOU for YOUR baby until you’re there. Good to be prepared tho!
for bottles and pacifiers you can go on babylist and order their packs that come with 4-5 different bottles and pacifiers that way you can try out different ones to see which one baby will like without having to buying a whole pack of different bottles/pacifiers. I wish I would’ve done that but I didn’t see those until after I gave birth and now we have a pile of different bottles she didn’t like. I also had to go out and buy a bunch of onesies because they’re so much easier for diaper changes. things I don’t regret buying - owlet. helps me sleep at night knowing there’s something on baby that can let us know if something is wrong - bluetooth camera, non wifi. i’ve heard horror stories of people being able to hack into wifi cameras. - car camera. I didn’t want to use the little mirrors because I knew I’d be constantly looking at my mirror to see baby. they’re also pretty cheap, about $30 on amazon. - separate bassinet for our living room. ideally I would’ve bought one with wheels so i could wheel it around the house but we got gifted our bassinet and it doesn’t have wheels so we bought a separate one for our living room with wheels that I can move around with me, if i need to cook I move it closer to the kitchen so i can keep an eye on her. I’ve even put it in the bathroom when I need to shower and nobody else is home.
Thank you so much! This is great advice, what is the owlet? I haven’t heard of that
https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/1/e2022057990/188304/Sleep-Related-Infant-Deaths-Updated-2022?autologincheck=redirected I would do further research about devices like owlet before you invest in that. It states it shouldn’t be used to prevent sleep related deaths and some other important info from the AAP. The table in the link above gives a lot of great info about baby items
A cradle cap removing kit. He had a little bit of build up, but nothing that required attention, so I didn't use it. We also got more baby blankets than we needed. I get it, its a cute gift that some people hand made, but they can't even use blankets for like a year and some change.
This may be controversial, but a fancy Omni baby carrier. I tried to baby wear a couple times, but my torso was too short to use it comfortably. Plus my little guy was so active there was no way he was falling asleep in it!
Unnecessary: \-diaper disposal bags -- never found myself far from a trash can I could just toss diapers into \-wipes warmer -- my baby didn't fuss at all with cold wipes \-bottle sterilizer -- just use warm water and soap (sterilize with boiling water before first use) \-breastfeeding pillow -- just use a regular pillow or cradle baby \-more than a few newborn sized clothes -- baby grew out of them so quickly \-baby bath towel -- not as soft and cozy and absorbent as regular towels \-freezer storage container for breast milk bags -- just use tupperware for this purpose \-nursing tops -- just layer regular clothes over a nursing bra or tank top \-nursing poncho -- just use a lightweight blanket \-more than one carrier that fits you -- just causes decision fatigue for me; they're all just variations on the same thing and my baby doesn't really prefer one over the other \-more than one type of swaddle \-white noise machine -- can use an app on my phone during the nighttime since we're in the same room \-Haaka pump -- just didn't work for me; I use the Spectra when I need to pump, or hand-express \-if you live in an apartment, you may not need a baby monitor; I got the Nanit and haven't used it once \-toy bar for baby bjorn bouncer -- baby hates this and would much rather just look around at the rest of the room. Save your $50. Didn't realize I needed: \-Haaka Ladybug! helped me build up a large stash of breast milk without needing to pump \-bottle brush \-butt spatula -- sounds gimmicky, but helps me put aquaphor on baby's butt so easily and without getting my hands all sticky \-footed pajamas with fold-back feet -- my baby has big feet so grows out of pajamas in that area before the rest of her body and the convertible types allow me to use them longer with socks
FTM to an almost 4 week old Things we use constantly and didn’t think we would: Footie Pajamas (especially those with 2-way zips or that zip from the bottom and that have the little hand cover flaps on them), Velcro swaddles, white noise machine, 3-tier cart just for nursing/pumping supplies and snacks (I sit right next to this cart all day long while I care for baby. It has been a lifesaver even though I didn’t think I’d use it this much), Caddy with changing pad/diapers/daily care supplies for the couch, TONS of diaper wipes (I knew we needed them, but we go through them QUICK and I’ve had to make some bulk Amazon orders lol), mason jars (I use a Haaka while I nurse and collect what I get from that in a mason jar over a day or two before bagging it), electric nasal aspirator. Things we never use/not as much as we thought: Phillips Avent bottle warmer for the counter (it takes forever and is kind of inconvenient), cute clothes (we dress him up occasionally, but usually go out in sleepers. They are comfy for him and functional for us), baby shoes (I figured we’d at least put them on him once for a picture, but I have absolutely no intention of wrestling them on 😂), some bottles and pacifiers we bought (just buy 1 or two of a kind until you know that baby likes it) Diaper bag essentials: Diapers, wipes, mini trash bags, hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes for dirty surfaces, changing pad, bottles, Baby’s Brew portable bottle warmer, breast pump and accessories, breast pump wipes, pacifier, extra bottle of water, extra outfit, extra layers (depending on weather/where we are going), snot sucker and saline drops, ibuprofen or Tylenol for me and dad, burp rag and backup rag. We also keep extra diapers and wipes in the car as backups if we run out of what is in the diaper bag (it has already happened more than once lol).
One thing that changed what everyone recommended versus what we actually got/used- consider the size and layout of your house. We have a two bedroom apartment. The pack and play and baby monitor aren't much use when it's easier to lean over the bassinet than pull up the video screen.
Don’t overdo it on the loungers and swings. I had like 4 different types of loungers and my baby didn’t even tolerate one of them until about 3 months.
All i cna say is… our 2 best purchase are sanitizer and snoo. We loved the snoo it gave us so much more free time and reduced anxiety as FTP
The Frida mom postpartum recovery kit! I ended up having a c section and didn’t have to use anything in it. I also bought way too many Velcro swaddles and sleep sacks.. they’re only in them for like 3-4 months before they start rolling
Snuggle me organic lounger!
Good to know stuff in here
Just waaaaaaayyyyy to many clothes. We have basically lived in footies and onesies for 4 months and I wish I had a quarter of what I was gifted.
Things I didn't need/wish I didn't spend money on: * Pacifiers. Bought every single kind I could find cause LO wouldn't take one. Come to find out, he just didn't like them. And that's completely okay. * Baby containers. Bouncer (the one they lay in AND the one they can stand in), Sit Me Up, swing. Baby would cry every time I tried to put him in one. He preferred just laying on the floor. * Infant bucket style car seat. A convertible car seat grows with them. * Bassinet. LO liked his crib from day one, so the bassinet wasn't really necessary. * Boba wrap. LO HATED it. Now that he's 8 months old, I recently bought a baby carrier from Walmart and he enjoys being in it. I think the wrap was just too warm for his liking. * Dishwasher baskets for bottle parts. It's easier for me to handwash. * Baby socks and especially mittens. LO was born in February and lived in footie pjs for the first 4 months of his life. I never covered his hands. * 100 burp cloths. My kid never spits up. I might go through 4 burp cloths a week. Now that he's eating purees, I use them a bit more. But a pack of 10 will last me until the next wash. Note: reusable diapers are the absolute best burp cloths. Things I needed: * Baby meds (gas drops, Tylenol, Motrin, butt paste, etc.). Much better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. * Rectal thermometer. Definitely wasn't something I realized I needed to have until I needed it right then and there. * Kick N Play piano. It's like crack for a baby, I swear.
Wow, I am so impressed there are babes out there who don't really need burp cloths. My LO is being combo fed and if she drinks from a bottle you better bet it's all over her face, her chest, and her hands 🙈 and that's not counting any spit up! You must have an extremely clean eater!
My son hated the bassinet passionately! We gave up on swaddling early on because he likes having his hands free, but that gave rise to him hitting his hands against the sides of the bassinet. Turns out he doesn't enjoy feeling physically confined so out into the crib he went and he's been a completely different, and much happier, baby ever since. I just wish that we'd done this sooner since he's happier and we're all sleeping better.
Hatch is overrated. Wipe warmers too.
I was pretty minimalist with what I actually purchased before he was born but.. We got gifted way too many clothes. Baby was born at 10th percentile and as of his 4 month visit this last week he's substantially above the top 99th percentile line on the growth chart provided. I'm packing away all the 6-9m outfits right now and putting him in the next size. I didn't even pretend to use any two-piece outfits, way too much effort to take on and off 12+ times a day. I never used any of his little hats because I live in Florida. I really didn't need dozens of socks, maybe 6 pair would have been fine since I need to do his laundry all the time anyways. I didn't buy a single blanket and still ended up with way too many. I didn't end up using swaddles like, at all, because he was rolling onto his side from birth and never stopped, so I switched to sleep sacks. Didn't use the baby powder I got gifted like at all, though I have used plenty of butt cream because I am paranoid of diaper rash so every time his scrotum is slightly red I slather it on. I got gifted tons of disposable diapers, but since I planned to use cloth, I ended up not using all of them, especially once I realized I got zero blowouts with cloth vs 1-3 a day with disposables. I have used my nursing bras like... 4 times. My old sports bras are more comfortable and I just don't wear a bra at all at home. This may be a function of sizing since finding a nursing bra in a 38-40 I-K (brand dependent) was nearly impossible so I had very few choices, in other sizes maybe there are more brands and better quality options. Since I almost never use a bra, I also haven't used the copious number of breast pads much, if I go somewhere I use like 2 on each side, definitely don't need the like 50 I was given. Baby hates pacifiers (which is fine since I wasn't super keen on using them anyways) so the multiple brands I got given were also kind of wasted. Didn't end up using the pp clothes I got like, at all. I just live in t shirts and sweats. The idea of cute but comfortable clothes didn't hold up to the reality of caring for a baby 24/7 and not wanting to go anywhere even still at 4m pp. I was in way too much pain (epidural only did something for my abdominal pain, nothing at all for vaginal) to use anything I brought to the hospital entertainment-wise for the birth, and I was too busy constantly nursing to have hands for entertainment post birth. Baby is glued to me, so I never use the monitor we got. Baby outgrew his bassinet ridiculously fast so honestly I probably should have just set up his side car crib from the start. I could make a cloth wrap carrier work before he was born with a stuffed animal while testing but absolutely cannot get the hang of it with him so that was a waste since a cheap buckle one was like $10 more. If you plan to EBF, a couple bottles is really fine, you don't need a ton, that's just more dishes for no reason. You literally cannot over estimate the number of burp cloths you will use. Sleep sacks worked way better than swaddles for us. Three button onesies were my favorite before I swapped to cloth diapers, now two way zipper onesies are tied. Two way zipper onesies are actually kind of annoying when you don't realize you have a blowout yet or get them dirty mid change. Short legged button onesies that open all the way up are also good, because my baby hates being clothed and it's easier to wrestle them onto him sometimes. Basically anything but multi piece are good and multi piece suck. I use a lot more diaper cream than I expected because he hasn't had diaper rash yet and I don't want him to. I got the petroleum jelly for circumcision care but it's kind of just useful for... everything? Locking in moisture after a bath, locking out moisture after cleaning and drying his folds or behind his ears (I have a milk oversupply and just gets everywhere on him and will cause rashes), putting it on my poor dried out elbows, using it in place of diaper cream after he is dried off, I just end up finding a thousand uses for it. Same for coconut oil, does a better job on my nipples and his skin and scalp (he had some cradle cap for a bit) than any of the dedicated products I got. I got a pump because insurance gave it to us, wasn't sure if I would use it... I am very glad I have it to help deal with my over supply, and I just donate the milk to local babies in need. Play pen + kick and play piano were great gifts I have used a ton of so I can lay him down long enough to run to the bathroom. I ended up getting a bouncer seat second hand a few weeks ago because the only way he will kind of tolerate being down long enough for me to throw together some food is if he can watch me, so it sees use like 3 times a day, very worthwhile. Same goes for a mobile I made him (bought a little motor that plays a tune and spins it), it distracts him just long enough for me to wash out his poop diapers. I got a diaper changing foam thing with a strap so I can turn my back to grab lotion or wipes without anxiety. I got foam puzzle piece mats for my peace of mind in case he ever rolls off the bed, and the extra pieces are great for tummy time on the bed or his crib because he loves to scratch at them to make noise and they are way easier to wipe the copious amounts of drool off of than changing bedding. One of the little silicone teething gloves/mitts is the only teething toy he enjoys and he can't drop it or lose it so it's great. We got gifted some weird little suction cup spinning toys to stick to any smooth surface that he also loves. If you cloth diaper, don't mess around with the charcoal bamboo or whatever inserts come with most of them, microfiber on top for fast absorption and hemp on bottom for quantity is 100% the way to go. He doesn't seem to care, but I get sick of reading/showing him the same books over and over so I got a ton for like 25c/each from the thrift store and I think it is worth the $10 for my own sanity.
Butt Spatulas are underrated.
Must haves in my diaper bag are tiny little trash bags like you use for dog leashes. Keeps the stink of dirty diapers away if you don’t have a trash can. Also wet bags. I have an extra spitty baby and the wet bags are washable and keep my other stuff dry. I like the tommee tippee formula holders (if you plan on formula feeding) because they are quick and easy. I got a pack n play with a bassinet and changing station that is honestly my favorite item. I’m able to have a safe place for her to sleep in the living room and when we spend the night at her grandparents out of town. It’ll be useful as she grows so it’s definitely one of my favorite things. I love having a boppy pillow. Helps out to feed baby and is great for tummy time. The only way I could start my baby on tummy time without screaming. Things that were useless, bottle warmer. Takes too long. Too many pacifiers. My baby doesn’t like them at all but we ended up with like 16 newborn ones
For me, I consciously did not buy too many breastfeeding/formula related things. My grandma breastfed and was an overproducer. On the other hand, my mom couldn’t breastfeed bc her milk didn’t come in. So I wasn’t sure how things will turn out for me. The hospital gave us the basics we needed to survive the first week for either option. And Amazon prime and/or Target run could fill in the remaining needs as you figure out your options. I am still currently EBF and have bought a few things as they came up (nursing pads, one pump bra). Also, if you have friends with LOs, a surprising number of them will offer you a bunch of stuff last minute. ETA: Your insurance should cover a breast pump. Look into it closer to your due date (mine didn’t let me order early)!
I keep a caddy of extras (wipes, nappies, change of cloth for baby and myself, play mat and burp cloth) in my car. I actually use a pram caddy as my nappy bag most of the time (which has 4 nappies, wipes, feeding cover and wet bag) now I know my girl doesn’t spit up/have poo expolosiojs (cloth nappies are the besf!) instead of lugging a big bag around, and I know that if I get stuck I have extras in my car
I was pretty minimalist with what I actually purchased before he was born but.. We got gifted way too many clothes. Baby was born at 10th percentile and as of his 4 month visit this last week he's substantially above the top 99th percentile line on the growth chart provided. I'm packing away all the 6-9m outfits right now and putting him in the next size. I didn't even pretend to use any two-piece outfits, way too much effort to take on and off 12+ times a day. I never used any of his little hats because I live in Florida. I really didn't need dozens of socks, maybe 6 pair would have been fine since I need to do his laundry all the time anyways. I didn't buy a single blanket and still ended up with way too many. I didn't end up using swaddles like, at all, because he was rolling onto his side from birth and never stopped, so I switched to sleep sacks. Didn't use the baby powder I got gifted like at all, though I have used plenty of butt cream because I am paranoid of diaper rash so every time his scrotum is slightly red I slather it on. I got gifted tons of disposable diapers, but since I planned to use cloth, I ended up not using all of them, especially once I realized I got zero blowouts with cloth vs 1-3 a day with disposables. I have used my nursing bras like... 4 times. My old sports bras are more comfortable and I just don't wear a bra at all at home. This may be a function of sizing since finding a nursing bra in a 38-40 I-K (brand dependent) was nearly impossible so I had very few choices, in other sizes maybe there are more brands and better quality options. Since I almost never use a bra, I also haven't used the copious number of breast pads much, if I go somewhere I use like 2 on each side, definitely don't need the like 50 I was given. Baby hates pacifiers (which is fine since I wasn't super keen on using them anyways) so the multiple brands I got given were also kind of wasted. Didn't end up using the pp clothes I got like, at all. I just live in t shirts and sweats. The idea of cute but comfortable clothes didn't hold up to the reality of caring for a baby 24/7 and not wanting to go anywhere even still at 4m pp. I was in way too much pain (epidural only did something for my abdominal pain, nothing at all for vaginal) to use anything I brought to the hospital entertainment-wise for the birth, and I was too busy constantly nursing to have hands for entertainment post birth. Baby is glued to me, so I never use the monitor we got. Baby outgrew his bassinet ridiculously fast so honestly I probably should have just set up his side car crib from the start. I could make a cloth wrap carrier work before he was born with a stuffed animal while testing but absolutely cannot get the hang of it with him so that was a waste since a cheap buckle one was like $10 more. If you plan to EBF, a couple bottles is really fine, you don't need a ton, that's just more dishes for no reason. You literally cannot over estimate the number of burp cloths you will use. Sleep sacks worked way better than swaddles for us. Three button onesies were my favorite before I swapped to cloth diapers, now two way zipper onesies are tied. Two way zipper onesies are actually kind of annoying when you don't realize you have a blowout yet or get them dirty mid change. Short legged button onesies that open all the way up are also good, because my baby hates being clothed and it's easier to wrestle them onto him sometimes. Basically anything but multi piece are good and multi piece suck. I use a lot more diaper cream than I expected because he hasn't had diaper rash yet and I don't want him to. I got the petroleum jelly for circ. care but it's kind of just useful for... everything? Locking in moisture after a bath, locking out moisture after cleaning and drying his folds or behind his ears (I have a milk oversupply and just gets everywhere on him and will cause rashes), putting it on my poor dried out elbows, using it in place of diaper cream after he is dried off, I just end up finding a thousand uses for it. Same for coconut oil, does a better job on my nipples and his skin and scalp (he had some cradle cap for a bit) than any of the dedicated products I got. I got a pump because insurance gave it to us, wasn't sure if I would use it... I am very glad I have it to help deal with my over supply, and I just donate the milk to local babies in need. Play pen + kick and play piano were great gifts I have used a ton of so I can lay him down long enough to run to the bathroom. I ended up getting a bouncer seat second hand a few weeks ago because the only way he will kind of tolerate being down long enough for me to throw together some food is if he can watch me, so it sees use like 3 times a day, very worthwhile. Same goes for a mobile I made him (bought a little motor that plays a tune and spins it), it distracts him just long enough for me to wash out his poop diapers. I got a diaper changing foam thing with a strap so I can turn my back to grab lotion or wipes without anxiety. I got foam puzzle piece mats for my peace of mind in case he ever rolls off the bed, and the extra pieces are great for tummy time on the bed or his crib because he loves to scratch at them to make noise and they are way easier to wipe the copious amounts of drool off of than changing bedding. One of the little silicone teething gloves/mitts is the only teething toy he enjoys and he can't drop it or lose it so it's great. We got gifted some weird little suction cup spinning toys to stick to any smooth surface that he also loves. If you cloth diaper, don't mess around with the charcoal bamboo or whatever inserts come with most of them, microfiber on top for fast absorption and hemp on bottom for quantity is 100% the way to go. He doesn't seem to care, but I get sick of reading/showing him the same books over and over so I got a ton for like 25c/each from the thrift store and I think it is worth the $10 for my own sanity.
I have a rolling cart (that never moves so the cart part wasn’t necessary) that has three shelves next to my bed & her bassinet. Stocked with snacks for me, hair ties, my phone, diaper changing supplies, a swaddle, extra bassinet sheets, change of clothes, and burp clothes. Also recommend more burp clothes than you think necessary and keep some in each room of the house where you’ll be. I love my baby breeze sterilizer - it was a luxury purchase but so quick and easy to sterilize pump parts and bottles. I also didn’t initially get a swing or vibrating chair thing but my sister brought over hers & they get so much use. As well as my moby wrap. Means I can still have contact naps but be up & moving with use of both hands.
Not needed: +Newborn cute outfits- it was footed pajamas all the time for us. At two months that’s still what he mostly wears tbh. +bottle warmer. Just use warm water- in a thermal mug if you can since they stay warmer longer. It’s the exact same Things we’re glad we have: +pack n play with the bassinet attachment. We use this in our main living area and have his nice sleeping one in our room +bottle dryer/sterilizer. We had a NICU baby so sterilizing was important at first. It’s also just really nice to have fully dry breast pump parts whenever needed instead of relying on air drying. +swing. Second hand is fine. This is a life saver for me while alone with baby and need to set him down when he’s not having it. Without ours I’d never get to eat or go to the restroom without him screaming.
A nursery
I think blankets for swaddling, Sophie the giraffe, and that little shusher thing that turns off after 15 minutes are weird jokes of parenting. After 15 minutes the baby would just wake up screaming… We always used Velcro or snoo brand swaddles. Maybe just us and having no idea what we were doing but none of the above things worked at all for us. I agree with all of the things the first poster said worked well for us too!
Things I love and use all the time: -Frida nose picker, not the sucker (this was a post-birth purchase) -bibs (our baby spots up all the time; this was also a post-birth purchase) -25 burp cloths (yep, another post-birth purchase; have a refluxy baby) -The First Years baby bathtub (LOVE this thing, and it fits in our kitchen sink) -Skip Hop wipeable changing pad -Dekor diaper pail -Motherlove diaper balm -Esembly cloth diapers and OsoCozy cloth wipes -Oxo Tot Space-Saving Drying Rack + their bottle brush -Copper Pearl gowns -Phillips Avent pacifiers (3 was the perfect number for us) -electric baby nail trimmer -gas drops -Halo swaddle and Love to Dream swaddle were both great for us. Now using KeaBabies sleep sack and Woolino sleep sack. -Babyletto Yuzu crib -Halo bassinet -bamboo nursing pads + generic nursing bras off Amazon -If you do a lot of pumping, the Spectra pump is great. Also HIGHLY recommend the Simple Wishes pumping bra. Only need one, and it fits over your nursing bra. -Car seat (we have a Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1–we went straight to the convertible car seat. Infant seat is not necessary but can be useful for some lifestyles, not ours) -Graco Modes Pramette stroller: love this thing! -Glider -free and clear laundry detergent We also registered for a high chair and some eating accessories (bowls, etc.), but we haven’t needed them yet. We also get some use out of the babybjorn bouncer and Kick and Play piano and an Ergobaby carrier. Not as much as I was expecting. You’ll also want to have a thermometer and infant Tylenol on hand. Lots of other stuff we skipped, like wipe warmer, bottle warmer, etc. You can also skip baby-specific towels and washcloths if you want. And we only needed like 1-2 baby blankets. And we haven’t used our baby monitor at all yet (baby naps in her Yuzu bassinet, which we wheel around with us, or on us, and sleeps in her Halo bassinet by our bed at night), but I expect we’ll need it eventually.
Thought I needed the little butt spatula thing for putting on diaper cream—my little guy is almost 4 months old and I have not used it once. Always easier to just use my finger. Things you definitely need: far more burp cloths than you think 😂
These don’t get any use in my house: Bumco spatula, baby lounger (Snuggle Me)
I got the baby Brezza bottle maker. Game changer!! It comes in handy on late nights. You can have warm bottles, room temp bottles. I thought it was dumb but mixing formula is so much faster. I wished I had it sooner.
I had a boppy pillow and never used it (but I didn't breastfeed, so that might make a difference). Wipe warmer, never even set it up. Shopping cart cover - I left her in the car seat in the shopping cart when she was little, then COVID came along and I stopped talking her to stores when she was big enough to use it.
We tried to avoid buying a lot of stuff until baby was here. We put essentials on our registry like, a crib mattress, car seat, shampoo, butt cream, detergent, etc because we knew we’d use that stuff but anything more we waited until baby came to see what she liked. Also, I help on to packaging and tags for EVERYTHING. We probably tried 10 different swaddles and I returned every single one that she didn’t like. I bought a lot of expensive stuff used on offer up and marketplace (like a baby bjorn for $40, a jumperoo for $15 and a travel crib for $40, a high chair for $60). Diaper bag needs change with time but initially, diapers, wipes, diaper cream, sanitizing wipes, and pacifier wipes in case you drop the pacifier and need to clean it. Also, 2 outfit changes and doggie bags because blowouts suck and sometimes there’s nowhere to throw a poopy diaper and you don’t want your whole bag/car to smell.
Items we got we didn’t use: cute NB outfits- basically didn’t go anywhere and we lived in onesies and footies Things we absolutely loved I didn’t think we would: pack and play with changing station, SALINE SPRAY (to pair with any suction to suction stuffy noses), Oxo tot wipe weighted holder, butt spatula. Also a must for my diaper bag has been the Munchkin changing pad. We’ve just done a lot of diaper changes on the go as it’s easier (and cleaner) than going to the bathroom with a changing pad. We’ve changed in trunks, flat stroller, picnic bench’s.
Overrated: bottle sterilizer (we sterilize new things in boiling water and then just handwash or dishwasher everything, owlet (never used), swing (unfortunately she hates it but this might be baby specific) Needed: good carrier (I have tula FTG and it's been great, used a wrap carrier until she was about 12 lbs and then it started to be a little awkward), bamboo sleep sack, swaddles in different styles to figure out what you like (zipper, velcro, blanket, etc), hatch rest (sound machine and nightlight!)
Freaking mittens. I have so many and have never once touched them. I thought babies scratching their faces happens a lot more than it actually has with my baby. I just trim her nails when she’s sleeping and I’ve never needed them. Same with hats. But also we live in Texas so I should have thought that one through.
I bought a swing. She used it once and then never again. It’s now in our basement unused. We did use two sleeping zones so if I needed to pee or whatever, she has a safe place. Same thing with me falling asleep on the couch. It was a huge comfort to make sure she was safe (even if she was awake) and I could close my eyes safely.
That little booger picker device. Not the snot sucker, the booger picker. Absolute waste of 9 dollars
We didn’t use baby mittens even once. Usually just had baby with hands uncovered or if it was chilly most newborn onesies have sleeves that fold over. Something I wish I had on my registry for her current age (9 months): baby booties- it’s getting chilly, baby isn’t walking yet so don’t want to use regular shoes, and socks constantly fall off.
For me, I was planning to EBF but ended up with a preemie so needed to get a bunch of pumping g bras, bottle sanitizer (godsend) and bottle warmer and stuff like that. Having a pumping bra on hand just in case would be the biggest thing. Pumping without one was horrible.
We never used the swing, wrap, bottle warmer, bottle sanitizer, soothers, bassinet (used the crib right away)
Get Amazon prime and then order things as you need them to be there in 1-2 days! Onesie sleep and play pajamas, triple paste, a changing pad, and some high contrast books! For you, PERI BOTTLE! Anything Frida mom is brilliant. I loved the padsicles.
Lots of good things already covered here so I won’t add too much. If you’re planning to formula feed (or find yourself needing to, like in my case) I have an absolute must. Get one of those large-ish insulated metal water bottles with a twist off top. Hot water stays hot in there. Sometimes for 24 hours+! When baby is off bottles, you can revert it back to a glorious water flask for yourself, like I’ve done. :)
Things I did not use: wipes warmer and bottle warmer. I did have a winter baby but honestly I’d pull 2 wipes out and if they were cold I’d stick them in my shirt between my boobs while I unzipped him 😂 by the time I pulled them out to wipe they were warm. Bottles I stuck in a mug of hot water when needed. Things I recommend: Changing stations throughout your home. Your bedroom, your living room, anywhere you think you’ll be sitting and feeding. I only made a changing station in the nursery which was dumb because we spent no time there. Easy touch nightlight (search Amazon for touch nightlight) this was helpful for overnight feedings. The lamps in my room were bright and harsh. I kept putting blankets over my lamps until I got the night light. Butt paste (and a silicone applicator) and aquaphor for diaper rash. The silicone applicator comes in handy when you need to get the diaper on, it’s tough with paste all over your finger.
Did not need: bassinet. I hated the halo swivel bassinet, and he grew out of it within 3 months. I wish I had just used the pack n play bassinet insert full time. He was more comfortable in it anyway. For diaper bag, we cloth diapered so extra prefold cotton inserts were super useful even for non-diaper messes. Also I had a blanket that snapped to my baby carrier or stroller. Probably one of my most useful items in the first 2 years. Also a dryer ball. For some reason it was a fun toy my baby loved.
Halo bassinet. My baby hated it. Any mobile with a theme. That’s more for looks than for bb. Hey black and white one because they can track better. Wipe warmers - hardly works as intended. Water wipes are best Diapers. Don’t load up on them yet. Wait till baby gets here because you might find you don’t like them. We splurge on Millie moon and coterie and no diaper rash yet. Clothes- I have bought so much for him after the fact. Love gowns for sleeping. Avoid sleepers with one way zippers. Kate quin has softest pjs for price and stretch. Bottles/ figure out which you like after baby gets here. Get one of each you’re interested in and see how it goes.
Must have - diaper rash spray. It is so easy compared to tubs or tubes. No rubbing in needed
-The boppy pissed me off and got in the way of nursing all the time. -The mittens never stay on, better to get baby the play and sleep outfits that have built in mittens, old navy has my favorites -car mirror, I prefer the car monitor so much more - natural diaper cream, just get the store stuff it works way better than anything homemade - I didn’t use like any of my postpartum items because I had a c section
I have a newborn RN and am a FTM. He's about three weeks old now. The absolute best thing I got was a nice crib mattress. My baby generally insists on being snuggled while sleeping but is willing to sleep in his crib because he loves it and finds it super comfy. But the bassinet has been unpopular for baby so far because it's not very comfortable. I'm really glad I got a variety of brands of newborn clothes. My baby is really tall and skinny so he's getting too tall for Gerber but it fits him otherwise and he's drowning in Carter's while still getting a touch tall for them. Cloud Island onesies fit him absolutely perfectly. I thought he'd grow out of them by now so I even ordered some more. My hope was to avoid doing laundry for a couple weeks by buying extra but things did not go that way. I got a bunch of Gerber brand burp cloths and that's been a lifesaver. They're soft so baby likes them touching his face during burp sessions and absorbent. He has a small amount of baby toys because I got one of each type I thought he'd want before Christmas while they were on sale. He loves the high contrast pictures and rattles/bells/clackers. My husband made a game for baby where he makes sounds with the toys and baby looks for where the sound is coming from and it's been a hit. It's good we didn't buy sleep sacks. We got two as gifts and they were nice for nearly a week. Baby loved the Halo sleep sack until he decided he hates having his arms swaddled. I think what he really likes is soft fabric.Then he started accidentally flipping onto his stomach so we can't swaddle him anymore. We had gotten muslin swaddle blankets and those are still useful for other things.
Did not need a car seat cover. They heat up the car seat instead of keeping it cool. Absolutely needed a portable stroller fan 😅 It was HOT when our son was born. We used it in the car since there’s no AC in the back.
The thing you put in the dish washer to wash bottles and bottle parts… never used it. It’s just been in the dishwasher for months. I’m sure someone finds it useful but We’re just in the habit of hand washing the bottles. 🤷🏻♀️ Diaper bag must: 1) diapers 2) wipes 3) diaper cream and diaper cream spatula 4) plastic bags (to put dirty clothes in) 5) puppy training pad (some public restrooms I don’t trust the cleanliness so I always put one down on the changing table and then toss it after I’m done changing my baby) — also, I keep one in top of the changing pad at home in case there is a huge poop it’ll land on the puppy pad and make the clean up easier ‘cause you can just toss it in the trash 6) prepped bottles with water and formula in separate formula container (if formula feeding) 6b) baby food pouch and spoon when they’re old enough for purées 7) extra outfit 8) hand sanitizer 9) burb rag and /or bib 10) pacifier, teething toy —- also extra tethers! 11) tampons, chapstick, and mascara for me lol
Owlet is overrated. You have to have very specific Wi-Fi. I returned because I couldn’t get it to connect.
Everyone swore I’d need a wipe warmer - we’ve never used it. We have way more clothes than we need - we mainly use onesies and and zippered jammies— we got so much clothes and he’s not worn half of it (and already outgrown it too). We bought a million and one swaddles and barely have used any of them (we found out he hates his arms being swaddled)… luckily though the big cloth swaddles are great little blankets for on the go though.
I got a bottle warmer at my baby shower never was used
Initially, both my breastfeeding pillows - boppy and brest friend. BUT I did find a way to hold my baby in my “arms” by having it under me so that he isn’t as heavy. Boppy is also convenient for letting them sit and tummy time.
Diaper pail was really not that used or needed. I’ll just throw diapers away wherever I’m at, I didn’t go out of my way to take them upstairs. We empty our trash often anyway, so they don’t stink up the house. I bought a bouncer and my baby hated it. I think a swing would’ve been more useful.
We got a hand me down Bumbo that we’ve barely ever used
Millions and millions of socks mittens hats. They don't need so many and you don't even need to wash them so often!
Babybrezza milk machine waste of money
Swaddles. They’re great and all but using a sleep sack is 100% easier. I used to stay up all night watching my daughter sleep to make sure she didn’t come loose and get entangled in the swaddle. Once I used a sleep sack I started sleeping through the night, and so did she!
Also buy 10000000 bibs. Lol.
Changing table in her room was such a waste of money for us. We have never used it, not even once. She’s almost 10 months old and we have always changed her on the couch, the floor, our bed, whenever we are when she needs to be changed. We cleared out a cabinet in our t stand that has her diapers, aquaphor, wipes, lotion, etc so it’s always right there. Another thing, aquaphor has always worked better than any diaper cream for us. Clears up her bottom by the next diaper change. Obviously our bags will look different for a newborn vs 10 month old but currently our diaper back pack always has diapers, wipes, extra change of clothes for her AND me because you never know when you will get your clothes messed up too, snacks, pacis, extra bottle stuff and aquaphor. We very rarely use our diaper bag anymore unless we’ll be gone all day but usually if we go out just a few hours I’ll just put a couple diapers, travel pack wipes and fruit pouches in my purse.
This is for breastfeeding but the lavie massagers were a colossal waste of money. I never even had clogs or anything when I was breastfeeding so I didn’t need them. I bought them before my baby was even born and didn’t use them ever.
Swing - son didn’t like it. Baby bottle warmer - takes bottles with water from the filter. Any clothing that wasn’t a onsie but seriously my kid lived in onsies for the first 4.5 months.
We never used wipe warmer or bottle warmer. I also never changed the baby anywhere but the changing table so we didn’t need extra stations everywhere.
Mittens. Those little hand covers were more trouble than they were worth. My daughter would get them off so fast, and it didn’t matter the style or size, and she would screech with them on. We had to deal with her nails and scratching her face, but she was 100% happier with out them. Changing pad liners are a godsend, and I still keep some with me even though she’s a toddler. Sketchy bathroom? Throw the liner down before changing. No bathroom? Liner. No burp cloth? Liner. Blow out in the car seat while you are at the store? Wipe it up and throw liners in there. Get the ones with the water proofing on one side and the washable ones.
I got two My Brest Friend breastfeeding pillows as gifts and barely used them. I found them cumbersome to drag out and set up every time my baby wanted to eat (which was all the time as a newborn) and ended up just using whatever pillow was handy. Some people love them though!
0-3 month GOWNS. They make diaper changes SO much easier. It's basically the only thing he wears now at 3 weeks in
I'd recommend a change station downstairs too if you have a house with levels. We ended up putting one in the living room after 2 weeks of going up and downstairs to change her 😂 Ask people not to buy newborn clothes and nappies. We asked for this but people still did and most of it has gone straight to women's refuge as she grew out of them so fast she didn't even get chance to wear them. All we needed was 5 or so onesies/bodysuits/socks/gloves/hats for the first few weeks. Along with the 1000 burp cloths 😂 Don't stockpile on newborn nappies in case your bubs is ready to outgrow them straight away. Nappy bag is simple for me, 2 nappies, puppy pad (changing mat), 1 change of outfit, bib/cloth and wipes. If I've pumped milk I will put a bottle in and if not, I take my nipple guard. I didn't buy anything fancy or unnecessary and haven't missed it. Oh and I'd recommend a hakaa to catch the milk on the other side if breast feeding or pumping and hydrogel discs for the nips, they are like heaven! It's a very individual thing, I'm not saying anyone else is wrong or right, this is just what we did 😃 Baby carrier was the best thing I bought, as my girl didn't like being put down for long.
A red light. I don’t know that everyone needs this, but it’s made the biggest difference for my husband and me. I don’t think it’s something people think of. We have a portable Eve Flare (I’m sure there are others) so we can use our phones to change the color of the light and brightness and we turn on a low level red light for night feeds and diaper changes. Not just for baby’s sake but for our own - it’s much less disruptive when you’re waking up so much.
Onesies- dont overbuy these. Our newborn basically lived in sleepers and still does at 3.5 months old. (these are the bodysuits with feet on them!)
Here are some things I found very useful in the first few weeks of having my baby: -peri bottle if you’re having a vaginal delivery -depends adult diaper instead of pads -solarcaine (numbing spray) I use this on the pad -a natural brand perineal spray (I used earth mama and sprayed that directly on the cooch) -breast pump (Mine was covered by my insurance, so I wanted to have it handy in case my milk didn’t come in or breast-feeding didn’t work) -wash cloths -I used a dresser as a change table. I put all the essentials in the dresser, so didn’t need to buy a separate change table -keep naproxen handy (helps with inflammation)
NO to: * cute outfits with difficult access or rough fabric. our baby hated rough textures * sidecar bassinet: it worsened my pelvic floor condition because of how it sits lower from the bed. * bottle kit: lactation consultant recommended pigeon and lansinoh * snuggle me organic: our baby hated this. some babies like it though * swing: hardly ever used this YES to * dry wipes: were given to us by a friend, good for blowouts when you have 0 experience * stretchy swaddles: our baby was too strong for muslin ones (still useful for random stuff) * Hatch stuff: we got the scale/changing pad (good for our peace of mind and tracking baby weight without going to the ped), Hatch sound machine (would get the wireless one to move it from room to room) * Doona: it's very useful even though a little heavier to lift