If you are having a new baby you might be thinking, “What do I need? What don’t I need?” I thought the same thing! In this post I share my most used items vs items we got but never use, sometimes use and even items we had to buy after because we realized we absolutely needed them!
Things we got and use ALL the time
1. Changing
Changing Pad with Cover <<LINK
The first week we had baby home, I put the changing pad in our bed. I was unsure how often he would wake up in a new environment. I also had a c-section so it was painful to get up and down constantly. I changed him in my hospital bed at the hospital so I thought this would be an easy way to still do it. We then transitioned the pad to our dresser and then to his room. I do recommend putting a towel under the pad just in case your baby projectile poops like ours did and it got all over our duvet.
Portable Changing Pads <<LINK
We have one of these in the diaper bag and one on our ottoman in the living room. We change him upstairs on the changing pad and downstairs on the ottoman. Sometimes I will even cover the changing pad if I know it’s going to be a messy one. These wipe down easily.
2. Strollers and Car Things
Doona <<LINK
This is an expensive purchase. Thankfully, we were gifted ours. If you can get it as a gift or if multiple people can purchase, it is worth every penny! We put a regular convertible car seat in my husband’s Jeep and I use the Doona in mine. It’s easier for me to get baby in and out that way when I am by myself. We also traveled cross-country for Christmas and it gave us a car seat and stroller. Highly recommend!
Evenflo 360 Carseat<<LINK
This is another worth-it splurge. We thought since it grew with baby we would keep it for a long time and it was well worth the money. Once baby out-grows the Doona, we will get another. They also make a slim version. We will probably get the slim for my car since I have a sedan. However, the regular fits in my car too.
Mirror for car <<LINK
We got one for each car but my car, the backseat headrest did not slide up and down. It was built into the seat. I had to order a different kind. I am not going to link it because I am not crazy about it. You could go without a mirror, but I like to look back and see if baby has fallen asleep and I also check to make sure he is breathing more times than is probably necessary.
Seat cover for carseat <<LINK
Not a must-have item. However, it’s an item I didn’t consider until I saw my friend’s registry. It protects your interior and is fairly inexpensive. I don’t really have much to say about it. We do like this one because it has the pocket and we put some wipes and diapers in there for quick grab or if we just have to run out of the house for a minute or two.
3. Sleeping and Nursery Things
Babyletto Crib and Dresser <<LINK
We loved this set because it wasn’t too expensive yet very sturdy and well made! My brother-in-law put it together for us. The only downside was it did require a moderate amount of assembly. It comes in many colors. The dresser is perfect for small spaces!
Crib Mattress <<LINK
The Newton mattress <<LINK is great, but I would wait to see if your baby is a belly sleeper. Start with a regular firm baby mattress first.
White noise machine <<LINK
We got a basic old school machine. I am very aware of all the wifi and bluetooth that we are exposed to. We know there are other more popular items that do this arguably “better.” There are more expensive ones that you can control from your phone. However, we have preferred the less expensive option. You just plug it in and it works. It drowns out dogs barking and trash trucks. We love it.
Book shelves <<LINK
These are easy on the wallet yet very sturdy and cute! I decided to decorate with practical things like his books and toys. I loved these because they come in a set of 3 and they can all be bookshelves or you can turn the last one over like we did and use it to hang cute clothes. Again, I did the latter for decoration.
You do have to put every single piece together, but it was very simple and took me maybe 20 minutes.
Baby Shusher <<LINK
Our baby hated this at first. Then I found myself shushing him to sleep one day. I got it back out and now we don’t go anywhere without it. He hates the car so I take it along in the car and it helps soothe him. There is an app but I don’t want to run down my battery. That is how much we use it!
4. Feeding
Bottle scrubber <<LINK
I exclusively pump so we have a lot of bottles to wash in a day. This scrubber brush is great because the water drains down into the little holder and then you can empty it out and even wash it.
Bottle dish basin <<LINK
Again, with a lot of bottles in a day I would fill this basin with water and bottle soap and rinse the bottles out and toss them in there. Once I was able, I would scrub the bottles. I like this basin because it has a little turn drain so you never have to pick up the basin and dump it. You just turn the dial and it will drain. It is also collapsable, but we just keep it in the sink.
Drying rack <<LINK
We liked this better than a drying tree. It doesn’t take up any counter space and allows water to drain in the sink so no extra clean up. That is huge with an infant. I don’t have time to clean up after dripped water. I’d rather take that time for a load of laundry.
Plastic container to take bottles upstairs <<LINK
Okay, again, not a must have item but it certainly helps. Especially if you have multiple floors. Our kitchen is on the main level and our bedroom on another. At night, I put all the bottles we will use during the night in the plastic container and I carry them up. I love that I can rinse it out if I need to. It also makes carrying back down easy.
Avent bottles <<LINK
We got a try-it box of bottles and baby wasn’t picky but momma was. I didn’t like any of the bottles. The Avent are by far my favorite and I will wash an Avent bottle to avoid using a different one. They don’t leak and we never have colic issues. There is a little air vent that lets air out. There aren’t many parts to wash!
Dapple bottle soap <<LINK
We wash all our baby bottles and pacifiers in this soap. It is super sensitive yet gets the job done. It somehow gets all the milk residue off so easily. We love a good clean-based soap!
5. Bath Time
Angel bath <<LINK
We love this bath seat more than any other seat. It doesn’t collect mold like cloth or the flower sink seats. Our baby has his own bathroom in his room so we just leave it in the bathtub but it can hang up somewhere too if you don’t want to leave it in the tub.
Muslin bath towel <<LINK
Okay this isn’t really a MUST have item but I love this towel more than any other baby towels. It’s so soft and thick. Our son loves it.
6. Miscellaneous
Bouncer <<LINK
YOU DO NOT NEED THE EXPENSIVE FANCY LOOKING BOUNCERS! Hear me on repeat! I absolutely refused to put those expensive (very aesthetically pleasing) bouncers on my registry. Even if someone else would’ve bought it, I just wanted the old school, simple, cheap bouncer. It works great! It vibrates and has the little activity bar with it. Most of the expensive ones you have to get an attachment for activity play. Yes, they are very cute but they are expensive for no reason. This is also not an item you need up front. Baby will be too little to put in at first. We probably started putting him in at about 1 month. It helped him develop some head control and core strength too. He will only sit and play in it for maybe 10-15 minutes. At first it was just a safe place to put him so I could shower. He has just started at 2.5 months to play and try to bounce himself in it.
Wooden gym <<LINK
I love this because it is cute to leave out and it’s inexpensive. Our little guy loves this thing. I started to put it at his feet when he is in his bouncer and he will kick at the toys. Now, he is starting to work on grabbing so I move it a little closer so he can try and grab them.
Moby wrap <<LINK
This was a lifesaver that first month! Babies contact nap the first 4 months of life. Mine wanted to be on me 24/7. I couldn’t even put him down so I could have a bathroom break. I watched a quick YouTube tutorial on how to put it on and with a couple practice runs, I could put it on in an instant!
Frida Windi Sticks <<LINK
These were also a lifesaver! Infants must learn to digest, and our poor guy had trouble a few times. It was almost instant relief for him! Be prepared, it is very messy, but it works like a charm!
Stain remover <<LINK
I didn’t think we needed this but we absolutely needed this! Baby poop stains so bad! I made the mistake of just washing and hoping for the best. We have one stained onesie that never got sprayed. Our little guy poops sometimes twice a day and sometimes it comes out the side and sometimes out the back and sometimes both! This stain remover gets anything out!
Pacifier try-it box <<LINK
You never know what paci baby will take. We got a try-it box from Bibs. Baby will only take one of the 4. It was just nice to have all 4 to see which one he liked. I love this brand too. They are made in Denmark so they use safe materials.
Gas drops <<LINK
When we discovered these, our world changed! 30 minutes after using them, baby was totally different. I had no idea how much pain he was in. He was fussy all day long. I would wear him in the carrier and though he would kinda calm down and sleep a little, he just couldn’t stay asleep and was super uncomfortable. We started putting gas drops in every bottle he took. After about a week of that, we tapered off of them and only use them every once in awhile now. Be careful not to get on baby’s skin. When I gave the drops with the syringe, my baby turned his head and I got a little on his cheek. He had a little rash for maybe 20 minutes and I was freaking out because I didn’t know what it was. I am almost positive that it is from the drops. He was fine. It just scared me.
Gripe water <<LINK
Oh boy. I know it’s controversial but we needed these and still do from time to time. When he just won’t sleep, I give him a little and he goes right to sleep and has the best nap. We used it for hiccups a lot the first month. Now we just use it when he is extremely fussy and won’t nap.
Vitamin D <<LINK
If you give baby breastmilk, your pediatrician might recommend these drops. I love this brand because it’s easy just to get one drop. Others you have to wait for it to drop in or you squeeze too many out.
Portable heater <<LINK
This is not necessarily a NEED. However, those first few weeks, baby is extremely sensitive to cold. Once the umbilical cord falls off and baby was able to take a bath, we set up a portable heater in his bathroom, closed the door and got it very cozy in the bathroom so that when we undressed him, he wouldn’t scream. We also used the muslin blanket in the bath seat to keep him warm. Now at 2 months, he doesn’t need the heater. When we were trying to breastfeed, we would also use it to get the room all cozy so we could do skin-to-skin. It was just a super helpful, inexpensive thing to have.
Electric nail trimmer and grooming kit <<LINK
Another item I didn’t know about was this electric nail trimmer. We went ahead and got it because we were told some babies come out of the womb with long fingernails. Apparently the little mittens are not considered safe anymore so we opted for the nail trimmer. Our baby was born at 41 weeks and didn’t have long nails (Lots of hair but not long nails). Maybe a week after getting him home, we had to use the trimmer and it was a life saver. We also got the grooming kit. It has everything you need in it. The hairbrush is SO soft. I use the nail clippers now that he is 2 months old. I just let his daddy give him a bottle and I clip away. I’ve never hurt him with either of these. We have used the thermometer a few times since he has been born. I highly recommend one for oral use (when older) and one for rectal. We used the one from the hospital as our rectal one since they had already used it. They have to throw those items out when you leave so we took our stuff home with us.
Honest Diaper Rash Cream <<LINK
This stuff is a miracle! It’s clean/no petroleum and it works so quickly. Our baby has only had an actual diaper rash once and it cleared up by morning with this stuff. He has had a little red butthole (sorry I couldn’t think of a better way to write that) several times because he poops so much (fyi: breastfed babies poop A LOT!) so I put it on and again, cleared up by the next diaper change. We LOVE this stuff.
Things we got and ended up not using as much or ever
Breast pump
Okay so my sister gave us her Medela pump<<LINK. This was the same pump our hospital had us using. It is a great pump. We got the Zomee pump <<LINK from aeroflow with our insurance. I LOVED this pump. It is a hands-free pump if you have a pumping bra. It has a little light on it but it doesn’t light up enough to see in the dark, so I was constantly hitting the wrong buttons when I pumped at night until I finally learned where all the buttons were. It’s a touch screen, so you must be accurate, as there aren’t any buttons to push. Anyway, I loved these options. However, as an exclusive pumper, I needed something more practical for me. I discovered wearables. I will talk about these later.
Diaper cart <<LINK
This is all the rage on social media. I put one upstairs and downstairs. I guess it was helpful just to throw stuff on, but I never really wheeled it around like I thought I would. It just became a shelf.
Halo bassinet <<LINK and Sheets <<LINK
Our son slept in this bassinet after a week of trying. The sheets we got were way too big for it and didn’t pull taut. I was worried about that. Once he got to be about 13lbs, he started to slightly tip the bassinet and would wake up pressed up against the netting. Since it fits over the bed, I was worried our comforter would cover the net/his face. He would also wake up a lot due to being pressed up against the side. It’s very poorly designed. Also, I must note that he wasn’t rolling and still fell to the side.
Other better options:
Fisher Price <<LINK
AngelBliss <<LINK
Kolcraft <<LINK
Bottle tree <<LINK
We used it but it took us space on our countertop, and you had to clean it.
Brestfriend pillow <<LINK
Since we didn’t breastfeed, we never used this. We kinda used it to bottle feed at the very beginning because he was so small it was easier to have him up higher. But if you don’t plan on breastfeeding, it’s probably an item you can skip. However, when we were trying to breastfeed, this pillow was clutch! It was firm and he stayed on it well. The Boppy was useless! We ended up using the brestfriend pillow for his first few weeks of tummy time.
Rocker <<LINK
Again, if we were breastfeeding, this would’ve been essential. We ended up getting a cheaper rocker and I am so glad we did because we don’t use it that much. We put it in our living room and it was the chair I used most postpartum because it was higher up and easier to get in and out of with the baby after my c-section. We could’ve done without it. So again, if money is tight, you can likely skip this item and maybe see if it is something you need after baby comes. Start saving now and decide later.
Diaper bag with bassinet attached <<LINK
I thought this was so cool. With us being on-the-go a lot, I thought it would be perfect. However, it’s bulky and we never use it.
Swaddles <<LINK
Okay, these were cool but we eventually got the Dreamland sleep sack.
Bibs
We didn’t get any bibs and I freaked out and went to Wal-Mart and bought like 7 of them. We have yet to use them. Our baby doesn’t spit up much at all. I think they will be useful when he starts solids.
Nursing + Pumping bra <<LINK
I got some from Kindred Braverly on sale. They are nice bras, but not super necessary. They are very padded and not super flattering. I now just use a regular sports bra and some pads to catch leaks.
Things we got AFTER and use all the time
Wearable pump <<LINK
I got the Momcozy M5 and love it. It really does help when you have to pump multiple times a day. I turn it up to level 5 and I get the same amount I would with any other pump. I try to keep them charged. I have used it twice in a row without recharging. I just think I can get max suction fully charged. I wore them on the plane and no one knew I was pumping. It does make me look extra busty so I don’t wear them in public. I love these and highly recommend them. They are more affordable and work great.
Exercise ball <<LINK
I recommend this over a rocker any day. This is the only way we can put our son to sleep at home. It’s also a nice workout. We like this one because it comes with a stand. Nothing worse than trying to sit down on a rolling ball with your newborn in your arms.
Tubby Todd All Over Ointment <<LINK
Our son didn’t have bad baby acne but he did get a little bit when we got him home. I ordered this stuff and it cleared overnight! I am not even kidding. I use it on his face after every bath now and he has never had a breakout.
Dreamland sleep sack <<LINK
Another controversal item. It’s also pricey. However, I started using it when I tried to do crib naps. My son slept in his crib after we started using it. I had the monitor on and was able to see him the entire time. Once I watched him breathe in it and that he can wake easily if he wants, I was comfortable using it. Highly recommend. We never used the full swaddle one because he hated having his arms tied down. We use the transition one and the sleeveless one. I wish we had the full swaddle at first!
Mini fridge <<LINK
Not a must item but when you wake up in the middle of the night to pump and have to take the milk to the fridge downstairs, it becomes daunting. We got this mini fridge and it’s great! Sometimes I even put my pump in it overnight if I don’t have extra milk to store.
Bottle warmer <<LINK
Not a necessity for us because our son would drink cold milk. However, it took him forever, so we decided to get one for the pinch moments. We love this one. It’s easy to use. It fits many bottles. It also doesn’t use steam like other warmers. We had a steamer that used steam and we burned ourselves trying to quickly get the bottle out as fast as we could for baby.
Carrier <<LINK
The Moby Wrap got us through the 1st month. After that, my baby was just too big to carry around in the wrap. I needed something more supportive. This carrier is JUST as good as those expensive ones. It’s super easy to put on. Again, I watched a quick tutorial on YouTube and practiced once and was able to do it quickly. I used it through the airport and cross-country travel during Christmas and it was SO easy. My husband can also use it too, which is another perk. It’s super easy to clean and very durable. It also grows with the baby. It supports the head for newborns and can be worn front or back for older babies.
Things we got and wish we could use but baby hates right now
Stroller <<LINK
This stroller is like all the big-name brand ones but if you are on a tight budget, I recommend starting with something a little cheaper. I love bassinet strollers because you don’t have to buckle baby in. Our baby loved it for the first couple weeks and then for some reason HATES strolling. I’ve even tried sitting it up a little and he just doesn’t like to stroll around. He wants me to hold him. I know we will get back to using it but I am so glad I didn’t go with an expensive one right off the bat. Also, we only really use it to stroll around the neighborhood on walks. It’s cold now anyway so I’m not too upset that he hates it. Hopefully by the time Spring rolls around, he will have a new take on it. Back to the stroller itself: It’s durable and made well. It’s light and easy to fold up. It’s not super bulky and fits in my little sedan. The under carriage doesn’t hold a ton but it’s a decent size. It was very easy to assemble. It took me maybe 10 minutes. It’s super cute and comes in multiple colors.
Things we got and use from time to time
Butt spatula <<LINK
My baby doesn’t get diaper rash much, so we rarely use it but when we need to, this is great! I know people say they can just use their hand but why would you? I just use this and then wipe it on his diaper and clean it off with a wipe. Easy. Again, an item that can be skipped but very handy if you have it.
Frida nose sucker <<LINK
Sounds gross but it works SO well. There is a filter so you don’t get snot in your mouth. I was worried that my baby was going to cry when I sprayed the saline in his nose and he didn’t! He sneezed and then we were able to suck out the snot (no crying) and went on our way. TIP: we do it in the bathtub because that is a happy place for our baby. He is super calm and contained. We don’t have to hold him down to keep him from moving. It’s great! We also felt that the electric one didn’t work as well.
Baby Tylenol <<LINK
Babies can’t use it at first but once ours got his shots he was super uncomfortable that night. We felt so bad for him. Our pediatrician told us we could give him Tylenol if he was uncomfortable. It was nice just to have it on-hand already. Not a must but something I wouldn’t have thought to get.
Travel bottle cleaner set <<LINK
This was HUGE when we traveled. I packed two bottles for the plane and when we landed, I went to the bathroom and washed the bottles. It has everything you need. Then I used it while at my in-laws to continue bottle washing. It’s so handy.
Doona travel bag <<LINK
Not a necessary item if you don’t have a Doona or you won’t be flying anywhere with the Doona. This gate check bag is padded and sturdy. It has backpack straps for easy carry to the gate.
How we did it:
Kept baby in the Doona while we got all our bags checked in. Once we got to security, I put the baby in carrier.
**Note: they will let you through security with the carrier strapped to you IF the baby is inside. If the baby isn’t, you must take it off and put it in the bin.
Once through security, we kinda threw items in the Doona to get to our gate. Once we got to our gate, I took the baby out of the carrier (we were very early). We played and got the Doona in the gate check bag. I went through the diaper bag to see what we didn’t need on the plane and put it in the car seat so we would have it once we got off the plane. (ie: extra bottles, coats, toys, etc). Baby went back in the carrier to board the plane. (They do make you take the baby out for takeoff and landing. But I find it very uncomfortable to sit with baby in carrier anyway.)
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