14 Baby Must Haves – Newborn Edition
There are just SO MANY THINGS out there for a baby nowadays. Some are genius, and others are just not needed (I’ll write a post on that too)….but in the early days of her life – here is a list of 14 things I used with our first born.
1 – Rock n Play – We had a Rock N Play that vibrated and we thought that was amazing. Then a friend came over and said, ‘do you have the thing that rocks it?’ and I went online, found out that there is a version that automatically rocks, and ordered it immediately. BEST INVENTION EVER. We have used it as a travel crib and is her favorite place to nap during the day. Get yours here. (Still using it at 9 months for naps!!)
2 – Solly Baby Wrap – I had a pretty tiny baby, weighing in at 5lb 8oz when she was born. This meant she wasn’t going to be in a standard carrier for a while. A few friends recommended the Solly wrap – I was hesitant about the long wrap and figuring it out – but the Solly was the best thing ever! From trips to Costco to working around the house – having a comfortable way to strap that baby on is key and the Solly material is light enough to not make you hot.
3 – Zipper Sleepers – Many moms will tell you – but snaps are not your friend in the middle of the night. Just go for the zipper! It’s so easy. The other key things I would say are make sure they are long sleeved and cover the feet as well. It’s a shame the cutest sleepers don’t fit in these rules – but it’ll make your life easier if you follow them! Something like this 2 pack set, this girls 2 pack set, or this aden & anais brand sleeper.
4 – Aden & Anais swaddle blankets – These are a lifesaver. They are great for swaddling, but can also serve as a playmat, burp cloth, or nursing cover in a pinch. I have 6 of them and in the first 3 months I was waiting for them to come out of the washer sometimes. Until about 4 months old we wrapped our little nugget in them every single night. Here’s a good 4 pack similar to what I have.
5 – Kimono style long sleeved t’s – I thought onesies were the way to go – but the first few weeks you don’t want to have anything rubbing against that belly button. These shirts were the perfect solution. My baby lived in these and a diaper and a swaddle blanket (plus a cute hat) her first few weeks.
6 – My Breast Friend pillow – if you are planning on nursing – especially for a first time mom – this truly will be your ‘breast friend.‘ The boppy just doesn’t work for little babies learning how to breast feed. If you’ve ever talked to me about breast feeding I will be the first to tell you it is the most unnatural ‘natural’ thing in the world and it’s not easy. This pillow supports the baby so you can focus on the task at hand. The pocket is a great place to put an extra burp cloth or anything else you need – and the fact that it straps to you helps a ton.
7 – Boppy Lounger – the more places you have to ‘put’ your newborn the better. The Boppy Lounger is a great one of those places that is easy to move all over the house. There is something about this lounger that just calms a baby. Great thing to have when you just need to set the baby down while you go about your day.
8 – Video Monitor – this was a hard one for us – what monitor to get. We wanted one that would work on our cell phones but also wanted one that had a monitor screen. This Motorola Monitor was the best option for us. It works great – we love that it will alert our cell phones if we want it to – but that we have the reliability of the screen to use in the house.
9 – Diaper burp cloths – if there’s one thing you need more of – it’s always burp cloths. These old school cloth diapers are the absolute best burp cloths you could ever want. You would not be going overboard if you had 50 of these little beauties. We go through at least 5 a day….on a good day.
10 – Moms on Call Book – Not only did this book give me guidance and help our nugget sleep through the night by about 2.5 months – it was my go to for any questions I had. The best part of the book is that it doesn’t make you feel guilty about everything….like some books out there. It very much gives you guidance and understands that ‘life happens.’ If I could only recommend one thing to you – it’s this book.
11 – Gas Drops – any brand we used these from Little Remedies. This gift set from Little Remedies has the gas drops plus a lot of other things you will definitely need as time goes on.
12- Aden & Anais Carseat cover – This is probably the most asked about thing I have when I’m out and about. I thought it was a completely normal thing but I learned that while there are a lot of covers out there, this one was better. Simple, thin, light shines through it so my baby stared at it for hours while we were out and about the first couple months. This is the one I have.
13 – Last thing for the early days was a bassinet. I didn’t get one to start out. Thought the Rock N Play or Pack N Play with bassinet Topper would work for me. In hind site one of those probably would have been fine….but I was glad I got this bassinet. It could pull right up to my bed – and was on wheels so if she was asleep I could still move her around. It had a built in night light that used at first, and sounds that I used when I rolled her around during the day in it. Looking back I could have used the Rock N Play or Pack N Play – but my first time Mom paranoia was too much and this let me sleep better at night. I only used it the first month before I moved her to her crib, but a month of more sleep works for me!
14 – Last but certainly not least – We are big fans of this sound machine. So much so that we had one for 8 years in our room before our baby was born, and we got one for her before she was born. It is essential to a good sleeping baby!
PS – I used and LOVED Amazon registry. I got a great starter pack, and they sent me a bunch of credits to use once I was done. Returns were easy and I was able to track thank you notes, get discounts on remaining items, and see what was already purchased with a simple click.