Newborn Must Haves

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When I was planning for the arrival of my son last year, I asked a few of my friends who recently had babies what their newborn must haves. This was so helpful for me as a first time mom not knowing where to start when it came to creating a registry for the little human that would be joining our family. I have created the list below for you to use or to share with others. I want to help as many families as possible prepare for a newborn. If you are a first time parent, welcome to the club! Parenthood is a wonderful rollercoaster.

Boppy pillow to help hold the baby when breastfeeding. Also helps to prop the baby up on a solid surface as they grow.
Double electric breast pump– I have a Medela pump and I love it.
Pump harness to pump hands free. I personally bought a couple cheap sports bras and cut holes in them to hold the pump.
Nail clippers and nail file. Their nails grow crazy fast and can get quite sharp. We found that trimming nails while our little one was sleeping was the best way to do it so that he wasn’t fighting us.
Nose Frida to clean out the nose when they have a hard time breathing when sleeping or eating.
Dr. Smith’s diaper rash cream. This can expensive but is worth the cost.
Thermometer– old fashion kind to go under the armpit.
Bottles: Dr. Browns bottles. They have a vent which helps with eliminating a lot of air getting into the baby’s stomach. Make sure you have a couple of size 0 nipples because it helps the newborn baby eat without being drowned. Also for bottles, if you are pumping having a bottle warmer is very useful.
Tons and tons of burp rags– you will go through so many you will be amazed that such a small being can produce as much laundry as they do.
Bibs– these are helpful for when baby is feeding as well as for spit up and drool.
A lot of washcloths. These come in handy at bath time and as they get messy when feeding themselves when they are older.
Sleepers– get sleeper pajamas and/or sleep sacks that zip. I promise they will make your life so much easier when dressing and changing your little one. Our little one lived in pajamas for the first couple months of life.
Dreft laundry detergent. They have a newborn one that is great for the sensitive skin of a newborn.
Johnson and Johnson baby wash
Johnson and Johnson baby lotion
Gas relief drops
A diaper bag you love with a washable changing pad. We have the Hafmall backpack diaper bag from Amazon in the black and gold color and bought a separate washable changing pad to put in it. Things to think about when searching for a diaper bag: how much do you want it to fit? Just the essentials or enough for a day out of the house? Will it hurt your back/shoulders if you are going to carry it for a long period of time? Do you want pockets on the inside to hold pacifiers, bottles, bibs, etc.? Do you want it to have pockets on the outside to hold things that need to be easily accessible? Is the fabric easy to clean?
Blankets of different thicknesses such as receiving blankets for swaddling.
Baby bath tub– make sure you are either able to bend over the tub to wash your baby or can fit it in the kitchen sink. Also, consider getting a durable plastic cup to use to rinse off your baby. It also doubles as a fun toy when they are older.
Car seat cover– this can also double as a cover for breastfeeding.
Car seat– we chose to go with Graco which has a carrier that attaches to the stroller. This is really helpful if you plan on taking the baby on walks before they are old enough to sit on their own (about 6-7 months old). Make sure that you don’t put anything that did not come with the car seat (such as a blanket under the baby to wrap them up). The car seat was not tested with it, therefore if you are in an accident the company is less likely to help reimburse you to get a new one.
Stroller– make sure that you pick out a stroller that you like. Some things to consider: will you be taking baby on runs or will you be going off the beaten path? Do you want the front wheel(s) to be able to move from side to side for maneuverability or for them to stay in place? Do you want it to have good storage underneath? What about a place to hold drinks and your phone? Does it have a comfortable handle or will it hurt your hands? Is it a good height for both you and your partner? You don’t want to be hunched over pushing it and you don’t want it to be too high either.
A second base for the car seat so that it’s easy to transfer the baby between cars.
Baby swing that goes from side to side.
Something to produce white noise for sleeping. We use a filter fan as ours.
Baby monitor with video if the baby isn’t close to your room.
A changing table. This will save you from many backaches.
A wrap of some kind, such as a Moby Wrap, that goes around you to hold the baby close to you. This is just a really long, long piece of fabric that you wrap around your body. You can find tutorials on YouTube if you search “Moby Wrap tutorial”.
Bouncer. One of the best investments we made. Our little one wanted to be bounced non stop when he was 2 1/2- 3 months old and this was a great solution.
Tummy time activity mat. We got one that has cross bars with little animals that hang on it. It also folds down for easy transportation in case you want to go somewhere.
Rocking chair and ottoman. This comes in handy with late night feedings and story time.
Baby hangers. Buy a small pack now and add more as you need them.
Pack ‘n’ play or bassinet. We put a bassinet next to our bed at night for the first couple months so that he was close for night time feedings and changes. We also put his diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream underneath it so that everything was handy.