It can be overwhelming when trying to prepare for a baby. It feels like everything is a must-have item, but your newborn only needs a few things to get through the day. After all they will be sleeping most of the day. Here are the top ten newborn essentials you will actually use everyday.
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Diapers and Wipes
This one is an obvious one. You will go through many, many diapers and many wipes. There are many diaper options on the market. I suggest doing a diaper drive at your baby shower. This helped us so much after we brought baby home. We had so many diapers from the baby shower we didn’t need to buy diapers for months.
We are a Huggies family. They fit so well and we have never had any leaks or crazy explosive blowouts. We also love Millie Moon diapers, as they fit well and are super soft, though they can be pricey.
To make life a bit easier, we signed up for an Amazon subscription for Water Wipes since we end up using them for everything. I like Water Wipes because there are very simple with just water and fruit extract to preserve them.
Diaper Rash Cream
Diapers a new to your baby’s skin and their bottoms may get irritated. Having a good diaper rash cream on hand is a must to soothe rashes, redness, or general discomfort.
Swaddles
Most newborns love to be swaddled. It reminds them of being curled up in he womb. We loved using jersey swaddle blankets because they had stretch to them and we could wrap our baby snuggly while she could also still wiggle around. We also tried muslin swaddles but we personally found them irritating when trying to swaddle our baby since they had no give.
If learning how to wrap your baby in a swaddle stresses you out, there are a few options like velcro or zip-up swaddles that some newborns love. It’s all about figuring out what works best for you baby.
Later, when our baby got a little bigger we transitioned her to a Halo swaddle and eventual sleep sack. The Halo swaddle allows for an easy, snug swaddle without the stress of wrapping up your baby just for them to break out a few minutes later.
Here’s all the postpartum essentials you will need to survive the first six week.
Burp Cloth
Having a handful of good burp cloths nearby is a must. There will be a lot of milk, everywhere… I personally love Muslin burp cloths. They are super soft and absorbent. I kept these next to the glider where I would feed my baby.
Nose Aspirator
The hospital will send you home with the manual blue nasal aspirator, however it doesn’t work very well. There were so many moments when I couldn’t suck out my baby’s nose no matter how hard I tried to get the suction just right. I would recommend an electric nasal aspirator. The moment we got an electric aspirator it was a game changer. I could quickly suck out her nose and get everything without a fuss.
Zip-up Pajamas
Get the zip-up pajamas. Forget the button pajamas. The zip-up pajamas will be so easy for you to maneuver around when it’s two AM and your exhausted and trying to change a wet diaper.
Sound Machine
This can be a controversial choice, but a sound machine can be a useful tool for your newborn. We use the sound machine all the time. When our baby was a newborn it was especially useful for bedtime to help minimize on noise from nearby rooms. As long as you keep the volume at a reasonable level, this can be a soothing noise for your baby — again, reminding them of the womb.
I highly recommend the Hatch sound machine. The Hatch is customizable and there are so many sound options to choose from. My favorite sounds from their list was the heartbeat, and the calming waters sound. Our baby loved these and would calm down once I began playing these.
Learn more about the postpartum recovery timeline.
Bottles
Even if you are breastfeeding, having your baby take a bottle can offer so much relief. It is also a way for your partner to feel involved with their baby. With so many options for bottles on the market, sometimes it can be hard to determine which one your baby will actually latch and eat from — especially if they are breastfed babies.
I would avoid bulking up on one particular brand of bottles until you know which bottle your baby prefers. Unlike us, we registered for so many of the same bottles (Phillips Avent) and she could not feed from them. What I recommend, is getting a few different brand bottles and trying them out with your baby until you determine which one they prefer.
With my daughter, she started with Dr. Brown’s bottles which were used at the hospital. These bottles were a good starting point for her since she was a NICU baby and we weren’t able to immediately begin breastfeeding. She used these bottles for about three months until she got much more confident with breastfeeding. I soon noticed that she couldn’t latch as well to the Dr. Brown bottles so we decided to try loped nipple bottles and it was a game changer. When completely switched to the Evenflo Balance bottles.
Pacifier
Similar to bottles, you have to try a few different ones to find which one your baby likes. We were recommended the Phillips Avent Soothie Pacifier and my daughter did not like it. Despite these pacifiers being highly recommended, even by her doctor, she would alway spit it out after a few seconds. Then, a friend gave us a pack of Tommee Tippe pacifiers, and she instantly loved them.
Again, try a few different brands of pacifiers to see which one your baby prefers.
Bassinet
If you are not co-sleeping then you’ll need a bassinet or a crib close to your bed to monitor baby at night. Having baby close to you is a comfort to them and its also a way to prevent SIDS. Not to mention the ease of being so close you can scoop them up when it’s time to feed and set them back down next to you. I would suggest choosing a bassinet that has a mesh surround so it is breathable for your baby. Initially, we chose one that had fabric all around but she started rolling I realized this wouldn’t be safe for her since she would press herself close to the edges. When we purchases a bassinet with mesh siding I didn’t worry as much about her breathing when she ended up pressed close to the edge.
