So you are expecting a baby soon! Congratulations! Or maybe you are here to find the perfect baby shower gift. Either way, you find a list of some of the essentials that every baby will need to have.
I loved when my girls were newborn babies, that was an exciting time in my life. However, I got so much advice it was hard to know what I should follow and what I should not.
I also got so many baby items and thought I needed to go out and buy more. But new babies don't need all those fancy things. So I have decided to make a list of items that I relied upon in those early days.
You will want to stock up on all these items before your baby is born. Because once you have a baby, getting out of the house takes a lot longer to accomplish with your new tiny sidekick. Or if you find yourself in a pinch you can always order from Amazon Prime. I love that I can get most of the items I need delivered to my door within a couple of days.
Soon enough your newborn baby will turn one, it comes so fast. Believe me, it seems like just yesterday I had babies. They are now eight and fourteen! Start thinking of ideas now for the perfect 1st birthday party theme, because time flies by. But when the time comes you will need to buy the perfect birthday gift for your baby!
For that matter, I love gift giving! The look on the recipient's face always brightens my day. Check out this Easter gift guide for all ages. Find the perfect gift for babies up to adults!
To save yourself some money plan on setting up a baby registry, so that your friends and loved ones can help you out. The easiest way to do this is with the Amazon Baby Registry.
If you need more baby tips and tricks head over to my Pinterest Board: Baby Ideas.
Some baby items other people love, but I did not use:
Bottle Warmer-My babies were okay with warm tap water, but for a nice even temperature for those picky babies out there, this bottle warmer would be perfect.
Wipes Warmer- I did not see this as necessary but, many people love them.
Diaper Genie- I just used extra plastic shopping bags if it was a stinky diaper and threw it into the trash. Or if it was an extra stinky diaper I walked it right outside to the trashcan.
Sound Machine- I wish I would have had this, my babies did not sleep at night, and I am wondering if this would have helped. Both of my girls were not good sleepers until they were two, and would get up anywhere from one to six times a night until then.
Baby Mittens- My babies did not scratch their faces, but if they did these mittens would have been perfect.
Monthly Blanket- Take monthly photos on this cute blanket to look back at and see how your baby has grown in the first year.
My Top Newborn Baby Must Haves:
1. Baby Gowns
Newborns spend most of their time in pajamas and not fancy outfits. And you will need to change a lot of diapers. All the little buttons on baby outfits and pajamas can get annoying after all those diaper changes. I received a few of these baby gowns as gifts for my girls. All the cutesy clothes were kept for special occasions and my girls spent 99% of their time in a baby gown. Because nobody likes messing around with tiny snaps at 2 AM when you haven't gotten a good night's sleep in weeks.
You are about to do A LOT of laundry. Babies spit up, and leak through their diapers, and are just messy. Be sure to stock up on Dreft! Newborn Dreft is hypoallergenic and gentle on the baby's skin.
Keep your baby from scratching his/her face with a good pair of baby nail clippers. I used to hate trimming my baby's nails, babies are so squirmy, and trying to clip a moving target can be tricky. What I should have done was clip them while my baby slept... but I didn't think of that at the time!
I know this is not something that you would typically find on a baby list, but I would not have survived the baby stage without it. Both of my girls were colicky, they both cried for several hours nonstop each day. I tried medicine, changed my diet, a wedge pillow, and every piece of advice I was given. But nothing helped until I borrowed my mom's exercise ball one day. I sat on the ball with my daughter and lightly bounced on the ball. AND THE CRYING STOPPED!! From then on I sat on an exercise ball during the colicky hours and bounced while I watched tv, holding my baby.
I will admit I had just the regular bulb syringe for my babies and it never seemed to clear everything out of their nose. I wish I would have had the Nose Frida. One end of the Nose Frida creates a seal with the outside of the baby's nose and with the other, a parent gently sucks on the device. Don't worry there is a filter in the Nose Frida, so nothing will be ingested by you.
6. Boppy Pillow
I used my Boppy pillow for both nursing and bottle feeding. I loved that it brought my daughters up to a height that I was comfortable with for feeding time. As the baby grows, you can use the Boppy to prop the baby up into a sitting position.
7. Diapers
You will diapers.... lots of diapers. There are two options here: cloth diapers or disposable diapers. There are pros and cons to both. I used disposable diapers for both of my girls. I applaud moms that can do cloth diapers for their children. That was just way too much laundry for me to handle. However disposable diapers are expensive. So to save money cloth diapers are the way to go.
8. Burp Cloths
You will need to stock up on burp cloths. With all the spit up and messes, newborn babies make having just a few burp cloths will not do. You will not be able to keep up washing them. Prepare ahead of time and get at least ten burp cloths. I bought mostly white burp cloths, but there are also cute burp cloths out there.
9. Pacifiers
My oldest daughter loved her pacifier and used it up until she was a year old. It helped calm her down and sleep at naptime. My youngest wanted nothing to do with a pacifier. Every baby's needs are so different and you will need to wait and see what your baby prefers. To complicate things even further, they may like one brand/style more than another. So experimentation is needed here.
10. Portable Crib
If your house has more than one floor, it is nice to have a Pack 'n Play. My Pack 'n Play also had a diaper changing station. When my daughter was young, we spent most of the day in the living room and her bedroom was upstairs. There were days I was so tired that even going upstairs to change a diaper seemed daunting. Since the Pack 'n Play was in the living room I didn't have to make that trip. My daughter also napped in the portable crib.
11. Thermometer
Unfortunately, there will be times when your little one isn't feeling well. You will want to have a thermometer handy for those times.
12. Diaper Bag
You will want to invest in a high-quality diaper bag, with lots of pockets and some sort of diaper changing pad.
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JOIN THE DISCUSSION! WHAT IS ONE NEWBORN BABY ITEM THAT YOU COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT?
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