Newborn Essentials

While we work towards finishing the kitchen our baby boy is working towards making his arrival, which means we too, need to work towards preparing for his arrival. I’ve come to learn which items we prefer during those precious, sleepy newborn days and wanted to share my list of newborn essentials (instead of another non-essential list), apart from a car seat and a place to sleep, of course.

Extra Large Swaddling Blankets – Large swaddling blankets are my favorite for those newborn days and beyond. They not only help simplify swaddling a sleepy baby, they make great nursing blankets as well. Mebie Baby has an adorable collection, it’s hard to choose just one. My favorites are the mustard and rust but I’ve been eyeing the simple white blanket as well. In addition to a large blanket, I’ve been known to double swaddle my babies using a Miracle Baby Swaddle on top of a swaddling blanket – it works like a charm!

Plain White Onesie – white onesies are my favorite for a baby. When they get stained, which they do, I soak them overnight in OxiClean and may give them a scrub with Ivory Soap. After washing they get a good dose of sun to dry (I have this clothes rack to bring outside on laundry day) and are as good as new. Worst case, I bleach them with a gentle bleach, always making sure to do an extra rinse and to let them dry in the sun. I normally find onesies at baby resale stores for a dollar a piece and like to stock up to have enough on hand.

Breast pads – I love washable breast pads (I own these bamboo ones) but for the first several weeks they don’t do the trick. These disposable ones are perfect for my needs and I couldn’t do without them during those early nursing days.

Nursing Pillow – On the subject of nursing, I also could not do without a Boppy. I have my eye on this pretty cover since the Boppy is always lying around on the couch (or the floor) for over a year.

Baskets – I have a thing with baskets and am convinced you can never have too many. I love these belly baskets and plan to use one as a hamper for baby’s clothes.

Bouncer Seat – We are big fans of the simple bouncer seat for a baby. We’ve never had much luck with a swing and it’s nice to have a place to have the baby nearby while I eat dinner or clock in some cuddles with the older siblings. In the past we’ve always had used the bouncer seats from Fisher Price and although they’ve served their purpose perfectly, there was always something lacking. This Baby Bjorn seat, although an investment, makes up for what the others always missed: comfortable, easily washable fabric in stylish colors, and multiple levels of inclines – plus it even folds flat! I was so happy to find one at a local baby resale shop for a fraction of the price.

Baby Bathtub – I love that this bathtub has a rubber-like bottom so baby doesn’t slide around while being bathed.

Some other things to have on hand:

A Pacifier – only one of my babies used pacifiers and only until she was three months. BUT, I think I’ll keep one on hand for this baby in case he’s a habitual suckler.

Nipple Cream – to help ease the pain associated with the first few weeks of breastfeeding.

Sound Machine – I’ve never actually used a sound machine before but have been reading about it’s benefits for sleep training. Pip was a horrible sleeper after three months and I’m determined to be more knowledgeable when it comes to sleep training this time around. I ordered this one online and hope to put it to good use.

Humidifier – Our humidifier was essential when Philip was born, I was getting over a serious head cold and needed relief from the constant congestion and coughing. That old one is now broken so we’ll be replacing it to have on hand in case a spring time bug hits.

On a final note, we still don’t have a name chosen for our little one. A name could be considered a newborn essential, right? We’re leaning towards waiting to meet him before we make a final decision – something we’ve never done before.

What is a newborn essential you couldn’t live without?

 

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1 Comment

  1. Neelam says: Reply

    Great list! I’ve bookmarked it for future use 😉 I love little ones in white onesies as well!
    xx
    Neelam

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