July 8, 2017
14 Comments

My Newborn Essentials List!

Man, if I’ve learned anything over the past few months it’s that those little babies need a ton of stuff! I definitely spent a crazy majority of my time being pregnant trying to find the best items in each category (although it’s so hard to know what you need or don’t need when you haven’t taken care of a newborn before). I loved hearing and reading about what other people preferred to use so I thought I’d share my list with you now that I know what items we really use and like the most…

Diapering:
While I do still want to get into the cloth diaper arena, I looked for a while to find a quality disposable diaper that was more eco-friendly without a lot of the additives in regular diapers and these Bambo brand ones seem to be great so far. We do have a lot of blowout diapers that go up her back but I think that’s due to more to her having a lot of really thin poops than the diapers (we’ve had that happen in the Honest brand as well). I also have been really happy with these wipes as well and I love that they are basically just water (although I really wish they were the pop up dispenser style of wipes). This diaper pail is awesome and can be used for cloth eventually too- traps all the smells completely! Definitely make sure to put a waterproof pad under or on top of your changing pad to save the pad from blowouts and the occasions when they decide to pee again as you’re reaching for their clean diaper.

Nursing:
I tried a few pillows the first month and while I really wanted to like this organic one it just didn’t work for me. I feel like breastfeeding pillows are so personal and everyone has different needs but I remembered that the birth center recommended this one so I decided to give it a try and it’s definitely my favorite one so far. I also like this nipple butter which is so important to have, especially in the beginning when feedings are basically around the clock. It’s a good idea to have a handheld breast pump to take on trips (I used in the car a few times to make a bottle so we didn’t have to stop to feed her) or stash in your bag if you’ll be away from Baby for a long time. I use it at home as well when I don’t feel like having to clean all the electric pump parts (although this electric pump has been great so far although you’ll for sure want one of these hands-free bras when you use that). And for bottles I’ve been using both the Dr. Brown and these glass AVENT bottles to feed her pumped milk as needed, but lately we are using the Dr. Brown more since she tends to gulp the AVENT bottles way too fast (although I would prefer them otherwise since they are glass and not plastic). I was so happy to find this white “grass” drying rack too since it disappears into my counters way better than the green would and this bottle brush has a stand and a mini brush in the handle for bottle nipples which is nice as well. I wasn’t sure if I would use a bottle sterilizer but I think it’s really worth it- I hate doing the whole pot of boiling water thing and it dries everything too which is great. I wear deep v-neck tees and nursing tanks a lot for easy nursing access during the day and night.

Blankets and cloths:
I really do feel like you can’t have too many swaddle blankets (Kip + Co has really cute ones too) and we have them spread all over the house and in her car seat and diaper bag. You just never know when you’ll want one for a bit of extra warmth (the AC is always cranked in places during the summer) or just to wrap Baby in or lay her on for a minute (although I think it’s better to have a thicker blanket for tummy time). I also have a million of these burp cloths laying around since you reeeeally want to have one nearby at all times.

Bath Time:
I love these baby washcloths for bath time (super soft!) and this hooded bear towel is sooo sweet and soft too. I don’t always use soap for baths but I’ve been using this unscented Dr. Bronner baby soap every other bath and this baby bathtub fits in our double sink as well so I can bathe her standing in the sink if my back is tired or place it in the larger tub and use less water than if I filled the whole tub. And in the personal hygiene category, I like these baby nail scissors rather than clippers. I use them while I nurse since her hands are relaxed then (otherwise they are always in little tight fists).

Sleeping:
So far she is sleeping in our room in a DocATot which is probably one of my top items from this whole favorites list. She likes sleeping in someones arms the best so I this was a good transition since it has the cozy sides that she can feel around her kind of like a hug. It was literally the only thing she would sleep in for the first 6 weeks so it’s totally worth it to me. We do both swaddling (I like these and these) and white noise while she sleeps. I like that machine a lot because they use the same one at the yoga studio I go to and the wave mode sounds pretty realistic to me if I ever want to use that sound.

Bouncers and Swings:
We’ve been getting her more used to this bouncer and it’s great option to place on the kitchen floor while I unpack groceries or have next to the couch while I watch tv and interact with her. I think it’s a better bouncer for kids that are a few months old since their movement is what bounces the unit so it doesn’t do much if you place a tiny newborn in it that just sits there…at first she hated the swing we bought her (and I didn’t want to buy one because I think they are rather ugly) but she’s such a clingy baby and I was desperate for something she would sit in for a bit and soooo I bought a swing! It is nice that it can turn facing the front while it swings or the side because there are definitely times where she’s over facing one way and if you turn the seat you can get some more time out of it before she gets bored.

Carrier:
I find the sling wraps a bit hard to figure out so I’ve been using an Ergobaby wrap and it’s a lot easier to get on and off and really comfortable on your shoulders and back. When she was really tiny she felt a bit loose in the Ergo, even with the newborn insert, so I did use this wrap while she was really small.

Stroller and Carseat:
I wanted this Nuna PIPA carseat because it’s really safe and also one of the lightest carseats on the market for my rather weak arms (I’ll build those Mommy muscles, right?). I got the Nuna MIXX stroller that goes with it and I’ve been really happy with it so far. It’s got a big basket under the stroller, it’s a really smooth ride (and I can steer it with one hand), and folds easily. We have only used it with the carseat so far (will use the regular seat as she gets bigger) and the adapters for the carseat are just OK to be honest (it’s a little hard to get the carseat off the stroller easily) but overall it works really well and looks pretty damn sleek too. It’s really helpful to have a mirror in the car to see her while driving and we’ve used this cute portable white noise machine a lot too in the car (and for naps at our destination sometimes as well).

I know it can feel like you are buying a TON of stuff for a new baby, and it’s mostly because YOU ARE!! I definitely went off of recommendations from friends when making my registry or trying to find a better option if something didn’t work well so I hope this list has been helpful for you too. Let me know if you have a favorite that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about it!

14 thoughts on “My Newborn Essentials List!

  1. Cara

    Congratulations on your baby girl Laura! Cloth diapering is a breeze, I did a ton of research before I had my girl in March. Bumgenius is your best bet. You’ll find that “blowouts” become fewer and farther between when you transition to cloth, and diaper rash becomes a rare occurrence too! Don’t let dirties sit too long, even if you have a fab diaper pail. To be honest, we don’t use a diaper pail at all, we just do a small load of laundry every day, and I always travel with a wet bag. I spray her poopy dipes with this fabulous natural stain spray I found at Target (Better Life brand) and have had very little issues with staining. Some people (myself included) recommend doing occasional bulk washes of your cloth diapers and inserts and drying them in the sun as the salsa does a great job of keeping stains to a minimum. Best of luck to you and your girl!

    Reply
  2. Rae

    Thank you for this list! i have a newborn and i like reading these lists to see what really works for other people.
    we’re going to do cloth diapering, and i wish I had seen this site before i built my stash:
    https://www.peacefullyorganiccb.com/
    the owner is in murfreesboro (I’m in Nashville too) and you can rent cloth diapers! You can get newborn size for $75 for two months, or regular for $100 for two months. I would have loved to do this to make sure we like it before I invested a bunch in my starter stash! the woman who owns it is super nice too, and will come to your house and get you all set up.

    Reply
    1. thebandwifeblog Post author

      Ha, well I have friends who had babies that didn’t want to be held or snuggled so it is possible!

      Laura 🙂

      Reply
  3. Stephanie

    Great cloth diaper resource:
    Greenmountaindiapers.com
    I use workhorses and wool diaper covers. Amazing! Baby has never had a blowout or diaper rash.
    Good luck!

    Reply
  4. Val

    I just wanted to say I was hesitant to get going with cloth diapers but seriously, they are so much better for keeping in the gross messes than disposables. We love Alvas and Flip diapers!! The best part is the inserts gwt mucb more absorbent over time…just be patient for a few months 🙂

    Reply
  5. Helen Westerberg

    Our little boy Benjamin is 1 day younger than Lola and we’ve been using Imse Vimse cloth diapers. Never have any blow outs and they are so easy to use. We have the one size system and love not having so many bulky cloth diapers to store. We just have a few of the waterproof shells and a load of pop in inserts. They are all so different, I’d recommend buying a few different kinds and testing which works best for you and Lola. We use an organic, plant based disposable brand called Naty if you can get them in the US when we are out and about. Also…Love our Ergobaby 360!

    Reply
  6. Laura B.

    Don’t get rid of your ring sling just yet! While I preferred my soft structured carrier over other babywearing options when my daughter was very little (we had the Lillebaby, which was great because you don’t need a separate insert for newborns), since she hit 6 months old the ring sling has been my favorite way to schlep her around, by far! I found that at that age she suddenly felt much “sturdier” in the sling, which helped me to feel more confident wearing her that way. It also just took me about a half dozen tries (and watching many video tutorials…) for me to really get comfortable with putting her in and adjusting the sling. There’s definitely a bit of a learning curve, but if you stick with it the payoff is HUGE. Compared to the other options, the ring sling is just SO EASY to take along wherever you go, quick and easy to put on/take off, and I think they’re much more visually appealing than the buckle carriers as well, which doesn’t hurt. 😉 My daughter is nearly 10 months now and we’ve been using the “hip carry” in the ring sling for a couple months — she LOOOVES it, because she gets to look around and can easily see where we’re walking while still feeling secure and supported in the sling (and I still get to keep my hands free!). There are many ring sling options out there and I’m sure they’re all equally great, but for the record I use Wildbird brand slings — I have one bamboo sling (LOVE), one single-layer linen (took a little more time for me to like this one but it’s now my go-to), and I just bought a beautiful double-layer linen sling for when she gets heavier.

    Best of luck to you & sweet baby Lola!

    Reply
  7. Julia

    Just a quick note, Dr. Browns makes a glass bottles. We bought them– notice I didn’t say USED them, since he refused to drink out of anything but a real nipple– and they use the same nipples as the plastic ones so it will still slow her down. Also, my kid is 2.5 and still nursing a ton. Do what you will with that info.

    Reply

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