Must Have Baby Items

Now that Jack is 18 months, I’m actually sitting down to get this blog post written. I’ve had it on the blog schedule for over a year and well, life just keeps getting in the way of actually sitting down to get this on paper. Then my sister in law got pregnant (yes I’ll be an Aunt times 4 soon!) and she asked if I had any advice for must have baby items. Her question sparked me to sit down and put it all out on paper.

Hopefully this list is super helpful for all your new mamas out there who are completely lost and confused about what you should be putting on your baby registry. What is actually needed? What will I actually use? What will I never use? What will I wish I would’ve had? While your experience will be completely different than mine, hopefully this list is a great starting point for you and helps calm that wild brain of yours. I’ve linked to all of the items we used and my favorite brands for those items. Most links will take you directly to Amazon so you can just add directly to your registry or order directly from the link.

For Baby:

-Wubbanub
Jack is a huge fan of all things nook and these were by far his favorite and definitely help when they’re infants to keep the nook in their mouth.

-Muslin blankets
Jack was a summer baby and as a result, these were amazing! Light weight and still keep them warmer. Added bonus, if face gets covered, they’re breathable!

-Hudson burp clothes
– Socks
– Sleepers
– Onesies (short sleeve & long sleeve)
– Baby comb: We just used the one the hospital sent us home with
– Sun hat
– Sweater/Zip up
– Sleepsack
I preferred the Halo brand and the one with the Velcro wrap was awesome for newborn to provide that wrap sensation.

– Velcro Swaddlers
These were amazing for the first month or two and really helped him sleep. Until he figured out how to pull his arms out. Then I just transition him to the sleep sacs with the Velcro around his body with his arms out

– Snap booties
These booties are incredible!! They stay on their feet and they can’t pull them off. Keep their feet nice and warm and cozy. I was so bummed when Jack outgrew them.

Baby Health:
–Infant Tylenol
Until baby is 3 months old you’re not supposed to give them Tylenol, so I didn’t make sure to have any in the house when Jack was born. Then he got his 2 month vaccines and woke up at 10pm screaming in pain and didn’t stop until around 12:30pm. We call the ER pediatrician line and they told us to give him some Tylenol. So the hubby had to run out at 10:30pm to Walgreens to find baby Tylenol. Make sure to just have some in the house just in case.

– Antigas Meds
An absolute god send for those nights their tummies are causing issues. Always good to just have in the house.

– Nose Frida
Sounds disgusting. Promise you won’t get anything in your mouth. But it’s amazing! Also make sure to get the old nose squeegee from the hospital. Jacks nose holes were too little for the Frida for the first month or so but the hospital squeegee was perfect!

-Thermometers
So the goal here is to own both, you use the Tommee Tippe to test the baby. If they’re feeling warm to you, use the Tommee Tippee to see if the temperature is in fact elevated. However, the forehead thermometer is typically off by a degree or two but enough to tell you if you need to use the rectal. So if it in fact says that their temp is high, then you wake the baby and use the rectal to get an official reading.

–Nail clippers
These are amazing! They have a hole on the top so you can see what you’re doing and they don’t snip, they softly cut the nails so you don’t have a chance of cutting baby like our nail clippers do.

–Nail Files
Apparently you’re not supposed to clip baby’s nails for the first few months. So the pediatrician will tell you to use a nail file to “clip” their nails.

-Rash cream
We’ve only used Desitin, Eucerin and Arboone. All have been great. Desitin is very strong smelling but I’ve heard Butt Paste works just as great as Desitin without the intense smell but since we were gifted so much of the other 3, I’m not spending the money to investigate the difference between the smells.

–Diapers (2 newborn, then start with next size up)
We’re huge fans of Costco diapers. They’re honestly the best and you can not beat the cost! But we also preferred Pampers over the other brands. Boy tip: Before closing up the diaper, make sure they’re pointed down. It decreases the chance of them peeing out of the diaper. You can also fold the top of the diaper down as a kind of “shield” if you will.

–Wipes

–Medicine giver
Jack went through a phase where he HATED the taste of medicine. So this thing was a god send! It puts the medicine in past their taste buds.

Around the house:
-Dock a tot
It’s crazy super expensive but we will be investing in one of these with baby number two. My sister had one that she let us use (it was gifted to them) and seriously it was amazing to have this thing around! Easy to move wherever, throw it down, lay baby down and they’re safe.

–Rock & play
Unfortunately the Rock & Play has been discontinued. We were lent the rock & play from the hubby’s brother and Jack lived in it. But honestly just a good seat is all you need. So you can do the dishes, go to the bathroom, do your makeup, etc all while baby is awake or maybe even falling asleep with you. My sister had this chair for my nephew and he loved it and we used it a few times and Jack loved it too.

–Bassinet/pack & play

–Pack & play sheets

– Boppy pillow
Really great for helping to encourage tummy time and work on lifting their heads. Also occasionally used to help with nursing.

– Swing
When I was working in the Child Center at a local gym, we had these exact swings. I had countless parents come in to pick up their infant, who was in the swing. The baby was either happy or asleep and every time, the parent was shocked they were in the swing content. They always remarked how they had a different swing or a mamaroo and their kid hated it. So I knew we HAD to get this for Jack and it was true for him too, he loved it!

– Standing Bouncer
This was so so helpful when Jack got older and was full of energy, needed to move but I needed to get the dishes done, etc.

– Play mat
Great spot for tummy time. And more importantly time for him to lay on his back and stretch out those arms and legs and move the neck around.

–Walker
It’s perfect to help them get walking but even better you can use it before they’re walking and even after as something to play with.

Bath time:
Bathtub

Baby towel

Eucerin Baby Eczema
Jack has decent eczema and the Eucerin cream has by far been the best treatment for it.

No tears wash and shampoo
We were given Johnstons and Dove. Both have been great and both smell great. 

Nursery: 

–Changing pad
I love this pad! I don’t have a changing sheet on it cause its just one more thing to wash. I just have a bottle of cleaning wipes in the room that if something gets on the pad, I just do a quick wipe while in the moment.

– Baby Monitor
The really great thing about this monitor is that no one can hack into it and watch you and or baby…creepy!

– Diaper pail
At first we weren’t going to get a pail and just thought we’d use a trash can. Then we saw a youtube video about the best baby purchases and he mentioned this. And we completely agree! Those diapers STINK and it only gets worse and who has the time to take the trash out every day. The Ubbi is awesome cause it’s metal so the stink doesn’t soak into the plastic like other pails (a problem I experienced when I worked in a child center for a local gym) and it doesn’t require special trash bags to work. Just use your regular trash bags. Only thing we wish it did was lock the actual lid you lift to take the bag out cause now Jack knows how to open that…ugh.

– Crib mattress
We choose this one cause its for baby and toddler so it’ll grow with him and it got really great reviews. Its super lightweight which is awesome for when I change the sheets, just pull the whole thing out and change the sheets then throw it back in. And its waterproof so even if the waterproof pad doesn’t work, the mattress is still safe.

– Two Mattress covers
It was recommended with the crib mattress and I was so mentally spent I just said sure and added it to the registry. But I do love these now that we have them. And love that it was two in one pack.

Humidifier
We just purchased a random one at lowes. None of the baby specific ones, a humidifier is a humidifier. But you do definitely need one. Their nasal passages are so small they’re super sensitive to dry air and so jack had a stuffy nose and could barely breathe while sleeping. The humidifier was a game changer and we got it cause the pediatrician recommended after we took him in for an appt for the stuffy nose.

Rocking chair
We actually used an old Lazy boy rocking chair that we had in the basement. Wish I had a recommendation for you!

Crib sheets
At least 2 if not 3

Eating: 

– Bottle warmer
We didn’t think we originally wanted one and were just given one as a handme down and I just didn’t get rid of it. Then the hubby discovered it was so incredibly needed and helpful when he had Jack while I was at weddings and shoots. Jack hated the bottle and so having it warmed was the only way he’d take it and the bottle warmer just made the process so much easier during a stressful moment for the hubby vs having to juggle a bowl of water in the microwave or on the stove and trying to get the bottle to warm up in the bowl of hot water.

– Spectra 2
Love this thing! And every mom I’ve talked too says the exact same thing!

– Storage bags 

– Bottles
Dr Browns: These were the only bottles Jack would take, he hated bottles but he tolerated these ones. Each kiddo is different though.

– Bottle brush

– Grass dryer
I didn’t think I would need this…I was wrong and ended up purchasing it myself

– Bottle soap for the sink
I liked knowing that I was washing his bottles with soap that wasn’t full of chemicals and god knows what. It also did remove the milk film better than dawn.

– Bottle soap for the dishwasher
I only used these in the dishwasher when his bottles were in it.

– Basket for dishwasher 
Again another thing I didn’t think I would need. And was so totally wrong! I’m still using it in a daily basis for his sippy cups and silverware.

–Highchair
Freaking love this thing!

–Plastic bibs
I’ve also heard about this genius invention, I might actually get one for jack now so we don’t loose so many shirts to meal time…

Transition sippy cups (bottle to cup)

On-the-go:

– Stroller/car seat combo
This is the stroller that we currently have for Jack that we love and is PERFECT for walks on uneven ground. And damn, you can’t beat that price!!

– Baby front carrier

– Diaper backpack 

– Changing pad for on the go

Toys:

Jack LOVED and still does love this toy!!

He was also a huge fan of this fox from the start.

Random:

Natural cleaner (7th generation wipes)
Use these for cleaning toys and wiping down his changing pad

Tracking app
Sprout Baby (download on your phone) Doc will want to know how often they pee, how often they’re eating, sleeping, etc. and there’s no way you can remember all of that. The app will keep you organized and its just super easy to just log it when it happens since you’ll have your phone anyways. Also helps you sort of figure out their rhythm.

Should haves:

– Spoons
They don’t need to be fancy to start since you’re feeding them – this is assuming you’ll start with purees and not baby led weaning. You’ll have to make that decision.

– Bowls
I can’t find the ones I have. The goal here is to find small ones that stack easily and have lids! Mostly just make sure they have lids. This way you can just pop the lid on one to store leftovers. You can’t use leftovers that they ate from if that makes sense but the second half of the container that they didn’t eat from, dump into a bowl and store in the bowl with lid instead of the container it came in with the foil. Hope this makes sense haha. Honestly don’t stress about the suction aspect, it doesn’t stop them anyways!

– Self feeder
These things are awesome. Stick a piece of fruit in there and let them go to town without you stressing about them choking. Really great for teething!

– Nightlight/sound machine
Love this thing!

– Baby hangers
Just got cheap ones from Walmart

– Door locks

Got and never used:

-Food maker
-Nursing pillow
-Hats
-Changing pad covers
-Wipe warmer
-Washcloths
-Bath robe

If you found this list of Must Have Baby Items helpful, you  might also find these helpful:
Six Steps to Taking Better Family Portraits Yourself
Top 8 Tips for Making Photos With Kids Easier 
Nesting Days | Petal Pink Newborn Carrier

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