I wanted to put together a list of what I consider ESSENTIALS for a newborn. People throw a lot of things at you when your pregnant and it can be very overwhelming trying to figure out what you really need. Everyone is different but for me, if I have these things listed below, I'll be ready to come home with a newborn. (This is assuming you have all of your diaper essentials prepped)!
1. NOISE MACHINE - I swear by using a noise machine. Crosby is a rockstar sleeper and I largely attribute this to the use of one. This time around I'm adding in a portable one as well so I'm able to take it with my and attach it to the car seat when Baby Lou needs some Z's.
2. A Solly Baby Wrap - There are a lot of wraps and carriers out there, but the Solly is the best. Hands down.
3. Pacifiers - (DUH)
4. Thermometer - Buy more than one, have a travel one, have one in the car. Nothing is worse than having a sick baby and wondering if their fever is too high!
5. Aquaphor - Is the treatment and cure for almost any skin ailment.
6. Newborn Hats - Keep those babes warm, and the hospital one quickly ravels (found this out with our first)!
7. Nursing Pillow - Saved my back and helped me be able to work while nursing. Can't recommend this enough. Pro Tip - TAKE IT TO THE HOSPITAL, not just for nursing, but a perfect pillow to sit on when you're recovering down there.
9. SWADDLES - Normal blanket swaddles are great, save yourself the trouble and get some velcro baby Houdini proof swaddles. We learned this secret about 6 months in last time, wish we would have known from the beginning!
10. Footed ( and hand covered ) Sleepers. Socks and mittens fall off, all day everyday. Stock up on cozy sleepers that are footed and have hand covers. Nothing beats the Pima Cotton ones linked below.
11. A sleep pod. This is something we never used the first time around and I'm SO excited to have it for Lou. Not only is it an extremely functional co-sleeper but it also just gives me one more safe spot to set Lou down if I need to help our Toddler with something or take a shower!
12. Nose Frida - Nothing is worse than a stuffed up newborn. The nose frida works wonders and be sure to pack it whenever you travel!
13. Baby cotton swabs - Just have them.
14. Baby Monitor - We love our Yi Home!
15. Simple Baby Bathing Chair - We never had this before but have chatted with so many moms that swear by it.
16. Any sort of infant chair - Again, really needed more safe places to put Baby this time around. We loved this baby bjorn bouncer with Crosby and will definitely be using it again with Lou!
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On a similar note, I'd like to add a little list of things that in my personal opinion, you DO NOT NEED. Again, everyone is different, but here are my two scents.
- SHOES - You're newborn does not need shoes. Your baby will not walk until about a year old. Socks or some sort of bootie will do the job. Please do not spend hundreds of dollars on cute shoes. You have the rest of the kids life to do that!
- MITTENS - Yes, it seems like a good idea to buy mittens to keep your newborn from scratching themselves... But guess what happens... THEY FALL OFF. They all fall off, the dog comes and nibbles them off. You have mittens all over your house and a child with scratches all over his face... Save yourself the trouble and get onesies that have hand covers attached to the arms. You can leave them folded up as sleeves or pull them down for coverage on those razor sharp nails.
- NAIL CLIPPERS - Speaking of nails. Have you ever tried to clip the nails of a newborn wiggle baby? It's horrifying, especially after you witness your husband clipping skin and it looks like a war zone all over your baby's hands and all over your boob because you quickly breastfed for comfort after the incident... Granted I haven't tried any of the fancy electric nail file type devices, maybe they work great. But newborns have extremely, extremely soft nails, Get in there and nibble them off, I promise you'll never draw blood.
- Fancy, expensive, newborn baths... Just don't do it.