Baby Must Haves - Newborns

Before I had my son, I had no clue what to buy for a baby shower.  I actually avoided most of them because I was completely clueless about babies!  Once I found out I was pregnant, I scoured the internet trying to figure out what all I needed once he was born.  He is now almost 3 months old, so I have compiled a list of my "must have" items that got me through these first months.

1.  Diapers.  Buy. A. Lot.  Let me rephrase that: STOCKPILE!  I think we started buying diapers when I was 6-7 months along and we'd buy a package whenever we went grocery shopping.  One tip I have though is to not buy too many newborn diapers.  Buy maybe 2 boxes to get you through a couple of weeks, but don't count on your baby staying that small for long.  Grant was 6lbs 4oz when he was born and was actually too small for N, but by 1.5 months he was in size 1. Oh and from my experience so far, I prefer the Pampers Baby Dry diapers.  Huggies have leaked every time I've tried them and Pampers Swaddlers stick to the skin and it just looks uncomfortable!

2. Wipes.  Same scenario as above: buy a TON! I bought so many wipes that I still have a closetful 3 months in.  It's so nice to just go grab a package from your closet instead of having to load up a baby and run to the store.

3. Changing Table.  I read a lot of conflicting opinions on whether or not a changing table was necessary.  I actually wasn't going to buy one, but happened across one on clearance at Target for $30 and thought, "Why not?".  I love that thing.  It makes changing diapers a breeze.  No bending over or getting poop on your bed/couch.

4. Munchkin Diaper Duty Organizer. I found this at Target and it's been so helpful to have all of my diaper changing supplies handy and organized.  I keep diapers, wipes, lotion, and diaper rash ointment organized in this. 

5. Gripe Water. This is a MUST.  I had never heard of this before and once someone told me about it, it saved my sanity.  There will be times your baby is crying and you cannot figure out why.  Just a tiny bit of this in their mouth and they immediately calm down.  It's sweet and I'm pretty sure the taste distracts them from whatever they were upset about.  It also really helps with gas and tummy troubles.

6. Bottle Warmer. If you have tap water that heats up quickly and gets pretty hot, then you probably don't need this.  Our tankless hot water heater doesn't get the water super hot (and it takes forever to even get hot) so it's nice to be able to warm bottles of breast milk up in this. 

7. Bouncer. Love. This. Thing.  I have the exact one pictured and my son LOVES it! It is the only thing he would sleep in when we brought him home from the hospital. We tried everything else first and he ended up loving the bouncer.  He sleeps in his crib now, but he will sit and play in this thing for 30+ minutes.  He's a big fan of the orange monkey :) 

8. Halo SleepSack.  My husband can swaddle with blankets, but I never could get it tight enough and he kept breaking free.  This sleep sack works perfect!  He's started getting strong enough to break out of it though, so I think our swaddling days are winding down.

9. Footie Pajamas.  My son's hands and feet are always freezing, so footie pajamas are great for sleeping and just playing at home.  I love the Issac Mizrahi pjs pictured!

 

10. Bottle Cleaning Supplies.  I said I'd be using the dishwasher to clean my bottles when I was pregnant.  I quickly realized that is not feasible and it's much quicker to just wash them by hand and let them air dry. I love this bottle brush (it has a spongey part on the end) because it fits in the Medela breast pump bottles.