Trying to figure out what on earth you need (or want) for your new baby can be SUPER overwhelming! There are sooooo many options out there and so many things that, until you’ve had a baby, you really don’t even know what they’re for or if they’re something that’ll get used a ton or collect dust. Well I’m about to have my third baby so I’ve been around the baby paraphernalia block a bit and I thought I’d share my a list of my ultimate must-have baby items.
To be honest everyone is different – something that I found to be a total waste may be someone else’s favorite product so you still are going to end up with some random stuff you never use (and end up buying things once baby is here because you realized you really needed them!). But hopefully this will help that not happen TOO much.
And to be SUPER honest, a lot of these things you can get by without. They’re nice to have but not required…babies are in fact fairly simple. They need diapers of some sort, milk, and someone to hold them. But there are certainly some items that make life easier!
One thing that I recommend getting as you’re making your list (especially if you are the “research everything” type) is the book called Baby Bargains. They update it about every two years so that it’s fairly current (as of the writing of this post, here is the most recent edition). This book was super helpful for me because not only does it rate the items and tell you why some are better than others but it also gives you three top suggestions for that category – a low budget one, mid budget one, and a high budget one, which I thought was great.
So now on to MY personal preferences and suggestions, in no particular order.
This post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link I make a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you!
Bathing
Bath pad – We did the whole baby bath tub thing for a while but wouldn’t you know babies are SUPER slippery when wet and I don’t know if it was our baby tub or what but it was really hard to hold on to him and give him a bath. This bath pad is amazing! You put it down inside your regular tub (so bonus, now you don’t have a bulky baby bathtub to find a home for) and since it’s a soft pillow the baby doesn’t slide all over the place like they do in a plastic tub. This made bath time so much easier! When you’re done you just hang it up to dry.
Towels/wash cloths – There are a gazillion out there and I don’t necessarily have a preferred brand, but you’ll probably want a couple of these to use for baby’s baths
Baby wash – I’m a huge fan of Young Living’s Seedling’s line and all of the Seedlings products, including the bath wash & shampoo, are must-haves for my babies. If you choose to go with another brand though I just strongly encourage you to do some research and find a safe option…most of the “mainstream” options are full of total hormone altering, cancer causing junk that you do not want to use on your baby!
Temperature gauge for bath – Not necessary but nice to make sure you’re not getting their bath too hot or too cold!
Bath toys – Not something you need until their older but if you want to register for them now, I recommend a lot of cups…my boys’ favorite thing to do in the bath is just pour water
Bath toy storage – Again not something you really need until baby get a little older but eventually you’ll collect quite a few bath toys and it’s a good idea to have a place to store them all
Foam pad – Not a baby item at all, but trust me on this…save your knees and buy a foam garden kneeling pad! Put it next to the tub – it is so much more comfortable on your knees when you’re kneeling and trying to wash your kiddos!
Seats and stuff
So while you’re going to want to snuggle that sweet baby allllll day long sometimes you *do* need to set them down for a bit. It’s handy to have a couple of spots for them to hang out while you’re in the shower or exercising or whatever. The thing is, one kid will love the swing and the other will hate it – you really just don’t know what your particular baby will love (or hate). So you may not need or want every single one of these things but here are some suggestions.
(Pro tip: for these higher priced items that babies don’t use all that long anyway it can be a good idea to buy used or borrow from a friend! Thankfully, though we got several of these brand new, we’ve also stored them between kids and have gotten our money’s worth now that we’ve used them through 3 babies)
Swing – This is the one that we have, both of my kids have liked it pretty well. The biggest drawback is that it’s big and takes up a lot of floor space
Bumbo – Bumbo seats are handy once baby is able to hold their head up well for a while – good for when they no longer want to lay down all the time but can’t sit up unassisted yet.
Bouncy Seat – We had a couple of different ones that people gave us. These were never huge favorites of my kiddos but were nice to have sometimes in random spots so that if I needed to set them down for a minute there was a good spot to do so. I don’t know that I’d shell out money for one myself, but since people gave them to me I used them some.
Jumper – Neither of my kids were crazy about this but it would usually keep them busy long enough for me to do a quick exercise video or something
Rock & Play – Rock & Plays are one of my favorites because of how portable they are. They’re not nearly as bulky as a lot of the other baby seats/swings/beds and can be moved around the house pretty easily. They also pack up slim (and easy) to take with you when you travel
Pack & Play – I love the versatility of the pack & play – we use it as a changing table in the main area for tiny babies then as a safe place (i.e. less accessible to an older sibling) for baby to nap or play when they get bigger. It can also be handy for travel
Activity gym – A fun place for baby to hang out on the floor
Having all of these is NOT necessary. We have almost all of them and while we use them for various things we could definitely get by without so many. At least half of these were given to us as hand-me-downs, I would not have purchased all of them myself. If I were going to pick my top 3 for newborns I’d say go with a Rock ‘n Play, Pack ‘n Play, and swing.
Breastfeeding
Boppy + extra covers – A good breastfeeding pillow is a must in my opinion! It gives your arms a break and helps you bring baby into the right position for breastfeeding. The only one I’ve ever used is the Boppy brand but I’ve also heard good things about the My Breast Friend. Most of them come with one cover but I recommend getting an additional cover as well as a waterproof cover to go between the pretty fabric cover and the pillow. You may not need the extra cover or the waterproof cover, but if you have a baby that spits up constantly like mine did you will definitely want them!
Pump – Check with your insurance as most of them provide pumps these days. I have a Hygeia pump that my insurance provided as well as a manual hand pump. I’ve never used either of them more than a handful of times so if you’re planning to pump a lot you’ll have to do some research elsewhere because I can’t help you much in that department! I have not used it personally but the Spectra S2 is the one I’m hearing the most positive stuff about right now in mommy groups so definitely check that one out! (Pumping moms…leave a comment sharing your favorite brand!)
Aden & Anais burpy bibs – You’ll be given a gazillion bibs as shower gifts, I’m sure, but hands down the best ones in my opinion are the Aden & Anais burpy bibs. They are big and very absorbent. Most of the bibs out there are teeny, barely cover anything, and aren’t very absorbent. My kids were HUGE spitter-uppers so we needed something that could handle that. A&A are amazing! They can be used as a burp cloth you throw over your shoulder, a bib that goes around baby’s neck, or even in a pinch I used it as a nursing cover.
Nursing cover – I honestly don’t cover to nurse much anymore. I covered anytime I nursed Hudson in public but by the time Parker came around I’d gotten pretty good at the two-shirt trick and getting him latched discreetly so I almost never had to use a cover, my top shirt was plenty. Occasionally I’d use one of the Aden & Anais bibs as a cover if I felt a bit exposed. That being said, I did get two Copper Pearl covers for Everly because they can be used not only as a nursing cover but also as a cover for the carseat, a shopping cart cover, or a high chair cover. If you’re a first time breastfeeding mom I definitely recommend one as (at least in my experience) it can be really hard to get baby latched discreetly at first. (Assuming you want to cover…some moms don’t and that’s fine, totally personal preference)
(RELATED: check out my tutorial on how to make an easy DIY nursing tank)
Nipple cream – Unfortunately the first few weeks of breastfeeding are pretty uncomfortable as you and baby adjust. No way around that! So I recommend some good nipple cream. My favorite is the Earth Mama Angel Baby brand.
Breast Pads – In case you’re a leaker, you’ll want to have some breast pads on hand, either disposable ones or reusable ones. I’ve never had an issue with leaking so I have some but very rarely actually use them.
Feeding
My kids have never taken bottles. If you will be pumping or using formula then I know there are other things you’ll need (bottles, brushes, drying racks, among other things) but I don’t really have recommendations for you since that’s not something I’ve used.
Some other things you might want for when your kids get a bit older:
Space saver high chair – I love this high chair so much! It attaches to your regular kitchen chairs so you don’t have this huge high chair taking up space in your kitchen (and if you have company over and need the chair you just unsnap the high chair and take it off). Because of the size it’s really portable – we’ve taken it to family dinners, on trips, to hotels. It’s nice because you don’t have to worry about if someone has a high chair at their house for your kid to use, you can just bring your own! It’s a great booster seat too, even at almost 5 years old Hudson still sits in his as a booster the majority of the time at meals. The cover is removable and washable so it cleans up easily.
Snack cups – These are nice for putting snacks in while preventing a ton of spillage
Resusable snack bags – Not a must but I like not having to use ziploc baggies all the time
DIY pouches – Save yourself money by putting applesauce or yogurt in these reusable pouches. They dishwash easily and are easy to use. We skip baby food and do Baby Led Weaning instead but if you make your own baby food I think these would be good for that as well.
(RELATED: my post on what Baby Led Weaning is)
Diapering
We do a mix of cloth diapers and disposable diapers – cloth the majority of the time, disposables at night and when traveling. So this list is going to lean more toward cloth diaper needs, if you use disposable only just omit the cloth things.
Diapers – Disposable or cloth. Read more about the cloth diapers I use for newborns here and older babies here.
Wipes – Disposable or cloth. Young Living now has baby wipes, which is awesome! You can read my post about using cloth wipes here.
Diaper cream – Again, I’m a huge fan of Young Living’s Seedlings line, which has diaper cream! If you go with another brand like I mentioned before please just do some reading of the ingredients and pick a natural option that’s not full of junk like a lot of them!
Doggie pads – Totally not necessary but definitely made my life easier! This is more if you’re expecting a boy than a girl. My boys peed every.single.diaper change when they were newborns and were constantly getting their little changing station wet. I would lay down a doggie pee pad then a receiving blanket over it so that the pee pad would catch and absorb their pee. These can also be used in place of (and as a cheaper option) to disposable changing pads on the go.
Disposable changing pads – Most diaper bags come with change pads and there are bazillion out there you can buy but to be honest, once I’ve put a changing pad down on a surface like a public restroom changing table I really just don’t want to put it back into my bag, much less reuse it until it’s been washed. So while it’s more wasteful and all that jazz, I mostly use disposable changing pads (or the doggie pee pads I mentioned above) so I can just throw them away when I’m done.
2-3 small wetbags – These are honestly great whether you use cloth diapers or not. Obviously if you cloth diaper you’ll need them for putting wet/dirty diapers in when you’re on the go, but even if you don’t use cloth I think it’s still always nice to have one with you for clothes, burp cloths, and other things that get wet or soiled. That way you have a place to toss them until you get home and you don’t have to worry about it getting on anything else in your bag.
1-2 pail liners – (For those who cloth diaper) you’ll want a large wet bag at home to store your diapers in. I use a plastic trash can and a pail liner for ours.
Diaper sprayer – (For those that cloth diaper) this hooks to your toilet and is so handy to help spray the poop off of the diapers into the toilet!
Spray pal – (For those that cloth diaper) this keeps the splatter from the sprayer going all over your bathroom
Diaper liners – (for those that cloth diaper) we put these inside our cloth diapers to help catch the majority of the poop so there’s less spraying that has to be done
(RELATED: Check out my post of all my must have cloth diapering accessories)
Diaper bag
Diaper bags, like purses, are highly individual items! Personally I am a huge fan of JuJuBe diaper bags! They’re sturdy and durable and washable and cute without being babyish. I’ve had several depending on what stage I’m in (how many kids, how many in cloth diapers, winter versus summer, etc.) but my favorite is the JuJuBe Be Right Back. The JuJuBe BFF and the JuJuBe Super Be tie for my second favorite because they have pros and cons and I’ve loved them both at various stages.
You can see reviews of what these look like and specifics on how I pack each of them here:
Carriers
I am a huge, huge fan of babywearing for lots of reasons and I recommend all parents have at least one method of wearing their baby and give it a try.
My favorite baby carrier is the Lillebaby Complete. You can read my full review of why here. Though that is my main pick for a carrier I do like to have a stretchy wrap for those snuggly newborn days and for that I recommend the Lillebaby Tie the Knot wrap.
(RELATED: Overview of various baby carriers and which ones I use/like)
For the car
Carseat – Obviously you’ll need a carseat. There are a ton of options out there but we went with the Chicco Keyfit 30 for our infant seat and it has worked well for us. For convertible seats when they’re older we have a Britax Advocate ClickTight (that fits fine in my van but doesn’t work in Michael’s car) and the rest are Diono Radians.
Car mirror – This is so nice to have so you can see your baby even when they’re facing away from you!
Carseat cover – This is great to keep the chill off as you’re carrying your carseat from the car inside somewhere in the winter. The Copper Pearl nursing covers I mentioned earlier double as a carseat cover, but I also have one like this which is basically a big blanket that velcros to the handle. I like the Copper Pearl one better now that I’ve tried it because it fits snug around the seat and doesn’t flap like the blanket one always did.
(Note: please be careful with and do research about carseat accessories! Things like cute fuzzy strap accessories, covers that go inside the seat, etc. are not recommended because they can get in the way of the way the carseat is designed to work. I use a cover that goes over the seat just for warmth while taking babies out but do not use any of the other things that go inside the actual seat itself.)
Clothes and Blankets
Swaddles – We swaddled Hudson for a long time. Parker not so much because we coslept from day one and he didn’t need it. But the ones we used for Hudson at first were the Swaddle Me swaddles and then Halo Sleep Sacks when he got older.
Blankets – You will likely be giving a bazillion blankets so I almost want to say don’t even register for them, however, I really really love my Aden & Anais muslin blankets as well as my Copper Pearl swaddle blanket, so those are nice to have.
Tiny hangers – For hanging up all those tiny clothes!
Pacifiers – There’s not a good way to know what your baby will prefer so we got a couple of brands but all of our kids so far have been happy with the Soothies
Clothes – My favorite sleepers are the ones that zip (so much easier to get on and off than snaps!) and my favorite little onesis have always been the Carter’s onesies. Some people love gowns for their newborns but I felt like they bunched a lot and didn’t use them much. I don’t have a handy list for you of how many of each thing you’ll want to have, but a handful each of sleepers and onesies for every day/night use plus other clothes, whatever your style/preference is.
Health Care & Personal Care
There are a handful of baby-specific items that you’ll either want to have on hand or be able to get quickly if needed.
Rectal thermometer – That’s how you take a baby’s temperature, in case you didn’t know that going in to having a baby ;)
Temporal thermometer – We used the rectal thermometer just as long as we could get away with it because it’s more accurate, however, once the kids were a little older that obviously wouldn’t fly so we switched to temporal (that you scan over their forehead). I like that you can take a quick, easy scan without having to take a diaper off, wake baby up, etc.
Nose Frieda – These are super nasty in theory but when your baby has a clogged up nose and you need to get it cleared out, they’re wonderful to have on hand.
Windi – Also gross, but effective if baby has a ton of gas they can’t release.
Hairbrush – Maybe. Depends on if your baby has any hair!
I also mentioned this up with the bathing section but you’ll want soap, lotion, etc. for bathing and afterward. We use Young Living’s Seedlings line (body wash & shampoo, lotion, baby oil)
Nursery
Crib – You do you, boo, but I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on a crib. I know some people buy the cribs that can be turned into full beds intending that this will be their kid’s bed from birth to moving out of their home and so they’re good with spending more money on it. Personally we didn’t figure we’d do that and really only cared that our crib could be used as a crib. I’m thankful we didn’t spend a lot on it because Hudson never used it so it so it got zero use until Parker was born! This is the one we got.
Crib sheets – I actually made my own (very easy if you have minimal sewing skills!) to match our nursery decor but there are tons of cute ones to buy of course too. I had 3 and that was plenty for us, even with accidents, leaks, etc.
Waterproof mattress pads (2) – I’d also recommend having two waterproof mattress covers to go between the sheet and the mattress that way you can always have one on the bed while the other is in the wash
Bassinet – Honestly, it is SO hard to predict what you are going to prefer and what baby is going to prefer until they’re actually here. My first baby slept alternating between an Arms Reach CoSleeper and a Rock & Play for the first several months of his life, then eventually became a full on, in our bed cosleeper. With my second we attached the crib to the side of our bed in a “sidecar” fashion and he slept there (or right in our bed) from day one, we never used the Arms Reach CoSleeper with him and the Rock & Play was just used for sitting in while he was awake. There are some other cool options out there too like the Halo Bassinet that swivels into the bed – I don’t have one of those but find them intriguing!
Changing pad – You may be like me and find that you do a LOT of diaper changes on the floor, but it’s still nice to have a changing pad somewhere in your house.
Changing pad cover – At least two because these will get soiled if you use your changing pad a lot.
Laundry basket – You don’t need anything special by any means but you will probably want a laundry basket in your nursery (or wherever the main area is that you change your baby)
Humidifier – Dry air is hard on babies!
Nice recliner – Hands down the best money I spent on furniture or large baby items was a nice, leather La-Z-Boy rocking recliner. I cannot even tell you how many hours I’ve clocked nursing, rocking, holding babies in that thing or reading to our older ones. This is not in the nursery, by the way, it’s in our main living room.
Obviously everyone is different but our nursery was a joke…Hudson didn’t sleep in there until he was three and it was upstairs out of the way so I didn’t change diapers or clothes in there often. It was just easier to do stuff downstairs in our living room and bedroom, so I changed their clothes and diapers down there, nursed them down there, etc. We did have a glider in the never-used-nursery but it wasn’t nearly as comfortable as my nice rocking recliner so I never used it and we eventually got rid of it. I know some people love having a nice chair in the nursery but since we spent all our time in the living room I prefer a chair that blends in there and is comfy.
Other Random Things
Baby monitor – Believe it or not, we went the first nearly 3 years of our parenting journey without a true baby monitor. We had a camera that connected to our phones but it didn’t work all that great so more often than not we didn’t even use it. Eventually we switched to a real baby monitor and wow…that was a nice upgrade! Ha! We have this one and have been really happy with it.
Shopping cart cover – I’m not a huge germaphobe but there are certain things (like shopping carts and high chairs) that gross me out. A cart/high chair cover is nice to have to keep baby from getting quite as much exposure to that ick. Plus the added cushioning is nice, I think.
Stroller – There are SO many options! Because I am an (on again, off again) runner, I have always gone for jogging strollers. I had a BOB Revolution when I just had one baby, then switched to a Bumbleride Indie Twin when I had a second. There are pros and cons – joggers are great for exercise and for taking on rough terrain but they take up a lot of space and are not very streamlined for tighter spaces like mall stores. If I had space to store them all and money to buy them, I’d also have something like a Britax or UppaBaby for my non-exercising needs as well as a slim umbrella stroller to take up less space in the car. But I don’t, so I make do with my jogger.
Toys – Toys are really not necessary at first and people will likely give you a lot of them so I won’t worry too much about getting bunches, but if you want a few some of the ones we liked were these links, these blocks, these rattles, and this teether.
Essential Oils Musts
Of course I have to share my essential oil must haves with you too! We use just about every Young Living essential oil product in our home but some of the ones that I most recommend to have for your baby include:
The Young Living Seedlings line (diaper cream, wipes, bath soap & shampoo, lotion, baby oil, and linen spray)
The Young Living KidScents oils (specifically TummyGize, SniffleEase, and SleepyIze) as well as Gentle Baby!
(RELATED: Let me help you order essential oils)
That’s a Wrap!
I hope this list helps you as you plan for your upcoming baby! What other must-haves would you add to this list? Leave a comment below!
You've heard what I have to say...now I want to hear your thoughts!