Ahh life with a newborn. The weeks after Leyton was born blur together in a never-ending feed, sleep, diaper change cycle. They somehow manage to drag on and fly by all at once. I’m pretty sure I placed a minimum of 3 desperate Amazon orders per week for all the newborn products I didn’t realize I needed until we were already in the thick of it.
You use most newborn essential products for such a short time, it may feel like a waste but let me tell you the things you need you REALLY NEED. You can’t put a price on convenience when you’re running on fumes and coffee. With a newborn around, support can come in many packages (but let’s be honest most of them come with an Amazon Prime logo 😋).
This is a complete list of all the baby products I frantically ordered those first few weeks, I’m sharing so hopefully you won’t have to. 🙂 We used the items on this list every. single. day.
Soak in those newborn snuggles and cherish the days before they’re gone. The last thing you should be worrying about in the moment is which carrier to use or which bathtub to buy. In case someone hadn’t told you yet today, way to go mama, you got this!
SLEEPING
- Hatch Sound Machine Night Light– This is a simple luxury that I make sure is on every one of my girlfriend’s registries. I love it so much! It’s a night light and sound machine rolled into one. It’s easy to use and completely customizable, plus it comes with an app so you don’t even have to get out of bed to control it. Game changer for those middle of the night feeds!
- The Shusher– This one has a cult following. If you know, you know. I can’t tell you how many times we entered an elevator with the Shusher going full blast next to our sleeping newborn and were greeted by the knowing smile of another parent. 9/10 of them would say something like, “that thing’s a miracle worker” or “I would know that sound anywhere!”. I don’t know why or how but the (somewhat creepy) sound of a human voice saying “shhhhh” over and over will lull an overtired newborn right to sleep, and save your cheek muscles in the process lol.
- Swaddle Me Organic Swaddles– If you’ve read Harvey Karp’s Happiest Baby on the Block, then you’ll quickly realize we’re big believers in the 5 “S’s”. These foolproof swaddles are great for the first few months, when baby is swaddled for much of the day! They are soft and come in a 2-pack making them pretty affordable too.
- Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets– These are called swaddle blankets, but they’re really “everything” blankets. We still use them to this day, but in the last 9 months they’ve served many purposes from swaddle, car seat cover, nursing cover, burp cloth, impromptu changing pad, a light layer to block the sun, hospital sheet, and more. They’re amazing. Plus as an added aesthetic bonus they come in a million and one colors and prints.
- Love to Dream Swaddle– Swaddled babies are always a little funny looking, but this swaddle’s shoulder pad appearance especially cracks me up. It’s a great transition swaddle when your babe starts to “wake up” a bit around the 6 week mark, but still benefits from the comfort of being swaddled. This definitely falls under the short but frequent category. We only used it for about 3 months total, but almost every day during that time!
- Button down footie pajamas- My kid lived in footies for the first weeks of his life. I always wanted him bundled and cozy, and these did the trick. *For my CHD parents – we had to have button up outfits on hand due to Leyton’s sternal precautions after his heart surgery, and we kept using these for doctors appointments because it was easy to quickly undress him. We eventually moved to zip ups once he was cleared.
- Softest old navy zip pajamas– These were our favorites during the cooler months, they are crazy soft and warm without being a thick or uncomfortable layer. I wish they made them is sizes bigger than 9mos!
- Burts Bees zip footie pajamas– Another great footie pajama in an organic cotton, and comes in a million adorable prints. We still use these today in addition to their footless counterpart. 🙂
- Nest camera baby monitor– We already had Nest cameras set up in our home to watch our dog while we were at work, so maybe it was just because we were used to the interface and they were already connected all in one app, but we preferred them over our Nanit monitor. We set up the Nanit in his nursery before we moved into our new house, and eventually swapped it out for the Nest cam instead. They have all the same features and we use an iPad to watch him, plus it records so we can always go back and see what time he woke up, last ate, etc. It’s great! If you want an affordable option with a separate handheld device rather than using your phone, I’ve used this one and liked it too!
- Barefoot dreams “magic” blanket– This super soft blanket earned the name the “magic blanket” in our house for its wondrous powers to put Leyton to sleep instantly. It’s also adorable and makes a great gift!
FEEDING
- Comotomo bottles– Luckily Leyton isn’t picky when it comes to milk and will basically take it any way you offer, but these were our favorite bottles. They have minimal parts making them easy to throw in the dishwasher, are soft and comfortable to hold, and have different nipple flow options to grow with your babe.
- Formula pitcher mixer– For a while we were fortifying breastmilk, so making large batches each day was the most efficient solution. This pitcher made it easy to mix it all up efficiently.
- Boppy Pillow– My preferred nursing pillow. 🙂 I tried the “My Breast Friend” too and personally wasn’t a fan of having it wrap all the way around me. We also used the Boppy for floor and tummy time!
- Boppy Water resistant cover– Water resistant everything is a must with a newborn around! It’s a little annoying to have to buy 3 separate parts for the Boppy pillow, but I honestly never needed to take this one off.
- Soft organic cotton Boppy cover– I like this organic cotton cover, it’s easy to unzip and toss in the wash.
- Burp cloths– These were littered all over our apartment for months, but it’s helpful to always have them on hand!
DIAPERING
- Natural diaper barrier cream– We preferred this over A&D ointment, and our guy has never had diaper rash! In the beginning we used it after every diaper change.
- Triple paste ointment– If I thought his bum was looking a little red, I would apply this at night before it turned into a rash. Thankfully it worked like a charm and we never had an issue.
- Huggies Newborn Little Snugglers– While these aren’t organic, they are fragrance and paraben free and very soft. The indicator line (the little line that turns from yellow to blue when it gets wet) is super accurate and made it easy for us to see when he needed to be changed (a million times a day at first!)
- Coterie diapers – After the first couple months we transitioned to a more natural option and have been using Coterie. We love how soft and comfortable they are for our little wiggle worm to move around in, and they ship in bulk which is super convenient.
- Diaper backpack (SO AFFORDABLE!) – This is the Mary Poppins bag of diaper bags. The backpack style makes it easy to go hands free, and there is a dedicated compartment for anything and everything.
- Hospital grade hand sanitizer– Even before COVID, hand sanitizer has been a newborn must have. Tiny babies have tiny immune systems, so clean hands are crucial. We liked this one, because it was hospital grade but didn’t completely dry our hands out.
- Alcohol free hand sanitizer– This is a good natural alternative to have around too. I have a travel size in the diaper bag to quickly use after diaper changes on the go when I know I’m going to be touching my babe immediately after sanitizing.
PLAY
- Lovevery Play Gym– This play gym is everywhere these days, and for good reason! Not only are the Montessori style toys, super engaging and developmentally appropriate, it comes with a guidebook showing you all the different ways to use the mat and accessories at each stage. Plus, it’s one of the cuter play mats out there. 🙂
- Wubbanub Pacifier- Leyton was a big Wubbanub/Soothie fan from day one. If you do decide to introduce a pacifier, these are great for tiny uncoordinated hands to grasp, plus they are less likely to fall out because the stuffed animal on the end acts as a stabilizer.
- Itzy Ritzy pacifier– We also really liked these paci’s and the handle on the end was super convenient for attaching to a paci clip.
- Pacifier clip/teething beads– Speaking of paci clips, this one is great as it acts as a teething strand when baby gets a little older.
- Baby Bjorn bouncer– This chair is another life saver that I’m SO glad we registered for and had it ready and waiting when we came home from the hospital. Its nice to have a place to safely place your baby when they’re awake. This chair is soft and comfortable, but light and portable making it easy to take with us no matter which room we were in. This thing followed us in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and yes, even the bathroom on occasion! Parents understand…
BATHING
- Angelcare Baby bathtub – We started with this tub and even though Leyton grew out of it pretty quickly, it was great for those early newborn days! Bonus: it’s super affordable and easy to wipe clean!
- Oxo tot bathtub– We transitioned to this bath after he outgrew the Angelcare and are still using it now at almost 9 months. Easy to clean and store!
- Soft, breathable wash cloths – We’ve purchased 3 packs of these, you can never have enough! Great for multi-use purposes and super soft.
TRANSPORTATION
- UPPAbaby VISTA Stroller System– I can’t sing the VISTA praise loud enough. Honestly, it’s worth every penny. It is so easy to use, has ample storage, and is just an overall amazing quality, and well thought out product. It comes with a base, bassinet and toddler seat plus a million other accessories available for purchase that make it easy to customize and grow with your family. We ordered the color “Jordan” which is a beautiful neutral charcoal grey. It comes with black accents, but we loved the look of the brown leather that comes standard with the Melange and Blue Marl VISTA colors, so we ordered the brown leather handlebar covers. We also added this cup holder, and storage caddy for convenience.
- Baby K’tan wrap carrier– The simplest and easiest wrap solution! I tried a soft fabric option that you wrap yourself and found it so much harder. I was swimming in 12ft of fabric! The K’tan is foolproof and my tiny babe felt secure and snug in it. He slept in it all the time in the beginning!
- Ergo Baby Carrier– We have an older version of the Ergo Baby carrier that came with a newborn insert. It was great for a sturdier option for longer walks around the neighborhood or hiking, but we stopped using it when he preferred to face outwards. The newer version allows you to do both and it truly grows with you. It’s great!
- Infantino carrier- Affordable option! – This carrier is literally less than $30 and while the buckles and accessories feel a little on the cheap side, it is sturdy and easy to use, especially with a forward facing babe. (It depends on your baby’s neck strength, but typically not until closer to 4-5 months old.)
Did I forget anything? I’d love to hear your must have products! Leave a comment or send me a DM on Instagram @Dimitraweiss if there are any products I should add. 🙂
