Ok, so I know I’m a little behind on my Baby Must Haves but I wanted to be sure that I was giving ya’ll good info! If I crafted this list when the baby turned 4 weeks old, the only thing that would have been on it would be sweatpants and very large Starbucks cups filled to the brim with caffeine.
So I took some time to think back on what we literally could not live without.
This is a list that I’ve sent to quite a few of my friends who are expecting and I stand by each and every item.
No fluff, no extras and all gender neutral!
Every mama everywhere includes these swaddle blankets on their Must Have List and I’m no exception. We use them constantly, for everything. Our breech baby needed to step up to more of a straight jacket style swaddle so we moved to this style for nighttime containment.
I love the sweet little outfits that we received prior to Gray’s arrival. He looks so precious in all of them. Until he projectile vomits one minute after I get him all snapped up. So basically, my kid lives in onesies. They are easy to change, comfy and still cute as a button. This set from Target is my absolute favorite newborn go-to.
I have already praised the Newborn Lounger up and down, left and right.
We honestly can’t live without it.
I never knew that I might need a little something that was waterproof to go between a bum and a changing pad. But I do. And you will too. As a bonus, these changing pad liners are machine washable and come in a three pack – that means you can toss one in the hamper and drop a new one it it’s spot – and while you’re purchasing these, go ahead and grab a second chaining pad cover.
Just trust me on this one.
Starbucks gift cards might be the most thoughtful gift one could give new parents.
And if you hand deliver that gift card along with a piping hot caffeinated beverage, you will be said new parents favorite person.on.planet.Earth.
Just sayin.
Cloth diapers make the absolute best burp cloths. They are cheap, absorbent and machine washable. What more could you want?
I will not leave the house without a Wubbanub in my baby’s mouth and a back up in my diaper bag.
And because my husband is who he is, we special ordered this one the day we came home from the hospital. What can I say? They both love it.
The Medela Quick Clean Micro Steam Sterilizing bags are perfect for a quick sterilization of my (long gone) pump parts and all of our bottles and nipples. I’ll occasionally dig out our non-Wubbanub pacis from the bottom of my diaper bag and toss those in too (but only because I’m gunning for mom of the year). Each bag can be used up to 20 times for sterilization so the cost breakdown is pretty awesome.
Oh good lawd, if you have a baby on the way go ahead and get yourself this diaper pail. My Matron of Honor gave it to me as a shower gift and swore it would be the best gift I got. I thank her for it every time I change a diaper. I’m not sure why, but I assumed teeny little newborns didn’t produce much of a smell in their diapers. I was wrong. This diaper pail is not only sleek and cute in our room, but holds in some serious odors. As a total bonus, it doesn’t require special bags -regular old garbage bags go right in there – saving you money, effort and a special trip to Babies R Us for flipping diaper pail trash bags.
Our night owl lived in his Rock ‘n Play beside my bed for the first two weeks of his life. I finally got wise that while he loved the vibrating motion, he really wanted to be rocked harder than the Rock ‘n Play could rock on it’s own, so we upgraded him to a swing. In his own room. We still use the Rock ‘n Play as a crib in our downstairs living room and for travel. You can’t beat how flat that bad boy folds!
Bathing a newborn is tricky business. Those little guys are slippery! We were all kinds of nervous to get him soaped up at first but this tub really made a difference. It’s comfy, sturdy and he can grow into it. Plus, it’s cheap! (This would be my number one recommendation as a shower gift for a mama to be – include a giant bottle of baby shampoo and you’re all set!)
Are there any first month essentials that I’ve missed?
We were gifted the Ubbi diaper pail as well! I've heard great things about it, I'm glad it's living up to the hype!
oh, that ubbi is worth it's weight in gold! xo
thanks love!
I totally hear you on the rock 'n play/flat head issue…the rock 'n play marketing all refers to it as a "napper and not a bed for overnight sleeping. I liked it for the first few weeks of his life so that he could be close by my bed – and it can't be beat for travel! But otherwise, our pediatrician recommended his crib – and since that is in his own room, I couldn't have asked for a better rec! xo
the whole registry is so hard! I cried in Target when I was trying to figure ours out!
These are all great, and I'm registered for a lot of this stuff! (Including that same gray diaper pail!) Thanks so much for the suggestions, this is super helpful! ๐
i love that all your picks are gender neutral! pinning this for the future! xo jillian – stop by! I'm hosting a $150 Tieks gift card giveaway on cornflake dreams
Just a side note – My baby Sloane was born with Torticollis (muscle stiffness often leading to babies developing "flat" spots and needing baby cranium shapers) – right so she LOVED her rock n' play thingy too but our PT told us it is like the worst thing for head shape in babies. I am thinking if we didn't have Torticollis we would have used it anyways but our situation was a little different. I only share this as I had never heard anything like that prior to having Sloane, who I might add has a perfectly round little head and no more Torticollis thanks to her PT! ๐
These are SO good to know! I've been looking at registry lists and I'm so confused, rock n plays, loungers, swings, mamaroos, etc. There are so many things to choose from!