Must-Have Items for a New Baby
Sometimes we just need to keep things simple! Here is a quick list of my infant “must-haves” and favorites:
Babywise
Babywise is, obviously, my most essential item.
I pretty much mail out a copy of the first book to anyone I know who gets pregnant.
Or at least I try to! If you’ve never read the book – read it.
If you have an older child it’s not too late! There is a -wise book for EVERY age and stage!!!
Wanting to get started with Babywise but not sure how? Here is my simple How To Start Babywise Guide!
Looking for other great sleep resources? Be sure to pick up these books:
Swaddles
Swaddles are vital to help a baby sleep!
I can’t imagine how horribly babies slept before they were invented.
With Kye I always used the Swaddleme brand but friends got me into the Miracle Blankets and I love them!
A must-have item on a baby registry!
Swaddling is a great tool to help ease baby into bedtime for both naps and night sleep.
I recommend this post to make sure you have the best items on hand to encourage your baby to sleep!
You can shop my favorite sleep items here:
Video Monitor
I don’t know how we survived so long without a video monitor.
It’s strange to think that when Kye was an infant we couldn’t see him.
No wonder we went in his room more than we should have and he didn’t sleep nearly as wonderfully as Brittlynn does!!!
Being able to see the baby (and the toddler…you bet your butt I still have a video monitor on Kye!) makes it SO much easier to sleep train because you can visually see and hear them and know they are okay.
Sleep training involves a little crying and, while it’s never easy, it helps to be able to see the baby.
We had the Summer Infant Day and Night Video Monitor for my older kids (they no longer make my same one sad!) and it was wonderful.
I finally upgraded to a new Vava Baby Monitor and LOVE IT.
The screen is SO clear and the battery life is AMAZING!!! I highly recommend it!
Bouncer and Playmat
To probably no one’s surprise, I’m not a baby-in-a-sling kinda mama.
Each pregnancy I get a sling. So far none of my babies have used them.
I tried once with Britt to figure it out and it was too complicated for me haha.
Obviously, since I don’t carry her around all the time and I have a two-year-old, I have to put her somewhere. I LOVE my bouncers and playmat.
I didn’t buy anything fancy.
Literally, we got the cheapest bouncers (yes, I have two…one on each end of the house for each access) and she uses the same playmat Kye did.
During awake times it’s great to have somewhere for her to go when I need to finish up with dinner, discipline Kye, or poop 😉
Since she is so young, I also do her independent playtime on her playmat. She loves it!
Boppy Pillow
As a nursing mother, I couldn’t survive without my boppy.
I have BIG babies (they aren’t born big…but my milk makin’ self produces LARGE infants) and they are heavy.
I can nurse her while holding her but the boppy helps so much to support her and allows me to relax.
I’m also thankful I invested in Milkies.
They allow me to store up the milk that leaks while I nurse.
I have so much I don’t think I’ll be able to use it all!!!
Having all the best supplies on hand can make a huge difference in successfully breastfeeding.
Here are my recommendations:
Stroller
Now that I have two kids we needed to get a double stroller.
I LOVE our travel system single stroller and still continue to use it!
But I’m SO glad we also made the investment in a great double stroller too.
We used it for the first time this past weekend and omg worth every single penny.
Zach couldn’t get over how light it was and how easy it was to maneuver!
I’m hoping once Britt goes to the amazing 4 hour schedule that I’ll get to use it more often for some walks.
I highly recommend the City Mini Double!!!
Onesies and Sleepers
Kye was born in the spring and his room was SO hot.
Plus he loved sleeping in dang fleece swaddles that were even hotter.
And he puked all the time.
So he basically lived in a diaper. It annoyed my mama to death haha 😉
With Britt being born in the winter and us not even buying any fleece swaddles I dress her every single day.
She still “happy spits up” constantly but I just clean it up!
I personally like the packs of onesies by Carters that include the matching packs of pants.
Kye wore them too. I think they look comfortable and still cute, plus I love how tight they are to show off those baby rolls 🙂
At night we use zip-type sleepers and still swaddle her.
It helps her know the difference between night and day!
Baby Tub
We bought the SAME tub Kye had and use it with Brittlynn (The First Year’s Infant to Toddler tub).
We don’t use Kye’s actual tub b/c I just felt like that was something she needed to have new.
I love it. It’s really the perfect tub and it’s not very expensive either! I highly recommend it!
Breast Pump
Since I’m a mom on the go we invested in one of the TOP breast pumps on the market.
Like it was over $300. And, like the stroller, it has been worth every penny.
Really it’s priceless.
I have used that thing in my home, in different states, on airplanes, and across the globe.
It’s amazing. It’s fast, efficient, comfortable and hands-free.
I use all the Medela products (except storage bags…Lansinoh makes the best milk storage bags and they are cheaper!) including the Medela bottles.
They are all great and I really think this pump will last me for ALL my babies!!! I own the Medela Freestyle.
Bottle Warmer
When we do give Brittlynn a bottle we love our bottle warmer.
It does a great job and worked so well with Kye that we bought the same brand again.
It heats formula, breast milk, and even baby food (although I never heated baby food since we do Baby Led Weaning). It’s The First Years Babypro.
For my bottle-fed baby, I never headed the formula but this is great for breastfed babies who do want a bottle from time to time and are used to the warmer milk straight from the breast!
Sleep Monitor
I am passionate about SIDS prevention and it is something to constantly be aware of and stay up to date with the latest, potentially life-saving, items.
For my infants, I used items to monitor their breathing that is now outdated and I wish I’d had the Owlet monitor back when mine were infants!
It’s AMAZING!
I also can’t recommend a mattress protector enough, I’m a firm believer that it helps with safe sleep practices!
Those are my top infant favorites!
Really with an infant, you don’t need much and I learned that especially with the second baby.
These items are things I use on a daily basis and am so thankful to have. What are your favorite baby things?
I'll have to come back and do some major rereading whenever I get knocked up. 😉 I'll have all your "parenting tip" blogs bookmarked. Thanks for sharing! I'll return the favor whenever you get your link-ups going!
I LOVE my " Ultimate Crib Sheet". It is sooo much easier than changing an actual crib sheet that goes around the mattress. It's waterproof and breathes well. I have two and used them with both my babies. So great for my older one who was a spitter-upper and we had to change the sheet so often.