Newborn Essentials
Bringing a newborn into the world is an exciting experience, but it also comes with an overwhelming amount of ways you should be prepared. There are a lot of “must-have” lists that are a minimum of 20 items long but let’s widdle that down to something a bit more palatable shall we?
Sleeping & Transportation
These are the most important in my opinion! Create a safe and comfortable sleep environment for your newborn with fitted sheets, sleep sacks, and a couple of pee pads. The goal here is a peaceful night's sleep for both the baby and the parents. As for transportation…it really depends on your family’s lifestyle. Ours is always on the go so we needed a simple travel system.
Car Seat / Stroller Combo (Doona) — https://amzn.to/48s4HZu — This will easily last 18 months depending on the size of your baby!
Swaddle (Love To Dream) — https://amzn.to/3T7JrUu — This will help your baby transition to sleeping independently while still feeling snug and safe. We have all 3 sizes.
Skip the bassinet & use a convertible pack-n-play (4moms) — https://amzn.to/3T9o2KU — I love this one because of how easy it is to set up and travel with.
Quick note! The changing station is kind of low if you’re a taller person and our daughter outgrew it after about 3 months.
Extra Bedsheets (4moms) — https://amzn.to/48qqIYP — Here’s a little hack! There WILL be middle-of-the-night blowouts so you’ll want to layer a puppy pee pad over the mattress with the bedsheet, add another pee pad over that bedsheet, and top it with a final bedsheet. This way when the inevitable happens, the clean-up is quick.
I accidentally made this viral video explainer if you are more of a visual learner!
Nursing (if this is part of your plan)
I try to have a 3-5 day supply of milk in the freezer because there will be times (because of stress, sickness, hydration, etc) when your supply will fluctuate. Breast milk is an on-demand product so your body will regulate based on how much you pump or nurse BUT having extra is good peace of mind when those fluctuations inevitably happen.
While nursing (Elvie Curve) — https://amzn.to/3OQNySk — this fits right inside of the other side of your bra while you nurse and will catch your letdown and help you build your stash!
Pumping storage on the go (Ceres Chill) — https://amzn.to/3wpMdeZ — The best way to describe this would be “The Stanley for Breast Milk”. It’s discreet and, most importantly, it’ll keep your milk cold for an insane 20 hours! I used mine on a solo dive trip to the Bahamas when our daughter was 9 months old.
Breast Pump (Elvie) — https://amzn.to/3wm1P34 — please go through your health insurance FIRST! This is over $200 on Amazon but I got it for maybe $35 through my health insurance. I got a prescription from my doctor and went through https://aeroflowbreastpumps.com/
Teething (this will come sooner than you think 😅)
Camilia — https://amzn.to/3SNVYv8 — A more natural, homeopathic, medicine to help with sore gums when cutting new teeth.
Frida Baby Teether — https://amzn.to/3SMnzgd — There’s a little handle with this that doesn’t go in the freezer so it isn’t too cold for their little hands.
Silicone Feeder — https://amzn.to/3SSaBxD — You can break up frozen milk and they can chew on it. This will also last well beyond the 6-month mark once you begin introducing solid foods into your baby’s diet. We love to use frozen bananas, strawberries, blueberries, mangos, and any other fruit!
There are so many other items that I could add to this list, but these are the things that eliminated so much stress during those first 6 months! Remember, every baby is unique, and this has just worked for us so feel free to personalize your newborn essentials based on your family's needs and preferences. Trust your gut, and when push comes to shove, just wing it!
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