Hi there, I've noticed a lot of posts from first-time mamas asking about what you really need for a baby or postpartum and since I have some time today, I wanted to create a post that has my list of both essentials and non-essentials, as well as buying tips and tricks for baby as a somewhat experienced second-time mama. Hopefully we can keep this bumped. This is not an exhaustive list but it's just what I have found helpful. Here goes:
Essential Clothing
--Several zippered footie PJs: great for diaper changes, especially at night, as opposed to the ones with snaps all the way on the front. Your baby will live in these for some time, especially newborn to 0-3 months.
--Lots of bodysuits that snap at the crotch, in all major sizes: I like to buy these in the packs of four or so. Buy both short- and long-sleeved of course. I also have loved to use the plain white ones for kicking around the house, getting dirty, and for layering under other clothes during the colder months.
--Swaddles if you plan to use them: I strongly recommend the Halo Swaddle/Sleepsack hybrids but also the SwaddleMe and the Love to Dream. Any with zippers or velcro are just awesome for those nighttime changes.
--A few nice outfits for special occasions or milestone pictures: don't be tempted to go overboard, especially with little girl stuff, it's a waste of money for something baby might only wear once and/or get poop, pee, or spit-up on. Believe me.
--Some pairs of pants, shorts, maybe some non-bodysuit shirts
--A baby bunting suit or warm, jogger-style jackets for the cold, since puffy coats and snowsuits aren't recommended to use under car seat straps.
Diapers/ diaper supplies
--Plenty of diapers, whether you choose to use cloth or disposables: when doing a shower and your registry, politely ask that people only buy you sizes 1-5 if doing disposables. You will be given some newborn diapers at the hospital, and you can also buy one large box if you need to. Many babies don't wear newborn diapers for long, if at all.
--Lots and lots of diaper cream and maybe ointment too: I recommend either Boudreaux's butt paste or Pinxav for the cream, and either Aquaphor or A+D for the ointment. When my daughter got nasty rash, I would layer ointment under the diaper cream and it would clear within 24 hours.
--A bum spatula for spreading diaper cream and ointment: now, this is not really essential but for me, I found it amazing that I wasn't getting my hands all covered in diaper cream. It is a bear to get that stuff off sometimes! Frida Baby, Dr. Talbott, and BumCo make great models of these, I have used all three due to a bad dog using them as chew toys, but I prefer the one from BumCo.
--Lots and lots of wipes, or you can just use wet washcloths at home: don't bother with scented wipes, it's not necessary and just plain silly, plus it might trigger allergies in some babies. Wipes aren't just for diaper changes though; you can use them in so many other capacities as you will find out.
--Puppy pads or incontinence under-pads: use these for the first few months to keep any sudden diaper changing accidents contained. It will happen, and you'll be grateful to have these when it does!
--A diaper bag: get a backpack-type one with plenty of stoarge pockets and maybe some insulated pockets for bottles if bottle-feeding. Some nicer ones even come with a portable changing pad, mine did and it was a life-saver.
--A pump bottle of hand sanitizer for wherever you change the baby, to easily clean your hands after changes.
--A diaper pail or nice trash can: I don't go for the Diaper Genie in the early days, the refills for these are expensive when they are peeing and pooping 8 or 9 times a day. I do like it now that my daughter is older and eating solids, not peeing and pooping as much and her diapers smell worse. In the early days, I preferred the Ubbi stainless steel pail since I could use plain trash bags, it locked to keep out my dog, and it got emptied frequently. If your main trash goes out a lot or you don't have trash-picker pets though, a regular kitchen or bathroom step can is fine.
Furniture
--A crib for when baby outgrows a pack n play or bassinet, as well as multiple crib sheets and a crib mattress.
--Either a bedside bassinet or a pack n play with bassinet attachment: I had both of these and loved the convenience of both. I had the Halo Bassinest for bedside which I got second-hand, and the Graco Pack n Play Take Anywhere playard for keeping her in a safe place in the dining area/kitchen.
--A dresser for baby's clothes
--A changing table: completely optional but nice to have when baby moves into nursery. Some cribs have a changing area attached to save space. Also, some nursery dressers have a changing area attached. You'll also need a washable or wipeable changing pad for the top of the table.
Feeding supplies
--Formula and bottles if bottle-feeding
--Your boobs and a breast pump if breastfeeding: most breast pumps are covered by insurance, look into what options are available to you if pumping or breastfeeding. If exclusively pumping, also have bottles, extra pump parts/collection bottles, and a dedicated basin to clean your pump parts in, you cannot use your kitchen sink for this due to risk of contamination.
--Nursing pads for leakage: available in both disposables and reusables, I didn't care for reusable ones because I had a vast oversupply and leaked like a sieve but you do what works for you.
--Nipple butter or lanolin-only ointment for sore nips if breastfeeding
--Either a standard haakaa or haakaa ladybugs to catch letdown in the unoccupied breast: you can gather a lot of extra milk passively with these, which you can then add to your freezer supply.
--Breastmilk storage bags for refrigerating/ freezing breastmilk
--Nursing bras: my personal faves are the Auden nursing bras at Target, which have sewn-in padding. Amazon has some nice ones too available in packs of three or so.
--Cleaning supplies for pump parts and feeding bottles: bottle brushes, detail brushes for nipples and small pump parts, unscented dish soap, a drying rack (recommend Boon) for allowing things to air-dry
--Spit-up rags: just about any absorbent cloth works for this, muslin is the best but you can use kitchen towels, flour sacks towels, cloth diapers or cloth diaper liners, even cheapo receiving blankets.
--A breastfeeding pillow if applicable: I loved the My Brest Friend one for it's adjustability and support, not so much the Boppy.
--If breastfeeding or pumping, keep a small bin and/or a mini fridge near your nursing space for grabbable snacks and water or electrolyte drinks (Body Armor is great for the milk supply btw).
--A bottle warmer and/or sterilizer: not really necessary, but if you want one or baby won't take room-temp or cool formula or milk, then there's nothing wrong with it. Also know that most dishwashers have a sterilize option and most bottles are top-rack OK'd, so that's a thing to note.
--For introducing solids: a highchair, plastic or silicone feeding spoons, some washable bibs (I loved the Tiny Twinkle mess-proof ones), bowls and plates that suction to the highchair, maybe some small silicone or plastic utensils for baby to try out, cups (straw cups are better for baby than sippy cups, but you do you). I strongly recommend looking up the the baby-led weaning method, as you won't need to buy expensive baby food as much with this method.
Sleep aids
--A white noise machine: so many good options out there, I loved both my portable one from Frida and my YogaSleep non-portable one.
--Blackout curtains for nursery and/or your bedroom
Medical/first aid supplies
--Children's Tylenol for any fevers or teething pains
--A first aid kit, not just for baby but for the family: keep in a designated place like the bathroom cabinet or kitchen cabinet
--A nasal aspirator: forget the thing they give you at the hospital, it does not work very well and it gets moldy! Get either the Nose Frida or a battery-powered aspirator. Babies get colds and with that comes stuffy noses and lots of boogers.
--Saline nasal spray for loosening the boogers
--A cool-mist humidifier, good for colds but also if the air in your house is too dry for baby
--A thermometer: forehead, rectal, ear, whatever you fear the least and will work best for you and baby. All are pretty accurate.
--Nail clippers or electric file: I had very few problems clipping my baby's nails with the FridaBaby clippers, they are great, but if your baby squirms or you are a little clumsy, an electric nail file is a life-saver. Baby nails grow like kitten claws!
Bathing Baby
--A baby bath or bath insert: I love the Frida Baby Grow-With-Me tub, but the Angel Care tub insert is also very nice
--Baby shampoo (1 bottle should do for a year): I love Aquaphor baby shampoo/body wash
--A slow-flow rinser cup for rinsing shampoo off baby's head
--Maybe some bath toys, not necessary, but definitely steer clear of the squirting ones, they can easily get moldy.
Baby Safety Items
--Baby gates, especially if you have stairs or just need to keep baby out of a danger zone like the kitchen
--Door knob covers for outside doors and doors leading to a basem*nt, outlet covers, covers for stove knobs if yours are on the front of your stove, cabinet/cupboard door
--Locks for lidded garbage cans or just garbage cans that lock
Toys, Books, etc.
--Babies don't need a lot of toys to start, especially fancy or battery ones, but I do recommend the high-contrast books and flash cards for younger babies to look at, as well as some teething toys. If you can afford it or maybe put on your registry, get a toy subscription like Lovevery.
--Books are great, research has shown that reading to your baby, even very young, is great for their development and just hearing spoken words is wonderful for them. I recommend easy reads at first like Goodnight Moon, Love You to the Moon and Back, On the Night you Were Born, maybe some board books with one picture and one word per page to show baby when they're a little older or able to lift their head during tummy time, maybe some Eric Carle board books.
--A tummy time mat and mirror: this can be as simplistic as you want, even as simple as a big blanket with small toys and a prop-up mirror that baby can look in, they just love mirrors! No fancy ones required, though they can be fun.
Travel/Baby Wearing
--A car seat (actually two of them): this is a big one! I have found it is a good idea to get both a carrier-style one for when they are smaller and a larger convertible one for when they get bigger and are easier to just carry or walk with in and out of places. With the smaller one, make sure it comes with a base, it is way easier to just snap the seat in and out and not bother the baby if they're asleep. With the bigger one, I highly recommend a 360-type seat that rotates around to face the door, for easier loading and unloading of your child. They are more expensive, but worth it!
--A stroller if you think you will use it enough.
--An infant carrier, maybe a couple of them, for baby wearing like a Moby or something for when you need hands free but baby's just not having it or needs a contact nap, whether out at a store or even around the house/yard.
Postpartum for Mom
**Note that you will get a lot of stuff from the hospital, but it is good to buy extras ahead of time if you run out.
--Maxi pads and/or adult diapers: essential for catching the lochia
--Padsicles for vagin*l/perineal stitch recovery: I adore the ones from FridaMom!
--Tucks pads, again for vagin*l recovery: you can lay these down in an overlapping pattern on your pads or disposable undies and it feels great!
--Dermoplast spray for recovery
--Belly band to help with diastasis recti
--Ibuprofen and Tylenol: taken in combo, every 4-6 hours, great for pain relief of all types of postpartum aches and pains.
--Upside-down-spraying peri bottle: absolute heaven for when it hurts to pee and poop. I used warm water in mine. Love the one from FridaMom.
--Heating pad if breastfeeding: your uterus will be contracting when you have letdown and it will hurt, hence.
Non-Essentials/Waste of Money
--Wipe warmer: my philosophy is just get your baby used to plain wipes as is. If you're on the go, you won't have the wipe warmer, and besides many of them actually dry out the wipes which wastes more money.
--Bouncers, swings, mamaroo-type machines: if you have the storage space and the floor space to use these and they help, by all means you can try them but don't waste money if you don't have the room.
--Jumpers, walkers and exersaucers: again, these can take up space but if you really want one do it. Also be forewarned that research tells us these are very bad for hip development, especially if used extensively, plus they are not always good on the safety front. Money is better spent on walkers that teach baby how to pull up to stand and walk.
--Baby socks and shoes: wholly unnecessary at first and they get lost way too easily but if you want just a few cute pairs for pictures and whatever special occasions, by all means.
--Too many newborn clothes: babies grow fast, and unless you're having tiny twins or a preemie, they will not be in newborn clothes for long.
--Baby hats: unnecessary and they can make cradle cap worse. Cute for pictures, but otherwise impractical.
--Various trendy but bad or impractical baby items: examples are the Pee-Pee Teepee, scented lotions, diapers, and soaps made with artificial fragrances, special laundry detergent for baby (Dreft), Dock-a-Tot, baby powder, scented baby oil, toys or DVDs that promise a "smart" baby, the list can go on and on. The point of most of these things is to make money off of gullible new parents. Read reviews, use your common sense, and buy wisely.
--Floor seats like the Bumbo: very bad for hip development, especially if used extensively. If you're going to get one, get the Upseat, which is good for hips and turns into a mini-highchair, at home or on the go. I loved mine when my daughter was too short for her highchair.
--Lactation sweets, cookies, drinks: I would only use these if you seem to have a supply issue unrelated to bad latching/positioning. I think I created an oversupply last time by eating and drinking some of these things.
Buying Tips and Tricks
--My #1 piece of advice is to get whatever you can gently used or on clearance, especially clothes and toys. It is more sustainable, saves you money, and babies get a lot of various goop on their clothes and beat up their toys so why waste money on expensive clothes and toys?
--Be careful buying carseats, cribs, bassinets, and strollers used. Carseats have expiration dates! Make sure you don't agree to anything sight unseen or buy a carseat from someone you don't know hasn't had an accident with the carseat in the car.
--Utilize FB marketplace if possible, check out reputable second-hand stores in your area, and definitely take advantage of having a baby shower to see what people get you. It might surprise you how generous some people can be! I got both my carseats gifted to me for example.
