When I was pregnant, newborn essentials meant finding the most beautiful-yet-comfortable-welcome home outfit for our little baby.
It also meant countless hours of finding the safest-yet-affordable-yet-stylish baby gear.
While I’m happy to say all of our baby gear selections turned out to be great for us, I still had no idea what daily life was going to be like. Once we got home from the hospital and lived a week or two with our little baby, there were definitely a few key items we were scrambling to acquire after we brought the baby home.
If you’re looking for a beautifully curated collection of perfectly matching items, this isn’t the place to find them. This also isn’t the place for a detailed research-backed analysis on baby items.
The following items were purchased out of exhaustion and desperation. These items are no-fuss newborn essentials that served us well in our need to problem-solve on a whim.
Whether you’re in the same boat as us and trying to figure out what you need now that the hospital let you take a newborn home, or you are looking for practical baby registry items, you’ve come to the right place!
Here’s a list of our 10 newborn essentials
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1. Seventh Generation Diapers
We started out with Pampers Swaddlers for sensitive skin, but around 1 month, we noticed a heavy duty rash appear no matter how clean we kept her. By accident, we ended up with a huge supply of Seventh Generation diapers which we didn’t like at first as the newborn size was huge on her, but they turned out to be the only diapers that didn’t irritate her as we fought night and day to get the diaper rash to go away. These diapers were also the most affordable disposable option in terms of bleach-free, all natural materials.
2. Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment
To help ease the diaper rash, we use Aquaphor. No fuss ingredients and it keeps moisture at bay without drying her skin. One tub got us through 2 months and for at least one month, we were applying it at every diaper change.
While there is a lot of conflicting information about diaper rash creams out there, this does have an EWG rating of 2. My sister-in-law is very conscious of the products she uses on her daughter, but when a case of painful diaper rash came about, she used some Aquaphor and saw results by the next day. While she doesn’t use aquaphor all the time, she keeps some on hand for extreme cases.
3. Breast Feeding Pillow
This was a God-send after having a c-section. I’m not sure why, but using a pillow never worked for me to keep the baby off my stomach. All of our pillows would slip and slide out from under our daughter. Once Matt went back to work and our moms went home, I also had a hard time sitting, with baby in arms, trying to re-position a pillow. My sister-in-law sent me the My Breast Friend breastfeeding pillow, and I loved that it clipped around my waist. It also has two “pillow” bumps on each side for baby to rest their head.
Another great feature was the side pocket. I often kept my phone, breast pads and nipple cream in it. I felt absolutely ridiculous walking around with that thing around my waist at times, but it offered SO much relief and made breastfeeding after a C-section way easier.
4. Burp Cloths
I never thought burp cloths would be something I would swear by, but we were so glad we had them. A lot of people said to use receiving blankets or wash cloths, but they fell off so easily. We bought the Green Sprout Burp Cloths and they curved to fit over our shoulders.
The also cover the front AND back of your shoulder because baby spit up can go anywhere.
Now, when we go to baby showers, we always include a pack of these with our gift.
5. Bouncy Chair
Some people have rocking babies, and some people have swinging babies, but we have a bouncing baby.
However, even the strongest of daddies gets tired of pacing and bouncing and singing for so long. We were gifted the rock n’ play before she was born, but she cried every time we put her in it. Turns out she may have been on to something. It wasn’t much later that there was a recall on the rock n’ play.
Some babies love the rock n’ play, but ours didn’t. This Fisher Price bouncy chair was extremely affordable and simple.
Please keep in mind that we never let Anna sleep for long periods in this chair. We only used it to soothe her or have a safe place to put her when we needed both hands. This is a great device when mom needs to take a shower. It was super easy to pick up with one hand while holding Anna in the other.
If I needed a shower, I would turn the chair music on, strap Anna in, and dim the bathroom lights. The steam and sound of the shower, combined with the movement of the chair and the music really relaxed her.
6. Wearable Carrier
We registered for the Ergo Carrier and the Ergo infant insert, and Matt LOVED carrying Anna in it. The only issue was it didn’t sit right on my short torso. I ended up getting the baby k’tan after Anna was born, and it worked so well for me. Although I was nervous it would irritate my back since I always have back problems, it was perfect for what I needed. I loved that it wasn’t complicated to put on.
7. Cradle Cap Shampoo
Anna had cradle cap and our normal baby shampoo didn’t help. Our pediatrician recommended normal dandruff shampoo, but I wasn’t comfortable using something so strong, even though I’m sure it would have been fine. I picked up a bottle of Mustela Newborn Shampoo at Target and it knocked her cradle cap out in just a few days.
8. Baby Socks
A lot of people will tell you to skip baby socks because they never stay on, but that isn’t really an option when you have a newborn during the colder seasons. These newborn socks by Nurses Choice never fell off and lasted so long. I loved the classic look of them!
9. Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle
When Anna was born, she had a hip click and we had to go through a series of ultrasounds and x-rays to check for hip dysplasia. I was so nervous about doing anything to make her hips worse and while using swaddle blankets worked well for us, I was nervous about not aligning her legs correctly. The Halo Sleep Sack allowed us to swaddle tightly while ensuring healthy hips.
10. Lovevery Play Gym
Ok, so we didn’t actually buy this, but I won it on Instagram! We loved it so much that I ordered one for my sister-in-law who is expecting. We had a simple and amazing tummy time mat, but I really wanted something she could also look up at and reach for while we played during the day. The Lovevery Play Gym really focuses on the developmental needs of babies without being overstimulating. I only wish I had it from the start!
So there you have it: all the hard-working newborn essentials we WISH we had when we got home from the hospital.
In case you’re looking for more help, here’s a few gentle newborn routines that helped me strengthen my bond with Anna.
Questions for the Mamas:
If you’re expecting, don’t hesitate to leave a comment with any questions about the items we used!
Already a mama? Let me know in the comments what newborn essentials you ended up needing after you brought baby home!
