What are the must-have newborn essentials that every mom absolutely needs? Continue reading to find out what you absolutely need to have stocked and ready to go for when your baby arrives!
There are so many things that a newborn needs (and so many things that you want to get for your new baby!) and so it can be overwhelming to figure out what you absolutely need on day one of their life. As a mom of three, I can attest that these are absolute musts to have!
This list will contain the newborn essentials like baby clothes, but also the things that I wish I had known about with my first baby.
If you are a new mom for the first time to a mom having their third or fourth baby, these newborn must haves will make sure that you are prepared when you bring your new bundle of joy home!
This post is all about the must-have newborn essentials every mom needs.
Must-Have Newborn Essentials
1. Baby Sleepers
My biggest suggestion for what to have on hand clothing wise for a newborn is whatever is easiest to get on and off them. My babies didn’t like the cold or having their arms/legs extended and pulled on to get clothes on them. All three of them especially hated having a onesie pulled over their heads.
I stuck to mainly sleepers, gowns, and other kinds of pajamas for newborn clothes for the first couple of months.
Second suggestion for baby clothes – stick to zippers!
Buttons and the snap up ones are a pain in the butt during those middle of the night diaper changes.
My Favorite Newborn Clothes:
2. Sound Machine
A sound machine is an absolute must if you want to stay sane!!! Babies are super sensitive to sounds and the white noise that a sound machine makes is really great at blocking out noises. This is super helpful for nap times and at night. We love them so much that every kid has one in their room AND we have one in our ours!! I highly, highly recommend SOME sort of sound machine.
I really love the Hatch because it also comes with a built in light. For babies, the light isn’t needed, but I like it for late night feeding sessions to not be in complete darkness. For when your babies are older, you can actually program the light to change colors. We have set ours to Red = stay in bed and Green = you can get out of bed!
I also recommend some sort of portable sound machine to help with car rides or if you are out and about and the baby falls asleep in your arms. We have tried many, many sound machines and below I’ve linked our tried and true favorite ones.
My Favorite Sound Machines:
3. Baby Bouncer/Recliner
A bouncer is a lifesaver for busy days when you need the baby to come with you into the bathroom while you get ready, come into the kitchen while you are cooking, or when the family is eating dinner and the baby wants to be close by.
I personally don’t believe in “containers” for babies and love to have my babies down on the ground doing tummy time as much as possible or playing with them on the ground. Developmentally this is KEY to have them belly down as much as you can, but realistically there are things you’ve got to get done in your day and a bouncer/recliner can help in that department!
I really like the ones that are easy to move from room to room! I also love the aesthetically pleasing looking ones, but that’s just a personal preference. LOL!
My Favorite Baby Bouncers:
4. Baby Carrier
I am a baby wearer – through & through! I advocate for it as much as possible because there is no better feeling than having your baby close to you when you’re wearing them. Baby loves it (and usually will fall asleep in it) and it gives you your arms back so you can get things done in the day.
Without fail, if my baby won’t go to sleep by the normal means of rocking or bouncing, I’ll put them into the baby carrier and they are out in minutes!
There are many different kinds of carriers – wraps, slings, structured carriers, and half structured/half wraps. There’s something for everyone.
My favorite baby carrier for when you first bring baby home is hands-down the Solly baby wrap. This one is great when they are little, holds them super snuggly to your body, and is really easy to get the hang of doing.
Honestly, any soft, stretchy material wrap is ideal for the newborn stage since they are so little and the wrap molds around their body the best. You typically can use them until a baby is 25 pounds.
A ring sling is also ideal for the newborn stage but this one is more complicated in my opinion and you have one arm restricted from the way it’s worn.
My Favorite Baby Carriers:
5. Swaddle Blankets
I’m all about getting the most bang for your buck and so I don’t usually buy a dedicated swaddle when my baby is a newborn and end up just getting a sleep sack for my baby when they are a little older and weigh more. When they are a newborn, a soft and breathable blanket can double as both a blanket and a swaddle.
You can easily look up videos on Youtube to see how to do a swaddle with a blanket if they don’t show you in the hospital or you don’t know how to yet. I promise – it’s SUPER easy!
I recommend getting at least two of them, but ideally I like to stock up on three because my babies spit up sometimes and they would end up spitting up on the blanket. You honestly can never have enough blankets for your baby!
My Favorite Blankets:
6. Baby Hygiene Items
One of the worst things that happens when your baby is first born is that they sometimes scratch themselves on their faces! I would always get sad whenever my babies would end up with a scratch across their nose or across their head so I really tried to make sure their fingernails were trimmed every few days.
They make little baby mittens, but I personally feel like babies need their fingers and hands free because that’s what they are used to and want to be able to access them if they want to soothe themselves.
My recommendation is to get an entire hygiene kit because it’ll come with all the necessities for your little babe! Most of them will have nail clippers, hair brush, hair comb, nasal aspirator, and a thermometer.
Babies noses are really tiny when they are born so they get stuffed up easily and so I always keep baby saline mist on hand to make sure I can get all their snot out. Babies breath through their noses when they are eating so it’s really important to keep their airways open and clear!
My Favorite Baby Hygiene Items:
7. Baby Monitor
Last, but not least on the list for newborn essentials, a baby monitor (with a camera) is an absolute must!!! Even if the baby sleeps in your room for the first few months, you won’t always be in the room with them and for peace of mind having a baby monitor is crucial. A baby monitor will last you for years and years too, so even though it’s a bit of an investment – it pays off.
They make many different kinds these days and most of them have INCREDIBLE quality of video compared to when my 10 year old son was born. Some monitors connect to your wifi so you can look at them through your phone even if you’re away from your home. Other monitors don’t connect to your wifi and are more of a closed network that only the parent can access from the monitor it comes with.
Do your research and find the one that fits your family and your needs! Personally I’ve always used the Infant Optics monitor and it’s been amazing and I have no complaints about it. It’s a non-wifi model and can connect to more than one camera if you have more than one little.
My Favorite Baby Monitors: