I am sooo close to hopping off the pregnancy train and landing right in newborn land! I have been dreaming about my little man and those newborn snuggles for months. I am so excited to hold and kiss him... and no longer be pregnant in summer ;).
With little man being our third babe, we're very prepared in the baby gear and baby "stuff" department. We've seen it all and know exactly what stuff we need and which brands make the best of the best. I wanted to share my top 20 newborn items, the stuff you really NEED in those first few months. These are all thing's I've used with my babes and highly recommend!
1.
Carseat. Because you're not bringing that babe home without one! We went with the
Cybex Cloud Q carseat and I love it. It can fully recline when outside of the car, perfect for a snoozing babe.
(see my full review here)
2.
Stroller. We have the
Uppababy Vista with the second
rumble seat and the
piggyback board so that we can haul all three kids around. We can also attach our carseat using
these adapters.
3.
Diapers, wipes, and diaper cream. We usually buy Honest diapers, but I'm honestly not super picky. I just love that honest delivers! I actually only have
Babyganics newborn diapers and they are sooooo soft. For diaper cream, we only use
Weleda and I highly highly recommend it. I also recommend getting a small foldable changing mat and keeping it wherever you spend most of your time (for us, this is our family room). We have a small changing mat from
Gathre and it's the perfect size.
4.
Toiletries. You'll need a shampoo/body wash and lotion. We used
Mustela newborn wash and
emollient cream with both our girls and loved it. I recommend the
Mustela face wipes for the very beginning then they have baby acne. I've recently fallen in love with
Babyganics products though, so we plan on just starting out using those since that's what the girls are currently using.
5.
Infant bath seat and hooded towel. We have used and love the
angelcare bath seat; it's perfect for newborns and even older babies who cannot yet sit up in the bathtub. You'll also want a few hooded towels and washcloths. We got baby brother a few hooded towels from
June and January.
6.
Burp cloths. You'll quickly learn that these are good for much more than just spit up! My favorite ever burp cloths are from
Witts End Design!
7.
Swaddles. I am kind of a blanket nut. My kids have way too many and I can't seem to stop buying them more and more! Baby will definitely need 5 or more swaddle blankets. Our babies use them during the day for naps and to keep warm. For traditional swaddle blankets, my favorite brands are
KB Cute designs,
Max and Moose,
Clementine Kids, and
Aden and Anais. When our babes are newborns, we use a
sleep sack that zips up the front at night, it's much harder for tiny hands to escape these!
8.
Pacifiers. Both of my girls have liked the
Avent pacifiers. I plan on trying the
Natursutten pacifiers with baby brother, I really like that they're all one piece and there aren't places where germs can hide. We'll see what kind he likes though! I also really like the pacifier clips from
Loved By Sophia Claire so that we don't lose pacifiers.
9.
Boppy. We use our
boppy (ok both of them) ALL the time. I think the boppy is the best nursing pillow. We also use it to prop up baby and help older siblings hold baby. I love getting a handmade cover in a fun print (check out
Madly Wish and
Stella and Lu for custom covers!).
10.
Mittens. These are so important in the very beginning or baby will scratch their little face up! I used
Goumikids mittens with both girls and love them (I almost always give these as a gift at baby showers, they're that good).
11.
Wrap. You need a wrap, especially if you have other children and need your hands to continue taking care of them! I love my
Solly Baby wrap and definitely recommend.
12.
Bassinet (or somewhere safe for baby to sleep). Sloan slept next to our bed in a pack n' play which worked great, but it took up a lot of space. Phayre slept next to our bed in a bassinet and we'll do the same with baby brother. We have the
Halo swivel sleeper bassinet and love it. We have a
Dockatot that we use for lounging, but I've heard this is a great option if you plan on co-sleeping.
13.
Swing and/or bouncy seat. We have the 4moms
mamaroo swing and the
bounceroo infant seat. Basically you want a safe place to put baby where they will be soothed by movement or vibration!
14.
Clothing. I like super soft and basic clothing for my newborns. Gowns, jammies, and cross body onesies are my favorite. You can see my favorite clothing picks for baby brother
here!
15.
Owlet monitor. I so strongly recommend getting an
Owlet monitor to help keep your baby safe and give you peace of mind while they're sleeping. See why
here!
16.
Diaper bag. I love my
Fawn Design for the backpack style. If you have more than one child and need something a bit larger, I love the
Itzy Ritzy tribe tote diaper bag and the
Honest diaper bag.
17.
Laundry soap. You will be doing A LOT of laundry, especially if your baby spits up a lot (like Sloan did!!). We use
Persil proclean for sensitive skin for the entire families laundry. For major stains, I treat them with
baby oxiclean spray.
18.
Gripe water. We have used
Mommy's Bliss gripe water with both our girls and I already bought some for baby brother just in case he gets a gassy tummy!
19.
Coffee and Wine. Because duh, you're going to be exhausted! See how I make my favorite iced coffee
here.
20.
Help. Don't be proud, take all the help you can get. Eric and I don't have much family support, but we are so incredibly lucky to have so many friends that have become our family. It can be hard to accept help, but if the people who love you are offering it just take it!