Baby Must-Haves: The Newborn Essentials List

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Essentials for Newborn Babies

Are you feeling stressed while trying to prepare everything you need for your new baby? Let me help you RELAX. I’ve got a simple list that covers the must-have items for your newborn.

This essentials list is great whether you’re a minimalist mom or one that has everything.

The minimalist mom will love it, as it’s short and sweet. 

The prepared for it all mom will love it, as she will be able to start to build her registry with these few items and then add whatever other extras she might want. 

Newborn Essentials

When I was pregnant with my oldest I feared making a baby registry or agreeing to allow friends or family to throw me a baby shower.

I did not want my house to be “taken over by baby stuff”, was what I said.

So I kept things pretty simple. 

There were six categories of baby stuff that I picked stuff from. 

Those categories were baby gear, nursing & feeding, bath & potty, health & safety, nursery/sleep, and clothing.

Why You Need This Newborn Essentials List

This list is not the same list you see everywhere else. 

For starters, this list is made up entirely of items that I have personally used with my three children. Not only that. I have either given these items as gifts or suggested them to friends, family, and client families. 

This list is entirely things that this Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and mom of three knows are (usually) necessary items. 

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Newborn Baby Must Haves

The Baby Gear Your Newborn Needs

You can get away with keeping things simple in terms of baby gear. However, there are few items that just about every mom will need. 

Car Seat

If you travel by car then you need a car seat. Families that prefer minimal items, or don’t want to spend on items that are not exactly necessary, then you can skip the infant car seat and go straight to a convertible seat. 

I have used both the Clek Fllo with the infant-thingy infant insert and the Britax Marathon, with a 7lb newborn baby. Though I prefer the ease of installation of the click-tight Britax seats. I love the fit of my tiny baby in the Clek Fllo. 

Baby Carrier

There are many baby carrier available in the market. A stretchy style wrap, like this Boba wrap or the Moby wrap, is an excellent choice for a newborn. There is a small learning curve with a wrap.

If you prefer a more simple carrier, but like the idea of a stretchy wrap, the Baby K’Tan is a good choice. However, it is not a one size fits all, so you need to be sure to order the correct size. 

Another option for a baby carrier would be a buckle carrier, or what is called a soft-structured carrier. Baby girl loves being worn in our Beco Gemini. 

A Bouncer, Rocker, or Swing

After three babies I do feel that an inexpensive bouncer is a great item to have. It’s perfect for when you need to put the baby down somewhere safe, but want to keep them near you. 

This bouncer doesn’t come with many bells and whistles but it works great. All three of my babies have loved this seat and prefer it over the fancier ones that they have been in. 

Stroller

I don’t find a stroller a necessity. Baby girl will be six months old this month and she hasn’t been in a stroller yet. 

However, we do have this UPPAbaby stroller. It’s lightweight and folds up small. It can easily be stored in the trunk of the car to be taken out when you go somewhere that you prefer a stroller over a carrier.  

The Nursing & Feeding Essentials Your Baby Needs

If you are breastfeeding, then you want to be sure to read my breastfeeding essentials list. There I outline all the best items that a breastfeeding mother needs. The list is full of non-toxic, safe items!

If you are not breastfeeding, or you are planning to pump, then you will need bottles, nipples, a bottle brush, and a drying rack is a nice accessory. 

Side Note: If you are breastfeeding (or planning to) then you will want to take this course! It’s the BEST online breastfeeding course available. If you’ll be pumping, she also has a “back to work pumping” class and a class just for those that are planning to exclusively pump! You can’t go wrong with any of these classes!

Bottles & Nipples

In an effort to keep things as non-toxic as possible, I use glass baby bottles. 

There is a variety of glass bottles available. These glass bottles, with the newborn nipple, work quite well. The newborn nipple provides a very slow flow, which more closely mimics breastfeeding. 

Bottle Brush

I like that this bottle brush comes with a convenient stand and nipple brush.

This set of brushes includes all the various small brushes you’ll need to clean parts of baby bottles and straw cups.

Drying Rack

I have used this drying rack to dry both bottles and their parts, and all of my pump parts. The bottom tray can be removed so that you can easily clean the drying rack and drip tray. 

There are additional accessories available to help hang all of your bottle and pump parts to dry.  

Burp Cloths

There are two types of burp cloths I like to keep. 

In my diaper bag, I keep my organic knit burp cloths. While around the house I prefer to use these Gerber organic prefold diapers as burp cloths. 

The Bath & Potty Items Your Baby Needs

Infant Bathtub

An infant bathtub is not completely necessary to some. However, I find that I absolutely need one. 

I really like this baby bathtub.

It has a sling for the newborn and early stage. Then when your baby is a little older you can remove the sling, but leave in the insert that prevents your baby from slipping down. Then once they are able to maintain a sitting position in the water you can remove the insert and use the small space as a bathtub. 

Baby Wash

For a safe non-toxic baby wash, this Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap works well. 

Diapers

I prefer to use cloth diapers.

For tiny newborns, I love Green Mountain Diapers organic cloth-eez workhorse fitted diapers with a thirsties cover.

Once they outgrow the newborn diapers I move into the Cotton Babies adjustable diapers. For cost effectiveness, I prefer the Flip system with the organic insert. 

When I’m traveling or will be out of the house all day, we use disposable diapers. My preferred non-toxic disposable diapers are these or these. 

The Health & Safety Items You Need for your baby

Health and safety items include a variety of items. 

Thermometer

You will need to have a thermometer on hand for the just in case. You can read all about fevers, how to take a temperature, and my favorite thermometers in this post. 

Nail Files

Those tiny baby nails grow fast! I prefer to use a nail file over nail clippers. I’ve seen far too many tiny fingers injured from nail clippers.

This pack of nail files is great. They’re the perfect size to hold in your hand and file away at those tiny fingernails.

Suction

Personally, I prefer a bulb syringe, like this one. This may come from years of using one in a professional setting. However, many mothers prefer the Nose Frida. 

Both provide suction and can help to clear a nose. However, newborns sometimes spit up and have to clear their lungs. The bulb syringe would be preferred if you have to clear the mouth. 

Pacifier

A pacifier is a personal preference. My oldest is the only one of my children to ever take a pacifier. He only used one for about six weeks. 

I really like this natural rubber pacifier and most everyone I suggest it to loves it as well!

Teether

I prefer a natural rubber teether. Baby girl is currently loving this Owl teether. You can see my other recommended teething toys here or here.

Monitor

A baby monitor allows you to see or see and hear your newborn when you are not in the room with them. 

I kept it simple with this audio monitor for my first two. It was easy and worked great.

Now that there are three kids and multiple bedrooms that I like to watch, I have this video monitor. It has two cameras with the ability to add more. It also offers a two-way radio option, so I can speak to my boys and let them know when I see them goofing off in their bedroom instead of going to sleep. 

The Nursery Items You Need for Your Newborn

You may or may not have a nursery in the general sense of the word. But no matter whether or not you create a bedroom solely for your baby you do need to create a space in a bedroom for them. 

Sleep

I prefer to have my babies sleep in a co-sleeper right within my arms reach. You can read about my favorite and recommended co-sleepers in this post about infant sleep. 

Sound Machine

I use a sound machine to help with sleep. This post here explains how I use a sound machine and which one is my favorite. 

The Clothing Items You Need for Your Newborn

I like to keep it very simple in terms of clothing items for newborns. 

Sleepers

For sleep, I prefer gowns for tiny babies. Gowns make nighttime diaper changes easy.

Your baby will only have their legs and bottom exposed during diaper changes. Which means you can leave your swaddle zipped up to the stomach/chest area. 

Swaddles

Which brings me to my favorite swaddle.

The Swaddle Up swaddle is a can’t miss item! This post explains why the swaddle up is unique and why it improves nighttime newborn sleep. 

Onesies and Shirts

Some babies seem to go through multiple outfits a day.

They might spit up on their onesie. Sometimes a diaper leaks or has a “blowout” (when poop goes up the back of the diaper or out the side leg casings).

You will want to have enough pieces to allow for multiple outfit changes each day.

Newborn Baby Must-Have List of Essential Items

This list might not be all-inclusive for everyone. It includes the basics that you need for a new baby, plus some additional items that you may want.

If you know that you want more for your baby, by all means, you do not need to follow this list exactly as it’s written. Figure it out so that this list works best for your needs.

If you want help figuring out what you definitely want, might want or don’t want – get in touch with me! You can find Simply Well Family on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I’m happy to help you figure it out.

I want to know!

Do you have a favorite item that you used with your newborn baby that I missed? Share what it is in the comments!

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