If you’re soon to give birth, you’re likely searching all over looking for blog posts for what babies need. I know I did. I was desperate to know if I needed to have all the fancy gadgets and gizmos. Trust me, you don’t NEED them, but some of them will help.
Related: 7 Things To Do When Pregnant
I have compiled a list of all the things that I use for my babies on a regular basis. I used an amazon registry for both of my babies. It has great features including a gift box (If you live in the contiguous United States), an option to add items from other websites, and a bunch of suggestions. It’s always great to see reviews on products before you buy them and Amazon definitely has that! Start your registry here!
Related: 16 Things You Don’t Need For baby
Necessities
- Bed– We don’t buy a typical crib or bassinet or anything like that. We skip right to putting our babies on a twin sized mattress. A thin mattress like this one isn’t too far off the ground and it won’t hurt if your baby falls off onto a soft carpet. Save your money on an expensive bassinet, crib, and toddler bed and jump right to a twin sized mattress for your little one. If you want to get a more traditional crib, get something that will transition with your child. It may have a higher upfront cost but in the long run it will save you.
- High chair– A place to feed a baby is amazing for at least a few months. You can go without a high chair, but your floors and lap will thank you for getting a high chair to contain your mobile baby as they shovel food into their face.
- Breast pump & bags & bottle & Haakaa– If you plan on breastfeeding a Haakaa is a necessity in my book. It’s classified as a manual breast pump, but it doesn’t require any action, you suction it on and it collects milk! I highly recommend having bottles, milk bags, and a breast pump just in case. This breast pump is what I use and love! What makes it amazing is how comfortable the flanges are, and you don’t have to be connected to a plug in to pump. It’s portable and lightweight. It also has great suction without being too much. I love that it has a setting for initiating the letdown.
Related: Best & Worst Breastfeeding Products
- Diapers, wipes, & butt paste– I love this butt paste. I’ve actually had a child ingest it and we called poison control but there were no ill effects. But it clears up diaper rashes like no one’s business! I also love using one of these to keep my fingers clean. For diapers we use cloth diapers like these and these covers! For wipes we used to use cloth wipes for my son, but for my daughter I was super concerned about UTI’s, so we started using these disposable wipes.
Related: Cloth Diapers
- Clothes– Your kid has to have clothes even though when they turn into a toddler they will fight it with everything they have. We received a ton of clothes for free through a clothing drive. We were gifted even more and we got a very small amount as the need arose. I recommend no buttons as much as possible, this includes onesies. In my opinion shirts and pants are the way to go with all the diaper changes you will be doing.
- Sleep sacks– You will either need swaddles or sleep sacks for your baby to sleep in, blankets are a no-no due to the risk of SIDS. I love the halo sleep sacks for when your baby is little. Once your baby becomes mobile I love using the zipadee. The zipadee is amazing because once your baby can roll over they can’t be swaddled anymore and the zipadee gives your baby the opportunity to push themselves back over. Their arms and hands stay warm also because they are completely contained. When my babies are about 5 or 6 months old I switch them to sleeping in footed pajamas like these.
- Car seat!– You can’t even leave the hospital without a car seat. It’s definitely a necessity. I don’t like bucket seats, I don’t want to lug one around everywhere. I love this car seat. It would have been great to have had for my son. It is definitely exactly what we will get for our next kid.
- Snot sucker, and nail clippers– You have to have something to suck snot, and those sharp baby nails will be much nicer on your tender skin when you clip them. This kit has all you need for personal care.
- Diaper bag– A backpack diaper bag is the best option. When your bag is slipping down your shoulder every minute it’s hard to hold a baby. It’s even worse when you’re also chasing a toddler. Get a backpack with lots of pockets and versatility like this one.
Related: Complete Diaper Bag Checklist
- A baby carrier– This carrier is the best. Trust me, I have them all. I have an ergo, multiple wraps, a hip seat, as well as one or two others that I used once and hated. Since I don’t carry a bucket seat, I need a way to carry my baby around. I didn’t have this carrier for my first, but I got it for my second and here is my advice: Get the Beco! It is so comfortable. It’s the ultimate carrier.
- Plates & utensils- This plate is the best! We have three of them and literally use them daily for each meal for almost two years now. It suctions to the table and it has dividers so your picky eater can separate their food. Ezpz also has an amazing tiny cup and small weighted spoons!
- Bibs-Get silicone bibs. Don’t even think about the fabric bibs unless you want to have 20 or wash laundry every single day. These bibs are superior to some of the other ones. They are slightly larger and they are more comfortable than some other ones we got. They easily wash out, they will save you time and energy.
Related: Gift Basket For A Mother To Be
Things That Are Nice To Have But Not Necessary
- Snack container– These make your life as a parent so much easier. Your kid can feed themselves without making a huge mess, and that in my book is a huge help.
- Baby monitor– This camera is what we use. We love Wyze products, they are amazing. You can access the images from your phone. There’s an option to have it always record, otherwise it records about 30 seconds every 5 minutes when there’s movement. There is no subscription required!
- White noise machine– We use our Alexa for white noise. It works amazingly. It’s all done with your voice, which is great when you’re holding a sleeping baby and you don’t have a free hand to push a button. It’s also great for longer than your child needs white noise. Toddler dance parties, here we come!
- Learning tower– We love our learning tower. My son ate standing at the counter for months using this. It’s adjustable to accommodate your child for years. Technically it recommends being for 18 months and up, but we definitely had my son in it before that and my daughter has already started using it.
Related: Baby Proofing
If you’re having babies close in age check out my Two under Two post here.
Babies don’t need too many things, but that’s my list of what you need for a baby. Some of these things will make your life easier.
