May 8, 2024 by Cecily Anastasia
Mama, if you’re up to pee again at 2:00 a.m. thinking about what to buy for your newborn baby, I hope this newborn baby essentials checklist helps you feel prepared to bring home your little miracle! I remember bringing home our third baby, home at the time being a 30 foot travel trailer RV, and wondering if we could live with only baby basics so I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed in such a tiny space with three children.
Luckily, our home was only a few months out from being move in ready. Just two months after moving in we found out we were expecting baby number four! I realized we didn’t need much in the RV, and that just because we had more room again didn’t mean I needed more stuff. After all that baby really wants time with you more than anything else. (free PDF downloadable list to save for later here)
What Essential Items Does a Newborn Baby Need?
Newborn babies need clothing, food, shelter, and love but maybe a few other items will help!
Clothing
- 3-4 onesies with built in hand mittens. I really like these super soft bamboo ones that I felt good about putting on my sensitive newborn.
- 3-4 footed zippered one pieces. I promise your newborn baby will live in these and it will make night time diaper changes so much easier! I tried to buy less and get higher quality materials such as 100% organic cotton or bamboo. I loved these because we didn’t know if baby was a boy or girl and I was able to find so many gender neutral colors. For closed footed I went with the ribbed one pieces from MeiBaby.
- Sleepers or Sleep Gown. The Halo sleepsack worked great for my husband who never liked swaddling with a muslin blanket. I also like wearable blankets or any sleeper that is loose, buttons or ties at the bottom to make those nighttime changes fast.
- One pair of velcro footies. I opted for these over socks for the first few months. I only needed one pair.
- Muslin Blankets. These essential items are everything! They are your burp cloths, your nursing cover, light blanket for the car seat. They will always be on my newborn must haves list. My two older children still have and love theirs.
- Waffle Blanket. If you are having a fall or winter baby you may also want a warmer blanket in addition to the Muslim. These waffle blankets are my favorite, and make the cutest backdrops for monthly pictures also.
Sleep
- Bassinet or Mini Crib. If you want baby in your room, than you could skip the bassinet and just do the mini crib. If you travel like we did, than this bassinet is great for at home and on the go. I loved the removable mesh covering that I could add on top when we are out on our homestead or for outdoor events such as fourth or July, or soccer practice.
- Mattress, sheets, and mattress pad protector. I know these items are obvious for baby basics but maybe you’re like me and find yourself in newborn zombie land and realized you completely spaced sheets that fit a mini crib. Again we tried to stick with organic materials so this mattress was a great find, affordable, and was delivered right to the door.
- Baby Sound Machine. The Hatch is by far our favorite baby sound machine. It actually has good volume, acts as a nightlight, and has many settings and timers available. It has also stood the test of time so be sure to keep it for those next babies or to give to a friend.
- Baby Monitor without WIFI or signals (which can effect baby’s sleep). This was a baby essential for us as we live on a homestead and are often doing outside chores. This has been so helpful and I like that it does still have a camera without needing WIFI connection.
Nursing / Feeding
- Breast Pump or Formula. This Spectra S2 breast pump is amazing! A decade ago with my first I had a basic, simple pump and wow have these come a long way since.
- Breast Milk Storage Bags. Any online or brick and mortar store will have these for you!
- Dr. Brown’s Glass bottles. My last baby had no interest whatsoever in bottles, so funny enough she drank out of an actual mini cup even at 7 months. But I really like that these bottles are glass and with baby number four I don’t need to worry about heating any plastic.
- Boppy – Ten years ago the boppy was amazing, and today it still is! I know there are lots of new similar items on the market but for me this is the gold standard, tried and true nursing pillow. It also helps our big kids feel more comfortable holding baby.
- Reusable nursing pads. I wish these were around a decade ago, although I’m sure I could have made them (if I was that kind of crafty gal). These are perfect when your milk comes in and your body is adjusting and hasn’t fully regulated.
- Burp Cloths. As I said previously I think you can use muslin blankets for everything, but I was gifted these muslin burp cloths and I will say there are amazing and actually long enough to cover you when burping. They are great for on the go if you want separate burp cloths.
- Hakka. (Optional) I would say this being an essential is up to you, but if you are a nursing mama, you know how precious that milk is and this helped me not to loose milk and deal with any engorgement before feeding baby. Wish these were around before!
Traveling
- Car seat or car seat stroller duo. I went with a car seat stroller duo the Xpand system, that could expand into a double stroller as well. This worked out great as baby number 3 and 4 are only thirteen months apart.
- Diapers. We like the simplicity of ordering Dyper and having it delivered right to the door every three weeks. You can change sizes or move order dates as needed on Amazon subscription. We also like the cleaner ingredients.
- Diaper Bag. I always like to remind Moms you can use anything as a diaper bag, any old backpack, or even an old over sized purse. It doesn’t have to be fancy! My favorite are backpack diaper bags. If you are looking for one to put on your baby registry this one has tons of space, can be worn on the shoulder or as a backpack, and I personally love the color.
- Changing Pad. We use changing pads on the go and at home instead of buying any changing station items or big bulky changing mats that baby outgrows before you know it.
- Wet Bag. You will want these for those blowouts on the go! Even if you are not doing reusable diapers, these will save your baby clothes and store a change of outfit for mom and baby. Just throw them in your diaper bag.
- Car seat cover. I explain in my YT video here why I have these specific kinds on my baby essentials list. The are great to keep prying hands off that newborn baby during outings, double as nursing covers, and even eventually as cart covers at the store.
Bathing
- Baby bath. All you really need is a towel, some washcloths, and a little brush. You can read here why we do not use any cleaning baby products from lotions, to shampoos on our babies and why they do not need them, and their gut microbiome will be better for it.
- Nail clipper set. This set includes baby scissors and nail clippers and a filer so you can decide which method you best prefer. Some mommas will even just bite them off themselves. All the more to you if that’s your way!
- Nose Frida & Thermometer. These are so helpful to have on hand for those hopefully rare days baby is feeling under the weather.
Extras
These are not included in my essentials must haves, because you can get by without them. But for me they are wonderful bonus items or great to add to that newborn baby registry you’re making. For some items I may have needed something for one baby but not necessarily another.
- Baby Carrier – I have two baby carriers. One is soft and wonderful for newborns, although you can keep using it for a very long time. This one is the Boba wrap. I also like having a more structured carrier for hikes, or homestead chores like the Lilliebaby carrier. This is especially great for when baby can be moved to your back.
- Baby Bouncer – This one folds down for slim storage. I don’t use any other baby containers during that first year, but this one came in great during homeschool or cooking.
- Windi by Frida. If you have a baby with colic or trapped gas the Windi was a lifesaver!
- Montessori Baby Wooden Toys – Let’s face it, your newborn baby isn’t playing with any toys for those first few months. But around 4 months and onward we enjoyed having 2-3 smaller wooden toys such as a rattle or this set for baby and she loves them!
- Soft or wooden books. We are a book loving family so we start books from early on with our babies. The soft black and white are wonderful for visual contrast along with your classic board books like Goodnight Moon, one of all our kids favorites.
- High Chair and Silicone bibs. If you want to think ahead to introducing foods I highly recommend these silicone bibs. Because I don’t buy a ton of clothing these help to make messy food time a little bit easier to clean up. Look for a used high chair! If this is your first baby and you want to invest in one to continue to use this one is great too.
- Rocker/Glider/Chair. With my older two children I was able to find a beautiful used wooden rocking chair we loved. In the R.V. there was no thought of adding any sort of chair. Once we moved into our home I had an old oversized leather chair that was so comfy and perfect for nursing, reading, or swaying baby to sleep. You might already have something too. If not they are easy to find just about anywhere.
- Newborn ADORABLE but unrealistic baby outfit. Look I am all about being minimal, but also realistic. I buy each of my children a pregnancy hormone guided adorable picture worthy outfit and coming home outfit. I mean it’s obviously for me, but after 9 (nearly 10) months being pregnant and delivering that baby, a cute outfit for a memorable photo is to me worth it!
- Humidifier. You will be thankful to have this if you’re having a fall or winter baby or if your little one gets sick.
- Electric Kettle. We already had this one on hand. We simply used this and a large coffee mug to heat up any milk for baby we needed.
- Pacifiers. You may or may not want to have these on hand. We have had babies that do or don’t take them so with each new one we have them just in case.
All right so if you were awake in the middle of the night again thinking if you have everything you need ready for your newborn baby, I hope you can rest assure that it will all be linked here for you when you wake back up. If you still can’t sleep, feel free to check out my favorite baby board books and why reading to our babies is so valuable.
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