Everything You'll Ever Need for a Newborn

Baby stuff!

There are hundreds of baby guides all over the interwebs. Top 10 Baby Items, Minimalist Baby List, 16 Things New Moms Can't Live Without, the lists go on and on.

When I was first pregnant with Lydia I researched like mad and curated a decent list of must have baby items. Now that I've done the newborn thing once and I'm getting ready to do it again, I've made a few tweaks (taken out things I didn't use that much, added things I wish I would've had from the get-go, etc).

So here it is - my Everything You'll Ever Need for a Newborn list! It seems pretty massive, but it includes everything from baby hangers to crib sheets to nipple pads, so... ya it's long. This has been my go-to checklist every day for both of my pregnancies, though this time I already have most of the basics and I'm just filling in the gaps - i.e. boy clothes ;).

Everything You'll Ever Need for Baby

Clothe

- Onesies
- Leggings
- Pajamas
- Nightgowns 
- Cute Outfits. It's always so funny to me, people say, "Babies just live in onesies and leggings so no need to buy cute clothes!" Babies live in whatever you put them in! So if you want to dress them in adorable little dresses or rompers every day, do it! I loved getting Lydia dressed up, that's part of what made it all so fun. Also, yes they have blow outs and Lydia had more spit up than any baby I know, but that's what bibs and good laundry detergent are for ;). A few brands I love are Target's Cat and Jack line, Old Navy, H&M, Carter's, GAP when they run sales, or Peek and Zara if you're feeling spendy.
- Socks/Booties
- Hats
- Scratch Mittens. Brands matter here! We got some super cheapo ones that wouldn't stay on longer than two seconds. We stepped it up (still just Target, but the nicer brand) and noticed a huge difference.
- Baby Hangers
- Outerwear. This time around I'm due in March! Brrr...
- Bows. For the little ladies of course :)

Travel

- Stroller. I absolutely LOVE my Uppababy Vista. It converts to a double, everything is so user friendly and intuitive, the carseat snaps in and out, but best of all there is a MASSIVE storage basket. Like unparalleled in the stroller universe. For a slightly less expensive version, City Select is awesome, and for the ritzy moms out there, Bugaboo is top of the line.
- Carseat. Uppababy Mesa
- Carseat Cover. I got a striped jersey nursing cover from Covered Goods but actually ended up using it only as a carseat cover! I loved it. Highly recommend (there are also tons of cheaper versions on Amazon) so you're not constantly throwing blankets over the carseat.
- Baby Carrier/Wrap. I used my Solly Baby every single day with Lydia. Doing dishes, vacuuming, especially grocery shopping. But I'm planning on also using an Ergobaby with #2 just because the Solly did take a few minutes to wrap on every time, and I don't know if I'll have that much patience with two kids.
- Diaper Bag. Huge fan of both my original Marc Jacobs nylon diaper bag (see it  here) and my Fawn Design. I can admittedly fit a lot more in the Marc Jacobs and the pockets are bigger/better, but I love the backpack option of the Fawn (and of course the look).

Sleep/Nursery

- Crib
- Crib Mattress
- Mattress Pad
- Crib Sheets (at least 2)
- Auto Rock n Play. From the first night home from the hospital till she was about 2 months old, Lydia slept in the Rock n Play! I highly recommend it. It does just what the name implies - it can rock back and forth and play music if you want, all on a timer (so we would set it to rock for 30 minutes and then turn off once she was asleep). It's slightly elevated at the head, which was great for Lydia's reflux, and it was small enough to fit right next to our bed.
- White Noise Machine. We still use one to this day and we've never had to worry about doorbells, talking too loud, etc.
- Baby Monitor. There are SO many trains of thought on this. Michael and I didn't want to commit to a $200 monitor but also liked the idea of being able to see what Lydia was doing in the middle of the night without totally waking her up and walking in her room. So we took the easy option and downloaded a $3 app onto both our phones and an old iPhone! Yes, the quality definitely isn't as good as the fancy Motorola video cam, but for the price of a Swig drink I think it's totally worth it if you're indecisive like us! We used it a lot when we first switched Lydia from our room to her crib, around 2 or 3 months old. It was so nice to just turn on the video when we heard her cry so we didn't have to go in the room to check on her. We haven't since she was about 8 months old, but I need to whip it out again for Baby Boy!
- Rocking Chair
- Swaddle Blankets. Aden & Anais forever and always amen. Bonus points if you get the silky soft bamboo ones.
- Baby Swaddler. We swore by the Miracle Blanket! There's no velcro, just lots of wrapping to make sure baby is snug as a bug and can't get out.

Play

- High Contrast Simple Books. Especially anything crinkly.
- Baby Toys. Think soft, music, mirrors, crinkle, animals.
- Swing. Again, lots of differing opinions on this one. We initially registered for a Mama Roo, but then last minute took the money and got three separate swings/bouncers for the same price! We loved the SnuggaPuppy swing for the basement, the Auto Rock n Play for upstairs by our bed, and a little bouncer chair for upstairs that we could move anywhere - by the kitchen table during dinner, in the bathroom while I did my makeup, etc. If you have two levels I definitely recommend having at least one swing/bouncer/chair upstairs and one down. You will not want to haul something back and forth.
- Play Mat
- Bumbo, eventually.

Clean

- Diapers
- Wipes. I really like the Pampers Sensitive. I've tried many brands and always go back to these.
- Diaper Pail and Liners. I didn't buy a real diaper pail last time and I regretted it! The normal garbage can with a lid didn't keep the smells in, so I had to take every diaper outside. Such a hassle! So I just bought a Munchkin Step diaper pail and I love it! It's SO nice to be able to just throw the diaper right in the pail instead of holding a baby while shoving diapers in grocery bags and running it outside. Ha.
- Changing Table/Dresser
- Changing Pad
- Changing Pad Cover. I'm torn. We started with a cute fabric one, but after way too much stain-removing we switched to a plastic wipe up cover. But it was always so cold on Lydia's back! So I just bought a fabric once again, and we'll see how long that lasts with a newborn BOY who apparently will pee everywhere...
- Rash Cream. Bordeaux Butt Paste is awesome.
- Baby Wash/Lotion. We love Burt's Bees, and one bottle of wash and one bottle of lotion lasted us almost an entire year.
- Baby Bath Tub. The Puj Tub is awesome!! It fits right in your bathroom sink and you don't have to worry about bending over the tub to wash a wriggly newborn.
- Baby Hair Brush
- Wash Cloths
- Baby Towel. Though I'll admit we only used it for a few months before just realizing that babies are allowed to use normal human towels? ;) Haha.
- Baby Laundry Detergent
- Stain Remover. You will pretty much have a permanent pile of soaking baby clothes, so get a little plastic bin (or pro tip - steal the hospital's baby tub!) so you can always whip it out to soak and spray clothes. We still use the hideous yellow hospital tub almost daily for Lydia's stained clothes.
- Zip Locks. Keep a gallon sized zip lock in your diaper bag or car for dirty clothes when you're out and about! These really came in handy when she was little and had occasional blow outs, and I was recently reminded they'll come in handy again once we enter the potty training stage!

Health

- Baby Nail Clippers
- Baby Thermometer. Spend the extra $$ and get a good one. When it's 1am and your baby is sick you won't want to be running to Walmart because your thermometer keeps giving you vastly different numbers. (Been there.)
- Baby Sunscreen
- Baby Tylenol
- Snot Sucker. The Nosa Frida is pretty disgusting but the best.

Quiet

- Pacifiers
- Binky Clips. CRUCIAL. I don't know how parents survive without these those first few months. You would just be bending over a million times a day?! There are so many cute ones on etsy, just search leather braided pacifier clips.
- Wubbanub Binkies. These are the adorable hospital binkies with the animals on the end! They are great when your baby still accidentally spits out the pacifier all the time. The animals weighs it down and keeps the nipple close to their mouth so they can reach it!
- Teething Toys. Sofie the Giraffe is indeed worth the hype. Also those rings you can throw in the freezer are great.

Feed

I cannot tell you how many dressing rooms and parking lots I've nursed in.

- Bottles. We used Tommee Tippee for a while but then switched to the $0.98 skinny Walmart ones since she could hold them herself!
- Nursing Pillow. The boppy worked great for us, and doubles as portable crib during the day for your tiny newborn.
- Nipple Guard. In case nursing doesn't come super easy, this little plastic thing is a life saver!!
- Breast Pump. Get a free one from your insurance. I loved the Medela double pump machine one.
- Pumping Bra. So it looks absolutely ridiculous but it is amazing. You can pump hands free!
- Milk Storage Containers
- Burp Cloths
- Nursing Cover. I initially had the cute fitted jersey one from Covered Goods, but actually found that the very un-cute apron ones worked way better for us. I could see Lydia through the top hoop and she didn't feel so smothered.
- Bottle Brush and Drying Rack
- Formula. I nursed and pumped for 5 months but then lost my milk and we had to use Similac Sensitive because of Lydia's crazy reflux.
- Bibs. Babies drool and spit all the time. So it was a constant struggle between do I want to cover this adorable outfit with a hideous bib or do I let her adorable outfit get covered in spit. Hmm. Still don't know the right answer on this one.

Mama

- Nipple Cream. Ohhhh you will need it.
- Nursing Bras. Still haven't found a favorite, though I've heard good things about splurging and getting a nice Soma or Cake nursing bra!
- Nursing Pads. And not a bad idea to have these on hand a few weeks before your due date. Just in case your body is like mine and decides to start leaking while you're STILL PREGNANT. Talk about awkward.
- Baby App. I downloaded a baby feeding/sleeping app that was pretty much my bible for the first few weeks. When you're first getting the hang of nursing and baby's schedule, you think you'll remember how long they ate for, which side they ate on, how long they slept, etc. But you totally won't. You're exhausted. It was SOOO HELPFUL to find an intuitive app that tracked all of that. After a few weeks I didn't need it anymore, but at the beginning I loved it.
- Stool Softener and All Those Fancy Down-There Necessities. Recovery is brutal. But the hospital will give you lots of stuff to take home - take it all and ask for extra! Things like witch hazel, squirt bottles and huge pads all become your BFFs. People like to hate on the stretchy mesh granny panties the hospital gives you, but I say why ruin your own underwear? Embrace the mesh. I also HIGHLY recommend this Earth Mama Bottom Spray (here) - it helped a ton.
- Robe/Lounge Clothes. Pinterest says to bring cute pjs to the hospital, but honestly I just stayed in hospital gowns till I left. I mean everyone knows you're in the hospital and just had a baby, you're not fooling anyone with that glamorous silky robe. That being said, I did like having some cute, functional nursing dresses/pjs that were visitor-appropriate for once I was home. You're in the awkward body phase for a few weeks (aka your painfully engorged chest is bigger than your head and your flappy tummy is super hot). So it's nice having comfy but photo-worthy clothes since life will be a blur of nursing/napping/getting spit up on/greeting visitors.
- Baby Book. Purchasing a beautiful and thorough baby book before Lydia was born was one of the best things I did! I scoured etsy and found an awesome binder-style baby book with sheets for pregnancy, labor & delivery, footprints, milestones, monthly pages, holidays, etc. It was nice to have it before hand so I could fill out all the pregnancy pages and then once she came it was pretty easy to keep up with writing at least once a month. I set aside time the first Sunday of every month to update her baby book and then would go to Costco or Walgreens and print out pictures from that month. The etsy store where I bought Lydia's book isn't around anymore, but I just bought this one for Baby Boy. Not quite as thorough as Lydia's but still good!

So there's the humongous list! Props to you if you're still reading! ;) I know when I was a first time mom I spent many hours researching and comparing lists like these, so I thought I'd add my two cents to the mix to help any stressed out mamas!

I'm excited to do some additional baby posts on things like packing a hospital bag, pumping, and sleep training! I hate to label it as "advice" because every baby and mom is so different, but I'll share what worked for us.

What baby items do you swear by? Anything I should be adding to my list for Baby #2?