Are you preparing for the arrival of your precious baby and wondering what the heck you actually need? This newborn essentials list contains the absolute must-have items to get before you bring your sweet bundle of joy home!
Preparing to bring home your newborn baby is daunting—from cribs to changing tables to baby monitors—the list goes on and on. But what do you really need? If you're anything like me you want the no-frills, minimalist newborn essentials list—items that you need and will use. As a mother of two, I'm dishing the items that I used with both my newborns and worth the money.
After reading through this list, you will be well on your way to having a safe, cozy place to bring your baby home to!
This post is a complete newborn essentials list of items to have ready before bringing baby home.
This post is a newborns essentials list of items for your home.
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newborn essentials list
1. A Safe place for baby to sleep: Crib + Mattress + Sheets
There are far more well-equipped professionals to educate new parents on safe sleep practices than me. What's more, safe sleep practices vary from country to country, and cultural differences play a role in people's preferences.
In the United States, the American Academic of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends following the ABCs of sleep:
ALONE
Baby sleeps alone (no co-sleeping). No blankets, stuffed animals, loose linens, bumper pads, etc.
Literally, it's your baby alone on an empty crib mattress
BACK
Baby is put to bed on his or her back.
CRIB
Baby sleeps alone on a crib mattress (or another safe place such as a bassinet, pack-n-play, etc.)
In addition, the AAP recommends that baby "room-in" with his or her parents for the first year of life. So that nursery that you've been perfecting over the last several months? Yeah, it won't get used any time soon.
There are as many different styles of cribs as there are fish in the sea—pick one that you like aesthetically, meets your space needs, and fits your budget.
What is more important is the mattress itself. I cannot recommend Newton Baby Crib Mattresses enough. Yes, they are pricey. Yes, they rarely discount them. BUT the mattress is 100% breathable, green-guard certified, and is washable. You can read more about the benefits of the Newton Baby Mattress here.
What sold me on this mattress was that it is breathable. As a first-time mom (and a second-time mom) I worried endlessly about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The mattress gave me more peace of mind, especially when my babies started rolling and would end up face-down on their mattresses.
The price tag is higher than most other crib mattresses but in my opinion, well worth it. Especially considering this is an item that your child will use for at least two years (most likely longer).
I purchased the Original mattress ($299.99 as of the writing of this post). Additionally, I purchased the mattress pad cover ($79.99) but would not recommend it! I still haven't used it because it decreases the breathability of the mattress!
I also purchased Newton Baby's muslin sheets; again they are pricey but are 100% breathable. The mattress is
standard size so all baby sheets will fit but breathability will be decreased when using non-muslin sheets.
2. A place to change baby
When purchasing a crib, most stores will offer an accompanying changing table for purchase. In my experience, a changing tables isn't worth it. Remember, baby will not be in his or her own bedroom for at least a year, so the changing table will be out of the way. In addition, if you have multiple levels in your house, you are unlikely to run upstairs to the changing table every time baby needs a diaper change...which is often.
What I recommend is the Keekaroo Peanut Changer. This has been one of my most used baby products. It's light so you can move it and set it down anywhere. But the best feature? It's rubber so it's extremely easy to wipe down and sanitize. I never understood fabric-covered changing tables...I can't be the only one grossed out by dirty diapers touching the material. How many times a day would it need to be washed? 
Keekaroo Peanut Changer, Grey, One Size
I've used the Keekaroo for both of my children and am still using it today...and my daughter is almost 20 months old! It's a game-changer.
Another bonus tip: Set up a diaper caddy in your most-frequented rooms (i.e. the living room, your bedroom, etc.) This way you will always have wipes, diapers, and diaper cream on hand. I used this one!
3. A sound machine + Nightlight
If you've been researching newborn essentials, you've undoubtedly come across the Hatch Rest Sound Machine. I add it to this newborn essentials list with good reason because...it's awesome! Since having my children there have been updates to the original sound machine and now, they even offer a Hatch Rest Sound Machine+.
I recommend their most basic version. If you like all of the bells and whistles, you might want to look into the plus, but honestly, I've never used the Hatch beyond its sound machine and nightlight features. Their basic version is wifi enabled and can be paired with their app on your smartphone (again, a cool feature but one I have rarely used!)
I like that you can program your most used sounds and choose your light color. You can also increase and decrease the sound and/or brightness. Personally, I have a set color/sound combination for my kids for nap time and a separate color/sound combination for bedtime.
I know some moms have used the Hatch Rest Sound Machine to help sleep train their kids using their "time to rise" and "time to sleep" features but this is not something I have done personally.
4. A comfy rocking chair or glider.
This one is for you too, mama! If you already have a rocking chair that you love, you're good to go and can skip this recommendation.
If you're still looking for the perfect rocking chair here are my two cents:
1. Test out the chair. Sit it in. Stretch Out. Get comfy. You will be spending a lot of time in this chair holding and rocking baby, nursing and feeding baby—it needs to be up to the task.
2. Don't be cheap. Admittedly, I'm super cheap. I love a good deal and loathe the idea of wasting money. With my firstborn, we splurged and bought a Pottery Barn glider and it was heaven. But also expensive.
When my daughter was born, I searched and searched for more affordable options and ultimately ended up purchasing a recliner from Wayfair upon a slew of recommendations from other moms (via Instagram). The chair was less than a fourth of the price of the Pottery Barn chair.
And guess what? You get what you pay for. I despise the Wayfair chair. It's super uncomfortable, not supportive, and doesn't recline. After my c-section, I joked that the garbage dump was too good a place for said chair. I ended up purchasing an ottoman so I can rest my feet and made the chair usable (I was stuck with it after all) but I learned my lesson. Some things aren't worth skimping on.
5. Easy, two-way zipper sleep and plays.
Yes, you die for all of the cute, make-your-mama-heart melt outfits that your friends and family so lovingly bought for your baby. And they are adorable. And also a major pain in the...you know what.
Let's be real. The newborn phase is exhausting. You're sleep-deprived, trying to figure out how to provide and care for an entirely new human being, and you're going to want to make things as easy on yourself as possible. Newborn babies are soft, squishy blobs with no core strength, and no head or neck control...basically, it's like dressing a jellyfish.
Sleep and plays with zippers (preferably two-way ones!) will spare you tons of frustration after your 1,389 diaper change of the day. Another great option is Magnetic ME Simply one-piece pajama sets. They close using magnets—super simple, especially in the dark at night, but they are a little tougher to find!
Save all of the bows, ribbons, and, god-for-bid buttons when you're more rested, baby has a little more control of his or her body and you have a little more patience to tackle all the snaps and loops.
Simple Joys by Carter, 2-Way Zipper Sleep and Play
Simple Joys by Carter, 2-Way Zipper Sleep and Play
Magnetic Me SIMPLY One-Piece Pajama Set
P.S. Just because sleep and plays are functional, doesn't mean they can't be super cute! Did someone say ruffle butts?! 
6. Infant socks...but not for the reason you think!
Baby's nails are a special kind of sharp. They are super thin but can scratch and pierce as easily as a razor blade. Most newborn sleep and play pajama sets already have fold-over mittens to cover baby's hands and protect baby from accidental scratches.
But if you have hand-me-down clothes or if you're baby is larger and doesn't fit in newborn sizes, infant socks work extremely well to cover baby's hands. And, unlike newborn mittens, they actually stay on!
Newborns, in my experience, don't wear socks (or shoes) so this is a great way to re-purpose the dozens of pairs of socks I'm sure you have already received. And if you haven't, you can get some here!
7. An electric baby nail trimmer.
This nail trimmer is an absolute must on any newborn essentials list.
This nail trimmer is so easy to use, quiet, and most importantly safe—seriously, I ran it against my face to test it out before I used it on my son because...I'm crazy, but that's beside the point. If your baby jerks his hand away, no biggie. And you can get their fingernails (and toenails!) done in record time.
I love this so much, that when my daughter was born I bought her a pink one so she'd have her own. Did I mention, I'm a little crazy? 
8. A really good swaddle
Why swaddle in the first place?
Swaddling protects your baby against the Moro (startle) reflex which may lead to a better quality of sleep. It works by imitating touch, teaching your baby to self-soothe, and also keeps baby's hands away from his or her face to prevent accidental scratching.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of swaddles available to new parents. And I think I've tried them all.
In theory, you could use a blanket to swaddle your baby. However, I never did this for sleeping because I could never get the swaddle blanket tight enough for my baby to not wriggle his way out of AND I had way too much anxiety fearing the blanket would come undone and my baby would suffocate.
Hands down the best sleep swaddle that I have found (and used with both of my children) is the Happiest Baby Sleeppea 5-Second Swaddle. This swaddle was designed by a pediatrician, promotes healthy hip development, and is virtually impossible for baby to break free from. Even better? It's super easy to use. No false advertising here, it really does only take 5 seconds to swaddle baby!
I 1000% recommend this specific swaddle to all new parents! It's easy, safe, and washable!
9. If you're formula feeding and/or supplementing...a Baby Brezza
Okay, this is a luxury item, but so well worth the investment in my opinion that I had to put it on my newborn essentials list.
The Baby Brezza Formula Pro Advanced is an amazing machine—think of it like a Keurig but for formula. Simply add your preferred powder formula, distilled water, set your machine, and you're ready to go!
This machine is magic. It has three temperature settings (room temperature, body temperature, and slightly warmer than body temperature) and can dispense formula in one-ounce increments. If you've used powdered formula before you know this is a game-changer because when hand-mixing powdered formula, you can only prepare it in 2-ounce increments.
Why is this important? No wasting formula! You can prepare a bottle of formula with the exact amount baby needs!
{RELATED POST: BREASTFEEDING FAILURE: A CAUTIONARY TALE}
I love, love, LOVE this machine and recommend it to all of my mom friends who are supplementing with formula and/or exclusively bottle feeding.
Pro-tip: Purchase an additional funnel. The funnel needs to be cleaned after every four bottles, so having a backup to pop on while the other one is being cleaned is a lifesaver!
[…] If you're looking for newborn must-haves for your home, check out this post. […]