I’ll keep the intro short & sweet (because that’s all I have time for, lol.) These are all the items I use nearly every single day for my almost 2 month old while also managing a toddler. I’ve separated it out by category and will link what I can! This is a good starting point for your first baby as well, especially if you think you may want more children in the not-so-distant future. 🙂
Pro tip – shop secondhand! I found many of these items discounted at less than 50% of their retail value and all are in excellent condition. Baby products are waaaay too expensive these days and often are only useful for a short period of time.
Bedtime
- Baby Delight Co-sleeper Bassinet: Do you need this? No, honestly a crib or pack n play will work fine. BUT, do I love it? Yes. If you’re a parent who doesn’t bed-share, this is a worthwhile investment in my opinion- especially if you are recovering from a c-section! I love the open side so I can reach right in and grab baby or put a hand on him if he gets fussy. Y’all. I bought this on Marketplace for *$50*! I’m telling you, if you’re not going secondhand- you paid too much. 😉
- Swaddles linked here and here. These are my favorites. Do yourself a favor and don’t even bother swaddling with a blanket.
- Pacifiers
- Waterproof mattress pads (put both on so if you have any 2am leaks or accidents all you have to do is pull off the top layer)
- White noise machine. We have the Hatch sound machine and nightlight in our toddlers room (which will eventually be their shared room) and this one in ours. If you have a smart speaker in your home it likely has the ability to play white noise as well!
Bath
- Fragrance-free Soap and Lotion.
- Bath Towels – Unnecessary, but is there anything cuter than a clean baby wrapped in a hooded towel?? I also use these to do swaddle baths. I skipped the baby washcloths this time.
- Bath Tub – I use it sometimes, but honestly, I prefer to shower together and hold baby.
Diapering
- Changing Pad. With our second baby, I’ve appreciated having an elevated changing station in the main part of our house. Somewhere a little more out of reach from the toddlers flailing arms and legs, plus it keeps me from having to get down on the floor 100 extra times a day. We kept it on a toy shelf in our living room during the newborn stage, then transferred it to the kids dresser.
- Changing pad liners. I use these all around the house for quick changes.
- Diaper caddies– this one is only $10, but guess what? You can use baskets you already have on hand, too. 😉 I keep these around the house and in the car filled with baby essentials
- Diaper Cream – I’ve never been a fan of the ingredients in most diaper rash creams, so we try to prevent it instead with this cream-to-powder. It’s worked really well for us so far and has even cleared up baby’s diaper rash when it does show up.
- Baby Bum Brush – another unnecessary item that I 100% love! 😆
Travel
- Double Stroller with the ability to carry your infant car seat. We love our Joovy Qool!
- Infant car seat
- Stroller Fan
- Car Seat Mirror
Diaper Bag
- Disposable poo bags – I also keep a roll of these in my car. Perfect for soiled clothing and poopy diapers.
- Travel Sound Machine. Sis is loud and I want baby to sleep, lol.
- Light baby blanket. I have a nursing/ car seat cover, but I’m finding the muslin baby blankets to be more versatile this time around. I use them for nursing, burp rags, covering baby, shade, etc.
- Burp cloths – What can I say, I’m fancy and like to have cute ones for my diaper bag.
- Pacifier clips
Health
- Gripe Water – I rarely had to use this with my first, but the new little guy is fussy. Still a good item to have on hand when you need it.
- Baby Brush Set
- Nose Frida – Gross concept, but it works SO much better than the bulb syringe and it won’t grow mold. Tip: You have to use it with the saline spray for max effectiveness.
- Children’s Tylenol– Another good item to have on hand just in case. I like this one because it has no artificial fillers or dyes. Don’t waste your money on infant tylenol. It’s the same thing/dosage at double the price.
Breastfeeding
- Passive Breast Pump– Collect that milk, mama.
- Momcozy Wireless Electric Breast Pump. Game changer! This baby is breastfed, but we introduced bottles to him right away and typically give him one a day. I quickly learned sitting at my breast pump attached to the wall for 20 minutes was *the worst* as one of the kids would inevitably need me and I would have to pause, disconnect everything, and resume my pumping session later. This pump is affordable and has worked great for me so far! Even if the kids are asleep, I can pump and still get things done which is a big deal once you have multiples.
- Breastmilk Storage Bags
- Nursing Pads
- Bottles
- Drying Rack
- Bottle Brush
- The aforementioned muslin blankets as burp cloths.
Misc
- Baby Wrap – My favorite carrier for this newborn stage. I’ll transition to a soft-structured carrier as he gets bigger.
- Tush Baby Carrier. 10/10 would recommend! I’ve raved about this carrier since my first was 7 months old, but I was surprised at how useful it’s been for this newborn stage. Gone are the days of sitting for hours and peacefully nursing on the couch. This carrier has a good amount of storage (I typically carry the toddlers water bottle, my phone, wipes, a burp rag, pacifier, and sometimes snacks- with room for more!) and makes a great nursing “pillow” while taking the toddler on walks, playing outside, or even just around the house if you need to get things done while feeding.
- Some kind of lounger, swing, or bouncer you can easily move around the house to safely hold baby for a few minutes. Start with one, you probably don’t need them all!
- Dual Camera Baby Monitor
- Tummy-time mat or play gym. My newborn doesn’t like our SnuggleMe lounger as much as my daughter did, but he does love this gym. He will often take supervised naps on his tummy there.
- Stain Remover – Whether it’s spit-up and poop from the baby or dirt from the toddler, I go through stain remover like nobody’s business!
- COFFEE – This is undoubtedly the most important item on this list 😉
There you have it, folks. That’s pretty much everything I used regularly for the first 3-4 months. Not all of it is necessary, just things I find I enjoy using that make my life a little easier- especially with 2 kiddos to manage.
