Your usual life takes an amazing turn with the news of the baby's arrival. For first-time parents, every single moment is spent in the preparation for the most precious addition to your family. What a joyful waiting period for new parents until they hold the little one in their arms. Saying that the newborn's mother is a bit anxious for the extraordinary beginning of a new life!
Motherhood comes with a lot of responsibilities and delightful experiences. It’s not wrong to say that it’s a roller coaster ride for new parents. From super moments to sleepless nights, it all comes with your newborn’s package.
As a new mother, It's always wise to have all the right gears, and baby essentials for baby and mommy!
“There is no way to be a perfect mother but a million ways to be a good one”- Jill Churchill
So, Let’s get started with the list of newborn baby must-haves for a smoother, and rather relaxed motherhood for yourself!
Newborn’s mom checklist: 20 baby essentials you need
Newborn’s diapering essentials
Newborn’s clothing essentials
Newborn’s furniture essentials
Newborn’s feeding essentials
Here’s the list of all the feeding essentials that every mother can stock up for the forthcoming baby as well as herself.
Baby bottles and bottle brush
The basic feeding essential for babies is feeding bottles. Now there’s a debate whether you should use plastic bottles or not. Being a new mom, you can either use BPA-free or glass bottles for the baby’s safety.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAS), it’s better to use glass bottles than plastic ones. One solid reason for this is the risk of chemicals transferring from plastic bottles into a baby’s feeding formula. Besides, you can stock up some bottle brushes to deep clean the bottles, on a safer side.
Baby pacifier
Honestly, there's a controversy going on whether you should use pacifiers or not. Pacifiers can be great for distracting babies and putting them to sleep. But they can also be a cause of teeth crooking, and early abandoning of breast milk by the infant. Being a new mom, You’d find it quite useful for calming the newborns crying.
Tip:
- Only start giving pacifiers to your newborn, once he’s accustomed to breastfeeding. To be specific, start when your baby is around 1 month old at least. This will help the infant to distinguish between breastfeeding and pacifiers.
Nursing pads for new mothers
Whether you chose to breastfeed your baby or not, It’s always relaxing to use nursing pads during the early motherhood period. It’ll save you time for changing your clothes every time you experience leakage. Stocking up packs of nursing pads is a good idea being a new mom to save yourself of the discomfort of changing quite often.
Nipple cream for mommy
Another necessary item during the first few weeks with your newborn is nipple cream. It’s normal for your breasts to get sore and encounter cracks during breastfeeding. Nipple creams can soothe the irritated skin, promote healing, and serve as a breath of relief to moms breastfeeding babies.
Tip:
- You can safely use these creams even while breastfeeding.
Newborn’s diapering essentials
Now let’s dig into the newborn’s diapering essentials to keep your baby clean, fresh, and comfortable.
Baby diapers
It’ll always be a relief for mothers to stock at-least one week of baby diapers at home. You'll experience an irregular diapering time during the first few months, after which you’ll notice more or less the same time for your baby’s diapering needs. So, stocking 2 packs of diapers is a good idea for new moms.
Tip:
- Babies can outgrow the diapers quite fastly, therefore, try not to stock more than 2 packs of diapers.
Make sure that the pamper fits well with your baby to prevent any leakage.
Baby Wipes (unscented ones)
One of the baby’s must-haves is unscented wipes. On the contrary, scented baby wipes contain chemicals that can irritate your newborn’s skin. And believe me, the last thing new mommies want is to deal with diaper rashes due to the scented wipes.
Tip:
- To prevent your newborn’s skin irritation, it's better to gently dab the wipes across the nappy area rather than rubbing.
Diaper changing mats
Up next on the list we have baby changing mats. It’s better to have a separate area for changing your newborn’s diapers for safety against germs. You’ll find disposable mats more convenient being a new mom, as you can place them on tables or floors(if you don’t have a changing station).
Tips:
- If you’re more of an eco-friendly person, you can use towels and muslin. Both go equally well, but make sure to wash them regularly with hot water to kill any bacteria left.
- It’s better to use wipes or antiseptic sprays to clean your newborn’s changing mats.
Rash creams for newborns
Another health concern being a new mom are diaper rashes. Diaper rashes are very common in newborns. It’s a good idea to stock some rash creams for your assistance. Besides, baby lotions and vaseline can do the trick for you!
Tips:
- Mothers can prevent baby’s nappy rashes by avoiding diapers in the first few weeks. You can considerably reduce the chances of diaper rashes through cloth nappies.
- It’s better to use moderately-fitting diapers during baby rashes to make sure air is circulating through them.
Newborn’s clothing essentials
The best part of the baby-shopping that every mother enjoys is the tiny, adorable, and comfy baby clothing. Here’s the list for your newborn’s clothing essentials that’ll not only keep the baby warm, it’ll be helpful for the new mothers as well.
Side-snap T-shirts
The ideal clothing for newborns during the first few weeks is side-snap T-shirts. These are easy to wear and don’t hurt your baby’s umbilical cord. It’s one of the essentials for the newborns you’d definitely stock for yourself and thank me later!
Baby rompers
Next on our baby's essentials list are rompers. They are best to keep your newborn warm and protected. Being single-piece clothing, a romper also saves your time in dressing up the newborns and infants.
Socks and moccasins
You can stock up to 6 pairs of socks to keep the newborn’s warm and cozy. Baby moccasins are more preferred for the tiny baby feet as compared to hard-soled shoes. The leather-made moccasins prevent babies from slipping and reduces the risk of injury.
Baby wrap carrier
These are similar to baby slings but more supportive and best for newborns up to 4 months. New mommies can move around freely with this amazing product. These wraps are also excellent for moms during breastfeeding babies.
Tip: Baby wrap carriers must be used with great care as wrongly positioned carriers can risk your baby’s limbs and hips development.
Baby bedding essentials
Now head towards the baby bedding essentials for a safe and sound sleeping experience for your little one.
Coat mattress
The top baby bedding essential on our list is a cot mattress. A comfortable mattress can considerably help your newborn with good sleep. It's better to use either a simple foam or spring coil mattress for newborns.
Tips:
- Find a cot mattress that ideally fits your baby cot to avoid any discomfort and injury to the newborn.
- Mattresses with plastic pads, and water beds are not appropriate for infants because the risk of newborn’s suffocation is increased with their use.
Swaddle blankets
Another brilliant baby gear to add to your list is swaddle blankets. These help the newborns in attaining a sense of security and safety. Resultantly, babies can sleep better, relieving the new moms from their overtired newborn’s tantrums.
Tip:
- Using more blankets over a swaddle blanket can overheat the newborn. For your child’s safety, check the room’s temperature and add additional blankets only if needed.
Sleeping bags
Up next in our baby bedding essentials are sleeping bags. They are safe to use for newborns and help in warming your little ones to an appropriate temperature.
Tip: Adding additional duvets and blankets over a newborn’s sleeping bags is not always a good idea, as it increases the chances of suffocation.
Newborn’s furniture essentials
Here’s a list of all the furniture essentials for your newborn that all parents must buy beforehand the baby’s delivery.
Baby cot
One of the newborn’s essentials is a baby cot and I can’t stress more on that one! It’s recommended for the new parents to sleep in the same room with the newborn until he’s 6 months old at least. The purpose is to prevent the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by closely attending to your newborn especially at night. Saying that a baby cot is the best and the safest option for your little one.
Tip:
- Look for a large-sized coat so that your newborn has enough space and the baby’s risk of overgrowing the coat is also reduced.
Baby dresser
Believe it or not, your baby doesn’t need any fancy dressers, rather a basic dresser having a large capacity can do the trick! It’s better to go for a dresser with multiple drawers to store different baby clothes.
Tip:
- It’s better to remove any heavy furniture in your baby’s room as they’re more likely to play around the furniture, risking their safety.
Nursing chairs
I’ll highly recommend having a nursing chair in the newborn’s room. Especially for the new moms struggling for the best position to feed their little ones. Besides, a rocking chair is equally exceptional in calming your baby to sleep.
Newborn’s monitoring gears
Another major baby essentials category is audio and video monitors for observing your baby while he’s sleeping, or during any household work.
Baby’s video-monitors
Baby monitors are excellent for the first few months when your newborn will go through an irregular sleep. There's a variety of audio and video monitors to choose from. New moms can carry the monitor during household chores to keep a close eye on the baby.
Being a mom of 4 months old, I use video monitors because it gives me more relief to see and talk to my newborn altogether.
Health baby essentials
One of the crucial essentials for a newborn is health essentials. Despite running towards the pharmacy in case of a health emergency, it’s always better for new parents to stock up the necessary health items for your little one.
Saline nose drops
I can’t stress more on having a saline nose spray being a new mother myself. Newborn babies often suffer from nose blockage, hindering their breathing to a dangerous level. Saline spray is an easy and better option for relieving the newborn’s nose snots.
Nasal aspirator
One of the recommended baby health essentials is a nasal aspirator. It works by manually sucking the excessive mucus out of the infant’s nose. It works like magic but requires serious instructions during the whole process.
Tip:
- Note that a baby’s nose is fragile, and you don’t want to suck through the aspirator forcefully.
- Nasal aspirators are recommended for 4 months babies or above.
Newborn’s bathing essentials
Here’s the list of newborn’s bathing essentials for keeping your little munchkin clean, tidy, and fresh.
Hooded Baby Towels
You’ll need towels for your newborn but hooded towels get an extra point in keeping babies cozy and warm after baths. I’ll personally recommend using two towels after you've bathed your little one. You’ll find it quite challenging and time-taking, being a new mom to clothe your delicate newborn after baths.
That’s why it’s better to dry out the baby first using one towel. Meanwhile clothing the newborn, you can put another hooded towel for keeping the baby warm until you decide the best way to carefully cloth your baby.
Baby washcloths
One of the newborn’s bathing essentials is washcloths. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAS), babies shouldn’t be given baths until their umbilical cord dries and falls off. It’s said because bathing can prolong the cords to dry out faster. On the other hand, washcloths can serve the purpose of cleaning your little munchkins.
Tip:
- Most of the time your baby’s skin and hair might feel greasy. No matter how much you'll be tempted to use baby bathing products, it’s better to use plain water on washcloths to clean the infant's body and hair. External products can mess up with the skin of your newborns, and can potentially cause skin issues.
Baby shampoo and skin-care
Next on the list are baby shampoos and skin-care products. Well, you’ll find many bathing baby products branded as newborn friendly, but you really don't want them until your baby is 6 months old. A Baby’s skin is very sensitive and can absorb chemicals faster than an adult. That’s why there's no harm stocking baby skin-care items for the time your infant turns 6 months.
Wrapping up
I can imagine how excited you are while waiting for the new love of your life. From setting up the baby nursery to getting everything ready before he comes out into your world, being a new mom, it's always a lovely feeling. Here, we tried to give you a detailed list of baby essentials along with proofs and personal experiences. It's up to the mommies to decide what goes in and out of the list. After all, no one knows a baby better than her mom. Even if you miss out on anything from the list, no worries, don't get much stressed, you can get the baby essentials even after the delivery. Meanwhile, enjoy every second of your pregnancy and cherish your motherhood to the fullest.
as a newborn mom
Its correct, I checked on Grammarly as well :)