Note: this post was originally published in January 2018, but after having been through the newborn stage, I’ve updated and refined it!
Advice before building your baby registry
Keep this in mind: you won’t know what works for your baby until the baby arrives. there are many things that people will tell you “You must have!”, but the truth is, they may not work for your baby. just like one face cream may work for someone and that same face cream might make you break out, babies are their own individuals and simple items like swaddles aren’t one size fits all!
I’m merely providing OUR baby must-haves, the things that really helped us as new parents. These are all Luca-approved, but they may not work for your baby! Who knows, maybe they will! I always say, in that newborn baby haze, everything is worth a try, haha.
What this list doesn’t include
This baby must-have list doesn’t include the obvious like diapers, baby wash, crib sheets, etc. This list includes products you may be debating over or might not have thought to add to your list (I’m pretty sure you have a crib, changing table, and crib sheets on your baby registry list!)
But in case you want to know what we use for our baby, here’s a brief list:
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- Babyganics foaming bath wash (and when we run out, Honest baby wash)
- Babyganics body moisturizer
- Babyganics diaper cream (we only use this if he has any irritation from his diapers, which rarely happens – we still have the same tube from the day he was born!)
- Babyganics eczema cream (Luca gets a little eczema behind his knees!)
- Earth Mama Organic Baby Face Nose & Cheek Balm (a lifesaver in the winter with all the chapped-ness and runny nose and dry skin!)
- Seventh Generation or Pampers Pure baby wipes
- Seventh Generation and Honest Baby diapers (just depends on what the store has!)
- Babyletto 3-in-1 Hudson Convertible Crib and you can see the rest of our nursery furniture in this post.
- Lullaby Earth Breeze crib mattress
- Dreamtex mattress pad covers
the list
1. DockATot
When Luca was first born (I’d say, for the first 6 weeks), he was always in this. He slept in this next to me all the time (while I was binge-watching Netflix). I couldn’t have lived without it – it was a safe spot to put the baby down when I needed to do something, like get changed, brush my teeth, or make lunch. Then, we used it when we bathed the baby – we put a towel in it and used it to transfer him from tub to towel. He loved it! I just got one of these Moses baskets so that I can make the DockATot a bit more portable because it’s hard to move when the baby’s lying in it as is.
2. Baby Shusher
OMGGG. Lifesaver. When Luca was fussy in the early days, I’d rock him in my arms with the shusher on (or put him in the rock-n-play) and he’d pass right out. Now, I put it in the crib when I put him down and leave the room, and 5 minutes later, he’s in a deep sleep. It’s lovely. and travel-friendly – a true baby essential!
3. Bunny Footed One-Piece
I literally buy new zip-up onesies every time GAP has a 40% sale (which is like, every other week haha). With a newborn, you don’t want to fumble in the middle of the night with clasps and buttons – you want changing to be quick and easy, so you don’t frustrate the baby. These are the ways I sleep Luca in every single night!
4. Wipe Warmer
This is something that I wish I had registered for, but I didn’t, so I had to buy it later. Everyone said, “Oh, it’s a waste of money!” BUT it’s not, especially if you have a winter baby – Luca used to scream when I’d change him in the middle of the night and then I got a wipe warmer and no more screams! I think he didn’t like the shocking cold of the wipes (who would?!)
5. Polka Dot Swaddle Blanket
Sooo I SUCKED at swaddling. I sucked so much that I ended up using Halo Swaddle Me swaddle sacks because I couldn’t figure it out. THEN, I pulled out this blanket that I think I got at an event and it’s made of a perfect material – stretchy enough to tuck tightly in a swaddle. It’s literally the only blanket I was able to swaddle Luca with! I use it now just as a light blanket to put over him while he naps.
6. Aden + Anais Burp Cloths
I’m putting these on even though it’s an obvious one because if you have a baby that spits up a lot, these are life savers – they’re long enough to go over your whole shoulder, they’re super absorbent, and they’re cute! I have probably 12 of these, haha!
7. BabyBjorn Bouncer
Luca started using this around 6 weeks, so it’s not a necessity for newborns, but just want to put it on your radar – he LOVES it and we are so happy we registered for it because once the time came, we had it. I used this every single day – it’s a great place to put the baby down so he’s safe – I’d put him in the kitchen while I cooked and he just watched me walk around and I’d talk to him and he’d be happy! Update: I bought this blush cover for baby girl!
8. Crib Mobile
It’s hard to select a mobile – there are just so many out there! a friend recommended this and a few of you have bought this from my recommendation and it seems to work for everyone! Luca loved it – it has so many settings depending on what you want it for (soothing, playtime, etc).
9. Playmat
For the first 10 weeks for playtime and tummy time, we loved this! It’s super portable and there’s plenty going on to stimulate the baby.
10. Boppy Pillow
After using both My Brest Friend pillow and the Boppy, I like the Boppy the best. The My Brest Friend is a little cumbersome (and doesn’t fit in all rocking/glider chairs) and the Boppy is just more comfortable.
11. Ergobaby Carrier
Another essential baby item – something we use every time we leave the house! Luca loves being carried in this and in the beginning, when I couldn’t get him to nap, I’d just strap him in and wear him until he fell asleep, then lay down on the couch, unclip him, and he’d stay asleep on me. THE BEST. I actually miss those days! Now, we use it when we go into stores and go for short walks, especially if it’s around nap time. It was also easy to breastfeed in!
12. Ergobaby Infant Insert
You’ll need this for the little baby with the Ergobaby carrier!
13. Solly Baby Wrap
So, now having gone through newborn, infant, and toddlerhood, I can confidently say that the Solly Baby Wrap is the best for those first few months (months 0-3 specifically), and the Ergobaby is best afterwards when you need more support because the baby is heavier, more wiggly, etc. I find the Solly Baby Wrap to be so easy to, well, wrap, and they have such pretty patterns.
14. Lansinoh Soothies
If you try to breastfeed, you may experience what many mamas experience – terrible nipple pain! like, cracking nipples. Oh, gosh, I don’t miss this at all! This was definitely the worst part about newborn life. These were incredible. After breastfeeding, I’d put them on my nipples for immediate pain relief and leave them on until the next time I nursed. I’d put on nipple cream too and they’d still adhere because they’re big enough. The best.
15. UPPAbaby VISTA Stroller
Can’t say enough great things about this stroller! So much storage space, easy to travel with (it folds up well!) and sturdy for city streets! Luca loved the bassinet, he slept in it so well.
16. MESA Car Seat
This is the car seat we went with for the newborn stage. Luca never loved the car seat in general, I’m not sure if it was this car seat or he just hated it at first, but this one kept us safe, is narrow enough to not take up your entire backseat of the car, and has excellent safety ratings. It’s also compatible with the UPPAbaby! After about 3 months, he didn’t mind the car seat, but he always cried in it in the beginning.
17. Nest Camera
I am going to write a full blog post on this soon, because we have been through every single baby monitor out there (okay, only like 4 or so models) and they’ve ALL broken. Except for the Nest, of course. We’ve had it from day 1 and it’s never failed us. Read more about this here.
18. Stroller Caddy
Although the UPPAbaby has great storage below, you need a stroller caddy for quick grab items. This is the BEST stroller caddy!
19. Diaper Bag
I have a few diaper bags, but my favorite so far is the Leaderbag Co diaper bag. It’s easy to organize, comfortable to wear as a backpack, and totally fashionable. It has great neat compartments, I really love it. You can see me sporting it here. Use code INSPIRALIZED for 15% off!
20. Diaper Disposable Bags
You wouldn’t think to register for something like this, that’s why I’m putting this on the list. When you change the baby on the go, you need garbage bags and they can get lost in a big diaper bag. I love having them on a hook like this for quick and easy (and cute!) access.
21. NoseFrida
I use this every day! Especially in NJ where it’s so dry, I use this to get his snot out and it works like a charm. Easy to use! Can’t say enough good things about it.
22. Fridababy Windi
I’m putting this one on here because when Luca hit his extremely gassy stage (at around 4-6 weeks), we used these twice and it literally saved the day. He was so fussy, screaming uncontrollably because he couldn’t pass gas. One use of the Windi and he literally smiled after! It saved us in two scary situations and for that, I’m putting it on the registry list.
23. Baby bathtub:
I read so many reviews on baby bathtubs and I’m so glad I got this one! Especially when Luca was tiny, the infant insert worked so well keeping him safe. He loves his bath!
24. Wabi Bottle Sterilizer + Dryer
I love how easy to use this is – after I pump, I put all my pump parts in here and just sterilize! No waiting for boiling water to boil, no bringing out pots and pans. This lives on my counter, and I use it for pumping – and when we use the occasional bottle. If you’re someone who bottle feeds, this would be a lifesaver too!
25. Spectra S1 or S2 Pump
I found Spectra to be the best pump on the market. Either the S1 or S2 is great – the S1 is battery operated, and the S2 you have to plug into an outlet, so you’re a little more “tethered.”
26. Spectra 9 – great for travel pumping
I also bought the S9 for travel and ended up using this pump exclusively in the end. It’s SO efficient and small, and you can literally put it in your back pocket and move about the house and pump. I loved it!
27. Bottles
Bottles are SO baby-specific, but we used the Lansinoh Momma bottles (our lactation counsellor told us they were the most breast-like) and he never had an issue with them, he loved his bottles! Obviously, start off buying the 5oz and when the baby is older and drinks more milk, get the 8oz bottles.
28. Ubbi Diaper Pail
We have zero complaints about this diaper pail. We just got a rose gold version for baby girl!
29. Sound Sleeper White Noise App + iPad
You can’t really register for this, BUT you asked me for my white noise machine advice, so here’s what worked for us. For Luca’s white noise, we downloaded the Sound Sleeper app on a basic iPad that we had and never used and now, it lives in his nursery and this is what has lulled him to sleep since his newborn stage! We have the App on our iPhones also, so when we are in the stroller, we’d play that and sync it up to a mini Bluetooth speaker and place it in his bassinet so he’d fall asleep to a familiar noise.
30. Pack and Play
We’ve only used this maybe 3 times, but we loved this Pack and Play.
31. Stokke High Chair
We started off with a different high chair with Luca and he was always an antsy eater. However, I’m convinced now that the problem was the high chair we were using, so we switched him to the Stokke, then we started Roma off in a Stokke as well and she’s a great eater, so who knows! We absolutely love this easy-to-clean high chair and love that it grows with our family – Luca is in it now just as a regular chair.
32. Lotus Bassinet
This is the Bassinet extension to our Pack and Play. We love that it’s dual function! Roma slept beautifully in this bassinet, and I love how compact it is and can easily be stored for future baby use!