Newborn Baby and Postpartum Essentials: The Ultimate List

I have a lot of posts floating around with newborn favorites, essentials, and must-haves for...

I have a lot of posts floating around with newborn favorites, essentials, and must-haves for both of my children. However, there’s not one ultimate list, so I’ve put it together, after having two children and going through the newborn stage twice. This is the ultimate list if you’re having a single baby – once the twins are born, I’ll do a post about twin must-haves! 

Newborn Baby and Postpartum Must-Haves and Favorites

For a complete list of Registry Essentials, you can find that here. This list is geared more towards surviving those first few weeks and months!

Postpartum Essentials

  1. Maternity Joggers – postpartum, you’re not going to want anything tight around your belly. Everything is going to be tender and especially if you’re nursing or pumping, the post-labor contractions are real, as your uterus contracts back to its original size. I find these joggers to be the best.
  2. Bravado Nursing Tanks – I’m loving these nursing tanks – they’re easy to nurse in, have a little flattering ruching at the top, and they’re great for layering. I’ve been wearing them in this heat wave, and I feel supported enough when I walk, which says a lot, because I have a big bust.
  3. Kindred Bravely Nursing Bras – while I like Bravado nursing bras, I like the Kindred Bravely ones more. The quality of fabric is much better and the sizing is more accurate and expansive. I love the brand, too.
  4. Partumcare Undies – what a lifesaver! I ran out of the mesh undies that the hospital gives you and then I realized I had a pair of these that they sent for me to try, and I wish I had tried them sooner! They’re TEN times more comfortable than the mesh undies, washable, breathable, and feel so nice on your skin. I got the high rise ones!
  5. Haakka Pump – Both of my children, in the very beginning, would only nurse on one side (one breast), and in the beginning, it was leaving me seriously engorged. It’s basically a suction pump, so you just suction it to your boob and it catches your letdown. Within a few minutes, I get 1.5-2oz! It’s a great way to save up a supply with minimal effort. And for me, since I have an oversupply and a forceful letdown, it helps with her gassiness, because she doesn’t gag on the milk after using the Haakka.
  6. Gel Soothies – the best thing for your nipples! The gel soothies have a cooling effect and stick easily to your nipples, they’re the best.
  7. Honest Nipple Butter – my favorite nipple butter, it’s so smooth and feels wonderful.
  8. FridaBaby Mom Washer – I couldn’t live without this! I had a little bit of tearing (as I did with Luca) and this is infinitely better than the perinatal bottles the hospitals give you – it’s worth every penny. I’ve been using it every single time I pee and it offers pain relief, soothing comfort, and is just easy to use.
  9. Just a note – take as much as possible as you can from the hospital: witch hazel pads, hospital pads and underwear (great to have extras), and any other postpartum care items they offer. Ask for extras!

Newborn Essentials

  1. Ollie Swaddles (the HALO Swaddles are my second choice, since Ollie are always sold out!) — I like HALO’s muslin swaddles in the summertime for stroller rides and for night time and when we’re at home, the Ollie – you just can’t beat that one!
  2. Nest: I gave up on all of the standard baby monitors and we just go straight Nest. I wrote a blog post on how I sync them up to tablets.
  3. Copper Pearl Swaddles – if you prefer a swaddle blanket to swaddle your baby instead of a velcro situation, these are the best – the elasticity is amazing!
  4. Baby bouncer – so, I didn’t really use this until the babies were at least a month old, but I want to include it here, because it’s really a baby whisperer. When you’re making dinner or need a minute, it’s a life saver, and my kids liked this toy attachment.
  5. Strollers – my stroller situation is out of control, because we live in an apartment with a very narrow gate. While we love our Bugaboo Donkey Duo Stroller to handle our toddlers, it’s a pain to get it in and out of our apartment. So, we have alternative options. I’m going to build a blog post solely about this soon, but in the meantime, we are going to use the Uppababy Vista for our twins (I’ve used this stroller with Luca and it’s amazing and the accessories that are made to accompany are so convenient.) For quick trips around the block with all four, we plan to use a combination of the Uppababy Vista, the Zoe Stroller, and the Uppababy G-Link 2. I know, I know. More on this to come, but definitely/obviously add a stroller to your must-have list!
  6. HATCH Baby White Noise Machine – this functions as a white noise machine and a night light. I use it every single day, it has so many settings (from lullabies to TV static to birds chirping) and different night light colors for toddlerhood. You can work it via a mobile app or by tapping the settings on the actual machine.
  7. Solly Baby Wrap – for the newborn stage, this is an absolute must-have. Once you figure out how to wrap the baby up in it, you can do it within seconds, it’s so comfortable, and it really brings your baby close to you for optimal soothing and skin-to-skin. As the baby gets older, I love Ergobaby carriers, which offer more back support.
  8. Guava Lotus Bassinet – I love that this bassinet is built in with a Pack-and-Play, so it’s a two for one! This bassinet is simple, easy to travel with, and you can rock the baby slightly.
  9. Live Clean Baby Non-Petroleum Jelly – this is a non-petroleum substitute for Vaseline, and I’ve found that when I don’t use it, Roma gets a little irritation around her diaper area. I feel better knowing it’s petroleum free!
  10. Pacifiers – these are the best pacifiers for those wanting to breastfeed, apparently. I’ve used them with both of my kids, and I love the Wubbanubba versions, too.
  11. Stroller Fan – for warmer weather climates and months, another product I can’t live without (when we leave the house) are these little rechargeable fans that easily attach (clip on) to the stroller, so we can circulate air in the bassinet and cool the baby down.
  12. Travel white noise machine – this was great for stroller rides, and I still use these when we take road trips! Actually, one is by our bed for when Luca comes in our bed in the middle of the night, it soothes him right back to sleep.
  13. Dock-a-Tot – definitely probably my #1 essential item. The Dock-a-Tot Deluxe+ is just a safe place to put the baby down, especially when you’re on the couch all day. It’s much safer to put them in the Dock-a-Tot when you have to go to the bathroom or the kitchen or whatever and you know they’re safe and sound. They’re even great for changing diapers (I just put down a little towel first!)
  14. Nursing pillow – I loved the My Breast Friend pillow or the Nook Niche pillow the most when they were tiny for the support, and then I enjoyed just using pillows, frankly.
  15. Moses Basket – I put the Dock-a-Tot in this basket and put the baby in there for daytime naps next to me on the couch and she sleeps so cuddled and soundly! Sometimes, I just use the basket without the Dock-a-Tot and the babies sleep well, also, but the Dock-a-Tot gives her more snuggly comfort. What I love about this basket is that it’s portable, so when baby’s sleeping and I want to go to a different room, I just bring baby using the basket handles, which I couldn’t do with just the Dock-a-Tot (it squishes when you try to move it).
  16. Baby Shusher – I shush my kids to sleep, but after a minute or so, I tire, so I turn this on to sync with my shushing so I can stop shushing. Lots of shushing, but it works so great!
  17. Sleep gowns – my kids all lived in these sleep gowns at night and for most of the day until they spit up or had a blow out in them. Then, I changed them into zip onesies!

I hope you find this post useful as you build your registries and prepare for your little bundles of joy to arrive! 

with love, Ali

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