10 Must-Haves for Newborns

Disclaimer - These are my own personal top 10 products that we have used for our family that worked best. I do not receive any form of payment for these reviews, expect the Norwex since I am a Norwex Consultant. I only make a commission on the Norwex products that you purchase, through my site. This is also not a medical advice blog, this is advice from my own experiences as a mother. I do not own the rights to the pictures contained in this post.

Bringing a new human into this world is scary. Let's face it. You make this tiny little human, then your whole world changes, but it changes for the better. You never really understand what it is like to unconditional love someone until you look into the eyes of your brand new baby. The first baby is truly a special gift. In one moment, your whole mindset can change.

With that little bundle of joy comes the entire world telling you that you need everything under the sun for this tiny human. Let me be the first to tell you if anyone hasn't told you yet. THAT IS NOT TRUE!!! Every store you enter, every ad on social media is trying to get you to buy things that they deem necessary. They make you believe if you do not have a particular item, then your newborn won't be happy. Newborns are demanding and time-consuming, but they are simple humans. The average newborn care about a few things, sleep, food, gas, love, and comfort. With that being said, here are my top 10 must-haves for newborns!

Crib / Pack n Play

Newborns need a safe place to sleep. Although you do not need the top-of-the-line crib, they should have an area that is safe for them. "Safe" to sleep means a firm flat surface with no extras. A "safe" crib has a firm mattress with a tightly fitted sheet! No blankets, no pillows, no toys, no crib bumpers. These items increase the risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) if they are in your baby's crib. My husband and I wanted our infants to be in our room for the first year of their life. We decided that this would be the easiest way for us, as a family, to care for the baby at night. If your room is large enough, put the crib into your room until you are ready to transition the baby to their room. This allows the baby to become familiar with their bed. If your room is too small to fix the crib, this is where the Pack N Play will come in hand. The Pack N Play usually comes with a "bassinet" feature. The Pack N Play is larger than the traditional bassinets. Bassinets are a waste of money. They only are meant to be used for the first few months of life, and they are expensive! I would suggest a Pack N Play over a bassinet every time! Personally, if your room is big enough for the crib, I would not even suggest getting a pack n play. Honestly, we were given one through our baby shower, and we ended up using it as a barrier and a toy box when she was older. The crib is my first and only suggestion if your bedroom is big enough or if you decide to have the baby in your room at all. If your room is too small to fix the crib, a pack n play is the way to go! Here is a link to the crib that we got from our baby shower and a link to the Pack N Play we have.

Swaddlers

Sticking to the need for sleep first, we did not find these little gems until our third baby, but let me tell you, what a lifesaver! When babies are in the womb, it is tight, warm, and noisy. Our bodies only grow enough to keep the baby safe. Infants spend their entire lives in a tight space. So when they are born, they still like to be snug as a bug in a rug! This is where the Swaddlers come into play. We only used them during night time and nap time, but it safely keeps them wrapped up. Our little man loved them, and it was an extra layer to keep him warm at night. Remember when you use them to remember this is considered an extra layer. You don't want to overheat your infant. A sleeper and a Swaddler was perfect for our little boy. We used these here. There are so many on the market. These are the ones that just worked for us!

Sleepers

This is a hard one for others to agree with but bear with me. When you have this brand new little bundle of joy, more than likely, you are going to be more aware of germs. Newborn's immune systems suck! They need to grow. When we had our first child, we only went to the doctor's office for checkups. That was the only time she left the apartment. With the second, we were braver, and then with our third, after three months, we started to venture out more. Within those first three months, those adorable baby outfits are to-die-for, but not a need. We had our little man in sleepers and onesies for the longest time. It fully covers them, they are comfortable, and they still come in "oh so adorable" looks. We would have specific sleepers for day-time and specific ones for night-time. Also, a little side note, we prefer the ones with the zipper rather than buttons. Trust me, middle of the night diaper changes are a lot easier when you don't have to search for the correct buttons in the dark. Here is a link to the ones that we use.

Noise Machine

Nose Machine e most of my top 10 is going to consist of items that help baby sleep. Well, especially in the beginning, I feel like that is most of what they do. This came from one of those 1500 random "pieces of advice" that people love to give to you while pregnant. Someone told me when I was pregnant with our first to get a noise machine and play it at night while the baby is sleeping. At first, I wasn't a fan. I thought I hate noises while I sleep. Then we had our first, and one night we decided to give it a try. We had a "night light" that included made sounds. We turned on the heartbeat option, and I swear it was like magic. She went to sleep and slept until her next feeding. While babies are in the womb, they are listening to all of your internal body functions. Your heartbeat, blood flow, gas, digestive noises, and so on are music for your little one. That is what they are used to. So it makes sense that silence is a change for them and can make them uncomfortable. This is the sound machine that we used for all three of our children. We like the light feature so we could easily see the baby at night, without having to turn on lights.

Breast Pump / Milk Bags

Ok, I think that about covers all items on my top 10 that are geared towards sleep. Next, let's look at food! Now we were fortunate enough to be able to breastfeed. I am a firm believer in Fed is Best. It doesn't matter if you choose to breastfeed, pump and bottle, or formula. As long as your baby is being fed the proper nutrition, we as other moms should not look down on other moms. When we had our first, I was able to breastfeed while on maturity leave. When I went back to work, I dried up. Then we had to give her formula - luckily, she was an "easy baby," and we gave her just the generic target brand formula. Our other two love bugs, I was able to breastfeed all through the first year. We decided to breastfeed because it worked out best for our family. If it doesn't work for your family, please don't let anyone make you feel any less of a parent. I can promise you, no one can look at my children now and say, "oh yeah, you definitely were breastfed." Well, maybe, my son, because we just stopped breastfeeding, and he still tries to attack me to give him his "ninny." If you decide to breastfeed, I highly recommend you get a breast pump. Most insurances will send one to you for free!! Go here to see if your insurance covers one!! Talk to your OBGYN and ask for a "prescription" and call your insurance company. Even if you are breastfeeding, more than likely, there will be a time that you are away from the baby, whether it is when you return to work or if you just need a break. If you have pumped milk in the stash, it gives you some freedom, and it could give the dad some time to bond with the baby. We used a Mandela pump with all of our kiddos. It worked great! I would also highly suggest getting milk bags. It makes it so much easier to store your breastmilk. Here are the bags that we used. Here is a link to the pump. Just a little helpful tip, the first time that you go to pump, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT turn the pump on high!!! Start off at the lowest setting until your nipples get used to it. Trust me, your nipples with thank me!

Breastfeeding Pillow

If you have not heard of these pillows, this will be a godsend. You can use them for so much more than breastfeeding. I have used them for bottle-feeding, pumping, tummy time, or even just for my own comfort. To use for feedings, simply place around your stomach and lay the baby on top. This gives your baby and your arms a little support while feeding. My husband loved using it to bottle feed as well. It is also great to place on the floor and place the baby on their belly on it. It helps support them while they are building those little muscles. There are so many different brands out there, this is the one that we used. If your budget is very tight, folding a pillow in half and wrapping it around yourself will work too!

Bottles

Whether you are formula feeding or breastfeeding, there will probably come a time when you need a bottle. Every baby is different and has their own prefers. We used tommie tippy for our girls, but our little man hated them. Just see which bottle your baby likes. If you are breastfeeding and planning on returning to work, I recommend that you work with your baby using a bottle. Introduce the bottle after a strong breastfeeding connection is formed. We waited until two weeks until I had to go back, and our little man refused the bottle altogether. My poor husband was literally dripping milk drop by drop into our son's mouth because he hands down refused the bottle. It was traumatizing for my husband and so frustrating for our little guy. Here is a link to the bottles we used for our girls and the only bottle my son would ever take.

Bouncy Chair

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the number of bouncers, play tables, and swings there are for babies? When we had our first, we had them all. Walking into our little apartment was like walking into the baby section at Toys R Us. We had the cute baby swing that played all the music, the play saucers with all the cool little gadgets on it, the pads with stuff that hangs in their faces, and so on. Out of all of the baby gear, and after three children, the only "baby gadget" we really used was the bouncy chair. When my kiddos were infants, they loved to be snuggled, and I just loved snuggling them. We spent so much time snuggling. That being said, for those times when the baby needed to be put down, you know like, showering, going to the bathroom, making dinner, I would put them in the bouncy chair. It was small enough to where I could take them with me. They could watch me do my thing, and I could still keep an eye on them. We had the baby swing, and our first baby liked it for about a month, but it was big and bulky. Honestly, I thought that it moved pretty fast. I could just imagine my newborn flying out of the swing. The floor pads are great for tummy time and floor time, but a blanket works just as well. Then there are the baby saucers and jumpers. These are not safe for the baby until that little head is super sturdy, but even then, they are also huge and bulky. Our first baby loved hers, but the other two wanted nothing to do with it. Here is a link to the bouncy chair that we used!

HATS

Hats are a need!! Newborns are not able to regulate their own body temperatures like you and me. The head is one of the main places on our bodies where heat leaves. This is why you always see little newborns with hats on! This helps keep them warm. It doesn't need to be a full-on winter hat that we use to go outside with, but it just needs something to cover that little noggin of theirs. You can find these hats everywhere. Here is a link to some.

Diapers / Wipes

I saved this for last because I thought it was the most obvious. Babies pee and poop a lot, I mean, A LOT! Of course, there are so many different diaper brands. It really all depends on preference. We prefer Pampers when they are infants. After a year and their little digestive systems become more consistent, we switch them to a generic brand. I know a lot of parents that use cloth diapers. I wish that I could get them to work for me, but I just have not been successful. If they work for you, THAT IS AWESOME!!! Cloth diapers save you so much money in the long run, and they are better for our environment! Wipes. I have spent so much money on baby wipes it is unthinkable. It is so convenient to grab a baby wipe for EVERYTHING! I may not be able to master cloth diapers, but I have perfected cloth wipes. When I became a Norwex Consultant, I found their Baby Body Pack. It basically comes with three smaller body cloths. We use them wet for our little babies' bottoms! It saves us so much money on wipes, and we are not throwing wipes into our landfills. I also don't have to worry about what is in those baby wipes because I'm just using water and the cloth to clean my baby. Here is a link to the Baby Body Pack from Norwex.

Want some more Newborn advice? Check out my realistic newborn advice HERE. Want to learn more about Norwex and our product? Check out what Norwex is HERE!

So there you have it! My top 10 must-haves for newborns! If you are a new parent to be, congratulations on your little bundle of joy!! Tell us what you think of my list! If you are an experienced parent, is there something on your must-have list that is not on mine??

May your homes be filled with love and laughter and not toxic chemicals and germs!