After three babies, 7+ years of parenting, and lots of trial and error, I’ve come up with my list of recommended baby products that I’d want to have on hand should a baby show up at my doorstep. Feel free to leave questions in the comments!
Sleep
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Miracle blanket: These are totally worth the $30 price tag if you have a baby that Houdinis his or her way out of any other swaddle. However, it’s possible to find them at a consignment store, with diligence and patience
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Crib and mattress: Of course think of aesthetics but also of durability, storage possibilities, and reuse
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2 waterproof mattress pads: I love this particular brand because they’re very breathable (no sweaty babies!), don’t make a crinkly plastic noise, and wash up beautifully.
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2+ sheets: My favorite have been jersey knit because they’re so soft and easy to get on the mattress.
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Muslin swaddles: When my first child was born, the only brand out there was Aden and Anais, but now there are many brands with many prints. I’ve used these as a nursing cover, car seat cover, thin blanket for toddlers on vacation, sun shade, makeshift baby sling, and superhero cape, to name a few
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Wubbanub/
Dr Browns lovey pacifier: Yes, these are cute but they’re also incredibly useful. The extra weight of the stuffie prevents the pacifier from rolling away into a distant corner of the crib during the night.
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Pack n play: These can range from simple to elaborate. If you’re going to use it in your bedroom for a while after the baby is born, perhaps you want one with a bassinet or changing station. We preferred something smaller than the pack n play and went with a simple one with no regrets (
we’ve been using the same one for 3 babies over 7+ years)
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Graco quilted pack n play sheet: The only pack n play sheet worth having! It adds a little padding to an otherwise stiff mattress and has real elastic around the edges for a tight fit. If you’re likely to travel often or for long periods of time, I recommend having 2.
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Portable bassinet: If you have large pets or older children running around the house, I cannot recommend having a small bassinet to move around the house enough. If I were to buy one today, I’d stalk Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for a Halo bassinet.
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Sleep sacks (wearable blankets) in multiple sizes: I’ve purchased (and liked)
Yoga Sprout muslin wearable blankets for warmer weather and fleece
Halo sleepsacks for winter. My babies have always slept better with multiple layers and I’m happy to do anything to get more sleep!
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White noise machine: You get a white noise machine! You get a white noise machine! A white noise machine in every bedroom! The Marpac Dohm UNO white noise machine doesn’t loop and provides a constant, steady whirring sound.
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Video Baby monitor: We received the
Infant Optics DXR-8 video monitor as a gift when our second son was a baby. Even with a small house, having a video monitor was especially useful for the toddler years. I don’t use one this one on a daily basis anymore but will not travel to a vacation rental house without it! I’ve heard really good things about V-tech video monitors as well.
Nursing
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Pump (go through your insurance, most pay for at least 50%)
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Bottles: No matter what your breastfeeding plans are, it is a very good idea to have a few different bottles on hand. Babies tend to have opinions about bottles so having 1 or 2 of several different brands is a smart way to start out before buying an entire set. Amazon and Target often offer a gift for the registrant once you’ve added a certain number of items to a baby registry and will often include bottles in those packages.
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Breast pads (disposable or reusable): There was never a point while I breastfed my babies where I didn’t leak milk before or during a feeding. I needed more absorbancy than what reusable pads could give me and settled on
Philips Avent breast pads because they were easiest to open one-handed (a necessity)
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Formula (always good to have on hand, regardless of your breastfeeding plans): Enfamil and Similac both have rewards programs that will send you coupons and samples
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Nursing pillow (perhaps? I never liked mine. I preferred a firm bed pillow)
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Boon Grass drying rack with
stem/
twig/
poke: We’re beyond the bottle/pumping stage and still use this daily. My parents bought one after seeing ours and use it for water bottles and small parts
Toys
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Bright Starts Lots of Links: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! They connect toys together, hang toys from the car seat handle, lock cupboard doors (at home and on vacation), are perfect first bath toys, and more.
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Board books: We are frequent library visitors and I’m a huge advocate of making books available for children at their level from the moment they’re big enough to turn a page. I wrote about some of our favorite board books
in this post.
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Mirror: Our first baby was 5 weeks old when he started chattering to the picture of a baby on the side of a diaper package. I knew then that we needed a mirror! We kept
this mirror through all of our boys’ babyhood and it made tummy time much more pleasant.
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Play Gym: There are many different kinds of play gyms but my recommendation is one where the baby has room to roll from side to side and can be tempted by a manner of hanging toys. Of all the larger pieces of baby gear, this is one you may need earliest. Most babies are interested in talking to their reflection by one month old.
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Some sort of containment unit (jumper, walker): Our house is many things but big is not one of them. I preferred to have only 1 larger baby item out at once. We cycled through a
Jumperoo (so, so much love for the free-standing jumper), swing, and walker on wheels as baby developed.
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Hanging toys
Travel
Healthcare
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Nail clippers: The tiny cutting edge and larger plastic handle makes cutting itty bitty nails as easy as it can be
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Gripe water: Helps gassy babies pass those bubbles. I used
Mommy’s Bliss brand due to its short and simple list of ingredients
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Gas drops: Affectionately referred to in our house as “Baby Beano,” simethicone drops are a lifesaver for a gassy, uncomfortable baby.
Target’s house brand is inexpensive yet effective
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Infant Tylenol
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Baby ibuprofen
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Cool mist umidifier
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Boogie wipes: Gentle on the nose that is getting wiped 1000x daily
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Baby wash
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Lotion (unscented): In case of fragrance sensitivities, start with unscented products
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Kneeling Pad: We resisted for so long before buying
this kneeling pad while our third son was a baby. No regrets.
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Bath toys (can easily wait on these for their 1st birthdays)
Diapering
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Fragrance free wipes (I like Huggies, they’re thicker)
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Newborn to size 3 diapers (Pampers Swaddlers for little sizes, Huggies Movers/Kirkland Signature for really chunky babies and older babies but your mileage may vary based on the size and shape of your child)
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Trash can/diaper genie: Beware of any trash can with plastic internal bits. They will eventually absorb the odor of diaper trash and there’s nothing you can do to get rid of it.
- If you’re thinking about cloth diapering, I have a separate post of recommendations!
Mom
When you go on your initial hospital tour, find out what your hospital does and doesn’t provide. I didn’t have to bring much to the hospital with me but I know some places have very few resources for new moms.
Clothes
Toddler Feeding
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Plates and bowls (Target has Pillowfort brand dishes in many colors for $0.59 each, microwave and dishwasher safe)
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Sippy cups (several different varieties because babies have preferences)
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High chair: Find one with as few crevasses as possible to clean. I replaced my early choice with a
Keekaroo convertible seat with zero regrets.
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Large Items (easy and way cheaper to buy these second hand)