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Once you get over the initial excitement or shock of finding out that you are pregnant, the next phase that comes is wondering what exactly you need to buy for the baby. I started creating my newborn baby essentials checklist a few weeks into pregnancy.
It is the same list I used as a baby registry checklist when setting up my baby registry as well as a baby shopping list for all baby preparation stuff. You can get the printable for free on the signup form below.
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This newborn essentials checklist will cover all the most important aspects of a newborn’s care and includes the must-have items for baby, for mom and nursery essentials.
It’s free to download. Feel free to use it as a newborn shopping list, as a baby registry checklist or just keep it close to make sure you have everything you need before your baby is born.
Keep scrolling down to see all the baby essentials I used and loved.
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This table provides an overview of the items that should be in your newborn baby essentials checklist. Real items that you will actually need.
Although some people will advise you not to buy anything until after your baby shower, I generally do not follow that advice. First, it’s because not everyone hosts a baby shower or gets a surprise one. Second, I like to get the baby must-haves myself a bit early just in case the baby decides to pop out when we are not expecting. Maybe it’s because both my pregnancies came with complications that had me anticipating a possible early delivery.
That said, I would also not buy all the newborn baby items at once, start with the bare minimum and then add as you go. Start with the baby stuff you cannot do without, like a car seat or baby’s coming home outfit. For the items you would be happy to receive as gifts for last.
It helps to set up your baby registry early so that when friends reach out to find out what you might need, you can just send them a link. Some things you don’t even need to buy before the baby is born so I would skip those until later.
A Car seat is at the top of the list because you won’t be allowed to leave the hospital with the baby without one in most countries (in the US for sure). It thus qualifies as a must-have newborn baby item.
Personally, I chose this infant car seat to use with this jogging stroller that I had bought a few years earlier.
However, depending on your needs you can choose to get an infant car seat (rear-facing only) first or a convertible car seat.
If you are going for a convertible car seat, this is a really good one. It will stay with you for a long time.
If you tend to travel a lot, getting a car seat that’s on the lighter side is better. This one is a great option which we have also used and loved.
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A baby bouncer or a swing may seem unnecessary at first, but I can’t tell you how helpful it was for me in those first few weeks with a newborn. It is perhaps one of the most utilized items in our house.
If your baby ends up with acid reflux as mine did, the bouncer is a lifesaver. Placing her on it after a feeding helped her stay elevated which reduced spit-ups. She actually took a good number of her naps in there.
The alternative would have been holding her upright for 30 minutes to an hour, sometimes more. That is insane when you just had a baby.
The bouncer also came in handy when I needed a few minutes to take a shower or fix something in the kitchen. You know, mama gotta eat.
I would highly recommend either a baby bouncer or a baby swing for every new mom.
I bought a small Evenflo baby carrier and used it for all our adventures when the baby was still tiny. It served me well for the first 5 months before she got heavier. However, it only has two carry positions both on the front so as she got heavier it became harder to use.
We then upgraded to this Lillebaby one which we used for a while. My challenge with the Lillebaby is that you can’t use it for a baby below 6 months. You also can’t front carry the baby facing forward with it and because of that, I have a love-hate relationship with it.
*Updated: We eventually bought an Ergobaby which had come very highly recommended. I did You can find my detailed review here
Receiving blankets are another baby essential not only for sleep but for a thousand more reasons. I love these muslin ones because they are larger than most. I used them to swaddle and still use them as a car seat cover sometimes.
This article covers 10 things you can do with receiving blankets. Just in case you have no idea what receiving blankets are used for. No shame.
You could use the kitchen sink, or you could get a bathtub with more space and convenience to clean the baby. I would rather have the bath tub.
We got this one for baby girl and we love it.
Just remember to wait until the cord stump falls off before you submerge your baby in the water. Before then just do sponge baths. I didn’t know this the first time and it took a really long time for it to drop off.
A grooming kit has all those small things you are likely to forget until the baby has snot and you have no idea how to get it out or you need to check baby’s temperature and you realize you have no thermometer.
This kit has everything you need to groom your baby. From a thermometer to a hairbrush and more.
In the first month, your baby will average about 7-9 diapers per day, we went up to 12 on some days 🙂 .
We use these diapers and these sensitive baby wipes . I explained why we chose these particular ones in this post.
Over the first 3 months, you will go through hundreds of diapers. Here are some tips on how to save on diapers:
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I love this backpack diaper bag that we use every time we are going out with the baby. I also used it to carry baby’s items when I was packing my hospital bag for delivery
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The difference between a bassinet and a crib is that a crib is bigger than a bassinet. If you choose to buy a bassinet, most of the time the child will need to be transitioned to the crib later. A lot of people do it at around 6 months but you can do it later when the baby is around 30 lbs.
We bought this bedside cosleeper bassinet because I prefer to have the baby next to me. We also used this portable one when we were not in the bedroom.
If you choose to breastfeed or pump breast milk for your baby, these are some of the items you will need:
You can find our full list of breastfeeding and pumping essentials and recommendations here: Breastfeeding essentials for nursing moms
Breastfeeding can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you are breastfeeding, pumping, or doing both, this comprehensive guide to breastfeeding for new moms to help you succeed.
Having a nursing chair that has great back support, arm support, and a way to rest your feet is important for your comfort.
The rocking, gliding, and swiveling features of most nursing chairs are great, especially when you are trying to put the baby to sleep. This one is designed to be slim to fit in limited spaces like a small nursery room so that’s a plus.
I would recommend using your baby registry completion discount to buy one for yourself. You could also allow family and friends to do group gifting on your baby registry.
You don’t have to have a baby shower planned to create a baby registry. You can create one to utilize the benefits that come with it.
I got this play gym for the baby to play with when I need to distract her for some time so that I can get some stuff done. We also let her do her tummy time on it. She loves all the lights, colors, and music.
Babywearing is great but you can’t do it for too long, especially if you like taking walks or jogging.
A stroller comes in handy to help you get around easily and comfortably. As someone who is fairly active and goes around with my babies a lot, I prefer a jogging stroller to a compact one. I have had the Graco fast action for some time now and I love it.
When it comes to baby clothes, I tend to think that this is the easiest part of shopping for a new baby. There are so many cute little outfits out there you cannot run out of options.
It is very easy to buy more than you need so I suggest you buy just a few outfits to start with and then buy on-demand once the baby arrives.
Also, don’t buy too many clothes in newborn size, do more of the 0-3 months size because babies tend to outgrow newborn size really fast.
You need one outfit: the baby’s coming home outfit. You probably want to pay more attention to this one because that’s when the baby will have some of their first photos taken.
Check out some of our favorite outfits here.
My favorite places to shop for baby clothes:
To save on baby clothes when I am shopping online, I use
Sometimes I also use Ibotta to get cashback. Use my referral code “wnoffdi” at registration to get a $10 bonus when you sign up.
When you have a baby, all those extra dollars add up pretty quick.
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Shopping for a newborn can be tough but you do not have to break the bank. The items on this baby essentials list are more than enough to welcome your newborn home comfortably.
Download the newborn essentials checklist printable, use it as your baby shopping list, or as a packing list for your diaper bag, and enjoy this season of your life as you prepare for a newborn.
You are gonna make a great parent, mama.
Don’t forget to pin this.
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Every share counts. Thank you for supporting this website!
Thank you so much for this highly informative article! Although I do not have children of my own, several close friends of mine are all expecting children within the next couple of months. I’ve been debating what to get them, and you have given me an endless supply of choices! Those bouncers in particular are catching my eye. I have bookmarked your site and will definitely share it with my friends and family! God bless you!
That’s wonderful, congratulations to your friends. I am glad I could be of help. I loved our bouncer so much, I definitely recommend it as a gift. If you need more gift ideas for the new moms, I do have another post with some of the best gifts to get a new mom (for the mom) which you can find here.
Such a detailed article, when though the list reminded me of back in the days when all we wanted was stuff for the baby and her mum 🙂 Before you uabe a baby you might think you dont need all ofnthese items bu lt trust me once the baby is there, there’s always something else. Great guide indeed for first time parents especially, saves them guessing and running around trying to find good quality items. Thanks for sharing!
I know, right? Babies need so much, but as parents, we always figure it out somehow. Thank you for your comment, Mohammed
Here’s a link to an article titled ‘How to sooth a teething baby’: https://mayhealthcare.com/how-to-sooth-a-teething-baby/ Hope it add value to your wonderfull blog! God bless,
Helpful tips for teething remedies there. Thanks for sharing.Getting baby gear together can be a daunting task, especially for first-time moms. At a time like this, we all will be looking for lots of guidance, and this checklist can be our go-to reference for baby gear essentials. Love this post…i am bookmarking it.
That’s very true, Satz. It is not an easy task to put get everything you need before the baby arrives especially when you have never had a baby before. I am glad you liked the post and thank you for your comment.
I literally bought maybe 5-7 items from this list for our babies haha they really need so little so we stick to the actual essentials such as a safe place to sleep, a food source (we exclusively formula feed our babies so we also buy a couple of bottles as well), diapers, wipes, a car seat, clothing (we buy maybe 10-15 onesies in each size for those first few months and that’s really it haha), and basic medications and toiletries. Suuuper super basic here!
I actually consider myself quite basic too, but I like the way you say the actual essentials and by the time you mention the onesies, it is already more than 5 and by the time you get to toiletries, it’s more than 7 and we haven’t even got the stroller/baby carrier yet for transportation. 😀 Such is motherhood. I loved how you summarized the entire list into categories in your comment. It made me realize I should probably have grouped the clothing items together to avoid intimidating new moms into thinking that they need too many things, right? Funny enough bottles were the one thing in the list that we didn’t end up needing and I haven’t used my breast pump for a few months now because I exclusively breastfeed and thanks to the coronavirus, I am going nowhere so I don’t need to pump. Also, the bouncer is probably the only reason I got any sleep at all in the first 3 months of my daughter’s life, well, that and my mother-in-law. So I tell everyone who’s shopping for a baby about it :D. Oh, and now that you mentioned it, I realized I forgot basic medications on my list. We used gripe water to deal with colic and also bought baby Tylenol which, thank God, we haven’t needed to use yet. But thanks for including that. I wanted this list to be all-inclusive for first-time moms and to be a quick detailed guide regardless of whether they feed by bottle or breast. I really appreciate your comment, Keating. Thanks.
