I still remember the sense of excitement when I was pregnant with my first child. I downloaded a baby-tracking app, I picked out cute maternity clothes, and you bet I had the 4 inch thick “billion baby names” book on my nightstand. I also remember the first “baby checklist” I found in a parenting magazine and the flood of overwhelm I felt as I read through the list. Do I really NEED a wipes warmer? bottle sanitizer? special diaper trash can? I tore out the magazine page, stuck it to the fridge and consulted the baby tracking app…OK, I had 20 weeks to figure this all out! GO!

Now 3 kids and an abundance of baby supplies later, I thought I would share my experience with other parents-to-be, on what I actually felt were needed and used the most, or my favorite sleep deprived parenting phrase “worth its weight in gold”.

Don’t panic! The list is quite short I promise.

New Baby “Must-Haves”

Aside from you, food, and diapers, of course!

 1.  Sleep Sacks

Picture a sleeping bag with arm holes, or a sleeping bag with sleeves. You can get them in light weight cotton or cozy fleece. Why fantastic? Because no matter what temperature you set your thermostat at, you’re always going to have lingering thoughts like these every-single-night: Is the baby too cold?? Maybe just their toes are cold….I can never sleep when my feet are cold… What if she kicked her blanket off?? Maybe I shouldn’t of let her sleep with a blanket…”they say” blankets are dangerous in cribs….honey wake up…WAKE UP!….do you think the baby is too cold? Should I go check on her??   If you’re crazy like me, you WILL go in and check on them, the floor will squeak…and guess who else is now awake?? Sleep sacks people, sleep sacks!! The blanket that never falls off. These can even be a fun and easy DIY sewing project too if you’re crafty like that.

2.  Baby Carrier

As a new mom, I didn’t know I would need these but I am forever grateful that other’s knew of their necessity and gifted them to me! Once baby arrives you’re going to develop some serious arm muscles as you realize baby is soothed best when they’re with you aaalllllll the time. Baby carriers are AMAZING for not only freeing up BOTH your hands, but also for providing baby with ‘snugglely-close’ contact. I had 3 different types and loved each for different reasons, ages, and tasks. It’s true there are SO MANY different kinds and brands of baby carriers to pick from, it’s easy to get overwhelmed just trying to FIND what your options are. I strongly recommend you check out SolutionBay’s “How to Choose the Best Baby Carrier for Boy & Girl, Newborn & Toddler”. While the list shows 42 different baby carriers, you can immediately narrow down your search by age, cost, material, and even carry position. How nice is that?!

3.  Wubbanub Pacifier

*AKA-Soothie pacifier with a stuffed animal attached (at the time I had my first, Wubbanub was the only brand with this brilliant idea.) Why this specifically? The attached stuffed animal acts as an anchor. If your child momentarily spits out the pacifier while laying down, it typically doesn’t move. If it does move, it’s not rolling away to some hard-to-reach spot under furniture, and their size makes them super easy to find *even in the dark*.  When baby gets old enough to grasp objects, these pacifiers are easy for them to grab, hold, and place themselves. I realize the controversy with pacifiers in general, and not all kids will take them (my third did not…though I’m still not sure how I am surviving) but truly this small purchase felt lifesaving (and ta-tas saving!) with my first two kids.

4.  Baby Swing

I actually got rid of our baby swing after kid #2….I thought I could ‘tough it out’ with kid #3 but at just a few weeks old I found myself desperately searching for another swing. Here’s the catch though-you need a big swing….one that REALLY swings, not just rocks or jiggles, but a full swing motion (so none of those compact space-saver models). From my high energy 1st child, to my chill last child, the swing lulled my children to sleep when I felt like I was at my wits end. While swings are only used for 4-6 months tops, some of those days can feel very very long and you’ll want every bit of help to get you more rest. Don’t want the high price tag? You can usually find several at consignment shops!

5.  Noise Machine

I personally never cared for crib mobiles but I am an avid lover of music boxes and noise machines. We quickly realized that the sound of the stove vent on high and the vacuum cleaner could turn a crying baby into a calm, maybe even sleeping, baby. There are many phone apps now for various white noise sounds but we have this one by MyBaby (that ironically has terrible Amazon reviews, haha, but it works for us). With our last kid, a friend introduced us to the Marpac Dohm white noise machine and it now runs 24/7 in the baby’s room. The MyBaby one is great for playing music on a timer, but the Marpac is ideal for softening the sounds of the siblings chatting loudly in the other room, or the clanging of dishes being put away in the kitchen. We eventually got one for every bedroom.

How about you moms? What were your new baby must-haves?

Prevailing Parent

Hi there! I’m Kaley, prevailing parent and wife, but also just me; stubborn lover of DIY everything, outdoors, and chocolate. Read more about myself and my family under the “Parenting” > “About My Family” tabs.