I don’t know about you but when we found out we were pregnant, I was totally overwhelmed at the thought of trying to figure out what we’d need and what was unnecessary. It is RIDICULOUS how much baby stuff is out there when you think about what a baby truly needs – milk, shelter, warmth and love. But like most parents, we found ourselves wondering – do we NEED a swing? Does our baby HAVE to have a pillow for tummy time? If I wipe my baby’s butt with a wipe that didn’t come pre-heated in a wipes warmer, will she be traumatized for life? Depending on how much time, money and space you have, there is no end to baby items you can buy.
You can understand why we found this to be a huge undertaking. So I compiled a list. We used Baby Bargains as a starting point and researched online, using mostly amazon, consumer reports, and babiesrus reviews to guide us. As Miss K has grown, we’ve modified the list. We’ve had a lot of friends with little ones in their tummies and it’s my favorite thing to share with expectant parents. I hope it helps you too.
Please note that this is just a list of things that we used within the first few months, out the gate. I think it’s a good place to start when you’re putting together your registry, also. Things like high chairs, bumbo seats, etc. aren’t on the list. I tried to keep the newborn size clothes to the bare minimum since you don’t know how big the baby will be. Newborn sizes usually run up to 8 pounds, but even then the sizes vary, depending on the brand. It also depends on how often you’re willing to do laundry.
| Qty | Notes | |
| Clothing | (Newborn Size) | |
| Long sleeve Onsies (w/Cuffs) | 3 | |
| Sweaters | 2 | |
| Infant Caps | 3 | |
| Pants | 4 | |
| Infant Gowns | 2 | |
| Sleepsack swaddler | 1 | |
| Socks | 6 | |
| Sleepers/rompers | 5 | |
| Short sleeve t-shirts | 3 | |
| Short sleeve onesies | 3 | |
| Bedding | ||
| Changing pad cover | 2 | Miss K. soils these so we ended up buying an extra (we have three). You’ll need at least 2 so you have one when the other’s in the wash |
| Changing pad | 1 | Make sure the one you get has a non-slip bottom. My friend (whose son is 9 months) doesn’t even use this anymore because he moves around so much |
| Crib Mattress | 1 | |
| Mattress Pad | 2 | |
| Crib Set Blanket | 1 | I originally had a crib set on my registry but then was advised not to use a baby bumper or a comforter and that was 2 out 4 of the items in the set. Check with your advisers on what they recommend |
| Crib Set Crib Sheet | 2 | |
| Crib Set Diaper Stacker | 1 | |
| Crib Set Lamp | 1 | |
| Crib Set Mobile | 1 | |
| Crib Set Valance | 1 | |
| Crib Set Wallborder | 1 | |
| Multiuse pad (2 pk) | 2 | These are thin pads that I use for changing or wrapping baby in. I keep one in the diaper bag |
| Pack and Play quilted sheet | 1 | |
| Receiving Blanket | 5 | I like carters and aden+ anais |
| Swaddling pods | 3 | |
| Bath | ||
| Bath Gel/Shampoo | 1 | I originally started w/ aveeno sensitive and Johnson & Johnson’s but I would recommend looking for a natural product instead |
| Bath thermometer | 1 | We have a little rubber ducky that just indicates when the water is too hot |
| Bath tub | 1 | |
| Brush and Comb set | 1 | |
| Hooded towel | 3 | |
| Washcloths | 12 | Used for bath and cleaning up |
| Nail Clippers | 1 | |
| Nail Files | ||
| Furniture | ||
| Pack and Play | ||
| Crib | ||
| Dresser | ||
| Glider | ||
| Ottoman | ||
| Feeding | ||
| Bibs | 8 | |
| Baby Food maker | 1 | I got the manual one – my cousin just uses a small food processor. |
| Bottle brush | 1 | |
| Bottle Drying rack | 1 | Or dishwasher rack |
| Burp cloths | 8 | |
| Newborn bottle set | 1 | |
| Spoons | 6 | |
| nursing wraps/coverups | 1 | |
| Breast Pump | 1 | medela pump in style advanced breast pump |
| Breast Milk Bags | 50 | Medela – these are good because you can attach them directly to the pump |
| Formula | 1 | Even if you plan on breastfeeding, you want to have at least one package of formula in case you need it |
| Breastpump Tubing | 1 | |
| Nursing Bras | 5 | |
| Nursing Pads | 3 boxes | Tried both Gerber and Lanisoh disposable pads but prefer Lanisoh. You’ll need these pretty much on day 3-4 when your milk comes in |
| Care | ||
| 2 pk cloth diapers | I primarily cloth diaper these days but if it’s your first, you might want to use disposables out the gate – there’s just too much going on to make things more complicated than they need to be | |
| Baby Wipes | Recommend not using any wipes for the first 3 weeks | |
| Cloth diaper refill | ||
| Pampers Swaddlers | 120 | I like these – they don’t leak and have an indicator on the outside so you can tell if the baby needs to be changed. Newborn size goes to 10 pounds so you can stock up on these |
| Diaper Bag | 1 | |
| Diaper Genie | 1 | We like this – no odor at all |
| Diaper Genie Refills | 3 | |
| Diaper Rash Cream | 1 | The classes we took recommended A+D or Desitin |
| Sunscreen | 1 | I looked for an organic sunscreen |
| Boppy Pillow/Brest Friend | 1 | These are nursing pillows – the OB classes at our hospital recommended the brest friend but it doesn’t work too well with our glider (because of the handles it sits too high) so I use the boppy. Boppy can also be used for tummy time. If you get the boppy, you’ll need to get a couple covers; I have two, so that there’s always one available |
| kiddopotamus snuzzler head and body support | 1 | Optional – the carseat class we took recommended against these but we find that it helps keep K’s head in place while in her carseat |
| Dreft | 2 | All baby clothes, blankets, etc. get washed with Dreft. I’ve also been using All Free and Clear and that’s pretty good too |
| Tylenol | 1 | |
| Mylecon | 1 | |
| Motrin | 1 | |
| Thermometer | 1 | We bought a digital one that takes the temperature by rolling the thermometer across her forehead…the OB classes recommended the inexpensive digital kind (we bought the exergen temporal infrared scanner |
| Other | ||
| Auto Mirror | 2 | One for each car |
| Baby Hangers | 25 | I have like 45 hangers; I use maybe 25 |
| Baby Monitor | 1 | |
| Story books | ||
| Car Seat | 1 | Graco Snugride – this carseat is highly recommended and very popular but I would consider getting a different brand because this one’s straps tighten on the back, which is awkward and kind of difficult. I believe the Britax brand tightens on the front. The other thing you’ll need to decide is if you want the infant sized carseat…many carseats are convertible, meaning that they can be either forward facing for when the baby is bigger or backward facing for when they’re smaller. This lets you have one carseat that will last more than a year. The benefit to an infant carseat is that you can leave her in her carriage and snap her in and out of the base and carry her in the carrier without waking her. We opted to buy the carrier and an extra base. |
| 2nd Car seat base | 1 | |
| Carrier | 1 | Wehave both a Baby Bjorn Active Carrier and a Moby wrap…there’s a lot of options here but not all feel comfortable. |
| Baby Gym | 1 | |
| Swing | 1 | |
| Stroller | 1 | |
| Baby Book | 1 | |
| Hanging toys | 3 | For the car seat/swing/etc |