Must Have Items for a Newborn

Have you ever searched “baby registry ideas” and been beyond overwhelmed with everything on those lists?
*raises hand*

Last year when I was pregnant with James, I had NO idea where to start or what I would need for him. I ended up reading list after list, review after review, and asked all my friends what things they liked the best. From all that “research” and subsequent trial and error with an actual newborn in the house, I came to find what items were worth the money, and which weren’t.

Which, my friends, is why I decided to write this blog post for you! :) 

This isn’t coming from a company trying to make money off of you. Nor is it a sponsored post with an agenda. It’s simply my list of must have items for newborns that I recommend to ALL my pregnant mama friends. 

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation if you purchase an item using that link at no extra charge to you. This is to help keep the blog running, and giving me the ability to bring you amazing content! 
All opinions in this post are my own. I was not paid, nor did I receive any items in exchange for this review. I’m just sharing what I love because I love y’all! 

Must Have Items for a Newborn

Clothing

Copper Pearl  (Swaddles, Bibs, Burp Cloths and Three Layer Quilt)
I absolutely LOVE everything Copper Pearl related. First off, the fabrics and patterns are absolutely adorable. And the quality is so great! I have washed and dried all of their stuff many many times and it’s held up so well. Also, their swaddles are so soft and stretch, which makes it a thousand times easier to swaddle a little baby. 

Lou Lou & Company (Blankets/Swaddles, Knotted Gown and Top Knot Hat)
The quality and texture of these swaddles are just like the Copper Pearl ones, which is why I love them too! I got a matching swaddle, knotted gown and hat from here for James’s coming home/newborn pictures outfit. I preferred the hats from Lou Lou over Copper Pearl because they are stretchier and fit better overall! 

Burts Bees Footie PJs
We used a few different brands of footie pajamas, but the Burt’s Bees has by far been my favorite! I love how soft they are and the grippies on the bottom (which I know are pointless for newborns, but they’re still so cute!). They are tight fitting and oh so cute. 

Feeding

Spectra S1 Plus Pump
Through my insurance I could have gotten the S2 for free, but I opted to pay a little more for the S1 because I loved all the extra features it had! It’s lightweight, rechargeable, and super quiet! It has a built in light and has served me so well on wedding days and when working on increasing my supply. 

OXO Bottle Brush
Once I started pumping and giving James bottles when I was working, I quickly realized that we needed a good bottle brush. I love the OXO brand, and this brush is so nice. It has a small brush that is great for those small little crevices, and the stand has rubber on the bottom to help it stay put on the counter. Best of all it comes apart to clean and keep everything sanitary for baby! 

Dr. Brown Glass Bottles
I opted to go with glass bottles for James because I wanted to prevent any chemicals leaching into the milk from a plastic bottle. He was never picky about nipples (thankfully!) and took to these bottles so well. I liked that they are easy to clean, have the attachment to prevent the baby from sucking in air and the silicone sleeve to make holding the bottle a little easier. 

Boppy Nursing Pillow
If there was one single item I would recommend to every nursing mom, it’s a Boppy nursing pillow. That bad boy was a LIFESAVER. My arms got so tired holding James in the perfect position for nursing, and this pillow helped give my arms a break and keep both of us comfortable. 

Milk Snob 5-in-1 cover
I bought this adorable Rocky Mountains cover soon after James was born and it has gone literally everywhere with me. It’s so easy to throw in the diaper bag, and I love how stretchy and soft it is. It’s not too thick for it to be unbearably hot to use during the summer. And it can be used for so many other things, like a carseat cover, high chair cover, grocery cart cover and so much more. 

Freemie Cups 
Since I only really pump when I’m shooting weddings, having something discreet and easy to use when pumping is a necessity. I stumbled upon the Freemie cups that are compatible with my Spectra pump and have loved them! It took a little while to get used to them (and I needed to buy a connection kit) but now it’s easy peasy and perfect for me. 

Haaka
This was something I heard a lot of ladies talk about, but never really looked into until after James was born. Essentially it’s a silicone suction pump that you attach to the breast you aren’t feeding on at the time to catch any letdown/milk that flows out. By using this the first two months I was able to collect a ton of milk without ever having to break out the pump! 

Sleeping

Hatch Baby Rest
Yes, these sound machines/night lights are pricey but in my opinion they are 100% worth it. I love love love that you can control them from your phone, and by setting my “favorites” I can now just tap to turn on the light and tap to turn off, or really do whatever else I’d like because it has so many options! Once James moved into his own room I ended up getting a Hatch for our bedroom because I liked it so much haha. And best of all they are easy to pack and have helped us many a night while traveling. 

Bella Tunno Happy Sidekicks
When James was first born, I didn’t want to give him a lovey, but after we learned how much they could help him sleep at night in our sleep course (Taking Cara Babies), I decided to give them a try. I stumbled upon the Bella Tunno loveys at a local “antique” store and fell in love with Winston. Then a few months later I found Harriett in North Dakota, and decided to get her as well. Now we usually keep Winston in his crib and Harriet in the car so James always has a lovey when he’s falling asleep. And lemme tell ya… it is so. stinkin. cute. watching him “pet” Winston as he falls asleep at night! He loves Winston and Harriett so much, and so do we. 

Video Monitor
So we have the Infant Optics DXR-8, which I got because of all the rave reviews on Amazon, but I don’t know if I love it as much as others do. It easily loses signal with the monitor (resulting in a loud BEEP in the middle of the night…), and if we mount the camera on the wall, we have to turn the screen sideways to see everything right. I wish it had a battery in the camera for the occasional night when the power goes out, but that’s just me being picky. If we were to chose a different one, I’d probably go with the eufy monitor! 

Halo SleepSack Swaddle
There are SO MANY sleep swaddles out there, but I liked the Halo because it was easy to use, the velcro stayed tight, and James rarely broke out of it. I know some kids need something a little more intense like the Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suit, but this one was perfect for us. :) 

Nested Bean Sleep Sack
When we transitioned out of the swaddle, I wish we had gone with the Nested Bean sooner rather than later! It has a weighted section at the baby’s chest that mimic’s mom’s hand, which helps soothe and comfort babies when they wake up in the middle of the night. I feel like it definitely helped during James’s 4 month regression. 

Halo Bassinet
If you are looking for a bassinet for your baby, I high recommend the Halo bassinet. I love that the side can lower a little to help get baby out when it’s time for one of the never ending midnight feedings, and how it swings easily so you can move it to get in and out of the bed without waking up the baby. It’s SUPER heavy, though, so once it finds a home it stays there! Now that James is in his crib, the bassinet has become a great clean laundry holder in our bedroom, so really it’s functional for all stages of life. ;) 

Bathroom

Blooming Bath Lotus
Instead of getting any kind of tub for James, we opted for this bath lotus. I wanted something easy that could be used for more than just the newborn stage. We started James out in the tub with the flower, and now we put it down in the tub so it’s a little softer for him. It’s awesome and I highly recommend it!

Kinsa Thermometer
When James first ran a fever, we quickly realized that we needed a better thermometer than the one we had. I found this one on Amazon, and loved how easy it was, and that it could connect to my phone and track all the different times I took his temperature. You create profiles for every person in the house, and when they are sick I can also insert any symptoms to figure out if it’s worthy of visiting the doctor or not. 

Dr. Bronner’s Baby Sugar Soap
When looking for a cleaner, non toxic soap to use on James, I ended up with Dr. Bronner. I liked all the ingredients, and the baby soap is unscented, so it’s even gentler on sensitive newborn skin.

Copper Pearl bath towel
I know I talked about Copper Pearl earlier, but I just had to mention them again (yes, that’s how much I love it). I bought one of their muslin hooded towels when I was pregnant and it’s now the only towel we use on James! It gets softer with each wash, is super absorbent and oh so cute. 

Rhoost Nail Clipper
After struggling to clip James’s nails with the clippers that came in a first aid kit, I decided to give these a try. I love the large, wooden “handle” because it makes it easy for me to grasp, and the clippers are SHARP, so it’s a lot easier to cut nails now. Just be careful about cutting skin, because they are definitely sharp enough to do that (yes, that is coming from personal experience). 

NoseFrida
Sooooo I have mixed feelings about the NoseFrida. I recommend it because I do think it works and so many moms I know love and swear by it. But sweet little James hates ANYTHING in or around his nose. So while I am able to suck out some boogers and snot, the screaming and crying causes more to form, so it’s kinda pointless for us. Maybe someday we’ll get some real use out of it? ;)

Nursery

Ubbi Diaper Pail
I knew I didn’t want to get a Diaper Genie because of how expensive the bags are, so when I found the Ubbi pail, I was immediately intrigued. And y’all… This is probably one of my favorite purchases ever. It’s stainless steal, holds in the stinky stinky smells perfectly, holds a ton of diapers and (best of all) I can just use regular 13 gallon trash bags, which saves a LOT of money. This diaper pail is worth every single penny plus some. 

Changing Pad
Instead of spending money on a changing table in the nursery, I decided to buy a changing pad and put it on top of James’s dresser. This way I’m not spending money on something that’s only useful for a few years! 

OXO Tot Perfect Pull Wipes Dispenser
This is another one of those things that I am so thankful for! I love the weight that sits on top of the wipes, and the easy push open top. It’s so simple but makes changing diapers and grabbing the wipes so much easier. 

Skip Hop Changing Mat
I love this little changing station for when I’m out and about. It holds diapers and wipes, and has a little changing pad that unfolds. It’s so easy to stuff in James’s diaper bag and makes changing his diaper when we’re out so much easier. I don’t have to worry about nasty surfaces since I can just use the changing pad that is attached. 

Other

Thule Urban Glide 2 Stroller
I did a lot of research when it came to strollers, because I knew I wanted a jogging stroller but I also wanted something that would last and be perfect for running roads. I decided on the Thule Urban Glide 2 and I have been so so happy with it! It is so smooth, easy to run with, and folds up to fit easily in our Honda Fit. I’ve pushed other strollers since getting this one, and every time I think to myself “man… I love my stroller so much!” haha. 

BIBS Pacifiers
I originally bought these pacis because I thought they were cute. And then it ended up being James’s preferred pacifier, so they stuck around for good! 

Graco Pack n’ Play
I know this is a no brainer for some people, but it took me a few months before I realized how much I needed one. Any time we travel we bring it along with us, and James does pretty well sleeping in it. I’ve even set it up outside when I work in the yard, or in the living room when he was first crawling around and I was tired of chasing him every where. #momtruth

Skip Hop Activity Gym
This little cloud got us through the first six months of James’s life and is so special to us! I love how cute it is, and James loved playing on it as he got older. 

Baby Carrier
If you’ve been reading here at all, you know how much I LOVE babywearing. I am a huge fan of my Wildbird ring slings, and also have a Happy Baby Carrier for when I need to back carry James during sessions. Read more about babywearing here. :) 

What are some items YOU would add to the list? Let me know in the comments!