Potentially helpful items for new parents (newborn – 3 months)
Hi soon-to-be parents and new parents! I recently became a mom to a beautiful baby and I wanted to share what items I purchased that have been really helpful. Most of these we ended up purchasing after he was born, when we knew what we actually needed. (It’s really hard to know until you’re in the moment!) Hope this helps in planning your registry or giving you some ideas for your new baby!
Diapers
- ALVABABY Baby Cloth Diapers – These may be a bit big for newborns. We started using these at the smallest adjustable size at around 2.5 months.
- ALVABABY Cloth Diaper Liners – Put on top of cloth diaper so that you can easily throw away the poop.
- 13-Gallon Trash Can – To throw away the diaper liners
- Wet bags – To keep soiled cloth diapers. I wash the cloth diapers every 2-3 days and wash the wet bags about once per week (first turn inside-out and then put in washing machine with cloth diapers).
- Tide Powder Laundry Detergent Original, 143 Ounce – For washing the cloth diapers. First wash the diapers on a cold cycle with no detergent, then a hot cycle with Tide. I also just dry the diapers in the dryer on delicate for 80 min.
- Summer 4-Sided Changing Pad – I love this diaper pad! Instead of buying a full-on diaper changing table/station, we just put this on our bathroom counter. It’s very lightweight and safe with the 4 sides.
- BlueSnail Bamboo Quilted Thicker Waterproof Changing Pad Liners – To put on top of the changing pad. I put on a fresh pad every few days and wash these along with the diapers (if poop got on them) or his clothes (if only pee got on them).
- Diaper changing pad – For changing diapers on-the-go. I take this on all our day outings.
- Noodle & Boo Ultimate Baby Body and Face Cleansing Cloths – I found these far superior to Pampers wipes, which would slowly cause diaper rash. They are also more wet and sudsy—way more effective at cleaning.
Bathing
- Storage bin for baths – His first 3 months we used the kitchen sink. Now that he’s too big, I decided to use a storage bin as a bath basin so I wouldn’t have to fill the whole tub, plus it’ll come in useful for storing his things later!
- Bath support seat – For use inside the bath basin
- Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Gentle Bath Wash & Shampoo
- Noodle & Boo soap and lotion
Taking baby places
- UPPAbaby MINU V2 Stroller – Most lightweight of the UPPAbaby strollers (Vista is the biggest, Cruz is in the middle). Only 16 pounds and perfect for traveling. Only downside is it doesn’t fit as many things in the base compartment.
- Stroller adapters for bassinet and car seat – Needed if you get the MINU.
- UPPAbaby Bassinet – I purchased mine on Craigslist for $100.
- UPPAbaby Bassinet Rain Shield
- UPPAbaby Mesa V2 Car Seat + base – I was able to get both the car seat and base on Craigslist for $100.
- Muslin blankets – Useful for covering the bassinet to block out the sun/wind, covering yourself for breastfeeding
- KeaBabies Baby Wrap Carrier – Keep baby snuggled right up against you while keeping your hands free. This will also support their neck, so great straight from the newborn stage.
- Baby carrier – For when baby can hold their head up themselves. We started using this at 3 months.
Play time
- UANLAUO Baby Playpen with Mat – I love that I can keep my baby in here under his Lovevery play gym and know he’s safe while I’m doing dishes and other chores.
- Lovevery Play Gym – I also got a year subscription to the Lovevery Play Kits and love it so far! I love that I don’t have to wonder what toys I should buy and that Lovevery tells you exactly how you can help your baby play with each toy and what capability it helps develop.
- Timy Wooden Toy Box with Bench Seat – Cute little chest to keep his toys. I put this inside the play pen.
- Fisher-Price Portable Baby Chair – He enjoys sitting up and being able to see the world from this angle!
Nursing / Feeding
- My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow – I actually purchased the Boppy but if I could do it over again, I would’ve gone with My Brest Friend instead since it clips around you. The Boppy kept coming off and I would need to constantly push it back around me, especially if I needed to maneuver in the middle of feeding.
- Medela Pump In Style Breast Pump – This pump is effective, portable, and easy to use. One pro of Medela products is that pump parts from different Medela pumps can still be used with other Medela pumps. So the hospital also gave me some additional Medela parts to take home. This pump can be plugged into the wall or you can use a battery pack to pump anywhere.
- Hands Free Pumping Bra – A game changer so you can do other things while pumping!
- Haakaa Manual Breast Pump – My first month I would leak a lot, especially while changing baby’s diaper or while he would eat from one boob. So I bought two of these to wear while changing his diaper, and then while he ate I would use one on the boob he wasn’t eating from. This way I captured the leaked milk and could feed it to him later if needed.
- Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags – I like that these are short. The tall ones are a bit unruly. They also fit nicely in the storage containers (below).
- Vtopmart Breastmilk Storage Container 4PCS Set – For the first few weeks I was pumping every 3 hours, and this came in useful for organizing breastmilk in the fridge. Now I use them to store my frozen milk.
- Bottles – Glass bottles are better because it’s more difficult for the baby to suck out the milk, better simulating the boob. (If the bottle is too easy to drink from, the baby may reject the boob.)
- Bottle nipples – Get the newborn size first and move up from there.
- 3-Way Dimmable Table Lamp Touch Control – Super useful to have on my bedside table so that I can have a little light for when I need to wake up in the middle of the night to feed.
- PESRAE Floor Lamp, Remote Control with 4 Color Temperatures – Another useful light we purchased for baby’s bedroom once we transferred him in there. The lowest light setting is meant for nursing. I keep the remote by the door so I can easily turn it on.
- Nursing shirts – At home I just wear regular T-shirts and pull them up from the bottom to feed him, but these are useful for outings.
- Silver Nursing Cups – My nipples were extremely sore for the first 5 weeks, and any cloth that was directly against them (my bra or shirt) was uncomfortable. These helped to alleviate the sensitivity by putting them on inside a bra.
Sleeping
- ANGELBLISS Baby Bassinet Bedside Crib with Storage Basket and Wheels – I didn’t actually purchase this (my mom bought me one before I could tell her which one to buy), but I like that this one has storage underneath and mesh on all sides. My baby would somehow always find his way to the edge with his face pressed against the side, so I didn’t have to worry about him not getting enough air. (Mine had the mesh sides, but not the storage underneath.)
- Travel crib – We will start using this once he’s too big for his bassinet instead of a regular crib. It’ll also be useful when we travel. This way we only need one crib.
Clothes & laundry
- Side-snap onesies – These are so much easier to put on because of the side snaps!
- Burp cloths – These are soft and very absorbent.
- Meerdif Baby Bandana Drool Bibs – He started to drool a lot at around 2 months, so we put these on over his onesie so he doesn’t get his clothes sopping wet with his drool!
- Dreft Stage 1: Newborn Baby Liquid Laundry Detergent
Other useful items
- NoseFrida Snotsucker – Yes, this has come in useful many a time.
- Gripe water – Some people swear by this as helping soothe baby’s upset stomach. We only used it a handful of times and I feel like it temporarily stops baby’s crying because of the sweet flavor. But who knows?
- Mommy’s Bliss Vitamin D – Our pediatrician told us to give him a drop of vitamin D daily but check with your pediatrician first.
That’s it! That’s everything we’ve purchased so far for our 3-month old! If you already have children, what did you find useful? Tell me in the comments below!