Baby Essentials for the First Year!

Hey guys! So it seems like lately I'm finding more and more women my age with babies on the way, and no clue of what they need! The trouble with being a younger mother is typically you don't have any peers to seek advice from, and a lot of things your parents used/did are so outdated. For all my friends who need to know what to register for baby showers or what to pick up themselves, I've compiled a short list of baby essentials of the FIRST year!

Baby Essentials

Diapering:

*Changing pad or table

*Diaper genie/diaper pail

*Wipes (unscented) or rags (you'll soak in warm water) for wiping, you can also look into water wipes

*For disposable, 1 pkg newborn is all you need, they grow into size 1 so fast

*For cloth, get a waterproof covering to go over it so it doesn’t leak through while they are sleeping. sometimes with cloth it can soak their outfit without the thick covering

*For cloth, diaper sprayer for cleaning poopy diapers

Clothing:

*For the first six months, one piece sleepers with onesies underneath are pretty much what your baby will live in aside from events like holiday and parties, just because it’s easy and it’s warm. You’ll need a fuzzy-lined thick sleeper to keep warm for car rides because nowadays they don’t recommend a puffy winter jacket in the car. Also get a car seat cover for winter.

*Don’t get too many newborn sized clothes, they grow out of them so fast!

Get plenty of socks, and baby bunting or sleep sack, it’ll help for the really cold winter nights with a newborn.

*There isn’t an exact number of clothes you need, but make sure you can dress her in up to 3 outfits in a day without having to do laundry, because spit-up, soaking through, pooping up their back, etc… all can get them pretty messy and needing a whole outfit change.

*Get mittens! Before you can cut your baby’s nails, it’s likely she might scratch in her sleep. Some sleepers come with mittens. You can also use socks, we did a lot of the time, though the mittens stayed on better.

Gear:

*Carrier/car seat, you can always rent from your health care provider for a small amount

*Stroller, it’s nice to have one that is infant and toddler, so you can put the carrier in it when they are young and convert it when they get older.

*Baby personal carrier, this is a good way for Daddy to bond with the baby strapped to his chest. It’s also nice if you need to go to the store and they want to snuggle instead of being in a stroller

Breastfeeding:

*Optional: Boppy, it’s a nursing pillow. I didn’t use mine much, but some women love it

*Breast Pump

*Storage bags/bottles, with the bags, you can freeze them to save up supply for when you go back to school or work

*Burp cloths, honestly, you can never have too many of these, they get used all the time and when they are older you can use them to clean them up after eating solids

*Supplement formula in case milk production is low, mastitis, or you just need a little help, I recommend soy or hyperallergenic  to keep her from getting too gassy. Nutrimigen by Enfamil is expensive but works wonders, their soy and their gentlease are pretty good, too.

*Bottles, 6 four oz bottles and 6 nine oz bottles

*Don’t worry about getting a bottle warmer, just run the bottle under warm water to reheat. If you microwave it (nothing wrong with that, I do it), make sure you shake it up a lot before giving it to her to avoid hot spots

Feeding (older):
*High chair

*Baby spoons

*Sippy cups

*Bibs (3-5) plastic exterior so they don’t absorb the food, then you can just rinse them off instead of having to push them in the washer

Soothers/Toys:

*Pacifiers, they are good to have as an option

*Teethers

*Baby swing!!! This was an absolute lifesaver

*Bouncy seat

*Exersaucer

*Books and toys, I recommend toys that look like electronics or anything that lights up/plays music

Safety:

*Baby gate(s) for up or down staircases

*Outlet plugs

*Cabinet /drawer latches

*Baby monitor

Health:

*Nose sucker (bulb syringe)

*First-aid kit

*Vaporizer in case your baby gets a cold or RSV in the winter, it’s pretty common

*Thermometer

*Baby nail clippers, don’t worry about clipping nails for at least the first month, you can just peel the tips off if they are getting too long because their nails are really soft as a newborn!
*Baby mits (optional, some sleepers include optional mits) they are nice for if they scratch when they are sleeping

*Baby tooth brush for when they get teeth

*Infant Tylenol (in case of fever) and Benadryl (in case of allergic reaction)

Sleeping:

*Crib

*Crib Mattress

*Bedding

*Swaddling blankets, come in handy for the first couple months

*Regular blankets

*Cloud B Sleep Sheep, helps ease them to sleep so they don’t have to cry it out when they are older, attaches outside of the crib... You guys, I swear by this!!!

That's it for today!


With love,
Brittany Rose

"'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' - that is all
        Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."