By If you’re expecting your first child, you’ve probably been thinking a lot about what things you might need that aren’t so obvious. Becoming a mom is the biggest adjustment you’ll ever have to make, and there’s so much advice you might’ve heard already. I remember being that expecting mom. And now that I’ve gone through the newborn stage and am expecting number 2 any day now, I have a solid list of essentials that seriously helped me get through those first few months. Keep reading to find my newborn essentials that every new mom needs!
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7 Essentials To Make Newborn Life Easier
You probably already have a registry started, or you’ve been thinking about where to start. If you go by the checklist the retailer you chose has provided, they give you a solid list of the obvious. Like clothes, bottles, pacifiers….etc. Many of the things on this list wasn’t mentioned on there, but they made a world of difference!
Related: Baby Registry Checklist
1. Baby Carrier
There will be days where your baby refuses to be put down. All they want are snuggles with mom. It’s the best feeling, but also how are you going to get anything done?! A baby carrier is your hero in these situations. I used mine a lot for my first when I was trying to do laundry, get dishes done, and especially going on our family camping trips! Baby is happy, and so are your arms, Momma.
2. Gripe Water
Okay, maybe you’ve heard of this stuff before or maybe you haven’t. Gripe water was like the nectar of the gods for me! Your baby is crying, and NOTHING you do seems to be settling them down. A dose of gripe water and some snuggles afterward and soon your little babe is finally relaxed. Gripe water is amazing for fussiness, help relieve gas, and even cures those pesky hiccups. I always had gripe water in my house, and in the diaper bag just in case.
3. FridaBaby Accu-Dose Pacifier
If you need to administer some infant Tylenol (or even the gripe water I mentioned above!) this accu-dose pacifier is a great way to help babies accept it. I had an issue with the syringes that come with baby medicine. My daughter wouldn’t really suck out of it or swallow the medicine and it would spill out of her mouth and make a sticky mess. This pacifier was a game changer. She had no problem taking medicine from this at all!
4. Swaddle Blankets
Newborn babies sleep better when they’re swaddled. It helps mimic how it felt inside the womb, and it keeps them warm. Swaddling with a blanket can be difficult for some parents. These swaddles are super easy to put on, ensuring your little bundle is nice and snug. It’s nice to have when you need to change their diaper in the middle of the night. No messing around with a big blanket and you get to sleep more!
5. Sound Machine
Sound machines are great even past the newborn stage. We still use one for my daughter, and she’s 2. It helps drown out background noise so you don’t have to worry about being too loud and can still do things around the house. My dogs have even barked (NOOOOOO) and she still stayed asleep!
6. Diaper Caddy
I used this mostly when we went camping so I had everything I needed for diaper changes readily accessible. My house is a smaller one story house, so using the changing station in the nursery really wan’t a hassle. But many moms swear by using caddies if they have more than one floor in their house. You will have to change A LOT of diapers, so make it easier for yourself by setting one of these bad boys up so they’re right there when you need it.
7. Heating Pad
THIS is probably the single, most amazing piece of advice I have ever gotten. After three days home with a newborn, we could not for the life of us figure out why our little girl wasn’t sleeping at night. Like, I’m talking awake every hour. Then we had a nurse visit our house for a newborn check up, and after telling her about our struggle she told us to do this: Before you put her down in her bassinet, lay a heating pad turned on low on the mattress for a few minutes. Then once the bassinet has warmed up a bit, take the heating pad out and you can put baby down. This make so much sense because they are warm while you’re holding them, and then you put them down in a cold bassinet and they wake up! This seriously worked amazing and I’m SO glad the nurse told us to try this! Just make sure you don’t leave the heating pad in the bassinet with baby.
Obviously these aren’t everything you need when you welcome a baby, but they were lifesavers for me. I hope they help make your transition into parenthood so much easier.
Are you a seasoned mom and have a must-have that isn’t on this list? Let me know in the comments!
What do you think?