Newborn/Baby Must Haves

I figured since I did a post on my pregnancy must haves, I would do a post on newborn/baby must haves as well!  Please remember, these are just the things that worked best for me.  Each baby and family are very different.  But, these are some things that I found to be very helpful.
#1

The Graco Pack 'n Play Silhouette Playard – Rittenhouse.  Love, love, love this pack ‘n play!  I love the pattern and I love the fact that it has a  changing station on it.  I would HIGHLY suggest getting a pack ‘n play that has a changing station on it if you have a 2 story house and your nursery is upstairs.  All our bedrooms are upstairs and I have this downstairs in the family room.  It is perfect for newborns to nap in as well.  It vibrates, has a light, and plays music and nature sounds.  I will say that I am pretty disappointed in the “music”.  It can be dead quiet in the house and I turn the music on on the pack ‘n play and you can still barely hear it.  It’s pretty ineffective.  But, I haven’t really needed it.  I have used the vibrate function which is pretty nice.  This is a pricier pack ‘n play but I think it’s worth it.  Love it!
#2

Ok, I live in Florida and I still use a wipe warmer to warm the wipes for my little one’s bum!  On baby skin, even wipes at room temperature are so cold to them.  I love mine.  I will say that the top few wipes get dried out, but the other 147 stay perfectly moist!  I have this one up in Em’s nursery.
#3

I also have this travel wipe warmer.  I keep this plugged in downstairs by the changing station on the pack ‘n play.  That way I can grab it and go if I need to take it with me.  It comes with a standard plug so you can use it in your house, as well as a lighter adapter so you can plug it in your car and use it on the go.  It doesn’t hold a ton of wipes, but it works for us!  This one does a really great job at keeping all the wipes moist.
#4

This cream is wonderful!  It’s California Baby’s Calendula cream.  It is really great if your baby has dry skin anywhere on their body.  It is also great to get rid of baby acne!  It is all natural and 100% organic so it isn’t harmful and doesn’t have any dyes or toxic perfumes.  Perfect!  It’s pretty pricey, but you don’t need to use a lot.  I got this when Emily was 2 weeks old.  She’s 3 months and I still have 3/4 of a jar left.  Granted, I don’t use it on her whole body everyday.  I do, however, use it on her face everyday after her bath.
#5

These are Gerber long-sleeve onesies.  Emily lived in these for the first couple of months and she still sleeps in them at night.  I would recommend the ones with the mitten cuffs.  These are perfect for preventing face scratches in those first few months.  Mittens built in….GENIUS!
#6

These Gerber zip front sleep n’ plays are a Godsend!  Please note I said ZIP FRONT!  I have no idea why people continue to make the button front ones.  UGH.  So annoying in the middle of the night when you need to do a diaper change!  The zipper is soooooooo much easier.  Save yourself.  Do not even register for the ones that button because people are going to buy them for you anyway.  Register for a few of the zip-front sleep suits.  Target has some cute ones that are Circo brand too.  Trust me on this one.  Sacrifice the cute (because let’s face it, there are some pretty cute button-up ones) and go for the function!  You’ll thank me!
#7

This is the car seat we have.  It is the Graco Snugride 35.  This car seat is made to hold babies up to 35 pounds!  Perfect!  We also loved this pattern because it is neutral.  It would be great for a boy or a girl.  And I must say….Miss Emily looks pretty cute in it.  I made it a little bit more girly by adding some pink shoulder strap pad thingys. 
#8

To go with the car seat, you obviously need a stroller.  We opted out of the travel system.  It was just way too big and bulky for me.  I needed compact and easy!  So I opted for the Graco stroller frame.  It is very lightweight, small, and easy to handle.  However, it’s not that easy to maneuver.  The wheels have a mind of their own.  I run into stuff all the time and have a hard time navigating through stores, etc.  That’s the only drawback. 
However, there are other strollers that can also accommodate the Graco Snugride 35.  Too bad I found this out after I purchased the Graco stroller.  A friend of mind got the UppaBaby and she LOVES it.  It came with all sorts of extra goodies too (a bassinet…..score!!).
 
#9

These things are a lifesaver!  I have a few different baby carriers.  I have the Baby Bjorn, which I also love!  I have a Balboa Baby sling and I have the Maya Wrap!  If I need to clean the house and Emily is fussy and just wants to be held, I just toss her in and go about my business.  The Maya Wrap is great if you’re nursing because you can use the “tail” as a cover if you’re nursing in public. 
#10

The Boppy Newborn Lounger was a lifesaver for us as well.  Emily had some serious reflux early on so we used this to help keep her elevated.  It says not to let them sleep on it, but we did and she was just fine.  I wouldn’t recommend letting your baby sleep on it once they know how to roll, etc.  We have stopped using it with Em now.  But when she was a newborn, it was fine.  She loved this thing!  She would sleep on this in our bed, in her crib, in the pack ‘n play, etc.  We didn’t have a problem with the transition to not using it.

#11

This play mat has been fabulous!  Emily has loved this mat!  It is great for tummy time as well!  It plays music, has a mirror, a teething toy, and lots of toys to hang from it.  It’s pretty amazing!

I’m sure there are tons of things I have forgotten, but these are the staples that we use or did use almost every day!  I hope this helps some moms to be or new mommies! 
Till next time….
Amy