*I am an Amazon Affiliate and I do earn on qualified purchases*
You have this brand-new newborn and all of that preparation did absolutely nothing to help alleviate the “what have I done?” feeling of shock. I can tell you that it doesn’t feel real at first. I also know that I try not to think about the lifelong commitment I have made to two little beings because there is no backing out now. But I also know that I don’t want to. My littles are the coolest, cutest, most frustrating people I know. Yes, I am biased.
When I was making my list for my first baby registry, I was at a loss on what to get. No one in my immediate family or friend group had newborns, so I had to ask around, look at reviews, and do some trial and error. Below is a list of items that I found the most useful as you enter the newborn stage:
Bouncers, Strollers, and Cribs
Bright Starts Baby Bouncer – This thing is amazing for how inexpensive it is. I used with both of my newborns. My firstborn had gotten sick the first couple months of his existence to where his nose was constantly running and it made sleeping difficult to lay on his back. I was able to keep him propped up in this bouncer to help him breathe. When he would be fussy, I put him in the bouncer. I had some other varieties of chairs, such as a swing and rockers, but they were never used. My kiddos both seemed to like the bouncer the most. My husband stated his two daughters only liked the bouncy chair and swears by the chair.
Doona Car Seat & Stroller – This was a little out of my price comfort zone, but I have spoken to a lot of people about the Doona, my sister included, who love this stroller/car seat duo. I was a little jelly when I saw the ease of stroller conversion from carseat, instead of lugging around 30 pounds of car seat and a newborn with one arm.
Baby Trend EZ Ride 35 Travel System – I liked this stroller, the only thing I would caution is if you are my height (5’11) then it is just slightly too short. It comes with a car seat and seat base. The car seat attaches to the stroller, so you don’t have to do a switcheroo with your newborn and the seats. The ride is smooth and it has cup holders. For what you are getting, it is relatively inexpensive. I would recommend getting a second car seat base if you have two cars, for mere convenience.
In the early days, I remember thinking how I wanted a jogger stroller. I kept telling my husband “but I will want to get back into shape and I will need a jogger!” He reminded me that I didn’t jog before I got pregnant and it was highly unlikely that I would jog. He was 100% correct. Not only did I not jog, I had an emergency C-section on my first, and nasty tearing on my second, so I could not jog. Intentions are all well and good, but not when hundreds of dollars are on the line.
Graco Benton 5-in-1 Convertible Crib – I was able to find this crib for free on Facebook market place. Don’t be ashamed of looking around. There are many good, clean people wanting to get rid of items they no longer need. It is a solid crib with changing levels (which you will want as your little one goes from newborn to infant and starts to stand up). It will take a couple hours to get set up, but no special tools were needed. Don’t forget your mattress!
Oxford Baby Harper 4-in-1 Convertible Crib – This crib has withstood the jumping and kicking of my boy, so it is sturdy enough. It does have the different levels as they grow. He is currently using it as his day bed. The only downside is that while it does convert to a toddler bed or full bed, you have to buy a conversion kit. The day bed does not require any conversion kits. This was not offered on Amazon. I bought it at Walmart.
Bottles, Pacifiers, and Swaddles
Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Anti-Colic + Wide-Neck bottles – I liked these because they could latch better on the nipples, as it would fill their whole mouth. My babies rarely had gas issues. Now, this could just be their own natural body types, but the bottle seemed to work. Also, as your baby grows, you can buy larger flow nipples easily.
MAM Air Night & Day Pacifier – I really liked the nipple shape on these, and because there isn’t plastic covering their whole mouth, it lets their skin breathe, so it prevents rashes. Maybe my baby likes these a little too much, since we are now in a binky battle. Oh, and they glow in the dark. All of these should come with an air tag so you can find them.
SwaddleMe by Ingenuity Compression Swaddle Pods – I love these and I wish I had known about them sooner. Before my newborn baby girl started to roll, she LOVED to be swaddled, but she would wiggle a lot and the swaddle would come undone. These sleep sacks were great because it was a full swaddle but the zipper kept it in place. There are a lot of different varieties out there for sleep sacks, some with arms free or progressive, but I did like these ones.
Diapers, Formula, and Spit Rags
Enfamil NeuroPro Baby Formula – Since I was unable to breastfeed, I used formula. I preferred Enfamil (I can use the normal type now, but my firstborn used the sensitive formula). I don’t know if you remember during 2022, there was a baby formula shortage. That was very stressful, worrying that my baby would not have food. So I branched out to other brands. Mostly, I get mine from Sam’s club. My pediatrician said there really isn’t any difference between the brands, so as long as it has the right amount of protein and iron babies need, you should be ok with any off brand.
Pampers Swaddlers – I’ve used several different brands of diapers. They all have their pros and cons. I preferred Pampers over Huggies and the rest for newborns. For money sake, I buy Sam’s clubs Member’s Mark brand on diapers. Especially as they get older and their skin isn’t as sensitive. If you are having a baby shower, I would recommend asking for diapers, not just newborn size. They will quickly grow out of the newborn size, so get some 1’s and 2’s.
Gerber Unisex Birdseye Prefold Cloth Diapers – Not all spit rags are created equal. I figured I’d just buy some and be good. My husband is the one to recommend to me to buy cloth diapers and use them as spit rags (or burp cloths). He was right. They absorb spit up so much better than normal spit rags.
Overall, your baby does not need a lot of stuff. They need to eat, to sleep, to be clean, and to be loved.