There are an overwhelming amount of baby products out there! When you are expecting your first baby it can be really difficult to sift through all the things and figure out what you might actually need. This post highlights the 10 newborn essentials we used most during the first 2 months of baby’s life! 

It’s really hard to believe that Wyatt is already 2 months old! Time is seriously flying by and needs to slow down like RIGHT NOW! 

When we were preparing for his arrival, like most moms-to-be, I spent countless hours making our registry and trying to crawl through ALL OF THE BABY THINGS… wondering… does he really need that thing? Will we really use this thing?

There are thousands, if not millions, of newborn products one CAN buy in preparation for a new baby, but trying to figure out what things you will actually need can be really tricky! 

Newborns are unpredictable and what works for one baby isn’t necessarily going to work for another. However, during my time researching newborn essentials I found posts like this one really helpful. A real life, new mom telling you her actually experience with what worked for her baby. So, I hope this post will be helpful to some of you moms-to-be out there! 

10 Newborn Essentials We Used Most

BabyBjorn Bouncer – This thing is my third arm. For $200 I do wish it had an automatic bouncer, but it is by far Wyatt’s favorite place to hang out if he’s not sleeping or being held. He’s spent many hours in it already and it will continue to get a lot of use until he grows out it, which hopefully won’t be too soon! 

Swaddle Up – We went through lots of different swaddles before a friend gave us a hand-me-down Swaddle Up by Love To Dream. Wyatt was born a big baby and pretty strong, so the cloth swaddles only lasted us a few days before he was constantly Houdini-ing himself right out of them. I tried these velcro swaddles, which worked ok, but he didn’t really like having his arms glued to his sides. He is much more comfortable with his arms up and I love that he cannot escape the Swaddle Up! Like all things, you have to find the swaddle that works for your baby, if you are struggling with the traditional, you may find these work well for you! (He also tolerates the Ollie Swaddle and the Nested Bean Swaddles)

Zippy Pajamas – Maybe it’s because Wyatt is a winter baby and there is a global pandemic going on, but no one told me babies wear nothing but zippy pajamas! He changes from his nighttime pajamas to his daytime pajamas (don’t we all at this point?!). The only time he wears something other than zippy pjs is if I feel like dressing him up for my own entertainment. Baby clothes are just so darn cute, I too cannot stop buying them, but in reality newborns don’t need much at all when it comes to clothes. Our favorite zippy pajamas are the Burts Bees, they are not the highest quality, but they are around $14, have little mittens that cover babies hands and seem to be extra long which Wyatt needs. We also like Carter and Cloud Island from Target, they are 2-way zip which is nice for diaper changes. 

Soothie Pacifiers – These cheap soothie pacifiers that we got at the hospital are the only ones Wyatt cares for. We probably have 10 other brands that were gifted to us that he is not interested in. I didn’t know if we would give him a pacifier and there is a long, ongoing debate over if they are good or bad. Both the nurses at the hospital and our pediatrician recommended using one and it makes caring for a newborn a heck of a lot easier in my opinion. 

SnuggleMe Organic – The SnuggleMe Organic Sensory Lounger is a heavenly pillow, that shapes to baby’s body. It gives them a similar comfort to when they were in the womb. It’s easily portable and another great place to put baby down when you need your hands back. It’s not certified sleep safe, but Wyatt does nap in it when we are in the room with him. 

Owlet Smart Sock Baby Monitor – This monitor is expensive and was generously gifted to us, but the peace of mind it gives me is priceless. The smart sock wraps around one of his feet and monitors his heart rate and oxygen levels while he sleeps. There is a base station that you plug in near your bed or wherever you are in the house and it will alert you if there is an issue with baby’s heart rate or oxygen level. I had heard that some people find it does not stay on properly or that it gives false alerts when their baby is actually completely fine. We have not had either of these issues and find it easy to put on and keep in place. Do I think healthy babies actually need this level of monitoring, no, probably not. But if it’s going to help Mom sleep at night and it’s not doing any harm it’s worth every penny. (It also tracks baby’s sleep so you can see how long they actually slept and how well, which is pretty cool!)

Keekaroo Peanut Changing Pad – This changing pad is soft enough to keep baby comfortable, but is also completely washable. I cannot imagine having a cloth changing pad, they must get so gross and I have enough laundry to do already. We have it on top of Wyatt’s dresser is his nursery, but it is easily portable if we wanted to use it somewhere else in the house. A coworker of Walter’s sent us a pack of puppy pee pads right before Wyatt was born, I laughed and thought that’s a funny gag gift… NO. These things are a game changer, we line the changing pad with one, that way if there are any accidents during diaper changes (which there often are) we can just roll up the pee pad and throw it out, little to no damage done, ha! 

Skip Hop Winter Car Seat Cover – Another winter baby item. It got cold pretty much as soon as Wyatt was born, we love to take him for walks and this car seat cover helps keep him warm. It is a universal fit, so it fits on all car seats. (Our stroller set up is the Nuna Pipa Car Seat attached to the Thule Urban Glide Jogging Stroller with the Universal Car Seat Adapter). 

Lovevery Play Gym –  I didn’t realize how much we would use this play gym even in the early days. The Lovevery Play Gym grows with baby and comes with a booklet about how to use the gym at different ages to work towards developmental goals. It’s also pretty to look at, which is an added bonus for everyone! 

Luna Motif Breast Pump – I feel really lucky to have had an easy time with breastfeeding so far. I mostly nurse Wyatt, but I do try to also pump once a day. Walter will usually give him a bottle in the morning while I pump. It is important to me that he takes a bottle and I am building a small freezer stash just in case. I can’t say enough good things about this pump. Granted, it’s the only pump I’ve ever used, but you hear horror stories about how horrible pumping is and I have not found that to be true with this pump. It’s super quiet and very light weight, but as powerful as a hospital grade pump. You have to charge it, but once it’s charged you can take it anywhere. Most health insurances will cover a breast pump. I highly recommend using Aeroflow Breastpumps to qualify through insurance and order your pump, they make the process really easy and seamless, you never have to deal directly with your insurance company! 

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