Your baby is coming and suddenly you’re in a tizz, you stop and think to yourself – what are essential items for newborns?
Thankfully, we’re here to help.
In this post, you’re going to learn the 10 most important items for when little one arrives.
Top 10 Newborn Essentials
So without further ado, here are our 10 most important newborn essentials.
Baby Monitor
If you ever want to leave baby unattended, you’re going to want to invest in a good baby monitor.
With modern technology driving prices down, you can pick up a good basic unit that will help provide peace of mind for less than a hundred dollars.
Moses Basket
Next up, the Moses basket. These portable sleep solutions have been around for hundreds of years (in one form or another) and help provide a safe sleeping space for when baby isn’t in their crib.
Baby Bath
Bath time provides a real bonding opportunity for parent and baby. While you can certainly bath baby in the early days using a bowl or even something like a Puj Tub, as baby grows, having something with more structure will make your life so much easier.
Sheets and Blankets
Here’s a top tip – you can never have too many sheets, blankets and clothes. There’s nothing more frustrating in needing to change a sheet and finding that there are no clean sheets in the cupboard!
Steriliser
Regardless of if your breastfeeding or bottle feeding, you’ll need to keep some of your newborns items as clean as possible!
While you can use steralizing tablets and boiling water, your life will be so much easier if you opt to use a steralizing machine.
Bouncy Chair
While newborn is cute, at some point, you’re going to want to put them down if only to have a few moments to yourself.
A good bouncy chair provides a safe and calming environment for little one to relax in and to help develop their senses.
Breast Pump And/Or Bottles
Much like as with the steriliser, regardless of if you’re breastfeeding baby or not, you’re going to need something to use to provide baby with milk when you can’t be there.
We’re big fans of Mandella pumps and Nuni bottles
Changing Bag & Mat
Next up on our list is the changing mat and bag. If you’ve ever tried to take a baby out without a proper diaper bag, you’ll know how lost you can become, especially if you’re a diaper-changing rookie. A good, organised diaper bag can make a world of difference.
Likewise, a good changing mat (we like wedge changing mats) gives you a safe and secure place to change little one. If you’re going to be out the house often, we always recommend a travel mat that will fold down and store in your diaper bag.
Carrier
While baby may seem light, truth is all that carrying can really take its tole on your arms and back in the early days.
Whether you’re using a ring sling or a more sophisticated solution, having something to keep baby close while you have both hands free will make a world of difference.
Travel system
Finally there’s the travel system – all the things you’ll need to take baby in the car, on walks and in and out of places.
If we had one tip here it would be to aim for a travel system that works together. With 3 in 1 systems, you’ll be able to move baby from car seat to carrier to pushchair without having to unclip baby.
The Bottom Line
So there you have it, if you’ve found yourself wondering what are essential items for newborns you’re hopefully a little more prepared.
Remember, you got this!
Ellen Fetters
Ellen Fetters, is a former Children's and Young People's Nursing Practice with an BSc from the University of Sunderland. After completing her SCPHN - HV she then worked as a Health Visitor within the local community.
In 2017 Ellen left nursing to launch Parenting Click, an online parenting resource aimed at creating happier families through better parenting.
She lives with her husband, beautiful baby girl, and two darling dogs. She spends her free time writing, running and learning how to become a better parent.