Our Top 10 Newborn Essentials

We are well past the newborn stage. I only say that so confidently because I googled “how long is baby a newborn” (like I google everything else these days) and at 2 months it’s already over. 😭 Wells will be 3 months old tomorrow and is crazy fun these days…but I’m still sad to have those early days behind us. Sue me.

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Because we spent 2 months wrapped up in allllll the newborn things, I thought I’d share our top 10 products for not only survival but super fun, happy newborn days. ☺️ Hope this helps some other new parents!

Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper

Wells, bless his heart, loves to press his face into the side of his bassinet like a bug on a windshield to be as close to me as possible. He is the sweetest. 😭 Luckily, the Halo bassinest has mesh sides so he can safely do that and I can see him. It’s as close as we can get to safely straight-up co-sleeping, I would say, which I love! 

Ollie Swaddle

The roomie is a swaddle master and says this is a product for people who can’t handle regular swaddling. 😂 GUESS I CAN’T HANDLE THE REAL DEAL. This swaddle is fast, easy, and snuggles Wells’ arms to his sides tightly to sleep. I am obsessed with how convenient it is in the middle of the night when I have no energy for a “real” swaddle. 

This Fisher-Price Activity Gym

This activity gym is one of the only toy things we bought Wells, ourselves (which we’re super thankful for). We have a neutral, more aesthetically pleasing little gym from Amazon but it just doesn’t seem stimulating enough to me. I went to the store expecting to buy a different gym that I’d seen online and came home with this one. It is more affordable than most, has great music that’s super catchy, and will grow with him well since it has a little keyboard/piano that can be set up in a different way when he’s bigger. Also, the jungle theme is adorable. 

Desitin Diaper Cream

Wells had a decent diaper rash ONCE when he was teensy and I still haven’t recovered. Even though Boudreaux’s has cuter packaging, Desitin is cheaper and I think more effective. It may just work better because I apply it far more liberally since it’s less expensive (haha), but we use it all day everyday and Wells’ bum hasn’t been sad since. ☺️

Nuk Simply Natural Bottles

My personal preference is pumping and then bottle feeding Wells throughout the day, so we use a bunch of bottles. I initially did a bunch of research, bought a handful of individual bottles, and then waited to see which he liked the most. Turns out, our kid doesn’t discriminate and just wants milk no matter how it gets to him. 😂 These are a fave because they’re clear/neutral and the nipple shape feels very natural. We bought a bunch and love ‘em!

Copper Pearl Bandana Bibs

Babies spit up their milky…frequently. We love these bibs because they’re cute but mostly because they’re super absorbent and are made from a comfortable fabric. The patterns available aren’t all my favorites but they’ve grown on me! And best of all, you can buy packs of plain white ones. I feel like it’s a huge deal to find anything plain and amazing when it comes to baby products, so yay for neutrality. 👏🏻👏🏻 P.S. We also love the heavy, absorbent burp cloths from this brand.

Hatch Baby Grow Changing Pad

Our son peed on me an impressive amount as a newborn while being changed (somehow Ryan avoided that). This changing pad has no fabric to it so it takes 10 seconds of my life to clean up after getting sprayed. It’s so convenient and I sincerely cannot imagine having a padded/fabric covered one. It’s also a scale that connects to our phones via Bluetooth. Sounds high tech, but it initially took about 5 minutes to figure out (mostly just downloading the app) and is so nice to use now. I love checking his weight to see if we’re on the right track! Grow, baby, grow! …but not too fast. 😉

Rohm Sound Machines

We have two of these and take them everywhere. The roomie and I have always slept with a sound machine in our room but these little guys are so easy to charge up and take allllll around the house, in the stroller, and ESPECIALLY in the car. We even stick one in the car seat if going anywhere in public to keep Wells calm. I love that they aren’t a baby-specific product, so they will be useful for us for years to come.

Bibs Pacifiers 

Wells is a paci guy. Our pediatrician calls pacifiers “mute buttons” and Wells is a big fan of this brand. We’ve tried giving him the paci we got at the hospital since trying these and he clearly loves the shape of the Bibs ones sooo much more. We initially had just a few and have since ordered a little collection. ☺️

Snuggle Me Organic

The Snuggle Me is a different version of the popular DockATots you’ve likely seen plenty of. I didn’t care for any of loud (in my opinion) patterns offered by DockATot and the Snuggle Me is both cheaper and far more neutral. We’re big fans of the way it hugs Wells when he lays in it. It feels safe enough and can be drug all over the house. 

If you’re an expecting parent, I hope this list can give you a little insight on newborn priorities. 😂 There are a million baby product options that all claim to be the best, but these are some that really helped our newborn days and nights flow smoothly and continue to benefit us today. Congrats on your growing family, soon-to-be parents!