10 Essential Newborn Items *Possible Baby Shower Gifts*

Since my sister is weeks away from welcoming her first in to the world, I can’t help but find myself wondering around Amazon and other sites, looking at all the latest and greatest in the world of “baby stuff”.  (You know, since MY little guy is approaching his one year birthday…)

I recently came across this list of “Newborn Essentials” — and it claims to be 10 items “You Probably Didn’t Know You Needed”

While I think much of this is true, I can’t help but wonder, if y’all agree or disagree?  What would you add or take off this list?  :o)  I have SEVEN of these items — and y’all know I think many baby items aren’t essential!  Of course, every baby’s nursery should be filled with board books as well as well-loved classics to read aloud to your kids.

This list was compiled by Amazon here: 10 Essential Newborn Items and I added my own two cents, along with a few other things *I* find essential!  Would love to hear y’alls thoughts. 🙂

10.  A moses basket – designed to allow you to move a slumbering newborn from room to room, since that’s their primary job.  But please advice, you should NOT carry infant in said basket, as it’s neither designed nor sturdy enough for carrying a baby.  (So what’s the point of it, then??)

9. Diaper caddy – Meh.  This is also designed to make it easy to change baby anywhere.  But, IMO, unless you live in a luxurious, super-spacious mansion, why not just take baby to a dedicated diaper-changing spot?  We always kept a “station” downstairs in the den for diaper changes.  Mostly done on the floor.  (Did I mention, we never really used a changing table, too – especially with my second child?)

8. Travel swing – Ok.  So baby swings can be big, bulky space-suckers, but also complete life-savers for many a’weary parent or cranky baby.  So the best of both world are travel swings: they can fold up and come with you around the house, on the porch, wherever you need it to go!  You can usually pick one up second hand at a garage sale, consignment sale, or a local Facebook sell/swap group for under twenty bucks.

7.  sling or wrap – Hands down, I big-fat-puffy-pink-heart LOVED carrying/wearing my children.  For my daughter, I had a secondhand Baby Bjorn, and I snuggled with her particularly when I went to the grocery store, until she was big enough to sit up in the cart seat (with a cushiony grocery cart seat cover, of course!)  Once my son came along, a carrier become imperative!  Luckily, I was gifted a Moby Wrap – and, man!, once i got the hang of that thing, it was absolutely FANTASTIC, not to mention essential to keep me hands free with two children.  There are so  many carriers, slings, and wraps out there – you’re bound to find one that works for you and your baby.

6.  glider – My son is two years old, and we still snuggle in our old, secondhand rickety glider.  Gliders/rockers are an essential luxury for bonding with your little ones – whether its used for nursing, reading, or just plain ol’ rocking.  Some of my sweetest moments with each of my children happened while rocking.

5.  swaddle blankets – holy moly!  I don’t know what parents with newborns did before these magical, miracle blankets! The very best advice I got when my son was a newborn and not fond of sleeping at night was to wrap him in a swaddle blanket, give him a paci, and crank up the sound machine.  As an added benefit, “baby burritos” just look so darn cute, don’t they?  😉  There are so many options to choose from, too: sleep sacks, straight-up swaddle blankets, and fitted/formed swaddling “pods”.  You can also check out more on baby sleeping advice here.

4.  white noise machine – Again, along with the swaddlers, I found the sound machine to be a God-send.  In fact, my kids are well past infancy, but they still sleep with one.  They are fantastic for blocking out noise, which means you don’t need to achieve a silent household in order for your little one to slumber.  You can get an actual sound machine (<== that’s the one I have in each of my kids’ rooms), or even utilize a free app on your smartphone.

3.  waterproof mattress pad – Let’s face it: babies create yucky messes.  Your baby will vomit at some point in his crib.  He will also have an explosive diaper in his crib.  (…and if a seasoned parent claims otherwise, smack them for me, please!)  So, why not minimize the amount of mess you’re cleaning, by protecting the crib’s mattress.  Actually, keep two waterproof mattress pads on hand, so you can easily change the crib sheets AND the mattress pad all at once.

2.  Ok, here’s where Amazon and I differ greatly…  Their list has a nasal aspirator listed in the #2 spot.  But, ….I just can’t put this on *my* personal “essentials” list.  Instead, I give a nod to good ol’ fashion burp cloths.  Not only do they serve a very practical purpose, but both of my kids adapted them as “blankies” with which they cuddle and sleep with, even at (almost) five years old!  Mine love the Gerber terry cloth burp cloths, which come in adorable patterns and in multi-packs.  For the purposes of actually USING a burp cloth, I love the Gerber flat fold 10-pack.  They come in white, and are handy for wiping up any mess a baby can -um- throw your way.  And once your littles are older, they make great dust cloths, too!

1.  breast pump device – Yes, yes, and yes.  Even if you don’t intend to bottle feed, a pump is your breast-feeding BFF.  If pumping will be a regular part of your routine, a hands-free pump simply allows you to more easily go about your business whilst pumping.  Plain.  And.  Simple.  You don’t *need* anything fancy, particularly if you end up with a baby who won’t take a bottle (like my firstborn!), but at the very least, every nursing mother will need relief from time to time.  Also, keep in mind that insurances these days will help with the cost.  (Check with your provider for more information.)

***Check out how to find and stock up on cheap diapers!  That’s certain an essential newborn item, I’d say.***

Did you know you can easily set up a baby registry via Amazon?