Diapering & Bath Items
We tried several eco-friendly diapers before transitioning to cloth. These are by far our favorite for Sophie. For the first 6 months, shed have A LOT of blowouts. Her blowouts tended to go up the back and out, and these diapers were the best at containing them. The absorption is awesome on them, too!
Cloth Diapers
I will write an entirely separate post dedicated to transitioning from disposable to cloth diapers. I will chat about why we did it, which brands were our favorite and why, how to maintain proper care of your cloth diapers, proper usage, washing routines and general upkeep, etc.
Introducing Baby To Pets
If you have a dog or cat at home, theyll probably be aware of a change during your pregnancy or when you set up the nursery.
Allow your pet to sniff the new baby furniture and accessories. Play recordings of baby noises for them so they can become used to the noises.
After baby is born, bring something with the babys scent, such as a blanket or item of clothing, for them to sniff. Theyll recognize the smell later when you bring the baby home for the first time.
Its important to always supervise your pets interactions with the baby during the newborn stage. Never leave your baby alone in an area where a pet has access. A pets attempts at welcoming a new family member may not be safe for a small baby.
If your pet is being overly friendly or aggressive, try to find positive ways to redirect their attention away from baby. That can help reduce feelings of jealousy or resentment.
What A Newborn Baby Needs
If babies could talk, they would probably tell us that they have very simple needs. They need to be loved, to be fed, kept warm and safe.
There are a lot of items you can buy for a new baby. This can be overwhelming for new parents. When you come home with your newborn, you won’t need too much. Plan in advance to have some essential items ready.
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Graco Everyway Baby Swing
Keeping baby quiet and content? Yep, definitely essential, and babies who constantly like to be swayed will love lounging in a baby swing or rocker. The Graco EveryWay will keep your little one on the move with 16 motions from rocking to swinging . A mobile and built-in tunes provide even more entertainment to keep Baby happy. And you know who else will be happy? You, because youll have both hands free.
Breast Pump And Pump Parts
Even if you decide to nurse exclusively, buying or renting a pump gives you an option to hand the baby to someone else to feed. Pumping, especially in the first few days, also helps stimulate production and increase milk supply.
Tip: Check with your insurance provider to see if theyll cover the cost of a breast pump.
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Hudson Baby Unisex Cotton Gowns
Outfits with buttons and snaps are cute and all, but when youre seriously sleep deprived and your baby needs a diaper change every hour, quick and easy is the way to go. Your baby will most likely live in shoulder gowns because theyre just so easy. Here are some cute animal ones, but you can easily find others on Amazon.
Baby Checklist: Preparing Your Home
Getting your home ready can be a good way to help you, your partner and your other children prepare for your new babys arrival.
Where baby sleeps A baby cot can fit into a corner of your room if you havent the time or space to create a new room. In fact, you can reduce the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy by sleeping your baby in a cot in the same room as you for the first 6-12 months.
You might need a fan or a heater to keep the room at a comfortable temperature. The safest place for a plug-in floor fan is on the opposite side of the room, away from your baby. If using a heater, make sure you can keep your door slightly open, so the room doesnt overheat.
Where to change nappies Many parents buy change tables, but at home its safer to change your baby on a mat on the floor, so your baby cant fall.
You can also change your baby on a bed. And some parents do find its easier on their backs to change baby on a change table. If youre changing your baby on a bed or change table, keep your hands on your baby at all times so that baby cant roll off.
Where to bath baby You dont need to do anything special to get a bathing area ready for your baby. In fact, you can bath a newborn in the kitchen sink or laundry tub, so long as its safe and clean.
Where to feed babyYou can feed your baby anywhere that you can relax and hold your baby comfortably. Pillows can give you extra support if you need it. A night light might be handy for night feeds.
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Newborn Baby Essentials: Checklist For Clothes Changing Sleeping Feeding
It can be challenging to know just what you should buy for your baby. Have no fear – we’ve got you covered!
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What exactly do you need? What’s the best change table? Which car seat is best for your baby? How do you choose the right pram or cot for your lifestyle? Well, to help make your life easier, we’ve compiled a list of all the baby essentials so you can just read and then simply print it off and start shopping.
To help make things easier, you can also sign up to online registries like . This allows you to collate all the items you need in one place and even sees you getting a 15 percent discount when you check out all the items at once.
Boppy Original Nursing Pillow And Positioner
If you breastfeed, youre going to want a nursing pillow. Is it *essential*? I guess not, the job will get done either way. Is it super helpful and make you and Baby more comfortable during feedings? Hell yes. Just get a good nursing pillow so that while your baby is eating for the 20th time, you can also get some rest . This one from Boppy truly gives your arms and back the support they need by helping you lift your little one more ergonomically. Its machine-washable, too, so no need to worry about cleanup.
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What Essentials Do You Need For Your Newborn
Having a few essential items on hand for the hospital and when you bring your newborn home will help ease the transition.
Make sure you remove these items from their packaging. Familiarize yourself with the instructions and assemble them, if necessary. This will ensure theyre ready to use as soon as you need them.
A Bulk Purchase Of Nappies
It is a good idea to have a few nappies before your baby is born, but don’t bulk buy hundreds of nappies in different sizes because you may find your baby doesn’t suit a particular brand, or grows out of them faster than you expect. I ended up with a whole load of size 2 nappies supposedly for babies 4kg to 8kg that didn’t fit my boy due to his long torso and chunky legs. I also found certain brands fit him a lot better than others.
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Basic Layette And Clothing
Baby clothes are cuter than ever, and you could easily blow your entire baby budget on sweet little socks and tiny rompers. Control yourself thoughthere are lots of other practical items you’re going to need. Here are the basics you’ll want to have on hand before you go to the hospital.
A basic layette usually includes a good supply of onesies, half shirts, rompers, undershirts, pull-on pants, one-piece pajamas and gowns . Other wardrobe musts include sleep sacks, sweaters, socks or booties , as well as blanket sleepers.
You may also want to include:
How To Feed A Newborn
For the first two to four days of life, newborns who are breastfeeding will need to be fed every two to three hours, or on demand.
It might not seem like your baby is eating much as your milk supply comes in, but the colostrum you produce immediately following delivery is all they need at this stage.
Transitional milk will replace your milk for the next two weeks, then your mature milk supply will come in.
After the first few days, formula-fed newborns need 2 to 3 ounces of formula per feeding. Theyll need to be fed every three or four hours for the first few weeks.
During the first two weeks of life, if your newborn sleeps longer than four or five hours at a time, you may need to wake them up to eat.
At about 1 month old, both formula- and breastfed babies will need up to 4 ounces per feeding. At this point, formula-fed babies will be on a more predictable schedule, eating about every four hours. Some breastfed babies will eat every four hours, too, but some will still feed more often than this.
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Baby Clothes: Sizes And Quantity
Your little one will be arriving soon, and clothes are extremely fun to shop for! How many newborn sized clothes will you need? The newborn size fits babies from 8-11 pounds, and babies will often outgrow the newborn size very quickly after birth. Save the extremely cute outfits for the 0-3 month size, which will be worn for a longer period of time.
Newborn clothes should be soft and easy to get on and off the baby – “onesies” should have envelope sleeves with a large head opening, for example. Outfits with zippers are much easier than ones with snaps – especially when it is time for a middle of the night diaper change. Sleep sacks are wonderful, as they eliminate the need for a blanket and keep baby warm and cozy throughout the night.
Some pieces of recommended clothing may be omitted from the list below – the onesies, for example, are good for layering in cold weather. A summer baby may not need the extra layer, or may need the onesies and not the extra single-piece outfits.
The following newborn sized clothes should be purchased prior to delivery:
- 4 sleep sacks
- 10 onesies
- 5 pairs of baby socks OR 1 pair of crib shoes
- 1 snow bunting for winter babies
Bathing Baby: What You Need
- Baby bathtub
- 4 terry cloth bath towels
- 4 to 6 washcloths
- Baby soap. Many brands make baby shampoo and soap all in one.
- Brush and comb
- Rounded-tip nail scissors or clippers.Baby’s nails grow quickly and can scratch their face.
- Bulb syringe nasal aspirator. These are used to suction excess mucus from baby’s nose and mouth .
You may want to check with your baby’s doctor before the first bath. Most doctors recommend that you wait until the umbilical cord has fallen off and the circumcision site has healed before giving your baby a tub bath. In the meantime sponge baths work great.
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Best For Summer: Baby Deedee Sleep Nest Lite Sleeping Bag Sack
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Not designed for cold nights
For hot summer nights, this is the best sleep sack for your child. Its made from lightweight 100 percent cotton so that it gives your baby the comfort of a blanket, while still being breathable to avoid overheating.
It has snap shoulders as well as a reverse zipper for easy diaper changes and is available in three different sizes ranging from newborn to three years old. This sleep sack is machine washable and available in several color opinions.
Material: Cotton | Age Range: Newborn to 3 years old | Machine Washable: Yes
Why Trust Verywell Family
Ashley Ziegler is a full-time parenting writer and mom to a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. She has personal experience in researching and purchasing a variety of childrens products, including sleepsacks. Key considerations she used when selecting these recommendations include expert advice, age appropriateness, and user reviews.
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Skip Hop Pronto Signature Portable Changing Mat
Becoming a new parent means there are plenty of diaper changes in your future. To tackle a dirty diaper near or far from home, there’s the Skip Hop Pronto portable changing pad. You can fit wipes and up to four diapers in the pockets, and the on-the-go pad can easily be wiped clean.
Size: 23.5 x 21.75 inches 11.75 x 4 x 8.25 inches
What Does A Baby Need
The amount of products available for the tiniest of humans is massive. Trying to decide on what you really need before your baby comes home can be overwhelming, as you don’t want to miss out on any vital need when baby arrives.
Many baby items are quite frivolous and serve no purpose. A “pee” guard for little boys? You’ll never use it. You’ll use the diaper as a shield instead. A wipes warmer? Another unneeded baby supply. So what do you need for baby? Check out the following suggestions to have the basics in place before your little one comes home.
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How Much Do Newborn Babies Sleep
A newborns schedule can feel unpredictable. Newborns will sleep an average of eight to nine hours in the daytime. They may sleep up to another eight hours total at night. But this wont usually be for the same stretch of time.
Newborns also have very small stomachs. Theyll need to get up about every three hours to eat until around 3 months of age. Once theyre a little older, theyll be able to go longer between feedings.
Some babies will sleep through the night starting at 4 months. Others wont sleep through the night until later. Your pediatrician is your best resource for letting you know how often your newborn will need to be fed throughout the night as they grow.
Best For Winter: Halo Sleepsack Micro
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Not recommended for babies under 10 pounds
If your home gets cold in the winter months, this is a great sleep sack to invest in because its made from thick, soft 100 percent microfleece. The wearable blanket goes over the babys shoulders and then stays put with an inverted zipper thats designed for easy late-night diaper changes.
You can get this machine-washable sleep sack in a variety of colors and sizes to keep your little one warm up until they reach 28 pounds.
Material: Polyester microfleece | Age Range: Newborn to 24 months old | Machine Washable: Yes
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Feet are not covered
This sleep sacks design is a little different from the rest because it has little feet holes so that they can safely move around before bedtime, then once theyre asleep you can cover their toes back up to keep them warm throughout the night.
Its made from soft microfleece and comes in three sizes for babies between 16 and 36 pounds.
Material: Polyester microfleece | Age Range: 12 months old to 24 months old | Machine Washable: Yes
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Not recommended for preemies
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Not recommended for babies after they can roll/2 months old
Babies as little as 6 pounds can safely use this sleep sack which is designed to work as a swaddle and, later, a transitional sleep sack. It goes over the babys shoulders and has an inverted zipper down the front to secure it in place. Then, to swaddle your newborn, you just wrap the wings around their arms and secure them with the velcro tabs.
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