Top 10 Baby Items for a New Mom

When I had my first baby almost 13 years ago, there were things that I loved having. I had three babies all 17 months apart, and then had a three year gap. I had my fourth baby 6+ years ago. I learned along the way that there are things that are nice to have and things that aren’t necessary to have. Now that I have a newborn again, I’ve been reminded of those must have items, and I’ve learned about a few new ones. Here are my Top 10 Baby Items for a New Mom. I’m so excited to share them with you today.

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Once my due date was getting close, I knew we needed to get a swing ordered. All of my boys have LOVED the swing. We got our first one with my oldest boy, and it lasted through all four of my older kids, and my sister used it for one of her kids, and I borrowed it to a friend for one as well. It finally quit on us when my fourth baby was a few months old. So I knew that I needed to get me a swing. I found this Fisher Price Rainforest Friends Swing on Amazon and got it for a great deal! I love that this swing will swing side to side or front to back, and it plugs into the wall, so no using up a bunch of batteries!

Of course you have to have a car seat and stroller for a new baby. They won’t let you leave the hospital without one. Since my youngest was six, before I had my baby in February, we no longer had a car seat that wasn’t expired. We picked up this Baby Trend Travel System in Houndstooth and it’s been awesome! I’ll admit, I love the printed pattern on it. Picking out a car seat and stroller are no easy task. You want to make sure that you are putting your new little bundle of joy in the safest car seat you can. While I know there are other car seats out there that have lots of safety features, you can’t buy a car seat that is on the market, that hasn’t met all the safety requirements.

To go along with the car seat, you need a car seat cover. I’ve made the one that I use, but you find them, and they’re inexpensive. I love using a car seat cover because it keeps people from touching your new baby, as well as keeps the germs out. Since my baby was born in February, I was worried about him getting sick since it was still winter time. I’m so glad I had a car seat cover to help keep hands and germs away from him.

One thing that I’ve never had is a nice diaper bag. I’ve used the diaper bags that they give you at the hospital, and with my fourth baby, I made a diaper bag and that’s the one I’ve been using with my new baby. If I were to buy a diaper bag though, I would buy this Graco Diaper Bag because I love the colors and my husband wouldn’t be embarrassed to carry it. Amazon has so many different diaper bags to choose from.

This is one of those items that I had seen people use before I had my fourth baby, and I always thought I didn’t need one. Well, fast forward to my fifth baby, and I bought a Cuddle Bug Baby Wrap. I especially loved using this when he was a teeny tiny new born. I could cradle him in it, and I could make dinner, or wear it at church or grocery shopping. I’ve loved it!

Disposable Changing Pads are SO nice to have in the diaper bag. When you are out and about and you don’t want to lay your baby on the changing table in a public place, or you don’t want to use your blanket to lay the baby down either (it could get germs on it) grab one of these, and toss it out with the diaper.

My very favorite kind of burp clothes are cloth diapers. I’ve shared before how to make them look cute, but honestly, I’ve never made myself any, I’ve only made them for gifts. But I LOVE them for burp clothes just the way they are. They are so absorbent, I never have to worry about spit up rolling down and off the burp cloth or soaking through. Pictured are the 6-ply but you can also get 3-ply.

If you are lucky enough that you don’t need to use baby bottles, then I’m a little jealous! Breastfeeding has always been a struggle for me, and my babies have never gained weight until they start on formula. It is a hereditary thing for me. My grandma, great grandma, and great great grandma all struggled with it, so after trying with five babies, I’ve finally realized that it’s not worth the fight. Avent Bottles are my favorite to use to feed my baby. I like the size of them, the way they feel in my hand, and my baby likes them as well.

Swaddle Blankets. These blankets didn’t exist when I had my first four babies. When these got popular, I couldn’t figure out what the big deal was. It’s a blanket right? Well, when I was expecting baby #5, I got a good deal on one, so I thought I’d try it. I’m here to tell you that these blankets are amazing! You can wrap your baby up tightly, the fabric stretches just enough to get them wrapped just right. The fabric is light weight, so your baby doesn’t get too hot. You can use it as a burp cloth if you’re in a pinch, and in the summer, you can get one wet to help keep baby cool. If I needed more of these, I’d totally buy these, aren’t they so cute?!

When I had my first baby, I didn’t have a bassinet. I didn’t think I needed one. We had a pack n play (which we love for travel!) set up in our room, and our baby slept in that for a while before he moved to his room. Well, with my second baby, we were going to do the same thing, but a friend of mine gave me a bassinet like the one below. Total game changer! My baby is just over 3 months old now, and he still sleeps in it, right next to my bed. I’m trying to decide if I want to move him into the big crib yet or not. He sleeps all night, so it should work, but I don’t know if I’m ready yet. 😉

If you’ve had kids and never used lavender lotion, then you are missing out!! I’ve used Lavender Lotion with everyone of my babies, and it’s awesome! It helps them sleep at night. Everyone of my boys have slept better when I’ve put this on them. Plus, I still use it on my older boys when I want to make sure that they sleep well.