After carrying your beautiful baby you now get to take them home. The two days I was at the hospital after having my son felt like an out-of-body experience. It was hard for me to connect the baby that I felt in my ribs and translate him to the beautiful boy before me. But, it set in on the ride home that we were now a family of 3.

No longer was it just my husband and I.

Once we brought him home and gave him a tour of his new living area it was time to start using all the things that we prepared for his arrival.

We purchased some things that we could have gone without, I mean come on it was our first baby. Of course, that was going to happen. Whether you’re excited to buy your son cute outfits to match with his dad for game day, or you went a little overboard with bows & skirts for your daughter, there’s no harm in it.

My son let us know pretty quickly what he was a huge fan of and what he could do without. And, a few things he didn’t like as a newborn he began to like at 2 or 3 months. It’s so cool how we’re all just out here raising literal humans with their own likes and dislikes that are forever changing.

What’s on this list helped me through the newborn stage.

The long nights where I was up every 2 hours, what is listed below made it all manageable.

As a new mom, it was overwhelming enough realizing that you are now someone’s whole world, I needed items to help me with this drastic transition.

Also, if you want more first-time mom tips I go in-depth here

Zippered Onesies

(This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will make a commission at no cost to you!)

Do yourself a favor and stock up on zippered onesies. Buttoned onesies are fine, but keep in mind those late-night diaper changes. The last thing you’re going to want to worry about is those annoying snaps at 3 am. Whenever we are gifted a onesie with a zipper my husband and I get so excited to put our son in it. And can we talk about the two-way zipper?!

Game. Changer.

Here’s a link to the brand we used a lot during the first 8 weeks.

They come in a ton of different colors/patterns, and they are SO soft. I highly recommend this brand.

Onesies with buttons are less of a hassle as your baby gets older because you won’t be changing a lot of diapers during the night barely conscious.

But, for a newborn? A must-have.

Rocker and/or Swing

As I mentioned earlier, your baby is changing every day. What they liked yesterday they may not tolerate today, and what hasn’t worked yet may be their new favorite thing. You gotta love how they keep us on our toes. When my son was a newborn, he really liked his swing. We got ours from a family member but they purchased it from Amazon. It plays music, has 5-speed settings, and vibrates. It also can be plugged in or you can use batteries to be portable, so it served us well!

Within the first month, he started not to care for it, so we kept it on standby. But, just a few weeks ago my husband put him in it again for the first time in over two months and he likes it once again!

We also got the Fisher-Price infant to toddler rocking chair as a baby shower gift. Unfortunately, that brand has been out of stock online for several months, but there are several alternatives similar to the one we have!

My son didn’t use his chair until he was a month old. It started off as somewhere for him to be if I was reading a story before nap time, or he had to come with mommy to the bathroom.

Now he can reach, grab, and pull the toys that hang above it so it’s much more entertaining than it used to be!

Nose Bulb

Getting those boogies out is a MUST. For such tiny nostrils they sure do have a lot in there. I personally have never used the Baby Frida Snot Sucker, but I have heard amazing things about it. So far, we have only used the simple nose bulb, which works very well for us. I like that it’s clear so you can tell if you actually got anything. With the generic blue bulbs they have at the hospital it’s a guessing game.

We use his bulb every day. Even with a diffuser my son often wakes up a little congested, so it’s nice having one on my nightstand for easy access.

You also never know when your baby is going to be under the weather, so put this on your baby list if you haven’t already!

Pacifier Wipes

These are a lifesaver.

Do you know how many times I drop my son’s pacifier after a contact nap or sit it next to my phone? Too many times to count. I would use his pacifier clip, but he only tolerates that if we’re leaving the house. I find myself cleaning off his pacifier at least once a day. With the Arm & Hammer by Munchkin pacifier wipes I can clean all of his essentials because they don’t use harsh chemicals. It is baby friendly and has become an all-purpose cleaner. My husband and I clean our phones with it, and every surface our little guy comes in contact with.

Breast Pump

If you’re breastfeeding this is obviously a need. For the first two weeks after giving birth, I nursed and pumped. I then decided to ebf, but plan to pump again before transitioning my baby to formula. If you have pumped before you know that it isn’t pleasant.

You feed your baby, and they fall back asleep but instead of you going back to sleep too, you can’t. You have to pump for 15 minutes, and then wash/sterilize pump parts. It’s a full-time job and it’s exhausting. The last thing I wanted to deal with was using my electric breast pump. I used the Motif Luna for one pumping session and couldn’t do it again. I just knew it was going to depress me.

BUT

I was gifted the portable momcozy s9 and it was amazing! I could walk around and get things done, or just sit down and scroll on my phone until I was done pumping. When my son gets reintroduced to bottles it won’t be a terrible experience, because I really enjoy the momcozy.

And, don’t forget milk storage bags!

Blooming Bath

Most newborns take baths in the sink until they are big enough to transition to their own tub in the bathroom. For 4 months my son used the blooming bath flower seat in our sink.

It fit perfectly and is plush so you know your baby is comfortable. We would lay him on one of the petals, and he would relax like he was at the spa which is why I named it his “spa bath.” The only reason we transitioned him to his plastic tub in the bathroom is because he started reaching and grabbing onto things, and it was stressing me out.

It is definitely one of my favorite purchases and we will be using it for any other babies we have in the future!

Anti-Colic Bottles

I know I said my son is ebf right now, and he is. But, for the first two weeks I nursed, and he took bottles. I’m stressing anti-colic bottles because we didn’t have any when he was a newborn. My son had two choking incidents that shook me to my core, That’s why I began nursing him exclusively I just couldn’t risk it happening again, it terrified me.

We are soon going to reintroduce bottles, and my anxiety is more under control because I know we’ll be using anti-colic. If we had those in the beginning who knows if I would have started to ebf, but I think they are necessary to have so parents can make sure that their baby is only getting milk and not those bubbles that create air pockets.

It definitely will be a sigh of relief to have those on hand!

Boppy or Feeding Pillow

I used a feeding pillow the entire newborn stage, the Breast Friend from Amazon. After 8 weeks I didn’t really use it as my son was big enough for me to hold without assistance, and throughout the night I didn’t want to get up and grab it every time. Even though I enjoyed my feeding pillow, and it helped during nighttime feeds when I didn’t have the strength to sit up, I would recommend getting a boppy.

A boppy offers support as well while nursing, but your baby can also use it as a pillow to stay upright as they get older. I find myself using a pillow and propping my baby up most days because he loves to lie by himself and explore. At 5 months old we could still benefit from a boppy but I haven’t touched my feeding pillow in 3 months.

I have used the boppy before with nieces and nephews, so I would suggest going that route- more bang for your buck!

Overview

• Zippered onesies
• Rocker/Swing
• Nose bulb
• Pacifier wipes
• Breast pump
• Blooming bath (lotus sink bath seat)
• Anti-colic bottles
• Boppy/feeding pillow (I recommend Boppy)

I know there’s a TON more I could have added, but these items are what came to mind first!

Share in the comments what’s on your list to help all the mamas knee-deep in the newborn stage.