Becoming a new parent is one of the most overwhelming times of your life! I remember coming home from the hospital and feeling so lost. Personally, I wish someone had told me some of the essentials to have around the house for when baby comes home! Preparation is key to surviving those first couple weeks home, especially if you’ve had a rough birth!

Different Area’s To Consider

  1. Food
  2. Bed
  3. Bath
  4. Fun/Play
  5. Clothes
  6. Travel
  7. Trash
  8. Convenience

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Food

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Whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding there are just some things you should have. 

Bed

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My husband and I spent a while trying to figure out what we were going to do, bassinet or crib. 

  • Bassinet
    • Bassinets are an excellent option for parents looking to save some money initially and for parents who might not have a lot of space in their bedroom. We got the HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper – Premiere Series Bassinet. We LOVE that bassinet, and we still use it to this day for tummy time, and we also put his plastic tub in it sometimes so he can sit in his tub and look around (which he loves)! 
      • When getting a bassinet, I’d recommend getting a couple of the waterproof covers, trust me, you will be so happy when you have those extra covers for when there is an accident at one in the morning!
  • Crib
    • Once our little one was about four and a half months old, he was getting a bit snug in that bassinet (he was ninety-seventh percentile in height!). We figured it was time to look for a crib. If you plan on starting out with a crib, that’s great as well. When shopping for cribs, make sure they are up to safety standard and always put the little one to sleep on their back to reduce the risk of SIDS. We love our Graco Lauren 4-in-1 Convertible Crib, Black with Graco Natural Organic Foam Crib and Toddler Mattress. For one, we now have a crib that can turn into a toddler bed, which saves us money down the line! My husband put the crib together in twenty minutes, and I helped when needed. The crib is sturdy, safe, and spacious for our little one to grow. We have a small bedroom and were nervous about whether it would fit, but it actually fits perfectly in the room! I also love the colors offered for this crib. We kept going back and forth between the black and grey but decided to go with black since it matched our furniture better. 
      • Don’t forget a waterproof cover with the crib either! Plus sheets! We forgot to order sheets, and my mom couldn’t process how we forgot that.
  • Swaddlers
      • Swaddlers were a miracle send with getting our little one to sleep. Given that newborns are not adjusted to being in the outside world, being wrapped in a swaddle at night helps them feel safe and comforted. We got SwaddleMe Original Luxe Velboa Swaddle 1-PK, Tan Lambs (SM) and our little one loved them!

Bath

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  • Toiletries
  • Towel
    • When I was a little kid, I remembered having a hooded towel that I made my blankie. I wanted my son to have a similar looking one, but one that was much softer than mine. We ended up getting a bamboo made towel, which genuinely was so soft! Our little guy loved just being wrapped in the towel after. 
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  • Bathtub
    • We got a bathtub since we didn’t have a sink that was a good size to use to wash our little one. The First Years Sure Comfort Deluxe Newborn To Toddler Tub, Blue is what we got, and as I mentioned earlier, we use it for him to sit in during the day in the bassinet (with a towel under him for softness). This tub is great for newborns and can be used as they grow and even able to sit up on their own.

 

Fun & Play

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Given your little one is so small, they won’t need a lot, to begin with. But below are some great things to have.

  • Bouncer
    • Your little one will likely enjoy the bouncer when they are a little bit older, but it’s still a worthwhile investment. To this day, my son’s favorite place to be is in his bouncer! We got the Skip Hop Uplift Multi-Level Adjustable Bouncer, Grey which we love! Easily portable and we loved the vibration option (helped our little one get tired) and the music. 
  • 4Moms Cradle
    • This was the secret to getting our little guy down! When he wouldn’t fall asleep, we would put him in this, turn on the motion to level 5 and play white noise and he would be out! I highly recommend this, especially if you have a baby that struggles to fall asleep. We got the 4moms Mamaroo Bouncer – Blue Plush, and we love it! To this day it helps get our little one to sleep if he ever is struggling. 
  • Baby Books
    • Baby books are a must! We made reading a part of the bedtime routine and to this day when we read The Runaway Bunny, and it helps our little one fall asleep.
  • Blankie
    • We love blankets in our house, between Jak and I we probably have seven! When we were shopping for Xander, we got him two blankets and one little Angel Dear Blankie, Fox. I love foxes, so we get a lot of fox-themed things!

 

Clothes

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My mom actually helped me buy Xander his clothes. Between all the clothes we’ve bought him and the clothes he got at the baby shower, we found two brands that we absolutely love!

 

Travel

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Trash

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Convenience

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Now that you’ve made it all the way to the bottom, you are ready to make sure you have all that you need before bringing your little one home. 

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