My 5 Newborn Baby Essentials

With your first baby, everything is so new and just a tad confusing. I remember making my baby shower registry and having to ask my mom for help on EVERYTHING. It seemed like babies needed A TON of stuff, some of it I had no idea about.

When I googled "the most important products for a new baby," I was met with a hundred articles with all kinds of fancy gadgets that I could not afford nor did I want cluttering up my house. Ryan and I have lived in a camper and tiny apartments our whole marriage, so you can say minimalism is an appreciation of ours.

Now that Amelia is out and hanging around our house, I can tell which products I definitely needed and which ones were just an added bonus.

Here's my list of TOP 5 Baby products
(yes, you read that...top 5. Cause you honestly don't need a ton more than that).

* Remember, this is just my own personal list because everyone has different needs. I did not include necessities like diapers, wipes, and things like nail clippers. These 5 products are the extra things that were lifesavers for me.

1. WildBird Slings

I got this as a baby shower gift and it is my MOST USED product. I put her in the sling the third day she was born and have barely taken her out since. She absolutely loves it and falls asleep so quickly. With wanting to get back into work a few weeks after birth, this sling made it so easy to have my hands back while still keeping her close.

​Pictured is SongBird and Sparrow colored slings. :) 

2. Hevea Orthadontic Pacifier & Pacifier Clips

I love my babe, but like any baby, she can be fussy. Her plastic pacifiers pop right out of her mouth, leaving me in an endless game of getting up to put them back in....only for them to pop right out again. This specific pacifier is super soft and leaves no marks on her face, while also staying in her mouth for SO much longer than the other ones. The pacifier clip is also super helpful so we don't lose the pacifier when we're walking out and about. (and functions as a teething ring when her little teefies come in. ;)

Pacifier > 
Pacificer Clip >

3. Baby Swing

Everyone told me these were awesome, but they really are. There's so many fancy ones, but the two I received as gifts are below and I love them. One rocks her side to side, and one is a true swing. (The swing works really well during the day when she wants to be rocked, but wants to see around the room). 

Rocker >
Similar Swing >

​4. Nursing Pillow

A friend got this for me and I LOVE the one they purchased. It is oversized and pretty. I actually slept on it the last month of pregnancy, because it was the only pillow that helped my back. And then when Amelia came, it doupled as a nursing pillow. Because it was so big, it is the comfiest thing to put behind your back while keeping some of it out to nurse. Super supportive.

Nursing Pillow >

​5. A Good Stroller

I underestimated how stir crazy I would be after birth. Ryan and I probably went for 4 walks in the first week. I needed to stretch my body out and do something that was easy for me, but allowed me to be in fresh air. The stroller we got (was pretty cheap from Target) is so light and easy to snap in and out of car in literally 10 seconds. Because of that, taking walks is so much easier and was the BEST thing for my mental energy and wellness right after birth. With this, I do kind of wish the car seat that came with our stroller had been a little more padded for her first weeks. Her head was sliding everywhere and everyone tells you not to put those pads in the seat! So that made it a little tricky, but the stroller itself was cheaper and SO awesome.

Similar Stroller >

​                                             A couple other items I loved having, but didn't make the list (with my reason why!)

- Dockatot: I loved this for the first few weeks! After about 4 weeks, Amelia started getting really frustrated in it. She loves to sleep on her side when napping and wiggle around. This is pretty restrictive and keeps them flat on their back. I know some say that's the safest way to sleep forever, but for naps, Amelia just doesn't have it and screams instead. We use it occasionally now, but not as much. But it was great for those first weeks! (It's a bit expensive for just those few weeks though)

- A flat mat/or cushion for the floor: Amelia loves being on the floor and looking up. (and her Nina got her a big Lamb cushion to lay on, which is the cutest). So she loves this and uses it fairly often. I wouldn't spend a ton of money on these, as you can find them pretty cheap.

- Neutral baby clothes: You and friends are generally drawn to more flashy, colorful baby clothes. But I honestly loved having minimalistic and neutral baby clothes that would match everything....and it made it way easier to just change a pair of pants out rather than finding a whole new outfit everyday.

- Necessities: Honestly the following list is about all we've used in the first 8 weeks. Honest baby diapers, wipes, Honest bath soap, Jordan Essentials baby lotion, nail clippers (a MUST), a thermometer (just for piece of mind), Vitamin D drops, a couple muslin blankets, nipple cream the first week, Baby bath for the first few weeks (now at 8 weeks, she and I just hop in the bath), and a couple burp cloths that I use underneath us when we nurse so we don't get milk all over the bed. 😂

Things we rarely use:
- Her crib & co-sleeper: She is always in our room and often in our bed. (Before anyone get's all cray cray against bed-sharing, please don't. There's pros and cons to everything, and we've done the appropriate research to make an informed decision and to be responsible in doing so.

- Changing table: We just change her wherever, whenever. You get used to poop just being on things. ;)

- Baby Mittens, Baby Shoes, Baby Washcloths, Burp Cloths: We use about one-two sets of all of these, but usually don't need much more than that.