My favorite items for newborn babies!

this recipe

We live in a very small 700 sq ft house. And I’m also a minimalist, as you’re about to see, haha! Plus, after having 3 kids I know the items that I really need.

Here are the baby items that are my most loved and needed!

Baby Favorites (Ages 0-3 months)

  1. White Bassinet with Organization Baskets: I got this white bassinet and it’s been so perfect to be basically his entire nursery, haha! We live in a very small house, and don’t have a ton of space. Love that this has wheels so I can easily move it around, and that it has storage underneath. I got these organization baskets from Ikea, and I can fit 4 underneath PERFECTLY! The baskets are divided in half, so it gives me 8 separate “cubbies” to organize baby clothes and needs. Once my kids are bigger (around 6 months) I transfer them to this basic crib from Ikea.
  2. Snuggle Me Organic: I have both a Snuggle Me and a Dock-A-Tot. My little babies always prefer the Snuggle Me. It’s a “snugger” opening, so it cradles them more and makes it feel like they’re in my arms more closely I think.
  3. Boppy Nursing Pillow with Waterproof Cover: Love this to comfortably nurse my baby, especially when they’re so tiny and it’s easier to have arm support.
  4. Binkie + Binkie Clips: All of my boys have loved a different binkie. Luke will only take these by Tommy Tippee, Ryan only took these by Avent, and Josh only took these by Avent. Good idea to have a few different kinds for your baby to try and use the one they prefer. Love these binkie clips too!
  5. SwaddleUP Swaddle: All of my boys have loved being swaddled with their arms up by their face. LOVE the swaddleUP swaddle. I also love the Ollie Swaddle, and try and get them to use it and be swaddled with arms down, but they struggle and fight to get their arms free all in the night. These would be the 2 swaddles I’d recommend having and trying.
  6. Honest Diapers + Wipes: I love using Honest diapers since they’re eco friendly and free of any harsh chemicals. I also love that they have a plain white diaper! I’m personally not a huge fan of all the crazy prints. I love their wipes too!
  7. Onesies: My babies almost exclusively wear these Gerber organic white onesies. It’s their day clothes and pajamas. If I have a winter baby I stock up on long sleeve onesies, if I have a summer baby I also get short sleeve onesies. Can you tell I love to keep things simple? Haha!
  8. Baby Pants: I love these simple pants by Carters. They’re soft and simple and cute. Just my style!
  9. Baby Booties: These soft fleece baby booties are just so cute and cozy. And they stay on pretty well!
  10. Jacket: For those days when I want the baby extra warm, I love this jacket. It’s sherpa lined so super soft and warm. I love the cute hood too!
  11. Solly Wrap: I love wearing my babies! This wrap is perfect for the first 6 months, sometimes even longer. I have it in natural & gray stripe, black, and a gray one I got way back in 2015 for Josh that I don’t think they make anymore.
  12. White Swaddle Blanket: I use this blanket for SO MANY things! I use it as a blanket when my baby is in the carseat to stay warm. I use it as a nursing cover when we’re in public. I use it for tummy time or to lay the baby down on the ground. I use it to cover the carseat if the baby is sleeping and we’re in public. And obviously use it as a soft blanket to wrap the baby in. I have 6 of these and love love love them.
  13. Burpy Bib: I love these Aden + Anais burpy bibs! You can throw them over your shoulder as a burp rag. They also have a button so you can button them around your baby as a bib. I use them around the baby as a bib whenever I breastfeed to catch any milk that drips to keep their clothes milk free. And then use as a burp rag. I have like 12 of these and use them constantly!
  14. Cloth Wipes: I always have one of these cloth wipes in my pocket wherever we go. Great to wipe up any spit ups. They’re super absorbent. I also use them in the bath as a bath wipe. So soft and gentle!
  15. Baby Wash: Tons of great baby wash options out there. But I started using this Burt’s Bees baby wash on Josh when he was first born, so the smell is so nostalgic to me for new babies. I love it! I don’t have a baby bath, I either give my baby a sink bath or go in the big bath with my baby and hold him the whole time. My favorite!
  16. Clek Liing Carseat: There are so many great carseat options out there! For Luke, I got this Clek Liing. It is narrow so worked great to get 3 carseats across in my car!
  17. Hatch Sound Machine: Obsessed with this sound machine! I have one in my big boys room, and one in our room. I use the “white noise” noise setting that is the TV icon. Also love the light it has! I have my favorites programmed to be white noise, and then the same noise with a dim light. I use the light function so I can see better when nursing the baby and changing his diaper in the night.
  18. Video Baby Monitor: This baby monitor is so easy to use, affordable and works great! I love that I can keep adding on camera units. I have one on all 3 of my boys’ bed. I actually prefer that it has its own monitor, versus using your cell phone as the monitor. I’d hate to not be able to use my phone for anything else when the baby is sleeping! Plus, I’m rarely away from the baby when he’s sleeping, so don’t feel the need to check in on him when away. If I worked away from home this might be a feature I like.
  19. Glass Dr. Brown Bottles: My boys always do great with Dr. Brown bottles. I love that these ones are glass! Great for those times I have to be away during a feeding.
  20. Carseat Mirror: There are tons of these carseat mirrors available! I have this exact one and it works great. Love being able to see the baby while driving.
  21. Diaper Bag Backpack: I have this diaper bag backpack and love it! Has tons of room and pockets, love that it is a neutral color so Shawn doesn’t feel too girly when wearing it, and affordable! This backpack is always fully stocked and in my car trunk.
  22. Podster Lounge Pillow: Such a comfy pillow for the baby to be in when I’m not holding him! I have this out in the living room, and the baby will go in it when I’m cooking or cleaning.
  23. Instant Read Rectal Thermometer: This is my must have item for my baby medicine cabinet. I share the rest of my baby medicine must haves in this post to see them all!
  24. Baby Play Mat: I have a super affordable baby playmat I got at Ikea (similar here). Great for tummy time on our hardwood floor so it’s padded and comfy for the baby.
  25. Sophie: Always a hit, and my babies first toy!
  26. Baby Books: Here are the books + resources that I love the most for newborn info
    1. Moms On Call – The most helpful book OF ALL! Give the most important medical advice to know, and give extremely easy to follow daily schedules for all different weeks and stages. LOVE IT! I have the kindle version.
    2. Taking Cara Babies – Cara is a great resource for sleep. I loved her courses. They’re short videos that will give you tons of confidence. She also shares tons of helpful tips + tricks on her Instagram.
    3. Happiest Baby on the Block – Read this before having my first baby. Gives good basic tips. This is one of those books that could have been condensed to just a couple pages, but worth skimming.
    4. Babywise – Another good read that I’m glad I read, but also something that could be condensed to a few pages but worth skimming.
    5. Bringing Up B̩b̩ РThis book was such a refreshing perspective. Influenced me a lot when I was a new mom to have kids eat what I eat. And to also be more hands off and let kids be kids.

Other Pregnancy + Kid Favorites

Popular Newborn Items That I Skip (and why!)

  • A Stroller – I prefer wearing my baby everywhere we go. It’s much easier for me to have both arms free, especially with 2 other kids that often need my help. I literally do not have a stroller that works with Luke’s carseat and haven’t needed it once!
  • A Baby Bathtub – I either give my babies sink baths, or I get in the bath with them and hold them at the end of the night. No need for a baby bath!
  • Changing Pad – I technically do have a changing pad in the big boys room, but a majority of the time I’m changing Luke’s diaper on a towel on my bed or on my bedroom floor, ha!
  • A Rocking Chair – Since I’ve never had a nursery dedicated to just the baby, I’ve never had the space or room for a rocking chair. I just nurse and cuddle the baby in my bed or on the couch.
  • Owlet Baby Monitor – I actually did get this for Luke. The newest version with the better fitting sock. Used it one night. It wrongly went off TWO TIMES that first night and woke me up in a panic! Luke was breathing just fine. He wasn’t even moving. And I had the fit perfect. Caused me more stress and annoyance than peace of mind. As long as your baby is sleeping on his back in a safe environment, I don’t see the need for it. Plus, I head the electrical waves can be harmful for baby? Didn’t research this but something to think about.
  • A Bottle Warmer – I don’t have a fancy bottle warmer. I just microwave about 1 cup of water in a pint mason jar for 2 minutes, add my bottle to the warm water for 2 minutes, and I have a warm bottle!
  • Baby Lotions/Ointments/Creams – I don’t put any lotion or extra things on my baby. I find they’re soft enough and have never needed it. I do have Aquaphor that I use if they have diaper rash. Otherwise, that’s it!
  • Baby Swing – Sadly we just don’t have the space for any kind of baby swing. But my kids have always been fine without it! I either wear my baby or put him in the podster if I need to be hands free.

This post contains affiliate links, thanks for the love!