Like many first time moms, I spent months looking for the most recommended and best baby products for my daughter. Since we didn’t know the gender I wanted to focus on what we needed rather than what we wanted.
I probably spent hundreds of hours watching YouTube videos and reading blogs to get my registry together. I was overwhelmed, the truth is you really only need the basics, and the rest is for your own convenience (and there is nothing wrong with that). Your baby sleeps so much the first 3 months so there aren’t too many things you need.
Here are the items that I think made my transition into motherhood easier. Obviously this is just my opinion what works for you and your baby may be different but hopefully this is a start.
Zipper Sleepers or Kimono sleep sacks
No matter the season zipper sleepers are a must. Babies pee a lot which means you change them a lot, and sometimes change their clothes a lot. I purchased most of our zipper sleepers second-hand, but there are some that I purchased from amazon as well.
I specifically listed zipper sleepers or sleep sacks because they are easy to take off or lift up for middle of the night diaper changes. They also don’t require you to pull them over your baby’s head. My daughter hates (still does) clothes being pulled over her head.
I recommend shopping second-hand where you can for these items, babies grow quickly and they aren’t in them too long. I have linked second-hand sleepers and some from Amazon if you prefer to shop new.
My daughter was 4 weeks when we finally purchased a snuggle me. Although it is not recommended to let the baby sleep in it, we did. And she slept in it until about 4 months. I can’t tell you if you should or shouldn’t let your child sleep in it, I can just tell you what worked for us.
We used this for everything. Bedtime, naps and just mid-day lounging when we needed a safe place to put her.
The price is the reason we did not get one right away, but we became desperate at bedtime and it is definitely a purchase that I do not regret.
I purchased our snuggle me from FaceBook Marketplace. But you can also order it from Amazon for 2-day delivery.
Before Korbin was born we did not decide if we would be co-sleeping or not, but wanted to purchase a bassinet so that she had a safe place to sleep. Since the day we brought her home she’s done a little bit of both. The first 3 weeks she woke up often, but always went back to sleep in her bassinet (hence the purchase of the snuggle me).
I loved this bassinet because it has a modern design and is tall enough for you to be able to roll over and see or pick up your baby. It is also super affordable with a price point under $100.
A lot of muslin blankets
These blankets have so many uses. During the first few months they mainly serve as swaddles. But after you stop swaddling you can still use them as blankets, car seat or nursing covers and burp clothes. I know I say this a lot but I am all about that gender neutral design. I also really loved these black and white ones because we used them to catch Korbin’s attention and get her to move her head back and fourth.
Moby Wrap or a soft baby carrier
I was so excited to baby wear. I chose the Moby wrap because it could easily be adjusted for myself or my husband. It is basically a long piece of fabric that tie around yourself (check out a YouTube video for instructions). Baby wearing is very convenient. It allows you to get things done around the house, take a walk or calm a fussy baby. I loved it and my daughter loved it as well. She always fell asleep when I was wearing her.
Short sleeved & long sleeve onesies. Or these super cute onesies
I think most moms would agree that your baby mostly wears onesies the first couple of months. Onesies can easily be paired with different bottoms depending on the occasion.
My daughter gets very hot when she sleeps so putting her in a onesie was a super easy way to layer her outfits.
I’m an advocate for keeping babies in onesies because they are simple and comfortable for your baby. I purchased most of my daughters onesies second-hand (babies grow so fast), but you can also find really cute colorful baby girl onesies on amazon and some cute little boy onesies.
When my daughter wasn’t in a sleeper she was in a onesie. She had a combination of short sleeve and long sleeve. She only had about 10-12, because we washed often.
I am obsessed with our Graco travel system. We have the fast action jogger. It is a large stroller but we wanted to be able to use it for walks and runs often. Graco has a lot of options for strollers and joggers. The Graco fast action stroller, modes 2.0 jogger and stroller are the other travel systems we considered.
Since we were (are) still in a pandemic we didn’t go out much. But I still enjoyed the convenience of taking her entire car seat and clicking it into her stroller. You can typically use your infant car seat up until a year, so for us it was worth it.
We used the angelcare bath until about 6 months, when our daughter was sitting up on her own.
I went back and fourth on the angelcare bath and the flower for the sink. I ultimately went with the bath because I figured it would be easier to bathe her in the bathtub rather than the sink. We don’t have a large sink and a lot of reviews stated that it was difficult to dry the flower. To be completely transparent, reviews of the angelcare bath stated that you had to fill the tub up a lot, and that is true. But it allows your baby to lay back at an angle, and they can still kick and move their arms and legs.
My mother in law purchased these books for my daughter, and they were recommended by her pediatrician. She told us they were good to catch her attention and work on her head control. We started using them around 1 month during tummy time.
The hospital will probably give you one, but incase you misplace it this one is pretty comparable. My daughter had a really dry scalp the first few weeks after she was born. This brush came in handy then, and still does.
Comotomo and Playtex bottles are the only ones my daughter liked. When it comes to bottles the best thing to do is to get one or two of each (literally) see what your baby likes.
Although I breastfeed my daughter, I also work overnight so she takes bottles when I’m at work. The amount of bottles you’ll need will depend on if you breastfeed, formula feed or pump or any combination of all three.
A simple wooden gym so that you can play with your newborn. You can move the the toys back and fourth so that your baby can follow with her head and eyes. And by 3 months they will probably be reaching for the toys them self.
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I used Amazon to register for our daughter’s items. It was the quickest most convenient platform for us. If you click here you can start your Amazon registry!
Hopefully I didn’t overwhelm you. I hope you feel relieved and empowered in your decision to focus more on what you need versus what you want.
I want to leave you with this advice.. you can always get something later so if you aren’t sure if you’re going to use it there’s no issue waiting.
I’ll have a post soon outlining my necessities for 3-6 months but you can check out my Amazon favorites in the meantime.
Comment and let me know some of your 0-3 month must have!
xo