Ultimate Baby Essentials Guide From An Experienced Mama

Being a new mom can be SO OVERWHELMING! I wanted to make a baby essentials guide for anyone that feels overwhelmed by the amount of baby gear out there. It feels like there can be so much to learn from everything from feeding to sleep, to what gear you actually need.

I’ve had countless conversations with new and other Mamas over the last 6 years since having my first kiddo and I’ve learned so much! I knew at some point I’d want to compile all of my knowledge and share it to help other women ease into this journey of motherhood. We need each other! So consider me to be your new biggest cheerleader and advocate in motherhood. I’m praying this baby essentials guide gives you a small step ahead in your journey of motherhood and saves you some of the learning curves that I experienced!

If you haven’t read our articles on My Best Advice For Labor and Troubleshooting Baby Challenges In The Early Months, make sure you check those out! Check out our full Motherhood Guide for all of the SIE resources regarding motherhood and parenting.

A Little About Me

If you want to know if this article you found is trustworthy, let me tell you a little about me and my “Mama credentials.” I’m a trained physical therapist with my speciality certification in working with individuals with neurologic disorders such as traumatic brain injuries, strokes, and other progressive diseases of the neurologic system. My critical thinking skills as a PT helped prepare me for navigating some of the problem-solving you need as a Mama! I also think some of the principles of baby development correlate to some of my knowledge of the brain, which has been so cool!

I’m a mom of four (one of which is due in May!) ranging in age from 1-6 years old. I can’t tell you how many things I would do differently with my first kiddo in the newborn stage, so I’m trying to save you the learning curve I had to endure!! How does anyone know what baby essentials are really essential until you have a few of your own?!

I am very much a minimalist when it comes to most things and all things baby is no different. This article will be part of a series of sharing all of my knowledge as far as pregnancy, post-partum, and newborn care, so make sure you subscribe to our email list to make sure you don’t miss all the good info! If you haven’t read my article on my favorite items for baby and toddler travel, you can read that HERE!

Let’s get into my top ultimate baby essentials!

Baby Sleep Essentials

Personally, helping baby learn to sleep through the night was essential to my mental health and physical health in every newborn stage I’ve been through. My number 1 tip is to take the Taking Cara Babies Newborn Sleep Class. I’m not an affiliate, but I have told countless people about them so maybe they should put me on the payroll! As a PT, I appreciate the developmentally appropriate approach to sleep and the fact that there isn’t a “cry it out” component in this program. This is my #1 recommendation for new parents, or even for parents who have a kiddo between the ages of 0-2 that isn’t sleeping well at night. Here are my top baby sleep essentials:

Swaddles

We have used Halo Swaddles for each of our kiddos until they start rolling over, and it is a game-changer for newborn sleep! I’ve heard amazing things about the Ollie swaddle as well which grows with your baby if you have a bit more money in the budget.

Rohn Sound Machine

We like the Rohm because it’s portable with a 6-hour battery life and great for taking in the stroller or on car rides so baby can nap on the go. Sound machines also have been life-changing for our kiddos’ sleep lives!

Dohm Sound Machine

Once our kiddos get older or if you have the budget to do so, we have a Dohm Sound Machine stationed in their bedroom. My husband and I even have one in our room! Highly recommend it as the best sound machine for stationary use in a single room.

Blackout Curtains

At certain stages of development, sleeping and napping in a very dark environment is an important component of baby sleep. These blackout curtains have worked great for us!

Sleep Sacks

Once baby starts rolling over and transitions out of the swaddle, we use a sleep sack. Halo sleep sacks are still our favorite as far as quality and price. Our kiddos wear these as long as possible because it helps keep mobile toddlers from crawling out of the crib as well!

MAM Pacifiers

All of our kiddos used MAM pacifiers at least in the early newborn stages for comfort and to work on sucking to prepare for bottle feeding. For the same reason we like the MAM bottles, the shape of these pacifiers seems to work well for little ones! Even if your baby prefers to suck their fingers while they sleep, practicing sucking a pacifier can help them with nursing and bottle-feeding.

Pack n Play Blackout Cover

For travel or if you need to manufacture a dark space for baby on the fly, this blackout cover for pack-n-plays is a GREAT cost-effective option to create a dark environment for baby.

Slumberpod

If you’re going to be traveling a lot, or if the baby has to share a room with you or a sibling, consider investing in the slumberpod. It’s definitely a bigger financial investment than the pack-and-play blackout cover, but totally worth it if you’ll be using it frequently. The pros compared to other portable blackout options are that it’s a bit darker and more soundproof than other options. It also folds up nicely for travel!

Nursing Essentials

Nursing Pillows

While I have used the Boppy nursing pillow in the past for my newborns, I’ve had several friends and family say that the My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow is even better! I highly recommend having a nursing pillow for the early days as you and baby are getting to know each other. It will likely prevent you from getting some serious neck and back pain, which is so tough to battle when you’re constantly holding or feeding a little one! I feel like after the first few weeks I end up grabbing any pillow I can find and eventually don’t need anything once baby gets bigger.

Coconut Oil

My first lactation consultant recommended using coconut oil to help with soreness in the early days/weeks of breastfeeding and it has been my go-to for nursing comfort with each baby since! It’s safe to use, and cost-effective, and I just keep a little Tupperware of it wherever I’m nursing baby most often in the newborn stage.

Soothies

Some of my kiddos have done better with nursing than others, but for the ones that had a more difficult time and I had more soreness at first, these soothies were wonderful! You throw them in the refrigerator and use them between nursing sessions. Perfect for those first days in the hospital and at home!

My Favorite Breast Pump

I’ve used the Spectra S1 Double Electric Breast Pump for my last two babies and plan to get a new one for baby #4. Having a 6hr battery life is AMAZING for when you need to pump on the go in places that don’t necessarily have an outlet. Plus the suction is great and efficient for pumping. If I had extra money in the budget, I’d totally splurge on one of the pumps that just fits in your bra, like the Elvie or the Willow.

Haaka Silicone Breast Pump

The haaka is a GAME CHANGER for collecting extra milk during each nursing session to use or freeze for future use. You put it on the opposite side that baby is nursing on and it collects milk while baby eats. You’ll rack up a few ounces of milk each time you use it and it doesn’t take any extra time!

Pumping Bras

For working Mamas (or anyone who is a multi-tasker!) a pumping bra is essential so you can keep your hands free during pumping. I had two different ones and like them for various reasons. I have one that is a simple strapless kind that is super quick and easy to take on and off.

This is the most similar one I can find, but I will update this post if I can find the actual one I have used for years! This one is more supportive but does take a little longer to put on. I like having both!

Baby Bottle Essentials

While the type of bottles that work best for baby does sometimes depend on the baby, I wanted to share what has worked for our babies who had trouble taking a bottle and those that my therapy friends in the NICU recommended for us.

MAM Bottles

Not only have we used MAM pacifiers with all of our kiddos that seem to work the best, but we also started using MAM bottles with our last baby and she did great with them! “A” had trouble taking a bottle, which was a VERY stressful experience for this Mama! My friend that is an occupational therapist in the NICU recommended the MAM brand as one that works well frequently for those tiny babes in the hospital who are having trouble learning to suck. Lo and behold, this was the bottle she was able to learn to drink from!

Dr. Brown’s Bottles

Dr. Brown’s is the other brand of bottles that my therapy friends recommend for young babies. This didn’t end up being successful for our last kiddo, but if your baby doesn’t take the MAM bottle well, consider trying Dr. Browns!

Baby Feeding Essentials

Bapron Bibs

Y’all, there is NO comparison when it comes to bibs to use when your little one starts solid foods. I learned about Bapron Bibs from my Feeding Littles Baby Led Weaning course (HIGHLY RECOMMEND!) Not only do they have better coverage than a normal bib, the way it ties in the back vs. other bibs that have velcro. Because if your kiddos are anything like mine, they’ll be ripping those velcro bibs off in a hot second! These are worth the price.

Honey Bear Straw Cups

We used these honey bear straw cups to teach our kids to use a straw and they are AMAZING! I also learned about these in the Feeding Littles course I took and I learned that pediatric occupational occupational therapists frequently use these to teach straw use to little ones. I think we started using these sometime around 9-10 months.

Open Cups

Learning to use an open cup is a skill you can start with babies even as early as 6 months! These cups are the perfect size for babies to hold with two hands, or for toddlers and older kiddos to hold with one hand. Our almost 2-year-old LOVES drinking water from these cups!

Contigo Straw Cups

Once your baby/toddler masters using the honey bear cup, they can quickly transition to these Contigo Straw Cups. These are the cups our kiddos use daily, and they are perfect since they are spill-proof, but still facilitate using a straw. Did you know that using a straw helps with speech development in babies and children?

Bottle Labels

We LOVE these Inchbug bottle labels both for baby bottles and our older kids’ water bottles. It’s so nice to know whose drink is whose when we’re out and about. I can’t imagine going back to not using them! Great for kiddos who are in school, daycare, church, etc, too!

Baby Clothing Essentials

I’m not going to have anything to link here, but here are my seasoned Mama tips are far as baby clothing is concerned:

1. Avoid Buying New Whenever Possible: Seriously, these little ones grow so fast you’ll be dumping money into baby clothing and footwear left and right if you buy everything new. Check out secondhand clothing stores or get hand-me-downs from friends. That way you’ll have the freedom to buy new clothes if needed for special occasions!
2. Zipper Jammies: DO NOT buy the sleeper with buttons. Trust me, when you’re sleep deprived in the middle of the night and trying to change a diaper when you’re not fully functioning, you need EASY access without worrying about matching the right buttons.
3. Stick With Onesies Until They’re Walking: Before babies start walking, any shirts will tend to ride up and they’ll not only end up having their belly out all of the time, they’ll be prone to skin irritation on their stomach and back. I also found that dresses always got in the way once baby was crawling because they would tend to get caught during movement!

Developmentally Appropriate Baby Toys

Playmat

There are a ton of options as far as playmats go, but I like ones that have contrasting colors to keep baby’s attention when their vision is pretty poor those first few months. I also think a mirror is essential. This playmat is comparable to the one we’ve had for years. If you have a bigger budget or friends who can purchase a GREAT play mat for infant and toddler development, I absolutely love all the Lovevery Play Gym offers. There are different sensory zones along the outside of the mat, contrasting colors, and developmentally appropriate toys, too!

Tummy Time Mirror

A mirror is essential to facilitating tummy time, I like this one because it has a contrasting color picture sheet that is great for tummy time, too!

“Crinkle” Toys

We have a “crinkle” book similar to this one that all of our babies have loved for car and stroller rides.

Baby Care Essentials

The BEST Diaper Cream

Our first kiddo had the worst skin and eczema issues. No diaper cream seemed to help when he would break out. Our pediatrician recommended this pink xav cream and it has worked better than any other diaper cream we’ve used! It’s one of the top things I recommend to new moms when they ask me my top must-have baby items. We have the big tub for home use and this travel size for when we’re on the go!

Nose Frida

Don’t be too grossed out at the thought of sucking boogers out of your baby’s nose. It only takes their first cold where they’re miserable and can’t sleep for you to be willing to do anything to help them breathe and sleep better! We just have the manual Nose Frida, but there is also an electric one that our other friends have used.

Best Moisturizing Cream

I heard about Tubby Todd lotions from Karrie Locher (a GREAT resource for all things nursing, newborn care, and post-partum things) and it’s definitely the most effective cream we’ve used for dry skin or irritated skin for our kiddos. I recommend the All Over Ointment.

Other Baby Gear Essentials

Carriers

I haven’t been the person who is constantly baby-wearing, mostly because I think the PT side of me has them on a mat for “floor time” or my kiddos get too heavy too fast for it to be super comfortable for me while I’m working on things. We have definitely used a carrier more for each kiddo, likely out of necessity!

The Ergo 360 is by far the favorite among my Mama friends because it can be used from the newborn stage into toddlerhood. The material is also soft, making it more comfortable for baby and Mama!

My friend let me borrow her LÍLLÉ baby carrier and I think it has the most support for the adult carrying the baby out of other carriers I’ve tried. It has lumbar support which definitely makes it stand out! This carrier can also be used from the newborn stage and into the toddler stage.

Stroller Fan

I actually need to get a replacement for ours, but this fan is THE BEST! The legs wrap wonderfully around any part of the stroller and it allows you to get the perfect angle you need. Don’t let your kiddos play with the legs though, because it will end up like our first one that lost a leg within the first year.

BOB Running Stroller

Hands down the BOB is the GOAT of all running strollers. But we’ve also used it as our go-to stroller! The only negative is that it is a bit bulky and heavy. But this stroller runs smoothly over any surface and is amazing for any outdoor event. We have the single BOB and the double BOB.

Make sure to leave any questions you have in the comments and I’d be happy to answer them! Praying this resource is helpful to you in your journey of motherhood!