Day 1 baby essentials

Our son was born unexpectedly two weeks early. He was healthy, but the early arrival meant our plans — including help from my wife’s parents — didn’t work out as planned.

Like many new parents, we quickly felt unprepared and clueless about what we actually needed and ended up buying stuff that we never really used. Basically everything on lists we got from the hospital and classes we had taken in preparation.

This is the list of things we got that we actually needed pretty much on day one and would get again for our second. I’m including links to the ones we purchased, but if you have the time, definitely shop around.

Absolute life savers we still used a year later

  • Muslin cloths
    Muslin cloths were constant companions. We used them for burping, spit-ups, spit wipes, quick cleanups, drying after washes, and they are still with us on every trip. We have like 20 and they are in every laundry.
  • Muslin blankets
    The muslin blankets worked as swaddles, sunshades, or nursing covers. Especially in the first months, they feel much nicer than bigger towels because they are light and breathable and our son was still so tiny. Versatile, easy to wash, and always close by. We started out with three but quickly bought more. Six was enough to get between laundries.
  • Disposable changing pads
    Disposable pads made diaper changes so much easier. There will be messes and with an extra pad on a changing table it’s quick and easy clean-up. They are not the most eco-friendly but worth it just for taking the edge off a nighttime mess. We kept one on the changing table and a few for trips. Changed it when it got dirty. Quick to swap out and saved a lot of laundry.
  • Wash cloths
    These gentler cloths were gentle enough and perfect for bath time. Especially around the face. In the beginning when you are doing sponge baths, these are perfect.
  • Bags to take to the hospital
    The first two weeks we spent shuttling between hospital and home — first for the birth, then for jaundice checks and follow-ups. Our hospital bags did heavy lifting here. We used them to store everything from important documents to snacks and changing gear. They got packed and repacked often, becoming mini “base camps”.

Must haves that you probably already have

  • Baby bassinet
    The baby needs somewhere to sleep and a bassinet is what everyone (at least in the US) recommends. We picked one that grows with the baby but at a bigger price point. For the bassinet in particular, the wheels made a huge difference because you could take a shower while watching the baby. We later got a portable one for travel which — with the bassinet insert — is almost better.
    • Bassinet bed sheets
      Buy two, so you have one while the other is in the laundry. Also, put disposable changing pads underneath the blanket to keep the mattress dry.
  • Onesies
    This is a tough one. Since our son came early, we had to buy preemie clothes on short notice. But, whichever size you buy, here is the hierarchy for ease of use: magnetic buttons, zippers (at least bottom to top), push buttons. Push buttons are the worst when it’s late, you’re tired, and you got the order wrong. Have at least three: one to wear, one in the laundry, one that’s dirty.
  • Baby thermometer
    Early on, your pediatrician is your best friend and should be on speed dial. So don’t take medical advice for your baby from the internet. But a baby thermometer is certainly good to have to tell if your child has a fever. You’ll probably panic well in advance, though. You also need thermometer covers and water based lube. Our pediatrician recommended KY jelly.
  • Nail clipper or filer
    Babies are born with nails and they don’t use them for a while. To prevent baby scratches, get those early.
  • Car seat and stroller
    You’ve thought about these a lot already so I won’t belabor the point. We got an old Vista from friends and bought a small stroller to match. Car seats you should buy new so you know they’ll work when you need them. We originally bought a convertible car seat, but ended up buying a second infant car seat that we ended up using a lot more.

Things that can wait but might be worth it

  • Swaddles
    In the beginning, muslin blankets and a thicker blanket (that we got from the hospital) worked great. But ultimately, our son slept much better when in a firm swaddle. The velcro versions worked great for us. Definitely recommend trying what works best for your family.
  • Baby Aquaphor
    Baby skin can be quite delicate. Diaper rash, eczema, dry skin from drool. We just put Aquaphor on all of those and it helped keep things in check. We just kept the butt and face tubs separate.
  • Baby bottles
    We ended up buying six small and six large bottles and never used the majority of them. In the first week, my wife was working to get her milk to come in. Once it did, we ended up doing one bottle feed a night. Since our son was exclusively breastfeeding, the small bottles were enough and we only used two most of the time to give him his vitamins. In hindsight, we should have kept bottle feeding for longer than we did to make my wife’s return to work easier. We still didn’t need that many bottles and definitely not in the beginning. Three would have been fine.
  • Bottle sanitizer bags Naturally, since you don’t need bottles right away, you won’t need sanitizer bags right away. Once you do, though, these make life so much easier. I basically boiled every bottle once and then kept using sanitizer bags.
  • Bottle drying rack
    We use this daily still at one year. For pump bottles, baby cups, straw cups, etc.
  • Baby bath thermometer
    Babies don’t need a bath right away. We were told to wait until the second week which was perfectly fine. At that age, it’s normal for babies to not poop a lot, sweat a lot, move around much, or really do much of anything. They just don’t get that dirty.
  • Postpartum supplies
    The hospital gave us a lot of supplies to last for a few days including adult diapers to catch any postpartum bleeding. By the time we needed more, we had a good idea of what we needed and didn’t buy too much extra.
  • Baby diapers
    The hospital also gave us some diapers. This was particularly helpful since our son came early and was smaller than we had anticipated.
  • White noise machines
    We used it on and off in the beginning. There was a phase in between where it became essential but definitely not in the beginning.
  • Haakaa
    Our doula first recommended the lady bug which didn’t work for us. It just kept falling off. But we used the standard Haakaa a lot in the beginning to help kickstart the milk production. It helps and is way easier than pumping.

Stuff we never bought or never really used

  • Bottle warmers
    We got a bottle warmer from a friend who wasn’t using it. We used it here and there. It’s a little more convenient but cold milk is just as nutritious.
  • Baby monitors
    Our son slept in the same room as us for the first year so we didn’t really need it.
  • Diaper caddy organizers
    I really wanted to use these but we didn’t really. We got a diaper bag from the hospital and one from friends which work perfectly. They all have too many pockets anyway
  • Pacifiers
    Our son was never really interested and we didn’t push it either. Dentists will ask if your child is using one when you go at about 1 year.
  • Colostrum collectors
    Our doula recommended them to catch excess colostrum. We didn’t end up getting to collect any since our son was feeding by the time my wife’s milk came in.

Final thoughts

This isn’t a complete list but I really hope this helps cut down the noise when you are already stressed. We also found it helpful to have two changing stations so we didn’t walk in on each other during precious sleep time.

The first couple of months are going to be tough but it does get a lot better and easier. It’s okay to accept help when people offer. We had friends who cooked us food during the first week which made things a lot easier before my wife’s parents arrived to help.

Other parents sometimes have the habit of stress dumping which is extra hard when you are just a few weeks in with your first. Remember this: The first two months are the hardest because you and your baby are all doing this for the first time and none of you got much sleep.

You are doing great. It does get better. It’s always ok to ask for help. It’s normal that it feels hard. You got this.