Newborn and Baby Essentials for a First Time Mom
Being a first time mom is hard! There is so much to learn of your new little one and challenges to face along the way. These are my top newborn essentials that helped us survive and I’ll never have another newborn without them!
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A Joyful Challenge
Having a baby and being a first time mom is hard. There’s no two ways about it. It’s an unbelievably sweet time when you discover a love like you’ve never known before, but hard. Even when you think you’re completely prepared, there’s no way to predict all the challenges that bringing home a newborn will present.
That’s how it was bringing our newborn home. Actually, our challenges started way before we brought our baby home. I had been in labor for about nine hours and was completely dilated when we arrived at the birth center and found out that she was breech. I was rushed to the hospital, wheeled through the halls in true tv hospital drama style, complete with the nurses yelling at people to get out of the way. They knocked me out and did an emergency c section.
Needless to say, that was about as far opposite from my dream of a natural, minimal intervention birth as you could get. But it was totally worth it and I love that little girl more than life itself!
Even with a birth that goes perfectly and has no complications, newborns come with their own challenges as they adjust to life on the outside. These are the things that made those days a little easier and helped this sleep deprived mama get a little rest. I will seriously not bring another newborn home without them!
The Essentials
Gripe Water/Gas Drops
When Mary Emma was a newborn, she had such painful gas that she would cry and cry and cry. There were certain times of every day {and night} that she would scream for hours at a time and pass gas. It’s one of the most horrible feelings as a mother to see your baby in pain and be helpless to do anything about it. Although gripe water and gas drops didn’t totally relieve her gas, they gave Mary Emma enough relief that we could break the cycle of screaming and get some rest.
It turns out, the root of her problems was both a lip and a tongue tie. As soon as we got those issues fixed, the screaming sessions ended immediately!
The Baby Shusher
When I first saw the baby shusher on a video of a photographer doing a newborn shoot, I thought, How goofy. Who can’t shush their own baby? And let me tell you, boy was I wrong!
Like I said earlier, Mary Emma didn’t sleep real well in those early days. It was pat, shush, pat, shush until she finally fell back asleep. Sometimes she’d stay asleep when I stopped and sometimes she woke right back up. The shusher helped soothe her even after I fell back asleep. Seriously, this thing is the bees knees! I still use it all the time even now.
I started out with just the shusher but a few months later I bit the bullet and got the app as well. I had an old phone that I installed it on and it was so convenient! On the app, you can set a timer anywhere from thirty minutes to twelve hours.
Soothing Sleep Music
I’m a huge fan of playing soothing music for a baby while they sleep. I don’t know about your house, but it’s rarely perfectly quiet at my house which makes nap time a little questionable sometimes, especially if I actually try to get anything done. Banging pots and pans, doors opening and closing. Mary Emma has the typical first-child light sleep and even a little floor squeak can wake her up! A soothing instrumental cd is perfect to provide some background music and muffle the normal household sounds of living.
The Baby’s First Hymns cd set by Fisher Price is one of my favorites for sleepy time music. It’s a two cd set of hymn instrumentals. It’s very calm, soothing, and relaxing. Some classical music can be very stimulating with lots of dynamics getting loud and quiet, but Baby’s First Hymns, is for the most part even toned and calm. I had originally planned to collect a few cds for nap time but after getting this one, I haven’t even gotten any others!
Kickee Pants
I had never heard of Kickee Pants before my baby shower. A couple of friends gave Mary Emma some Kickee footie pajamas and raved on and on about them. Honestly, I really couldn’t understand what all the hype was about. I mean, they’re baby pajamas. I thought footies were footies were footies. You know, like most women think about tires. Nope.
Kickee Pants are made out of viscose from bamboo with a little bit of spandex. They’re thin and so buttery soft. I know that sounds crazy to say about baby pajamas, but they really are! Like almost every baby, Mary Emma liked to pull her legs up like a little frog. She did it all the time when she was a newborn and her legs simply wouldn’t stay in the pajamas where they were supposed to. Her little pajama legs would just dangle…empty. It was actually quite amusing in my sleep deprived delirium.
Kickee pants solved that problem. They’re soft enough to not bunch when a baby pulls their legs up and they have elastic around the back of the ankle to keep a newborn’s little foot from slipping out of the pj legs.
I had a few pair of Kickee Pants and they were almost literally the only thing Mary Emma wore for about the first six months of her life. That’s an easy way to have a minimalist baby wardrobe! I add a few more to our collection in each new size she moves to.
Moby or Solly Baby Wrap
Baby wearing in a wrap provides a newborn baby with a warm, cozy, secure place to be right next to mama {or daddy} and feel safe and secure. Babies just seem to be naturally calmer and happier when they’re worn. Not to mention it can be very convenient if you have older children to take care of or have things that you just have to get done. Also, there is no denying that physical contact is critical for a child’s development, even having an impact on their DNA! {you can read more about that study here}
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to carry Mary Emma in the wrap very much early on like I had planned because of my c section. We were able to use it after I healed and she really liked it a lot. I ended up with about four different baby carriers and the wrap was the only one that she’s ever liked to be carried in.
Wearing a baby in a wrap can be a little difficult at first {actually, it’s the wrapping thats difficult} but once you get the hang of it, it’s very comfortable for both the baby and the person carrying them. Watch my video tutorial for an easy way to use a baby wrap here. Because of the way the fabric wraps around your back and shoulders, the baby wraps don’t put tons of pressure on just one place like your shoulders but it tends to distribute the pressure better reducing the backache that some traditional carriers are known for.
They have a few different brands of baby wraps. The one I got is a Moby Baby Wrap and I’ve also heard really great things about the Solly Baby Wrap. From what I’ve heard, the Solly wrap is a little bit of a thinner, lighter fabric and might be nice for warmer temperatures.
Video Baby Monitor
A video baby monitor isn’t necessary but it sure is convenient. It lets you keep an eye and ear tuned in to your baby when they’re sleeping without having to be right there next to them. You can catch up on the house work, have some quality time with other family members, or just take a break and relax. I’ve even been able to do work outside while Mary Emma naps and still know the moment she wakes up.
The video part is really nice too. If you’re lucky, sometimes your baby will fall back asleep after they wake up early. With a video monitor you can see if your baby looks like they may fall back asleep or if they’re up for good.
Jogging Stroller
A jogging stroller was something I knew I was going to need. We live in the country where there aren’t any sidewalks or pavement. We have gravel and grass and a normal stroller is practically useless until we go in to town. Jogging strollers have bicycle tires and can go just about anywhere.
I’m so thankful to have one because Mary Emma loves being outside. I really think she would be happy to be outside all the time. We go walking a lot around our property and wouldn’t be able to do it without the jogging stroller.
A Nursing Bra
There’s no doubt that human milk is by far the best and perfect food for a human baby. Even the formula can says so! That being said, breastfeeding is hard and sometimes there are things beyond our control that make breastfeeding difficult or nearly impossible. No matter what you choose to do for feeding your baby, a fed baby is always best. If you’re unable to breastfeed for some reason, give yourself some grace and know that the most important thing is to have a happy and healthy baby.
If you do choose to breastfeed, a nursing bra will make that endeavor much easier. I tried to nurse without one in the beginning and it added so much difficulty to a process that already has a huge learning curve for both mom and baby.
Spectra Breast Pump
Before I had my baby, I did tons of research on all things having to do with birth and life with a newborn. I already had lots of experience with babies, but I wanted to be to be as prepared as possible for the arrival of my own little miracle.
I knew I wanted to breastfeed and would need a good breast pump. There’s no better way to know you’re getting a good product than to see and hear the reviews of people who have used that product. In all of the breastfeeding forums and groups, Spectra was always the top recommended breast pump. I went with a Spectra S2 and didn’t for one minute regret it. It can be a used as a single or double electric pump and is a workhorse suitable even for exclusive pumping.
Also, if you happen to end up being an exclusive pumper {hats off to you mamas!} a nursing bra will make pumping much less cumbersome.
Rock N Play Sleeper
When I was pregnant, two friends who had recently had babies both recommended a rock n play sleeper as a must have for a newborn. I put it on my baby registry and received one from one of those friends who recommended it. She really believed in that thing! And they were right. The rock n play was amazing for those days after coming home when Mary Emma woke up every couple of hours around the clock.
The Rock N Play Sleeper has an automatic rocking function so like the shusher, you can turn it on and it’ll keep soothing the baby while you get some rest.
In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, I really love my sleep! I don’t do well at all in a sleep deprived state. It’s almost like my brain just starts shutting down functions that it considers non-vital like remembering anything past five minutes ago. Some people can handle it way better than others. My mom? She’s a champ and has helped me so much in the past ten months of being a mother when I thought I just couldn’t go any longer.
Mary Emma slept in the Rock N Play for four or five months and when she outgrew it I moved her to a Arms Reach Cosleeper. It was wonderful as well. Mary Emma was right next to my bed and I could tend to her at night without having to get out of bed and fully woken up.
Enjoy The Ride
You’re about to embark on one of the most joyful and difficult journeys of your life. It can be exciting, exhilarating, terrifying, empowering, exhausting, but no matter what it will be worth it. Enjoy every moment with your newborn because those days don’t last long!
Quick Links To My List Of Newborn Essentials:
You May Also Be Interested In:
Healthy Lactation Cookies – Dairy Free
How To Use A Moby | Baby Wearing And It’s Benefits
Tongue and Lip Ties | What Are They {And How Can They Affect Breastfeeding}
Causes Of Low Milk Supply And How To Increase Milk Supply Fast
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I have a 3.5 year old and I remember the delirium of the first few months! A friend just gave birth and I still need to get them a baby gift and I wanted it to be practical, so this is a great list! Thanks!
Yes, those newborn days are special but so hard! I’m all about practical gifts these days…I hope you find her the perfect one!
Great list! I am saving this for upcoming baby shower gifts! Thank you!
I’m so very glad that you liked it and found it useful. These items were serious life savers during our newborn struggles!