Newborn Essentials | Things I wish I knew earlier | Guide to buying things for your Newborn

Hi there! Call it a lucky day that I managed to sneak out some time from my routine to pen down this post. I am hoping that this post will be helpful for all the expectant and new parents out there, who love lazy hacks just like we do. Most of them were bought after the baby was home, and truth be told, I wish I knew this earlier so that I could be more efficient in managing my little one. It took us some time to get these essentials and make our lives easier. Listing down the things we bought along with their brand names and links, to make your life a little more easy (totally non sponsored).

Buying essentials for newborn, specially if you are a first time mom like me, is like fishing a needle out of a haystack. There are several products available in the market, and the reviews are confusing. It can be difficult to find out what is it that you genuinely need. Hence, I decided to list down things I needed and bought for my baby. They might or might not match with your requirements, so hang on! They are only my honest suggestions.

If your baby is formula fed, then you will surely need first seven the things listed below. If exclusively breast fed, then you may skip them.

ONE: Bottle Sterilizer: Fisher-Price Dry Max 6 Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer for Baby Milk Bottles and Accessories (Blue and White)

Buy one with a drying facility for better sterilization. This is one of the most used items in our household and now that I have it, I cannot think of the hassle of sterilizing baby bottles on the gas stove. This one is indispensable. I literally carry it while visiting my mom’s place as well.

Recently, we ordered a Bottle Warmer cum Sterilizer from Amazon. Will let you know about its efficacy once I start using it.

TWO: Electric Kettle: Havells Aqua Plus 1.2 litre Double Wall Kettle / 304 Stainless Steel Inner Body / Cool touch outer body / Wider mouth/ 2 Year warranty (Blue, 1500 Watt)

In case your baby is formula fed, you would need to boil water. An electric kettle will make your life much easier. Trust me on that! 

THREE: Liquid Cleanser For Feeding Bottle: We use LuvLap Liquid Cleanser For Feeding Bottles. This can also be used to clean baby toys and other items used by the baby.

FOUR: Bib: You will need lots of them when formula feeding the baby. Try Bibs by Babyhug. They are of very good quality. I have atleast 10 of them since they take some time to dry during monsoon. Available on FirstCry.

FIVE: Burp Cloths: A must have, because newborns spill milk that lands up on your clothes. Try Grandmas Plain And Printed Wash Clothes Pack Of 8 from FirstCry. Even the ones by Babyhug are equally good. I have lots of them, atleast 20 in number.

SIX: Bottle and Nipple Brush U-Grow Silicone (Scratch Free) Bottle Cleaning Brush (Green)

Because when you have a bottle, you need to wash it thoroughly! Very handy to clean the baby bottles and flask. Since it is made of silicon, no scratches!

SEVEN: Flask: To store hot water for preparing the feed. I have a tiny one by Milton bought from Amazon.

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EIGHT: Bath Tub: We got one from our local market. A simple one like we used when we were infants. However, get yourself a bath sling so that the baby can be positioned comfortably when bathing. Else you would need another pair of hands to help you hold the baby while bathing him/her.

NINE: Baby Carrier/Sling: This one will make your life very easy in case your newborn loves being in your arms all the time. We bought one by Soul. I am very new to baby wearing and am open to your guidance and suggestion. Any help?

TEN: Cloth Diapers/Langots: The disposable ones are used only for outings or at night. Regular cloth diapers have made the process of keeping the baby happy and dry much easier. However, we are still working on reducing usage of the disposables. We shall get there soon. May be with a separate blog post on my experience with cloth diapering? Do let me know in the comments below.

ELEVEN: Waterproof bed protectors/diaper changing mats: A life saviour that prevents the mattress from accidental pee leakage. We bought Babyhug Cotton Diaper Changing Mat and Bed Protector from FirstCry. Also few diaper changing mats were bought for extra protection during diaper changes.

TWELVE: Nail Clippers/Scissors: Little ones have sharp nails and they grow real quick! Use the scissors when they are really small. Clippers can be used once they grow. I got Babyhug Scissors & Nail Clipper Set. Also get mittens for newborns when you cannot clip nails. I used mittens for the first few days until her nails were long enough to be clipped. 

THIRTEEN: Baby Thermometer: We use Babyhug Forehead Thermometer. Just keep one in case of emergencies.

FOURTEEN: Tummy roll on (for colic pain and indigestion): We use Babyhug Indigestion and Colic Relief Easy Tummy Roll On from FirstCry. Very effective in relieving a tummy ache.

FIFTEEN: Anti Mosquito Patch: During Monsoons, the easiest way to keep mosquitoes away (specially if your baby cries when you put a mosquito net over her) is by sticking body patches on the baby’s clothes/side pillows. I use one by the brand BodyGuard Natural Anti Mosquito Repellent Patches. Available on FirstCry.

SIXTEEN: Portable Mosquito Net: We bought the Babyhug Portable Baby Mosquito Net Small from FirstCry. 

SEVENTEEN: Baby Essential Storage Unit: We bought the Babyhug 7 Compartment Chest of Drawers with Wheels – Pink & White from FirstCry. Drawers actually make it easy to sort and find baby essentials, since their clothes are tiny. I have neatly arranged all her clothes, towels, toiletries, diaper essentials, bibs, mittens, wash cloths, swaddles and thousands of her things into specified drawers. Again, do let me know if you would like a wardrobe tour on my blog for infants.

EIGHTEEN: Bath Towel : We use one from a brand called Simply Printed Towel & Wrappers. Available on FirstCry. Very soft and comfortable.

NINETEEN: Comb/Hair Brush: We use Babyhug Ergo Grip Hair Brush & Comb Grooming Set for our baby. I use the hair brush as of now. 

TWENTY: Baby Toiletries: Things such as baby wipes, baby wash, baby shampoo, baby lotion, baby oil need to be bought once the baby starts bathing. I bought sample sized products of a particular brand so that I can do a patch test before I apply it on my baby to see if there are allergies/rashes. Not all products may suit their skin, hence it is best not to buy big bottles first, but to try sample sizes on them. 

Am sure the list is endless, but this is all my mommy brain could come up with at the moment. Apart from the above, there are things like diaper bag, diaper caddy, crib, cradle, car seat, breast pump, feeding pillow, rocker, and several other things that make your life easy (but we had not bought them). Again things like clothes, toiletries, and disposable diapers that we had stocked before our baby’s arrival. Some of the essentials were gifted to us like side pillows, mattress, play gym, blanket.

Also remember not to overstock clothes since babies outgrow them very quickly, plus I had received a lot of clothes as newborn gifts for my baby. So many so, that I actually had to divide them into two groups and keep a lot at my mom’s place. 

Have more to add on to this list? Do list them in the comments section below. This will be of great help for new mommies. Also would you like a NewMom Essential Post? Do let me know.

Also please leave a comment if you find this post helpful. Sending love and luck to all of you. Until next time!

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