Newborn survival tools

I remember the newborn phase. The phase when a tiny fragile beings needs your every waking moment while you are mentally, and physically exhausted from the miracle that is child-birth. You need all the tools out there that can help you manage the sleep-less nights. 

When I was expecting my first baby, I had no idea where to begin, or how many of each item I needed. I have since figured it out and wanted to share the most important items and their quantities to avoid overspending, or overbuying. I am simply sharing with you what worked best for me. You can follow through the links, if it is something you decide is useful for your registry, or just want to take a closer look at. I found the Amazon.com prices were a great deal when compared to most brick and mortar shops. I ended up buying most of my stuff online because in my third trimester I was just too big, and too tired to go shopping. 

I would say the items here are good for about the first 3 months depending on the size of your baby. 

This is a list of all the things I found MOST useful during the time that I needed it for my now 11- month old, and will be needing this upcoming October (when I'm due)

Clothing-

• 6-8 Onesies- I just bought 2 packs of 0-3 month sizes. I kept other outfits for pictures, and other occasions separate. Although, I hardly used them.  My newborn wasn't into partying when she was first born. Now? a total party animal. Fancy clothes were better to use as she got older. These onesies were essential because baby was kept swaddled most of the time, and the onesie kept just the right temperature for her little body. Also, I didn't buy too many because I wasn't sure what would fit baby since I didn't know how big she was going to be when she entered the world. This amount was perfect. 
• 2-3 Swaddle Me Blankets- We learned how to swaddle at a class we took at the hospital, but our little miss would break out of the DIY swaddle blankets really quickly. I found these to be super helpful for sleep time. We used these for naps, and bed time. She was cozy, and happy. And I didn't have to worry about her swaddle coming undone in the middle of the night. 
• 6-8 pairs of socks- I like to not buy too many socks at one time, because over time I find the laundry eats up our socks, and we somehow end up with mismatched socks. I found this amount of baby socks just enough for the first few months

Changing-

• Diapers- Be sure to buy a variety of sizes but in one brand. I had 2 sizes ready for baby's arrival. Just to make sure we got the best fit. I wanted to use cloth diapers, but I couldn't see myself enjoying the process. 
• Changing Pad- This is a great tool to use to lay baby down on during diaper changes. I have one that is curved to protect the wiggly little worm. 

Bathing

• 4-8 Wash Cloths- of course, you can use the sink to wash baby, but I found it be a little dangerous because she would get all slippery. You don't have to bathe baby until she is about 3 weeks old, or the stump for the umbilical cord falls off.  So after that happened, we got soapy wash cloths and gave baby scrub downs to keep her clean.  We graduated her to an infant tub at 3-4 months. 

Feeding

• Double Electric Breast Pump- if you are breast-feeding, you will find this so very helpful. The hospital recommended that we not use this until after the first 2 weeks so that baby can develop good breastfeeding skills, but you can use it whenever you feel comfortable. This will help you get some help from a partner in feeding, and keep up your supply if baby is having trouble latching on. This was the case with me. Little miss couldn't stay properly latched on and I didn't want to lose my supply, so I pumped after feedings. Also, the breast pump I suggested is very ergonomic, and costs way less than other pumps. 
• 2-3 bottles- I wouldn't recommend buying too many. My little pumpkin didn't like most of the bottles I had for her, and I ended up not using them. I still have a few boxes of unused bottles because she refused to drink from them. Wait until baby is here to buy bottles, and see what works best. I found these bottles to be the most liked. 

Miscellaneous

• Pepple Watch- This one is a little pricey , but SO worth it. It has been so incredibly useful in helping me time feedings, accept text messages, answer calls, track alarms- all from my wrist. I didn't have to crane my neck to look at phone, and I was hands-free! 
• FeedBaby App- This app is free to download, and so helpful. It tracks your feed, pee, and poo schedule. It tells you how long between your last feed, or last changing. It also gives a daily breakdown of ounces consumed, and diapers changed. It does all the thinking, and remembering for you.  So incredibly useful! 
• Baby Jungle Gym- I loved using this item for tummy time. We started tummy time early, and this provides the stability, and softness for baby to lay on her tummy. I remember she absolutely loved laying in this gym. She would kick her little legs in excitement. The funny thing is that she STILL plays with it. So definitely a good buy! The one through the link is priced significantly less than the other ones, but I think does the job well. No need to pay more. 
• Baby Swing- There are so many great options with this. We got one that had music play along as she rocked back and forth. She used it for a few months, and then after she was mobile, she forgot all about it. Until then, it was so helpful to keep her entertained after my mom left. I could do housework, and cook  while watching her enjoy her swinging ride.
• Changing table- This is probably the MOST important thing on my list because I wasn't sure if we needed this. Everyone suggested changing baby on the bed, and that this was an extra. Nope. Not the case. I use this so much, and the sections helped me organize all my baby stuff. I use this every single day for changing diapers, clothing, after bathing, etc. I also found the most economical one. There was one at the store, but I ordered this one online, and found it the perfect size. Be sure to measure out the length and width of the area being put in,- we have a smaller space, and this is just the right fit. Any bigger and it would not have worked out as well. 

Whew!

These items sums up the essentials. If you have some other items you couldn't live without, Please share them with me! I can add them to my list! If you're not quite there yet, and still trudging along through pregnancy- read Pregnancy survival tools