Newborn must haves

I’m on my third and final newborn.

For my first baby, I had a nursery set up 6 months before she arrived. I had a changing station. A wardrobe full of clothes for the entire first year of her life.

For my second, I culled and finessed.

For my third, I made even more changes and found new hacks.

Here are my newborn must haves.

Newborn must haves (that you probably haven’t thought of)

A book light

Now, this is designed for reading, but I use mine for so much more.

Each night I use the light to read while I feed, to change nappies, to navigate my way to the toilet.

It’s something I recommend to everyone with a newborn.

Here’s the book light I have.

A changing box

I have a basket with nappies, wipes, and a change of outfit upstairs and downstairs.

I don’t have a changing table anymore. I find them unnecessary. A portable fold out change mat or towel is enough.

Here’s the caddy I have.

Plenty of hats

New babies need a hat outside. Make sure you have plenty of them. They seem to go missing very easily!

Baby grows

Don’t bother with outfits. Enjoy them as babies dressed as babies should be – in sleep suits. They’re so much easier when you’re changing nappies every few hours.

Babygrows with zips will make your life easier – especially at night. It’s so hard to get the poppers right when you’re tired.

I love these Bonds Wondersuits. They seem to last for ages!

White noise machine

These portable white noise machines are perfect for creating a newborn sleep environment. The womb was dark and noisy, so it will help calm them into sleep.

This is a good white noise machine.

Easy read books

Reading or audiobooks help keep me awake during night feeds. I’ve chosen quick reads like Fault in our Stars, It Ends With Us, biographies, and diary format books.

Check out my blog on 5 easy read books.

A water bottle

Feeding makes you thirsty! get one with a straw for ease. You’ll also get hot feeding. Choose an insulated one, even if you have your babies in the winter (all mine were winter babies and still sweaty!)

Find a good water bottle here.

A box for snacks

I have a few biscuits in a Tupperware by my bed. Feeding and eating biscuits is just bliss.

Headphones (without wires)

Night feeds are made much easier with a TV show or audiobook to keep you awake. Having them without wires means you can move about bouncing, changing or burping your baby.

Swaddle blankets

Wrap up a little baby burrito! We have used the Love To Dream swaddle this time and it’s great. However little Monty gets frustrated not being able to suck his hand. We’ve gone back to the grow bags and swaddle blankets.

A wrap sling

These are just the best for the first few months. Baby can snuggle right in and feel womb like again. None of my three ever cared for the bassinet.

I have the Kari Me one which I love. It’s discontinued now, but this one looks good from Amazon.

Things you don’t need with a newborn

Pull over baby grows

These are just a pain for changing.

A changing table

Waste of space IMHO. You can use a change mat on a bed or the floor. This is particularly good if you don’t have much space in your house.

A feeding chair

Get some decent cushions behind you in bed and maybe even one in front and you’ll be golden. We had a chair for our first but I always fed in bed.

Unsolicited advice from people

You hold your baby as much as you want. Ignore anyone saying, “You’ll make a rod for your own back.”

You tell people “It works for us thank you.” If anyone questions your parenting.

What’s the best and worst thing you had with a newborn?

P.S, Thanks for reading. If you buy anything from the links here I earn a little commission. I only ever recommend things I love, have tried and tested.