There are a million posts out there, which list every single thing you need as a new parent for both your newborn, however this list is my essentials that I couldn’t live without in those first few months. Those first months are tough, you’re figuring out what you’re doing whilst trying to get to know your baby and it’s a real learning curve. Hopefully this post will give you one less thing to worry about and arm you with the care essentials for when your bundle of joy arrives.
- Pram/buggy/travel system – we have the Bugaboo Fox stroller, which is amazing and we still use it now Matilda is a toddler. I found it was one of the easy prams to fold up and you can buy the separate adapters to match you car seat.
- Snuzpod – this is such a life saver, it adjusts to the height of your bed, one side folds down which makes it feel like the baby is in bed with you if you don’t feel comfortable with co-sleeping and it makes it super easy to get the baby in the middle of the night.
- Elvie Breast Pump – I recommend this to everyone I know. Its a silent, wireless breast pump that means you can pump discretely whilst on the go.
- Baby carrier – I loved my Baby Bjorn Mini so much. Matilda loved being carried and this was a life saver in the early months.
- Muslin clothes – as many as you can buy. These come in so handy for absolutely everything, feeding, wiping up sick, to use as a swaddle, a blanket, everything and anything. My favourite were from Aden & Anais as they have the prettiest designs and I also loved Baby Mori because they’re so soft.
- Nipple cream – I swore by the Lansinoh cream to help with cracked nipples breastfeeding.
- Nursing bra if you’re planning to breastfeed you’ll need a couple of nursing bras. I loved the H&M ones, but they don’t seem to be available now. The Bravado nursing bras are also very good.
- Loose tops easy to breastfeed in – when your milk comes in you won’t want anything tight around your boobs as they’re so sore and loose tops are great if you had a c section. Again, H&M maternity are great for these.
- Big black underwear, seriously. Whether you have a c section or a vaginal birth you’re going to bleed a lot so big black underwear will be your best friend.
- Comfortable clothes/pyjamas – this follows on from loose tops, you just want to be super comfrotable post partum. You’ve just had a baby and now you’re looking after that baby so you want to be as comfortable as possible.
- Nipple pads – I loved the Lansinoh breast pads were great at the start as they contain Lanisoh cream to soothe your nipples, but then I moved onto reusable breast pads from Amazon.
- Tena Lady pads – you need the extra duty maternity pads and the Tena Lady extra plus pads are the best. They’re super thick and absorbe everything.
- No touch thermometer is great because it means you don’t have to try and get those tiny thermometer’s in the baby’s armpit, which is tricky with a wriggly baby.
- Swaddles are great because in the first few months after your baby has been born they want to feel safe and warm, like they’re still in the womb. Swaddles are a safe way of keeping them all snuggly, you can swaddle them up and make them feel cosy. I loved the Gro bag swaddle as they have a zip down the side and come in lots of different colours. The Love to dream swaddle is also great.
- Finally, Babygrows and vests – don’t both with fancy newborn clothes, just stock up on lots of plain white baby grows and vests. You’ll be so busy trying to figure out what you’re doing that you won’t have time to think about styling a little outfit. Newborns also go through so many clothes and need changing all the time, so babygrows, baby vests and baby sleepsuits are the best option. My go to is John Lewis as they’re so soft they also do multipacks.
