What you really need for baby’s first year!
Attached you will find my printable checklist of baby items you will most definitely find necessary or useful for his/her first year of life.
Bellow is a list of things to consider when shopping for baby items and a list of items I didn’t find necessary or useful.
Following my lists, I have also linked some of my favorite products to be specific as to what I meant on the list.
Please feel free to leave a comment for further explanation or clarification on anything. Also, do not forget to share this with any of your pregnant friends.
I hope you found this useful!
Things to consider when shopping for baby items:
Many items are only used for a few months maybe even weeks. For that reason, it is best to select multi-purpose items such as a:
- swing with a removable bouncy chair
- play yard with a changing top and removable napper
- high chair with booster seat
- bouncer and walker
- convertible crib
- convertible infant and toddler stroller
I highly suggest to purchase everything you can anticipate needing for baby’s first year. Stick to the basic amount of items you may need rather than purchasing an abundance of new born items you will not end up using. Spread out your selection evenly to expand your budget and be able to at least get a little bit of everything for the first year.
- Use up those registry coupons and take advantage of them.
- It will not be until Christmas or his/her birthday that baby will receive as many gifts and even then you will not get to select what will be gifted to him/her.
- Although toys and other items are marked by ages in months, all babies develop differently and your baby maybe be ready for an item sooner than expected, which is why it is best to have the toys handy.
I presented my baby toys for 3 months at 1 month, toys for 6 months at 4 months and so forth. The reason being is that they develop and change so quickly. They learn every single day and they view things differently every day. First they are laying, sitting, standing, etc. So I wanted him to explore every toy before the box said he would be “ready to play with it”. It has allowed him to truly learn and get the most out of every toy because he has been able to view them in so many ways. For example, Baby first lays on play mat and just stares at the gigantic hanging toys… months in he is tugging and pulling at them because they now look much smaller and less intimidating … he sits and now pulls them off and shoves them in his mouth…. he crawls or walks and hides them in places or fills other toys with them…. You get the point!
It is best for babies to sleep on solid hard surfaces until they are one year old to avoid SIDS. You can purchase a double sided crib mattress that converts from newborn to toddler stage. I will link the one we have in the list bellow.
Stock up on remedies and medications because you definitely do not want to run around in the middle of the night looking for a pharmacy or store that is open and has what you need in stock. Check out https://thegoodhousewife.com/new-born-and-baby-natural-remedies/ to get started on your list of remedies.
Unless you plan on feeding baby formula from the beginning, be prepared to pump and bottle feed even if you plan on solely breastfeeding.
Items I Never Felt the Need for or Used:
- Additional Car Seat Liners and Head Support
- Wipe Warmer
- Bottle Warmer
- Bath Flower
- Crib Mobil- Our play yard’s removable napper had one and was perfect for the first 1-2 months.
- Formula Mixer
- Baby oil or powder
- Belly Binder / Umbilical Cord Band
- Shoes- It’s best for babies’ development to not wear shoes until they are walking.
Item Links:
Boon Trip Travel Drying Rack https://amzn.to/33iIfT7
Graco Swing and Rocker (bouncing floor chair) https://amzn.to/3bKvAMA
Bumbo Beginner’s support seat and traveling booster chair https://amzn.to/32g16PE
Fisher Price “Sit me up” floor seat https://amzn.to/2RfC0du
Head Shaping Pillow https://amzn.to/2Fc1ciC
Crib mattress with hard side for infant and softer for toddler as well as waterproof and keep cool features https://amzn.to/33gtUa2
Jumper, Walker and Push Toy (I absolutely love how versatile it is but mainly the adorable original characters) https://amzn.to/33dmLam
Medela 2 oz Cylinders used to measure and store specially when storing small amounts for newborns https://amzn.to/2RcA4lV
Baby rubber spoon AND fork (I love these because they are 2-in-1 and this fork is actually much easier for babies to stab and trap bite size food in. But most importantly because you do not have to worry about babies poking or hurting themselves and you can give it to them to play with to familiarize themselves with it when learning to eat solids. They can use it as a teething toy as well.) https://amzn.to/2F9BNGh
Pacifiers (I like these because not only are they super cute, but they also push in to put away and serve as teething tools.) https://amzn.to/35qjiYQ
Pacifier Clips (affordable, washable and I love using these to attach light toys or teething toys to baby or stroller to prevent from falling on the ground.) https://amzn.to/3k1xWJS
Teething Bibs https://amzn.to/35rOo2a
Soft Book with teething corner https://amzn.to/33xeluP
Banana Teething Brush https://amzn.to/35r5Fs8
Finger Brush https://amzn.to/33dp4Ky
Chewelry https://amzn.to/2FhJ1ba
Teether Pops https://amzn.to/3mdzN04
Homeopathic Teething Medicine https://amzn.to/35q5JZl
Teething Gel WITHOUT BENZOCAINE and Pacifier https://amzn.to/33jjEOg
Baby Eczema Oatmeal Bath https://amzn.to/3hnPOwW
Soothing Itch Ointment for rashes, scrapes and chapped cheeks https://amzn.to/32jZO66
Sample of Newborn Receiving Blankets (I prefer these for swaddling because they are a bit more firm so they do not bundle up bellow baby’s mouth and create a choking hazard.) https://amzn.to/2ZrqFve
Sample of Cotton Muslin Swaddle Blankets for infants and toddlers (I mainly use these to cover over and not actually swaddle. I use them as secondary blankets for newborns after they are swaddled or to throw over when nursing or just to block the wind or breeze. These are much larger and thinner, not so stiff. They can be used to cover larger babies that are more mobil and don’t run the same risks of choking as newborns do.) https://amzn.to/2RfA6cB
Sample of Fuzzy Blanket https://amzn.to/2DNr839