This post has one that has been long requested – an exhaustive list of all the essentials for a baby’s first year. I should, however, include the disclaimer that this was what worked for us. Each situation is different and each family has different needs and priorities. Going into having children, I knew I wanted to try and stay as minimalistic as possible. I didn’t want a huge glut of baby gear that we would have to warehouse and store for future children. We could always purchase things as we needed them versus registering for every little thing. As it turns out, there was still plenty of items we didn’t use or need that I have since gotten rid of. The rest of the essentials have been put away for future use.
Here’s our ride or die baby essentials for the first year.
** May contain affiliate links. **
SLEEP
Sleep is one the most sought after, analyzed, and talked about things for a baby’s first year. You can buy every gizmo and gadget under the sun to help your baby sleep. Most of them probably won’t work because babies take time to learn how to sleep and adjust to a sleeping routine. Hold them, wear them, and sleep while you can – you’ll make it through.
SnuggleMe Organic — We LOVED our Snuggle Me because it kept Levi feeling snuggled and secure when he slept. Note, it is sold as a lounger but we slept Levi in it for nearly seven months. He loved it until he decided he was ready to be out of it and transitioned to a bare crib.
Stephan Baby Blanket — Out of all the blankets (homemade and purchased) that we received, this one has been Levi’s favorite. This is the blanket he takes everywhere and sleeps with every night. I love that it is lightweight and so soft.
Swaddle Up Swaddle —I received a bunch of different swaddles as gifts, but this one was the only one Levi liked and the only one we ended up using. The Zip made it so easy to use – not a bunch of wrapping or velcro!
Little Unicorn Swaddle Blankets —I also received a lot of different swaddle blankets as gifts, but I kept mostly the ones from Little Unicorn. They are a good weight and endure wear and tear extremely well. These are truly the most multipurpose items you can have around.
Pack N Play —We didn’t start out with a bassinet or other baby sleeper in our bedroom, we started straight with the pack n play. One less item of furniture to store and eventually get rid of. Levi now sleeps in his pack n play at daycare or when we travel.
Hatch Baby White Noise Machine — You can get any sort of white noise machine but I loved that this one has a light, is programmable, and can grow with your kiddos. We now use it at night for a nightlight and eventually plan to use it as an “okay to wake” light.
NURSING/FEEDING
I breastfed Levi for nearly 4-5 months exclusively. We introduced the occasional formula around 5 months as my milk supply dropped. I pumped/nursed and fed formula until he was a year old so I don’t have a lot of experience with exclusive bottle feeding and the needs there. You can read more about my tips for breastfeeding and pumping here!
Little Unicorn Burp Cloths — I received a glut of various burp cloths, these BY FAR were my favorite!! I got rid of most of my random ones and kept these and my cloth diapers.
Cloth Diapers — I use these as burp cloths on top of my Little Unicorn cloths. They are pure white so they can be bleached and hold up extremely well to heavy washing.
Haakaa Silicone Manual Pump —I wish I had used started using this earlier. This is a suction “pump” designed to catch your letdown on the side you aren’t breastfeeding. I know MANY moms who have built freezer stashes solely using this!
Spectra S1 Breast Pump — This pump kicked my Medela out of the water. I switched over to it around 6 months and I wished I had invested in it from the get-go. Next go round, I will be seriously looking at investing in the Willow pump! I know breast pumps seem like a huge investment, but for the HOURS you spend pumping (especially if you are a working mom), a great pump is worth every penny.
Kiinde Feeding System — I used this system for pumping and storing milk as well as feeding. The bags are hands down the best – I had ZERO leakers in my 12 months of pumping/feeding. Side note, I found the bottle warmer sucked. We bought a cheap one from Amazon or just warmed in warm water. I also really loved the MAM bottles – they are wide mouth for easy cleaning and don’t have five million parts.
Abiie Wooden High Chair — I was drawn to this chair mostly because it looked easy to clean, it wasn’t an eyesore, and it can grow with your child. I have LOVED this highchair, we still use it and plan to use it even when Levi no longer uses the tray and sits at the table
phil&ted Lobster Chair — I wish we would have gotten this sooner for travel. It is amazing and could be utilized in a home situation as well! It is small, compact, and totally packable.
Baby Bjorn Soft Bib — I never really found a bib that worked for Levi except these (until he learned to take them off). While I kept a bib on him every day for drool, he rarely wore a bib when he ate. It’s just how we roll.
Stainless Divided Platter — Levi took this to daycare every day until I finally switched him over to a Planet Box. Just don’t put the lid in the dishwasher, otherwise, it lasts great.
EZPZ Mini Mat — We used this plate almost exclusively for months when Levi first started on whole foods. He finally figured out how to pull it up, so now we use this suction plate which works amazing.
Contigo Water Bottle — Levi figured this water bottle out pretty quickly. He still drinks water from it daily. I love that it is easy to take along, doesn’t leak, and is easy for him to drink from.
Take N Toss Sippy Cups — I swear I invested in one of every kind of sippy cup before I found one that Levi liked. He would drink out of all of them, but he didn’t really “take” to anyone in particular besides these – maybe it was the John Deere Tractors on them?! These are cheap and easy to use – if they break or get warped you can throw them away. They are not the most toddler throw proof – they leak A LOT, but is there really a fool proof sippy that is worth it out there?
DIAPER & BATH
Obviously, diapers are a necessity, but I’ll share my favorites and some insider tips when it comes to diapering. When it comes to diapering and bathing, we’ve been super minimalist from the get-go. I threw out or gave away all the creams and excess stuff that I received as gifts. It’s been so much easier to have and use less.
Diapers — In the beginning I was anti-generic/cheap diapers, I thought they wouldn’t work or weren’t the same quality… HA! They fooled me. Now I exclusively use the Up & Up Diapers from Target (these won’t work for some kiddos but for us they are amazing!) The best part is that if you have a Target Red Card (you get 5% off ALL purchases), you get 15% off products you put on a subscription basis + free two-day shipping. Honestly, you can’t beat that value. I also like the Mama Bear brand diapers from Amazon, however, they are more expensive.
Changing Pad Liners — This saved us many times. It is way easier to launder this small pad than take off your pretty changing pad cover. We still use a bigger version of these now with Levi. It also makes nail clipping easy as we can contain all the clippings in the liner and brush off.
Wipes Warmer — This was one of those “I will never need/own/use that. Well, it has now made out MUST HAVE list. It was essential for the first couple of months.
Diaper Cream (Corona & Aquaphor) — Levi gets really bad acid poops when he is teething – it’s literally like pouring acid over his little bottom. We tried EVERYTHING to clear these up and help heal his bottom. No diaper cream stood a chance until someone introduced us to a horse ointment called Corona. It literally cleared up his bright red, almost blistering bottom OVERNIGHT. I threw out all my other diaper creams and ointments and now exclusively use Corona to treat and Aquaphor as a maintenance every night. You can also use Aquaphor on chapped or dry skin as well.
SkipHop Moby Bath — We started out using the generic large blue infant tub. We also have a sink bather but we never used it. Anyway, that large tub was always super awkward for Levi and he quickly became too long for it, but he wasn’t ready to sit up as much as the other side. I ordered the SkipHop Baby bath and we love it! It’s the perfect size and incline to grow with baby.
Bath Products (Aveeno & Tubby Todd) — We started out using Aveeno products and I still do use the lavender lotion on Levi every night. I ordered the Tubby Todd products and was impressed with the quality, but they are just expensive. If you can order with a discount code or shop a sale, I highly recommend.
CLOTHE
While it is wonderful the sheer amount of clothes people will gift a new baby, the vast majority of them Levi never wore nor did they coordinate together. Next go round, I am totally keeping it simple. Two or three outfits for the first few months (for special occasions) and the rest of the time, they live in sleep n play rompers. Once Levi got older, he started to wear more clothes/outfits, my favorite brands for him currently are Old Navy, H&M, and Cat & Jack from Target.
BONDS Wondersuits & Cloud Island Sleep N Plays — I’ve also tried the gamut of sleep n play rompers and found these two are my absolute favorite. I got rid of any other brands and just kept these two. To this day Levi still sleeps in BONDS Wondersuits – we love them because they have feet cuffs so we can cover his feet (no socks!) when he sleeps but when he’s awake he can run around on our solid surface without footies.
Bison Booties — Naturally, these are my favorite for booties as they are a North Dakota company, have excellent customer service, and are amazing quality! These work excellent for pre-walkers and even smaller babies to cover their feet. Plus the designs are so fun!
Baby Bandanas — I kept Levi in one of these from around four months until almost a year old almost daily because he drooled SO MUCH. On days where he was really teething, he would soak through four of these! But it saved his shirts from being soaked all the time. These were lifesavers for us and for him wearing them daily, they lasted for the value. Next baby, I will buy these new though as many are stained and thoroughly worn.
Hanes Baby Socks — The elusive baby socks. I feel like no matter what kind you get, they always find a way to get them off. These Hanes socks have worked really well for us and tend to stay on a little better than the other ones we’ve tried.
TRAVEL
Levi has taken three flights in his first year of life, so we’ve become pretty adept at packing and traveling with a baby. I have an entire post dedicated to Flying with a Baby as well as Roadtrips with a Baby – both include my must-have items and packing lists!
Baby Shusher — I received this as a gift and it was one of those “I didn’t know I needed this” items. What a life saver though!! It’ll save you a lot of SHHHH’ing for a small pricetag!
Wash It Later Bags — I found these via a blogger I follow long after we ended the spit up/diaper blow out stage, but I have kept these on my radar for our next go round!
Diaper Backpack — I was gifted one at my baby shower that lasted us several trips before it finally started falling apart. I picked up another one on Amazon just to get us through the next stage of less stuff. I had originally invested in a pretty shoulder bag to be my diaper bag but quickly gave in to the convenience of a backpack. Seriously, just get a backpack. Next time around, I plan to invest in a luxury leather one from Fawn Design or Freshly Picked!
Skip Hop Changing Pad — I love this thing, honestly, I have used this anywhere and everywhere. It makes anywhere a diaper changing area! A MUST HAVE for my diaper bag!
Diaper Trash Bags — I have loved having these riding around in my diaper bag especially if you need to contain a super messy diaper or can’t throw the diaper away immediately. It masks the smell AMAZINGLY too!
A carrier of your choice — There are SO MANY to choose from, I highly recommend seeking out a buy, sell, or trade group and getting one secondhand or trying them out prior to buying. Many carriers and wraps are very personal and depend a lot on how you are built/shaped. I will say though, I could not raise a baby without at least one of these. I enjoyed a soft stretchy wrap (Solly Baby, Moby, or Happy Baby) for the Newborn stage then I exclusively carrier Levi in a soft structured carrier (Tula, Lillebaby, Happy Baby) I FINALLY in the last 5 or so months figured out the ring sling and I love it for this stage, he can be on me with his hands out. My favorites are from Wild Bird. I found that we rarely used our stroller (we have a Baby Jogger City Mini) when out and about. I wore Levi almost everywhere we went, when we traveled, when I cooked or did chores, and as a newborn sometimes all day. I have an entire post on Baby Wearing and my top picks, you can find it here.
PLAY
There are literally endless amounts of toys, gadgets, and other things you can buy – at times it was overwhelming for me to buy toys. I relied mostly on gifted items and bought very little when it came to toys. Levi survived just fine and I didn’t have five million baby contraptions around my house.
Fisher Price Kick N Play Piano — This is honestly the perfect baby toy that will last 6+ months. It keeps them entertained, is a safe place to set baby, and is so easy to pack which makes it great to bring along for travel. My hubby got this for Levi and it has been one of the most used things we’ve owned for Levi to play with.
Sophie — Sophie has become a cult favorite of Moms of teething babies everywhere and for good reason, it is a great teether!
Noggin Stick — I loved this simple, small toy for at home or to keep in our diaper bag. It amazingly has lasted us entertainment for way longer than just the new baby stage too.
Ring Teether — Besides Sophie, I really liked these wood and bead teethers, they were easy for Levi to grab and hold onto and they are easily portable.
Floor Mirror — This was great for when I was trying to encourage Levi to do more tummy time as he wasn’t a huge fan of being on his tummy. He loved to look, smile, coo, and laugh at himself in the mirror.
My Pal Scout — Levi rides with Scout in his carseat every single day. Scout has also made every trip with us. He’s our go-to.
Bright Starts 3 in 1 Activity Center — We picked this up instead of an Exersaucer and it has been one of the best purchases. Levi still plays with the table base.
Wooden Activity Cube — I picked up one of these used off of eBay. It has been surprisingly utilized for many, many months and Levi still goes back to it even now.
MEDICAL
These are the items that aren’t fun to buy or gift, but a late night when you remember you bought them or someone gifted them to you, you’ll be praising the Lord for having them tucked in a closet.
Cool Mist Humidifier — This is a MUST HAVE for babies, especially when they are sick. There isn’t much you can give them when it comes to runny/stuffy noses and this makes all the difference to help them sleep better!
A good thermometer — Also a must have! We like this temporal one, however, your ped will recommend you utilizing a rectal thermometer during the first few months for the most accurate reading.
Probiotic Drops — I religiously gave Levi probiotic drops for the first year as I feel like it helped with his reflux as well as helped him be more regular, especially when we started solids.
NoseFrida —I promise this seems disgusting at first, but it is a MUST HAVE for getting the snot out of kid’s noses!!
Saline Drops — These are great for helping congestion loosen up and can be used in conjunction with the NoseFrida
Hyland’s Teething Tablets —While these aren’t necessarily a pain reliever, I feel like they take the edge off when I don’t want to medicate Levi. He also loves them, which is a plus.
HONORABLE MENTIONS THAT DIDN’T WORK FOR US
Pacifiers (MAM & WubbaNub) — Levi never took a pacifier but these come highly recommended! Auto Rock N Play — This is probably one of the MOST recommended baby items EVER, but Levi never liked it and we rarely use it. However, I like to include it because I know it is a MUST HAVE item for many! Baby Brezza Formula Pro — Moms who exclusively formula feed always say this is a must have, luxury item that just makes life so much easier! Nursing Pillow — I got a hand me down My Breast Friend pillow that I used off and on, but it wasn’t a must have item for me. A lot of moms also like the Boppy. Motorized Swing — My SIL let us borrow her swing, it also wasn’t a favorite of Levi’s so we never ended up investing in one. But I know a lot of Moms swear by them. Munchkin 360 Cup — This is probably one of the most widely recommended and dentist approved sippy cups out there. We have one but Levi never did get the hang of it. I know it is very spill proof as well as super easy to clean, both important factors when it comes to sippy cups.
THERE IT IS! We did it! Is there something you’d add to the list? I would love to hear your recommendations and suggestions. I hope this list helps new moms or people who are trying to find the perfect gift for an expecting momma!
