Getting ready for the arrival of a baby can be such an exciting time; from researching the best baby products, picking out clothes, to setting up the nursery. I enjoy this process so much and I find myself spending countless hours on Pinterest and Amazon looking for ideas.
Knowing what you actually need for a baby can be tricky, especially with all the new baby items constantly being released. When I was expecting with my first son, just like every other first time mom, I thought I needed every baby item out there. I ended up not using a lot of things we had and eventually threw most of it out. I told myself this time around I only wanted to get the necessities. I thankfully saved my first sons clothes, shoes, crib mattress, dresser and some other small things. I still ended up having to buy some bigger ticket items but I went for cheaper alternatives.
(Pro tip) I signed up for Amazon baby registry which gives you 15% off for up to $2000 off the items on your list after you or anyone else spends $200 off of your list. They also give you 20% off diapers for one year after spending $500 off of your list. Finally, they send you a welcome box with $35 worth of freebies for signing up with them. Needless to say, I ended up getting most items I needed on Amazon.
I breastfed for about 6 months last time and I intend to do the same this time so I knew I would need some breastfeeding essentials including:
Breast pump; I got the Spectra S1 Plus covered by my insurance. I went through https://thebreastfeedingshop.com/ they were very easy to deal with, you just get a prescription written by your doctor and send it in to them along with the order form. If your insurance doesn’t cover one, they are available online; linked here .
Other breast feeding essentials include:
- Nursing Pads ( a lot of them)
- Nursing bras – will make your life a lot easier to feed, and are way more comfortable than regular bras
- Nipple Shields – I used these the first time and for me they helped a lot with pain, and my son couldn’t latch on without these
- Nipple cream- just trust me you’ll want to have this
Some other things I packed for me for the hospital stay included:
- Comfortable Gown(s)
- Non-skid socks
- Comfortable Underwear
- Numbing spray for after bathroom use
- Outfits for hospital stay / going home outfit
- Hygiene bag with your essentials (soap, lotion, toothbrush, tooth paste, etc.)
- Sample size skin care ( I save mine for times like these)
- Makeup (completely optional of course… but I know I’ll be taking pictures so it def made the list for me) / makeup remover wipes
- Anything you can think of that’ll make you feel as comfortable. This whole process is overwhelming and being as comfortable as possible is very important.
Now that we have mom ready to go, the baby will need some things, surprising, huh!? I suggest to keep baby bag as simple as possible. The hospital will have almost everything you need for baby including diapers, wipes, formula if needed, blankets, shirts and hat. If you want to use your own of these items of course, I would pack those.
Some items not provided that you will need are;
- Extra clothing; for hospital stay and going home. (photo-shoot outfit optional)
- Swaddles (if you don’t want to use the hospital one)
- Socks / Booties in winter time
- Pacifiers (if you choose)
- Bottles (if not breastfeeding)
- Car seat (required if driving home)
- Car seat cover (for germs and weather)
- Burp clothes
- Other items you think baby will need, after all they are seeing the world for the first time, lets make it as welcoming to them as possible!
I linked some items that I’m personally packing on my liketoknowit account. The picture on the top of this post will take you directly to my diaper bag links.
extraordinary_xo 