New baby checklists are overwhelming, and most of the items listed as “necessities” are only useful if your baby is a certain personality type. Otherwise you have spent a lot of money on a product that will not be used. Each baby is going to have different personalities and like different things. Even my two boys have different preferences, but a few things I wholeheartedly recommend.
1. LARGE swaddle blankets- the hospital will likely give you small swaddle blankets, however after the first two weeks they are really too small for the baby. I have had a couple different brands between the boys and really don’t feel that the brands matter, the size does. Any large cotton or muslin swaddle blanket will work, just make sure its at least 40×40!
2. Baby delight snuggle nest- I didn’t have one of these with my first but I love it with my second! He sleeps in a wooden bassinet next to our bed at night, in the beginning when he came home from the hospital we stuck the snuggle nest in it to make him feel more secure. Now it allows him to nap wherever we are- fishing, swimming, my mother-in-laws, it goes with us everywhere and it’s perfect. He has to lay flat of his back (which is also the recommended way for babies to sleep) to sleep, he does not like being held while he’s napping.
3. Portable sound machine- our second baby spent a week in the NICU, so when he got home the world was very quiet to him! Thankfully I thought last minute to get a sound machine and it was so helpful for us. I have a cheap one that can clip on his car seat, we also put it on the outside of the snuggle nest at night and set the timer for an hour. He would go to sleep pretty fast after turning it on because he was used to it. I preferred the white noise setting.
4. Wubbanub or pacifier toy- any thing that can help new parents find that tiny pacifier in the middle of the night. Both my boys have taken pacifiers and we have used the Wubbanub brand for both of them, but there are generic animals that clip on any paci as well!
5. A wrap or baby carrier- I have used a structured carrier and a wrap and I love both. Because I have worn them tandem a couple times I prefer the Moby wrap for the baby and the structured carrier for my oldest boy.
