My Newborn Essentials for the First Three Months

Here we are at two months postpartum and I cannot believe how quickly it flies by. Even with sitting in the house basically every single day, the time has still just flown by, and Rowan is starting to smile, really lift her head and I can SEE how much her head has grown! I forgot how wild and rewarding it is to watch your baby grow and learn new skills.

When we found out we were pregnant, I didn’t rush out to buy anything, I mostly bought everything in the last two months of my pregnancy and that first month at home with her. I am that person who researches everything before purchasing, especially baby stuff. I want to know I’m spending my money wisely, even though each baby is different. My parents gifted us her stroller (the Uppababy Vista and Mesa car seat) which we love! And my diaper bag, thanks mom! And I would recommend both and those are three things you need, a stroller, car seat and a diaper bag. They don’t let you go home from the hospital without a car seat lol.

I really wanted to consciously buy each item and set up our home in a very efficient but minimalist way. Every baby item I purchased I did extensive research on, and I can honestly say that having a clutter-free home with really great baby products has made postpartum SO MUCH SMOOTHER for us over here. My nana did gift us a swing, which has been fantastic, she really enjoys it and that chair comes off so she can come to the bathroom with me and also just hang out in it while I eat. We didn’t anticipate getting one, I thought maybe it might be one more thing we didn’t need but in the end, it has been great and doesn’t take up that much space. Besides no one is coming over as much right now so who cares if it sits in our living room.

After her birth, I had to order some more newborn and 0-3-month-old clothes, and grabbing a few girly bits! I also bought a few things here and there after knowing we needed them, such as the silicone pump, the baby shusher was a panic buy and boy it is amazing!

My Newborn Essentials for 0-3 Months

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1. Uppababy Vista Stroller and Mesa Car Seat
I’ll be sharing a more in-depth review of our stroller soon, but for now, I’ll only say that we’re super happy with our pick. We love that it’s a double stroller, but not bulky or wide. It comes with a bassinet which we use in our bedroom and the car seat is easy to use and get her in and out of. It also has great safety ratings!

2. The Baby Shusher
I thought this was gimmicky, but after a few fussy nights, I caved and bought one. It changed our lives! REally helped her get back to a nap or sleep, calmed her when she was fussy, and saved my throat from making shushing sounds for an hour!

3. Baby Wrap or Sling
I am such a huge fan of babywearing. If you have a fussy baby, it makes that 4th trimester so much easier. There’s a ton of carrier options out there – I love WildBird Sling, I have a Beluga Baby wrap as well, both are really great to use. It just depends on your preference.

4. Baby Bjorn Carrier
Curtis loved this carrier after trying on so many at the stores in person. This was the one he wanted and we both love it. It’s great to go for walks with and lightweight, and she can grow with it to be front-facing.

5. Natural Hair Brush
If your baby has hair at birth, you need a good brush. It helps prevent cradle cap and keeps their hair oils intact. Rowan loves when we brush her hair, the bristles are so soft.

6. Haaka Silicone Pump
This was recommended to me by a couple of other mom bloggers, I was envious of their milk stash and they suggested picking up one of these. They are only $18!! and have changed my breastfeeding journey! I use them when I’m feeding her on the other breast, collecting at least 2 oz each feeding in just letdown milk! So I have been able to build a supply up, highly recommend!

7. Medela Swing Pump
I bought this seeing good reviews, I like that it’s light, portable (plug-in or batteries) and pumps great. I wish I bought the double one in hindsight, but this single one does the job. I would just recommend grabbing some electric pump if you are breastfeeding.

8. M.Z. Wallace Large Metro Tote
Not necessarily a diaper bag, but I use it as one. My mom gifted it to me for Christmas and it’s fantastic! It’s large, has a smaller bag inside you can detach, and the fabric is durable and really cute prints! I can fit everything she needs in it no problem at all. The bag fits nicely under her stroller and it lightweight to start with.

9. Boppy Nursing Pillow
I love how multi-faceted the uses of this pillow are. I use it to breastfeed, but we also use it for tummy time to prop Rowan up, and we sit her in it as well. It grows with you, and you are able to use it in different stages until 1 year old.

10. Snuggle Me Organic
A month before she was born I did a poll on IG stories and it was a 50/50 split on a Snuggle Me and a Dock a Tot. I picked the Snuggle Me because to be honest it was on sale! I feel either would work, I heard great things for both. She absolutely LOVES it! Has all her naps in it, she just passes out and I think it does what it’s called, snuggle them. I wish it fit into her bassinet, she would enjoy sleeping in there more. I bought mine on their discounted day, which is Thursday morning, you can grab one if you’re quick on sale!

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11. High Contrast Cards or Books
You need to have these! Babies start developing day 1 and we read to her a book or use flashcards every day. It’s recommended by everyone and you can grab some budget-friendly books or flashcards to use. It has been fun to see her not having any interest to intensely following the pages haha.

12. Nursing Pads
I had these before the birth, I was starting to leak the two months leading up to my due date. These are so great to have because you don’t want to leak everywhere, soak your tops, and just feel clean. There are disposable ones, but also reusable ones you chuck into your washing machine. I have both on hand.

13. Newborn Clothes
I only had a handful of these before she was born and thank goodness my mom and nana picked me up some more! I didn’t realize 0-3 didn’t include newborn size unless you have a big baby! So handy to have a few onesies and little sleep sets on hand.

14. Newborn Pacifier
I was hesitant to use a pacifier at first, we went the first three weeks or so without one, but then our midwife suggested we use one when she was super fussy. It helps her self soothe when she needs to and gives us a break every so often. I try not to use it for every scenario, I go through other methods like shushing and side holding before the pacifier. But definitely grab two from whatever brand you like and have them on hand.

15. Baby Activity Mat
You can use a blanket but this one from Crate and Barrel Kids has texture, a little detachable worm they can play with, a mirror under the sun, and a few other bits that make it more than just a blanket.

16. Play Gym
Tummy time can easily just be done on a blanket, but I do like to use a play gym because I find it is designed to keep baby more preoccupied while they learn new skills. I love the wood look of this one, I might upgrade to a new one once she is more active with all the bells and whistles, we will see.

17. Sleep Bag
These are fantastic, we swaddled her and also used these when she was done swaddling. She liked having her arms free, so we would use a sleeping bag instead. She can have her arms free and her legs contained haha.

18. Nipple Shield
If you are breastfeeding, these are fantastic to give your nipples a break to recover, or even if you are like me, with large breasts and flat nipples, this help! I use this one from Haakaa, it’s a universal fit and she feeds off of it so well. It’s gigantic though, definitely not discreet! So I use it at home and have a Medela one for being out and about if that happens.

19. Car Seat Cover
It basically keeps things dark for your baby if they are napping in the stroller or car seat, keeps the sun out of their eyes, keeps them protected from the wind and germs, and basically just gives everyone peace of mind when out and about. We use ours every day.

20. Medela Breast Milk Freezer Bags
If you plan on breastfeeding, do not forget to pick up storage bags to freeze your extra milk!

Moms out there, what would you recommend to any moms to be? I’d love to know in the comments!