When I had my daughter, it was one of the best days of my entire life! I’m so glad I had each of these baby items for the first week of her life because, without them, it would have made those bonding moments a bit more stressful.
Each newborn baby item on this list was used frequently. Other items, like baby blankets, clothes, and toys were used in the following weeks and weren’t necessary to purchase right away. Thankfully, those items were the most common items gifted to me so there was no need to purchase them.
Other than the obvious – car seat, diapers, wipes, nursing bras, and burp cloths – here are the baby items I used consistently during the first week of my newborn’s life. In fact, these items also carried me through the first month of her life!
Related Post: How To Create The Best Amazon Baby Registry In The World
P.S. Don’t forget to add each of these items to your baby registry as you go down the list!
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I was given this item by a mom that no longer had a need for it. I honestly didn’t even know what it was. It actually ended up with us in the hospital because I thought it was for the car seat.
But, it’s not for the car seat at all! In fact, it’s just a mat to lay your baby on.
I would have never thought I needed this item or purchased it if it wasn’t gifted to me, but I ended up using it every single day. It was a staple item out of all the baby items for the first week.
We set the mat on our dining room table and it made it so easy to set Harmony, our newborn daughter, down whenever we needed our hands free for a few minutes. It also worked wonderfully during tummy time. We could prop her up and she could easily see us and check out her surroundings.
I highly recommend this item – check it out on Amazon here!
When my husband and I decided to co-sleep with our daughter, we knew we needed some sort of small “bed” to set her in to keep her protected.
While the SnuggleMe is not marketed for co-sleeping, I know that it one of its main functions for many families. Please do your own research and only do what you are most comfortable with. A bassinet on the side of the bed like this one may be a better option for you.
This is also such a convenient item because it can be moved around the house for wherever you need to set the baby. Additionally, this is an item that can be used for quite a long time so it is worth the investment.
I have the SnuggleMe brand because Dock-A-Tots just seemed way too expensive. I also love that the SnuggleMe has soft cotton covers that you can purchase to make cleaning spit-up and poop blowouts much easier.
Check out the main item on Amazon here and the cover here!
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JJ Cole Car Seat Cover
This is a must-have for any newborn winter baby!
Our daughter Harmony was born on the last day of January and I labored as a snowstorm passed through Wisconsin. When the temperatures were only in the teens as we left the hospital, I was so thankful that we purchased this item ahead of time.
It keeps her so cozy anytime we leave the house and walk her to and from the car.
Here is the link to find it on Amazon!
Related Post: 7 Pleasant Reasons To Have A Home Birth Versus A Hospital Birth
Yes, technically you could use any bag to haul around your baby items, but I was surprised when this was one of the baby items for the first week that I used quite a bit!
This diaper bag that I was gifted from my baby registry is the most functional design for all the baby items I am packing! It has all the right pockets, zippers, and handles to make using it so easy. And, the color is great because my husband can carry it around without feeling like he is carrying a girly purse.
I honestly love this bag so much, and my journey as a mother is just beginning! I’m sure it will be getting its full use over the years.
Check it out on Amazon here!
Baby’s are born with a startle reflex that can often wake them up. They are used to being cozy in the womb that it can be weird and frightening for them to have all this open space around them.
Swaddles are a wonderful way to keep your baby cozy and tightly wrapped. They won’t wake easily
The first week of my newborn baby’s life I don’t think I dressed her in any clothes because she was sleeping all the time! And when she was sleeping, I had her wrapped in a swaddle.
Swaddles help baby’s sleep much better, especially newborns. Check out these ones that we love on Amazon!
Ok, embarrassing new mom confession here: I had no idea that diaper rashes could happen so fast!
By the end of my baby’s first week of life, she had a very bad diaper rash that seemed to appear out of nowhere! I honestly didn’t expect diaper rashes to begin until a few weeks into the baby’s life.
Thankfully, I had this organic diaper balm on hand as a backup. It saved the day, or should I say the week. Her rash had gone down almost completely a week later. I highly recommend this brand.
Check out this one on Amazon here!
Babywearing is such a wonderful invention. Honestly, I love whenever I wear Harmony because I feel so close and connected to her. She also falls asleep almost immediately every time I put her in.
It’s also wonderful to have on hand because my husband can wear her as well. So, when neither of us is completely free to hold her, one of us can wear her and still get things done.
My favorite wrap is this Solly Baby one, but I also have a Ring Sling Wrap and a Moby Wrap.
Check this one out on Amazon!
One thing I have learned about sleep training is that it is key to have a consistent and calm sleeping environment, especially for a newborn that sleeps all the time!
This is another one of the baby items for the first week that has been used consistently. After I feed, burp, and change Harmony’s diaper, I swaddle her and get her ready for bed. I make sure the room is dark and that the sound machine is going.
This sound machine is the only one I have used but I absolutely love it because it is so customizable. I also can set it up easily in so many different spots, if I need to move the baby at all.
Check it out on Amazon here!
Ok, here’s another new mom confession: I was using small burp cloths for every time my daughter spit up but after a few days I realized I could just put these adorable cloth bibs I had around her neck and they would catch her spit up so much easier!
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of this sooner. So, my advice is to not buy too many burp cloths but instead invest in some good cloth bibs like these to catch your baby’s burps and spits.
These ones on Amazon are fantastic!
Newborn babies have the tiniest, cutest, little hands and feet. I mean, come on, aren’t they just adorable?
I found that my newborn already had some long fingernails (maybe because she went two weeks past her due date!) and was scratching her face. We were so glad we had some of these baby hand mitts on hand because they protected her from scratching herself.
Make sure you have these on hand since your newborn will have that nails that are still too small to clip!
Check out these ones on Amazon!
I use essential oils in one-way shape or form every single day! They have been an amazing resource to me. They are a natural way to support your body in a thousand different ways!
Be sure to check out this page for more information on essential oils. Young Living essential oils are my favorite and I love sharing them with others!
When we brought Harmony home from the hospital we would diffuse one drop of essential oil in the room to help support all our bodies in this new season of life. Stress Away essential oil, Lavender essential oil, and Frankincense essential oil were my favorite ones to use.
It’s so important to majorly dilute your essential oils when you are handling a newborn. They have extremely little bodies and only need the tiniest amount to help them.
Check out how to sign-up for essential oils here!
When your milk comes in a few days after giving birth you may feel like there is suddenly milk spilling everywhere! I know I did.
I felt a ton of engorgement and how to massage them with this tool while I hand-expressed some milk. Also, I nursed my newborn to help relieve some of the pressure. This is one of the baby items for the first week I could not live without! If I tried to I would certainly have twice as much laundry.
All I did was slip these reusable pads into my nursing bra. Then, when my breasts would leak milk, the pad would absorb it and I wouldn’t have to worry about my milk getting everywhere.
These ones on Amazon are my favorite!
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One of the best decisions I made was bringing my Boppy Pillow with me to the hospital when I went to get induced. It made breastfeeding my newborn easy.
This pillow wraps around your waist so that you can lay your baby down on it while they nurse. It helps you avoid arching your back forward when your arms get tired of holding your baby so close to your breast.
Plus, after labor, you are exhausted! And you still don’t sleep much at all the first week of your newborn baby’s life. This pillow helps you relax as you nurse.
Make sure this is one of the baby items for the first week that you purchase!
You can purchase it on Amazon here!
I had heard mixed reviews about this item so I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it. However, my daughter loved it when she took her first bath at the end of her first week! She didn’t cry or fuss at all.
This was the perfect baby item to give a newborn a bath in. It makes the experience comfy and it can fold up so it doesn’t take up too much space, unlike those cheap plastic tubs. It’s honestly a pretty cool invention if you ask me.
You can find it on Amazon here!
When we left the hospital, we were given that small blue syringe they use to clean out the baby as soon it comes out of the womb. You squeeze the big balloon on the end and it is supposed to suck the snot out of the baby’s nose.
When our newborn daughter had a stuffed up nose the first few nights at home we tried to use it. However, it didn’t seem to get anything out and failed us miserably. I remember that I had been gifted the FridaMom Snot Sucker and pulled it out.
It worked so much better! We were able to clear her nose and then she was able to sleep. And you know what that means: we were able to sleep! This item saved our sanity more than once.
Check it out on Amazon here!
Related Post: 7 Pregnancy Books You Need To Read For A Positive Natural Birth
This is one of the baby items for the first week that you probably have not considered! I was so thankful that I was gifted lactation tea and cookies because it helped my breastmilk come in and boost my milk supply (at least it seemed to help that first week!).
These items each have specific ingredients, like oats and fennel, that are known to help boost the milk supply. Plus they taste great and are just fun to have during that first week.
Check out the tea and cookies on Amazon here!
Lastly, purchase some books that you will be able to go back and quickly reference when you have a question on something. I recommend this breastfeeding one because it has answers to everything!
If you are going to do a sleep schedule, I recommend having this one on hand. And, don’t forget about other baby books like this one!
Check out all the baby books on Amazon here!
BONUS: Freezer Crockpot Meals
This is certainly one of the baby items for the first week that I couldn’t have lived without! I was so thankful to have easy meals on hand during that first week as I recovered and just spent time getting to know my baby.
A month before my due date I prepared 31 freezer meals. All my husband had to do was pull them out of the freezer the night before to dethaw. Then in the morning, he would dump the meal in the crockpot and it would cook all day.
By dinner time we had an amazing meal all ready to go!
Let me know in the comments below, what is your favorite baby item? Which of these will you be purchasing for your little one? I can’t wait to hear!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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This is such a great list! My friends are starting to have kids but I have no idea what to get them that is actually helpful. This list helps with that!
Yes, exactly! So many good gift ideas! (:
Yes to the bibs! I had a few but ended up ordering so many more because I had a super spitter haha
Haha I feel you!
What a useful list! It feels a little overwhelming to think of everything you might need with a new baby so a resource like this is really helpful.
Agreed – it can be overwhelming at times. I hope this helps lots of people!
What a great list! So many baby item lists are filled with tons of items which is overwhelming, but I really love how you explained exactly how you really used all of these. Any parents-to-be will find this super helpful!
Thanks Kait, I really hope it is helpful!
Yes to the nursing pillow! Loved having that right away with both my girls!
YAY glad you had it!