Every parent has their own ideas about what items are absolutely necessary when having a baby, and which are just completely pointless. Each baby is different so it really is something that you’ll form your own opinion about based on your experience but I think it’s helpful for parents to share what their list looks like. Each of my kids have had their own differences but I’ve got my thoughts on what we need to prepare for a baby. So if you were to ask me what I think the must-haves are when you’re preparing for your new baby, here’s what I would tell you:

1. Nursing pillow – The lactation consultant in the hospital with my second insisted that propping regular pillows would be fine but that was never my experience. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get them into a comfortable position. I much preferred the shape and slightly more firm design on a nursing pillow! Plus, they are pretty cute and baby can lean on them!

2. Baby carrier – I needed my hands and oh boy, babies get heavy fast! I loved the carrier because I can get things done like cooking, cleaning, even a little bit of crafting. It was also useful for getting a fussy baby to sleep, sometimes. I used only a convertible car seat with my last baby so it was great for on-the-go and it gives me extra hands to take care of the other kids while I lug the wee one around easily and comfortably. My favorite carrier is my Kinderpack but I also have a Tula which is very nice.

3. Swaddle/wearable blankets – Maybe you’ll be good at swaddling. I’m not. I need those blankets that make swaddling pretty basic or I love the wearable blankets even more. Most wearable blankets have a zipper and it makes it easy to get in and out for diaper changes. I find this to be the most convenient since they aren’t supposed to have real blankets yet and you’ll want to keep them warm, especially during the winter!

4. Good diaper cream – Diaper creams can be tricky. Many, many, many of my friends use and recommend coconut oil for diaper rash. Every baby’s skin seems to react differently to different things. My oldest doesn’t react well to coconut oil, it burns her skin. We used to use Boudreaux’s Butt Paste on her and that did the trick. It didn’t work too well with my others so someone suggested Triple Paste, which was perfect for my last two children. I’m still trying out more natural diaper creams to see what works but I’ve found that no matter what, I do need diaper creams. Yes, even when I was cloth diapering!

5. Stroller – While the carrier is awesome, sometimes I or baby are just not in the mood. I especially like to use a stroller while I’m wearing one child, then I’m able to easily juggle the smallest kids. Occasionally, the stroller just ends up being a diaper or shopping bag holder but I find that when we’re on adventures that will take more than a couple of hours, we prefer to have a stroller. My husband prefers umbrella strollers for the fact that they are compact and easy to maneuver. We had a double stroller at one point that we couldn’t fit down any store aisles or anything. It was a pain!

 

1. Diaper trash – I won’t name names but I know there are one or two products out there whose specific purpose is disposing of diapers. I had one. I never really used it. It was annoying to take out and re-load and it didn’t seem to give a smell improvement that was all that worth it. We just stick with a regular trash and if it’s stinky, you can re-use grocery bags or just take it right outside. That seems much easier for me!

2. Wipes warmer – My babies never seemed to mind that their wipes were cold. The air was always cold compared to their little bums anyway, so a couple of them absolutely despised diaper changes the minute that I opened up the diaper! It’s never seemed like a need for us so we have never purchased, received, nor used one of these!

3. Diaper sprayer – For my cloth diapering mamas! I cloth diapered for a couple of years and while I know lots of mamas absolutely love their diaper sprayers, I never had a problem without it. There’s the dunk method or there were maybe two occasions where the issue was so bad that we used the removable shower head and just sprayed it over the toilet.

4. Burp cloths – What exactly are these for? I mean, I know I’ve had four kids but what are they for? Why can’t we use a bib, wipe, or receiving blanket to wipe up any spit? Well, that’s what I did, actually. I have some burp cloths and I’m sure that I’ll try to use them for their purpose but more than likely I will use them twice and then sell them in a yard sale group. I’m just being realistic, I don’t see me using these!

5. Baby powder – This always seems to end up on a must-have list but I don’t understand why. It’s only ever caused problems with my children. I prefer a cream or oil for tackling any skin issues and if there aren’t issues, I see no reason to mess with nature! It’s messy, it’s stinky, and I just plain do not like it!

What would your list look like?