Absolutely Essential

• Diapers – We used Pampers Swaddlers and Target Up & Up when our babies were newborns and liked the wetness indicator line. We have used Target Up&Up when traveling and found them to be good too. Mostly, though we use cloth diapers (click here for more info on that!)
• Wipes – I use the Target brand unscented ones if I need disposable wipes. I’m sure many others are fine too!
• Blankets – You will need at least one blanket to lay your baby down on the floor on top of or use in your stroller or car seat, etc. I really like these muslin blankets and also these that are even softer. However, you may not need to purchase any blankets because people love to give them as baby gifts. We have so many blankets and rarely use many of them. 
• Layette (clothes/cloths) – People seem to prefer to buy babies clothes over any other item, so you might want to wait to stock up on clothes, but here is a general outline of things you need. I also recommend exchanging small sized gifted items for larger sizes, because we ended up with so many newborn/3 month outfits that our babies couldn’t even wear them all even though I tried to put them in all of them. They would have had to wear like three different outfits a day.
  • Hooded bath towels – it really doesn’t matter if they are hooded, but there are some cute ones. You really only need one or two.
  • Washcloths- you really don’t need specific baby ones. You can just use whatever washcloths you already have. I ended up getting this silicone fish and like it a lot because it doesn’t get musty. 
  • Burp cloths – I liked the Gerber prefold diapers as burp cloths. My sister helped me upcycle them by sewing cute fabric down the center. They turned out really cute! 
  • Side snap shirts – These are useful for easy changes – you don’t have to pull them over the baby’s head!
  • Footie Sleepers/PJs – Just a note that zippers are so much easier than snaps!
  • Onesies and pants
  • Swaddles or Sleep sacks (see descriptions below under optional items)
  • Hats
  • Socks
  • Bundleme or Bunny suit for winter

Feeding Supplies:

• Bottles – I used the Medela ones from the starter kit very rarely – I didn’t like pumping so I didn’t do it much since I was able to be with my baby all the time.  
• Bottle Sterilizer / Brush / Drying rack/ Dishwasher Basket – I sterilized bottles in boiling water and also used the dishwasher basket occasionally. A drying rack could have been useful but isn’t necessary. This one is very popular among all of my friends/family. 
• Formula – We didn’t use formula or ever have any on hand, but some people think it is a good idea to have some as a backup. I knew if I ever needed it, the store is not too far away.

Toiletries, Creams, Medicine, etc:

• We use Grandma El’s diaper rash cream because it is recommended for cloth diapers. We like it and it smells nice. Aquaphor has worked great for us when we use disposable diapers. Aquaphor is also great for skin rashes, etc. We use it a lot. Especially in the winter on red skin.
• I used to use Burt’s Bees baby shampoo and lotion on him and I always got compliments that he smells nice. Now we have decided that it’s too pricey so I found this Suave brand baby shampoo from Target that is so much cheaper and also smells very nice!
• Vaseline – You will need this if you have a boy and choose to circumcise. Get a tube because it will be MUCH easier to apply than in the tub. The small tubes would be best, though, that have a small opening for the Vaseline to come out of.
• Infant Tylenol – good to have on hand just in case. We rarely gave it to our babies but did use it a few times. As they get older, Infant Ibuprofen was useful for teething pain. (Only for 6 mos and up)
• Thermometer – we use a forehead thermometer and we love it. It is easy to use and has seemed to be accurate.
• Gas drops – I used these a lot for a while and I think they helped our son’s gas but I’m not really sure. They seemed to make him less fussy so I think they worked. Both of my boys have had gas issues as newborns.
• Vitamin D drops – to supplement if exclusively breastfeeding. I was not/am not good about being consistent with these. I’m not sure how important it is because no one mentioned it to me at the hospital or our first pediatrician visit. The family doctor mentioned it at my first son’s 2 month appointment so that is when I started.
• Baby nail clippers – nice to have because nails are always growing and always seem to need to be clipped!
• Nosefreida! 

Optional

• Noise Machine – We started out using a fan, but now we are fans of the white noise machine. It really helps with establishing a routine because the baby will associate the sound of the machine with sleep. It also drowns out street noise and noise from other rooms since we live in a small apartment. 
• Baby Monitor – I recommend this monitor that has wifi so you can see it on your phone. We have two of them and I can view them both from the same app. Everyone will have a different preference, though – I rarely watch my children streaming live on it, I just periodically check in on them. Even at night. If you want to be looking at the baby constantly, you may want a system that has a separate monitor from your phone.
• Diaper Pail– We have the Diaper Dekor Plus and it works with Planetwise liners for the cloth diapers. The actual refills are quite expensive so probably just using trash bags is more economical. You could also just purchase a trash can or use one you already have. 
• Pacifiers – I have always used the Wubbanub, which is a popular option. They are very cute and have the soothie pacifier attached to them. My first child did not really take a pacifier much, but my second will use it occasionally. I never tried any others but I noticed that some other brands that my friends use stay in better than the soothie does. 
• Laundry Detergent – We don’t use a special baby laundry detergent. I use Gain for my normal household wash and enjoy the scent. I use it for cloth diapers, too. 
• Nightlight – We have some night lights and occasionally use them. Around 7 months we started using the “twilight turtle” and that was really soothing. It is also good for travel (although it is big) because it doubles as a soother/sleep association/night light. 
• Mobile – We have one just for show. He loves looking at it though!
• Swaddles – For my first son, the Summer Infant SwaddleMe swaddles were our favorite for naps. I didn’t really like them at night because it was impossible to change a diaper without completely unswaddling. We used the Woombie a lot at night. My first son hated it for a while, though, because he liked having his hands touching his face. Hence why we didn’t use it for every nap! But my second child has done great with the woombie for all naps and night sleep! I also used the Halo swaddling sleep sacks for both of them once they got bigger and started rolling.
• Sleep Sack – We used sleep sacks once we stopped swaddling. I wish we had more of them because I should probably wash them more often. When my first son was 4 months old, we very often used Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suit, and he slept 7 hours in a row for the first time when we used it. It only helped for about a month, though. 
• Bath Tub – We used the Bloomin’ Bath and we liked that for sink bathing. Then we pretty much went straight to co-bathing. It works well for us. I find that bathing with my babies provides good and consistent skin to skin time and it is a time when they are usually happy and calm. I really enjoy our bath time together. Also, munchkin makes an inflatable duck tub that is good for travel. I think many of the baby tubs are bulky and difficult to use. We did also have this Boon tub for a while and it takes up so little space! If you are looking for a baby tub and don’t want it to be super bulky, check it out! 
• Humidifier – We have a very simple humidifier that we used when he was sick.