5+ Must-Have Items for Babies & New Moms

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New baby on the way? You don’t want to miss these 5 must-have items for babies and new moms! 

It’s been twelve years years, but I can still remember my excitement over registering for baby gifts the first time around.

I had not spent much time with babies before becoming a mom, and I felt clueless as to what she would really need!

Three babies later, and it’s been fun to look back and consider the things I would have registered for again.

The following are my five must-have items for babies and new moms.

Now, I will make the disclaimer that every mom and every baby is different. What works for some does not work for all.

Can you get by with even fewer items than these? Absolutely.

Did they make my family’s life more comfortable during the baby years? They most definitely did.

I had the unique opportunity of taking the images and filming the video for this post while I was visiting the very store where I registered for my firstborn: Baby Depot at Burlington in Southaven, Mississippi. 

I loved shopping at Baby Depot at Burlington for both maternity clothes and baby items because I saw that they carried the same name brands as other stores but at a significantly lower price. That said, with my second, third, and fourth babies, I purchased most baby items on Amazon.com (which gives you a FREE box of goodies worth $35 when you register with them!) or at Target.

Without further ado, check out my:

5+ Must-Have Items for Babies & New Moms

1. Infant Bather

When babies are newborns, it’s very hard to bathe them in a big bathtub.

I preferred using a soft infant bather to use on top of the bathroom counter.

I love this one pictured above, from Summer infant. I used one very similar, and it lasted me through all three girls. Someone gifted me this infant bathtub that I ended up using with my son in 2017, but I think I still prefer the softer bathers overall.

The infant bathers are comfortable for babies to recline in, and it’s easy to either submerge them halfway in a sink of warm water or just keep on top of the counter to use during a sponge bath. 

I especially love how this one folds up, making it easy for travel.

2. Swaddler Blankets

All four of my children were pretty good sleepers from early on, and I believe that one reason was because we swaddled them each night for their first few months. 

But I’m not great at folding receiving blankets into a swaddle. I tried that, and my firstborn would consistently wiggle her way out of it (even at a few weeks old!).

Finding adjustable Swaddler Blankets that were pre-folded and included velcro was a lifesaver! 

I ended up getting three swaddler blankets in total, and I used them with all three girls.

Our third child slept so well like this that I would have to wake her up to nurse!

3. Pack ‘n Play

I cannot stress how much I LOVE pack ‘n plays!

We’ve had ours for almost seven years now, and it’s still in great condition.

We traveled and moved around a LOT during my firstborn’s first year of life–living in three different states and in Canada during the course of the year!

Would you believe that she never slept in her own crib until we moved to North Carolina? She spent most of her entire first year in a pack ‘n play!

Pack ‘n plays are like playpens but way better.

Most are able to adjust into a bassinet for when baby is a newborn and also come with a changing “table” area and a place to store diapers and wipes! 

4. Booster High Chair

Although we did eventually get a high chair for our second daughter, we simply used a booster seat that could attach to any adult chair for our firstborn.

I love that these take up minimal space and travel so well!

5. Swing or Bouncy Seat

Some people might tell you that you don’t need some kind of seat for your baby, but I will tell you that the baby swing and bouncy seat saved my sanity time and time again.

When they were babies, our girls took more naps in their swing than in their cribs! 

I also loved having a portable bouncy seat that I could move around the house with me.

If I were taking a shower, I would simply pull the seat into the bathroom, and my babies could play or sleep right outside the shower door. 

Check out the video below, where I tell more about why I love these five must-have items for babies and new moms–plus share about two bonus items that I found in Baby Depot at Burlington!

Burlington Baby Center from Erin Odom on Vimeo.

What are your must-have items for babies and new moms?