My Newborn Must-Haves

Now that I am almost 6 months along in my pregnancy, I find myself making a mental list of what we will be needing once our new bundle of joy says hello to the world. I know I'm not a pro when it comes to newborn babies but having given birth just 15 months ago is definitely an advantage. With my first born, Zeb Gavin, we bought a number of things that we ended up either not using or used it only once or twice so this time around I'll make sure that we just stick to the necessary things.

So whether you are a first-time mom or not, I hope this newborn must-have list help you in preparing for your little one's grand arrival:

CLOTHING
Onesies - for the delicate newborns, it is easier to dress them up with side-tie designed onesies rather than those that go over the head. I also prefer those overalls with zip rather than snaps because it gets the job done faster.

Mittens - for when the nails are still too delicate to cut. We used mittens on Zeb for only a month.

Socks - to keep them extra warm especially at night or when we go out.

Receiving blankets - I considered this under clothing since they are almost always wrapped in them at least on their first three months of life. We bought 2 swaddles last time but Zeb didn't really like it that much. It worked on my niece when she was a baby but it wasn't the case with Zeb so it really depends on the baby. Swaddles can be expensive so this is a cheaper alternative.Tip: Do not splurge a lot on newborn clothes because they grow out of them fast!

HYGIENE

Baby bather - I have tried two ways in bathing Zeb when he was a newborn. First, we bought a baby bath tub and a separate mesh bather which looks something like this:

Honestly, I find it a bit tedious to work with this. Once the bath water start building up and it reaches the baby's body, then you'd have the carry the baby, remove the mesh, throw out the water, put back the mesh then put down the baby. Since you're doing all of that with your newborn on the other arm, I find it a bit unsafe. When we flew back to Singapore, we bought a different bather and this time around it was waaay easier! We got this model from the brand Summer:

Since it can stand on its own, we didn't need to buy a separate tub anymore. Water just goes through so there are no extra steps to do plus it's light and compact! It was indeed a life saver!

Hooded Bath Towels - just to be on the safe side, it's better to keep not just the body but also his/her head warm after taking a bath.

Rubbing Alcohol - coming home from the hospital, we adapted the habit of putting on some rubbing alcohol first on our hands and arms before we carry the baby just to make sure we don't pass on any germs to Zeb. 

ACCESSORIES
Nail cutter/trimmer - baby's nails grows faaaast! Once I got the courage to cut Zeb's delicate nails, I find myself trimming it almost every week. 

Nursing pillow - this is a life saver for your back especially if you intend to breastfeed (which I hope you do!). Newborn babies tend to latch around 30-45 minutes each session and trust me when I say, it hurts! At the end of the day, your arms and back feel sore.

Diaper Changing Mat - such an important item to carry with you especially when you go out to the mall or other public places. You wouldn't want to lay you baby down on a cold diaper changing station would you?

Muslin Cloths/Lampin (and a lot of 'em!) - you're gonna get drooled on and spit up on a lot so better have one of these handy at all times. It's also best for keeping your body's sweat off your baby so make sure you have this on your shoulders or on your arm whenever you carry your baby.

Digital Thermometer - this is one thing in this list you'd hope you wouldn't need to  use at least during the first year but we all know its inevitable especially after getting vaccine shots so better be prepared with a reliable thermometer rather than wondering whether your little bub is feeling warm or not. 

Baby Carrier - you may have the most expensive and the most comfortable stroller in the world but trust me, you'd want your newborn baby attached to you most of the time and vice versa. Babies tend to be happier when carried (especially by their mommies haha!), maybe because they find our chest their comfort zone where they can hear our heartbeat and feel the warmth of our body against them just like when they were still inside our tummy. I learned my lesson the hard way when I decided to scrimp on a baby carrier. I got a cheap one from Safety 1st but I ended up regretting buying it without doing any research! It gave me major back pains because it didn't have enough support. After several months of using it, we finally decided to splurge on some good quality carrier and got ourselves the Ergo. Although it didn't eliminate the back pain 100%, it did give a decent back and shoulder support and Zeb was more comfortable in it.

You might be wondering  how come I don't have milk bottles or sterilizer on the list... Well, I DID have them prepared even before I gave birth but since I wanted to directly and exclusively breastfeed him, I ended up not using them until Zeb turned 1 year old when I weaned him off the boob.

Crib is another expensive baby item that we all get excited to shop for. My parents were generous enough to gift us a crib of our choice but honestly, we barely used it. Zeb slept and still is sleeping on the bed with us. I just wanted him to be close to me all the time and it's also the easiest and most convenient way to breastfeed him in the middle of the night. 

So yes, this list still depends on certain circumstances. I was and still am lucky to be a stay-at-home mom so when Zeb needed milk, I just had to pop one boob out and not bother with bottles. One of the many benefits of breastfeeding!

Anyway, I hope this list help you moms out there one way or another in preparing for your little one's arrival. Wishing you all preggo ladies out there a safe delivery and a healthy baby!

Cheers!