7 Minimalist Newborn Must-Haves
It's often said that hindsight is 20/20. And this couldn't be truer for first time parents. Looking back now, I would have prepared for my daughter a whole lot differently. And a lot more minimally, for sure.
I now know that newborn babies require a lot of attention, milk, sleep, and love... but that they DON'T require a lot of *extra* stuff.
Obviously, there are a few things they DO need. But these are the "duh" kinds of things, like diapers, wipes, and diaper rash cream, just to name a few. Other than pooping and peeing, though, newborns spend an awful lot of time eating, sleeping, or crying. So they don't need all those cute stuffed animals, jingly toys, and super-plush blankets you received at your baby shower (not yet anyway).
And as for all those adorable newborn-size outfits (some of which probably aren't even the right season), just forget about it. You'll find yourself constantly pulling down their shirt every time their little belly pops out, fighting with the insanely small buttons or snaps on everything, and if you can imagine trying to dress a helpless little creature into three different outfit pieces like a shirt, cardigan, and jeans (for newborns? really?!)... *sigh*... you'll understand why after the first time you try.
All newborn babies really need is for you to keep them warm, feed them when they're hungry, clean them off when they pee, poop, or spit up, to have a safe and cozy place to sleep, and to be in close proximity to you for the short bursts of time that they're actually awake.
So if I could go back in time to when my own daughter was first born, I would have just left two thirds of the things I had carefully unpacked in the closet for a few more months, and told myself this: "Other than the basics and a few healthcare items, here's all you need, mama!" And then I would have handed myself this awesomely short list:
Burp Cloths
Whether you're nursing or bottle-feeding, milk will end up all over you somehow. You must also burp your baby what feels like constantly. And ALL babies spit up. I think I carried around a burp cloth with me 24/7 for the first three months straight. I tried a lot of different brands, and hands down, I love this brand the best because they are cheap, the MOST absorbent, and they are wonderfully soft for wiping baby's delicate little mouth.
Zip-Up Sleeper Pajamas
As mentioned earlier, newborns spend most of their time sleeping. You won't really be going anywhere fancy after you first take baby home anyway, so there's no need for all the cutesy little outfits (which, by the way, aren't at all comfy for baby, and are even more awful for you to try to take on and off). Your best bet is to just invest in a bunch of soft, breathable, cotton zip-up sleeper pajamas, because they're the fastest and easiest for diaper changes... which you'll be doing a lot of at 12 am. And 2 am. And 4 am. And 6 am. Best to work smarter, not harder. Forget the snaps.
Muslin Swaddle Blankets
Swaddling your baby makes him or her feel safe and secure, like they're still in the womb. And it honestly does help settle them down to sleep. You will try *so hard* to become a swaddling zen master, but know this: your newborn is also secretly Houdini. Your little darling will break out of even the tightest (or so you thought) swaddling job, even as they're cooing at you. Your best tool to help mitigate this problem is a good swaddle blanket. I tried to use the silky smooth ones that are so amazingly soft you'll want one for yourself... but they are honestly a little TOO silky. I'm convinced my daughter was laughing at the futility of me trying to swaddle her with one of those, as she busted her way out in 0.2 seconds every time. So I tried other ones and found that the classic, more textured muslin swaddle blankets were the BEST at staying put for the longest. They're more "grippy", so we ended up just using those after a while. (You could also try the fool-proof zip-up swaddle pods.)
Baby Wrap / Carrier
Your baby wants to be close to you at all times. Newborns need the security of your warmth, your heartbeat, your voice... the things they've come to know and love over the last nine months. But you also need two hands to make yourself something to eat. Or wash a load of baby laundry (if you're not lucky enough to have someone doing it for you.) And a baby wrap or structured carrier is the next best thing to holding your little love in arms all day. So do yourself a favor and get one. Practice putting it on with a stuffed animal or doll before your baby arrives. You'll be so glad you did. Take it from me... it isn't easy trying to brush your teeth while holding a crying newborn.
White Noise Machine
This one single item has been used multiple times a day for the last 13 months of my daughter's life. And I. LOVE. IT. Why? Well, we have dogs in our house. We also seem to have lots of dogs in our neighborhood. People knock on the door while she's sleeping sometimes and cause said dogs to go berserk with the barking. We also have traffic noise nearby, and sometimes visitors to the neighborhood rip-roar down the street at 30 gajillion RPMs. My neighbors also usually decide to mow their lawns the instant I shut her door or, you know... there are folks just out jack-hammering their driveways all week (NOT EVEN KIDDING, this actually happened to me!) Needless to say, this little machine has managed to drown out most of it and preserve my daughter's beauty rest. I owe my sanity to whoever invented this thing. (Side note: Hubby just read this over my shoulder as I'm writing it, and wanted me to add that this particular brand uses a mechanical motor that has an actual spinning fan inside of it that creates a constant, unending sound... as opposed to the cheaper electronic ones where you can annoyingly tell when the "looped" track starts and ends. The mechanical ones are supposed to work better overall for aiding sleep. And I, for one, have no complaints!)
Video Baby Monitor
If you want to be able to put your newborn down for a nap in a separate room from you during the day (so that perhaps you can shower, eat, or just be able to spend time with other adults)...then you'll also want the peace of mind that he or she is safe and sound. It's also nice to be able to actually SEE that they're indeed still asleep despite that noise you just thought you heard coming from the room, without having to go back into the room and accidentally wake them up. So a video baby monitor is absolutely essential. I initially bought a simple, cheap baby monitor thinking that it would serve it's purpose just fine. My logic was that the baby's sleeping area was only in one corner of the room, so I'd just be able to aim the camera at that spot and be done. But it was tricky to find the balance between the camera being close enough to see baby well, and also being able to see the entirety of the bed, because the angle of the lens wasn't wide enough and it couldn't zoom in or out really. We ended up needing to invest in a nicer one with panning capabilities because, as it turns out, babies move around A LOT in their beds as they get older! So we decided to install a regular security camera that looks just as crisp and allows you to pan and zoom around the whole room while still retaining maximum quality (at a fraction of the cost of the super expensive “baby” monitors that have all the same functions).
Bedside Bassinet
Aside from all the AAP recommendations for co-sleeping in the room with baby for the first six months, I just liked having my baby close by me at night so that I could hear her and know she was safe, and also to make nursing sessions just a bit easier. We actually used a standard pack and play with no bells and whistles for this purpose, and it just about killed my back. I've done lots of research since then, and it seems most people are SUPER happy with this swivel bassinet... so I personally plan to go this route next time, if and when we decide to have another baby.
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