Being a new mommy is tough for sure (especially given the current COVID-19 circumstances) so I wanted to round up all of the items I cannot live without and items that I really did not need. Joey is two months now so all of these recommendations are for newborns.
I hope this is helpful!
Must Haves
Motion Swing or Bouncer - I put Joey in the 4moms momoRoo after we play or when I need to make dinner or do something. Usually, it keeps him occupied and he just chills in it!
Good Burp Cloths - these are the absolute best! I can use one all day long! All others that I have tried get wet and gross after a few hours and I end up going through so many more
Diaper caddy or changing station downstairs and in your bedroom! I have a caddy by my night stand for night changes and one downstairs so I don't have to walk up the steps every time he needs to be changed (which is like 10 times a day)
Sound Machine - this is the one I use and it is a game changer. We currently have it in our bedroom because Joey is still in his bassinet and we actually love it! We put on white noise all night and also leave the blue light on as a little night light
Baby Shusher - portable and can go anywhere!
Rectal Thermometer - DO NOT get the forehead ones! They are only good for when your baby is over a year old. We has a scare where the forehead one was saying Joey had a high fever and we called our pediatrician and she said to go out and get a rectal one and check his temp and it was 98! So do yourself a favor and just use the rectal if you need to take your little ones temp!
Nipple Shields (if breastfeeding) - this was a life saver for me. When I was in the hospital, Joey wasn't latching right away and a sweet nurse gave me a nipple shield and helped me through it. It worked so well and I used it until about 1.5 months. They said as long as your baby is gaining weight they are perfectly safe to use! Highly recommend because they help with the nipple pain too!
Ubi Diaper Pail - this thing is amazing. We can put dirty diapers in there all week and it contains the smell! And it's clean/modern looking which is a plus :)
Things You Probably Don't Need
Mittens - I bought a pack for Joey and never used them. I file his nails so they aren't too long so we never had a problem with him scratching
A Bottle Stash - I learned the hard way. I bought a full assortment of two brands that Joey doesn't like. Here is a variety pack that you can start with so you can test bottles out and then when you find the one your baby loves you can buy what you need! We are still trying to determine which bottle is best for us but right now Joey is liking Comotomo the best
Nail Clippers - newborns hands are way too small for clippers. a simple nail file is perfect and gets the job done without hurting them. I try and do it when I am nursing Joey or when he is asleep.
Bath Toys - you really don't need these until your babe gets older. We have a few and tried but bath time for us right now isn't very long so don't worry about buying right away
Special lotions/creams - Newborns will shed a layer of skin the first month no matter what and it is not necessary to lotion them. We have lotion for Joey if we need it but I haven't used it once on him!
This is everything that I could think of right now but I plan on doing more blog posts about mommy life!