The Ultimate Go-To List for New Parents – Part 3 of 5

This is a continuation of the 5-Part series “The Ultimate Go-To List for New Parents.”

Here’s a quick reference list for your convenice, The Ultimate Go-To Baby Registry Checklist for New Parents. I made it available as a pdf!

Part 1 covers nursery basics and Part 2 covers all the basics of baby gear. Here in Part 3 we’ll go over feeding essentials, whether you intend to breastfeed or formula feed (or both).

Part 4, lists out and explains the essentials for Bath & Body, and Health & Safety. And in Part 5, we’ll go over Clothing and Toys & Books for a newborn if you want to jump to those posts.

Additionally, I made notes about what I wish I hadn’t bother with here.

I’ll tell you exactly what products I used, what worked and what didn’t!

 Feeding

• nursing pillow

  Almost everyone gets a Boppy for a baby shower gift, whether they registered for it or not. If I could do it again, I would’ve registered for this other one because it holds secure against you, has a handy pocket on the side (perfect for my phone or water bottle), and provides back support. I ended up buying this amazing pillow after fumbling with baby and Boppy trying to breastfeed. My back was killing me and just when I was going to refashion the Boppy to my liking, I found this pillow that satisfied all my needs. The Boppy turned out to be great for tummy time though!

• bibs

  My friends were kind enough (and creative) to make bibs during my baby shower. Although they were oh so adorable, they were not appropriate during breastfeeding. (Those times call for full on burp cloths.) Later when solids were introduced, the little bibs they designed were really not up to the task of handling baby drool and feeding mess. The best bibs have been oversized like these. Keep the cute bibs for pictures, but use the big bibs for real life.

• burp cloths

  The bigger the better for burp cloths as well as for bibs. The best things is to just get those muslin swaddle blankets, and use them for anything from swaddling to burping and then some.

• high chair

  I almost didn’t add this one in because I don’t feel that it’s absolutely necessary for at least the first three months. However, you will inevitably need one; plus, it’s useful for putting the baby in it so that you can eat at the table, instead of someone having to hold them. I would get this high chair if it had been on the market four years ago because it’s an amazing 4 in 1 chair that grows with the child in addition to many other awesome features.

• 3 pacifiers

  Some babies are inconsolable without their pacifier. If you decide to try and see if you’re baby would like a pacifier, try different kinds. It may be because they just don’t like that particular one. However, our dentist said that it is better for babies not to use a pacifier because it can mess up their tooth development. On the other hand, use of a pacifier is suggested for lowering the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). I don’t know about you but reducing the risk of SIDS is waaaaay more important to me than crooked teeth.

  My baby never took to any. I was always jealous of seeing how other moms could use it as a “quiet button.”  

• If breastfeeding;

  • at least 3 nursing bras

    There are a plethora of nursing bras on the market. If you get the one with the drop away cup with hook/snap, be sure to get down how to use it before baby arrives. It’s not difficult. It’s just that you don’t want to find yourself frantically fumbling with it when your newborn is screaming for some milk.

  • breast pump

    The hands down best breast pump is the industrial strength one that they have in the hospital. Most people can’t bring those home with them, so I got one of the Medela pumps. It was significantly easier to use, especially with a breast pump bra, than the manual pump.

  • breast pump bra

    I resisted getting a breast pump bra at first because it, honestly, looks bizarre to me. But if you’re a busy mom (what mom isn’t?!), then you’ll want your hands free to do other things.

  • nursing cover

    Nursing covers are great when you’re out and about and don’t want to flash people. Additionally, my baby would get easily distracted and take forever to feed, so a cover kept him on task. I especially like this nursing cover because it has multiple uses. Or you can opt to make one yourself. This one has a pocket and boning in the neckline so that you can peek down at your baby. If only I was good at sewing….

  • at least 3 nursing tops

    I dare say that nursing tops are just as, if not more, important as nursing bras. Most nursing tops have a inner shelf bra built in or the fabric pulls away so that you can get to the nursing bra. So your options are to wear a nursing bra under a shirt that you can easily unbutton, pull up, or pull down. Or you can just wear a nursing top.

  • nursing pads

    I had a variety of nursing pads and I didn’t find any of them to be completely leak proof. But maybe that was just me. I like these reusable pads the most because of feel. But there’s just no denying the disposable ones are convenient.

  • nursing balm

    Nursing balm, nipple cream, breastfeeding salve, whatever you want to call it, you will need it. It soothes, protect, and moisturizes cracked nipples. I used lanolin for myself but also for my baby when he had chapped lips (but otherwise well hydrated) during the winter.

  • breast milk storage bags

    I would pump into bottles for accurate measurement and then pour the expressed milk into storage bags to put in the freezer. Then you thaw out the bag and pour into a bottle. (You could pump directly into the bag if you have an adapter for your pump.) It’s a lot easier to store bags flat in the freezer than a bunch of bottles. Plus, bags are cheaper than a bunch of bottles. The drawback is that the bags are one time use only.

  • everything for bottle feeding (see below)

• If bottlefeeding;

  • at least 8 bottles

    Newborns feed about every 3 hours but that can vary by an hour less or an hour more. Since there are 24 hours in a day, and you divide that by 3, you get 8. That will get you through a whole day or most of it before you have to wash some bottles. Personally, I had closer to 16 bottles so that I wasn’t stressed out about getting bottles washed for the next day.

  • bottle brush

    I loved this Dr. Brown’s bottle brush because it provided just the right amount of sudsing to get baby bottles clean. You’ll also want a pipe clean type brush for the straw parts. These will come in handy later for cleaning sippy cups as well.

  • drying rack

    You could use the drying rack you have for your normal dishes but I, personally, liked having my baby’s stuff separate. I kept his bottles and whatnot sterilized and ready to go; whereas, for the rest of the household, I was more relaxed about if someone didn’t do a great job of washing the dishes.

  • dishwasher basket for bottle parts

    So speaking of washing bottles, using a dishwasher to sterilize bottles saved me so much time. When we first started bottle feeding our baby, the dishwasher was broken! I hand washed and then cleaned his bottles and bottle parts in the microwave using steam bags. Who’s got time for all that between breastfeeding, pumping, and doing everything else that’s got to get done? Not me, and I’m sure not you either! This dishwasher basket has spots for nipples (for now) and straws (for later).

• If formula feeding;

  • everything for bottle feeding (see above)

  • formula container

    If you want to be out and about with your baby, you’ll probably need to make a bottle for them at some point. A formula container is awesome for holding your pre-measured amount of formula. Then you just put in the water in the baby bottle and add this formula. You can use a formula mixer wand (see below) to stir neatly. Note: Shaking a formula bottle can 1) send formula mix everywhere because you didn’t put the bottle together correctly or 2) force bits of formula into parts of the straw and/or nipple. And yes, I know this from way too many personal experiences.

  • formula mixer

    I cannot believe how long it took me to discover this wondrous pitcher mixer! I was able to mix all his formula for the day, pour it into individual bottles, and have them ready to go. It eliminated the clumsy scramble to carefully measure formula and water for each bottle, while screaming baby in the background wonders what is taking so long. Another handy device is the formula mixer wand. This is useful when you’re just making one bottle at a time, e.g., in the first three months when you don’t know how much baby is going to drink at any given sitting.

You’re More Than Halfway Through!

I know it’s a lot to take in.  But the more thought you put into it now, the less you’ll have to later when you’re sleep deprived. I wish I had this information when I was pregnant so that I didn’t have to waste time searching for answers, after bringing home baby, instead of…oh, I don’t know…SLEEPING!

In case you missed it earlier, here’s The Ultimate Go-To Baby Registry Checklist for New Parents. I made it available as a pdf!

In Part 4, we’ll tackle everything from what to use to cut those itty bitty baby nails to how to suck baby boogers (yes, you read that correctly).

Did I miss anything? Please share and maybe I’ll add it to the list!