Your hospital should have diapers and small ready to feed formula bottles in the bassinet cart that the baby will be put in. Take all that stuff with you when you leave the hospital. In hindsight, I wish I had gotten the onesies that have pressure buttons on the side in addition to traditional ones (I had tons of hand-me-downs so did no clothes shopping whatsoever) - I think they make it easier to avoid friction with the umbilical cord stump when dressing/undressing the baby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the bottles and formula just in case, and wanted to add when they are brand new I prefer the Ready to Feed formula (pre-mixed liquid) to the powder formula.

Also, if you end up formula feeding middle of the night bottles, the RTF is easier (quicker) than formula. This is of course completely a convenience thing and the opposite of what you asked (essentials) but just me experience.

OP here, i am finding all of this very useful so please keep it coming. I would never in a million years think of the formula thing

I actually stuck a couple of those RTF bottles in my hospital bag. I think this can be good for peace of mind, especially if you're at a baby-friendly hospital. If my kid was hungry, and the colostrum or whatever wasn't enough, I was going to supplement and didn't want to go 12 rounds with nurses over it. I never end up needing it (nursing went very smoothly for me) but it wasn't pricey and it was nice to have just in case.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the bottles and formula just in case, and wanted to add when they are brand new I prefer the Ready to Feed formula (pre-mixed liquid) to the powder formula.

Also, if you end up formula feeding middle of the night bottles, the RTF is easier (quicker) than formula. This is of course completely a convenience thing and the opposite of what you asked (essentials) but just me experience.

OP here, i am finding all of this very useful so please keep it coming. I would never in a million years think of the formula thing

I agree with the bottles and formula just in case, and wanted to add when they are brand new I prefer the Ready to Feed formula (pre-mixed liquid) to the powder formula.

Also, if you end up formula feeding middle of the night bottles, the RTF is easier (quicker) than formula. This is of course completely a convenience thing and the opposite of what you asked (essentials) but just me experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if you are planning on breastfeeding, have a little formula and bottles. I exclusively breastfeed after the first week, but I needed to supplement in the first week when my milk was coming in. I know multiple moms who were in thr same boat. Having it ready to go saves you a stressed out trip to the store.

If you are planning on breastfeeding, look at your insurance. My pump was free from my insurance.

Diaper rash cream. Babies seem to respond to different cleans differently do get a couple different kids.

Make sure to have 0-3 clothes and not just Ns. Some kids grow out of thr Ns in a hot second.

Amazon is both your best friend and worst enemy in your first couple weeks. You end up buying stuff at 2 AM.

+1 Breastfeeding if that is what you are going to do does not have to mean that you never bottle feed. It's highly unlikely you will never give your child a bottle (though some people do that and that's cool!). But having been someone who resisted giving formula until 6 months, I am a big believer that a bottle of formula a day from early on can prevent a lot of stress and anxiety.

I don’t have any reason to give a bottle of formula every day, but I have some in the basement now because of a health scare. If I ended up in the hospital, the last thing my DH would need would be to have to go buy formula when he ran out of freezer milk.
But I might never use it, which is okay too. You don’t have to supplement unless you need to or want to.

OP here. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and resources. Very very helpful!

Here are two resources that helped me distinguish the must-have from the nice-to-have:

1 I read Emily Oster's weekly column. At the beginning of covid (when everything but the grocery stores were shut) she posted this list of minimum needs for when the baby comes home. Its a good what are the basics list. https://emilyoster.substack.com/p/birth-in-the-time-of-covid-19

2 This "Crib Sheet" by Lucie's List is very comprehensive. I liked it bc it organizes items into categories of products that do overlapping things and gives good descriptions of the pros/cons for each item. For example there is a category for "bouncers and swings." Unless you have a really big house that would merit 2 bouncing areas you dont need both a MamaRoo and a Bjorn bouncer.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IugsUXAnYqBtntPL2L-3xfc7IdKE_O3SAk0rK8UgmNE/htmlview

Things you really need or that are practically necessary:
Diapers and wipes
car seat
Someplace for the baby to sleep
Some way to feed the baby
Something for the baby to wear
A rectal thermometer and vaseline/aquaphor

Things that are really helpful:
a changing pad
swaddling blankets
burp cloths
diaper creams
baby nail clippers

I do agree that even if you plan to breastfeed, get a bottle or two of ready-to-feed formula, just in case.

Anonymous wrote:Even if you are planning on breastfeeding, have a little formula and bottles. I exclusively breastfeed after the first week, but I needed to supplement in the first week when my milk was coming in. I know multiple moms who were in thr same boat. Having it ready to go saves you a stressed out trip to the store.

If you are planning on breastfeeding, look at your insurance. My pump was free from my insurance.

Diaper rash cream. Babies seem to respond to different cleans differently do get a couple different kids.

Make sure to have 0-3 clothes and not just Ns. Some kids grow out of thr Ns in a hot second.

Amazon is both your best friend and worst enemy in your first couple weeks. You end up buying stuff at 2 AM.

+1 Breastfeeding if that is what you are going to do does not have to mean that you never bottle feed. It's highly unlikely you will never give your child a bottle (though some people do that and that's cool!). But having been someone who resisted giving formula until 6 months, I am a big believer that a bottle of formula a day from early on can prevent a lot of stress and anxiety.

Even if you are planning on breastfeeding, have a little formula and bottles. I exclusively breastfeed after the first week, but I needed to supplement in the first week when my milk was coming in. I know multiple moms who were in thr same boat. Having it ready to go saves you a stressed out trip to the store.

If you are planning on breastfeeding, look at your insurance. My pump was free from my insurance.

Diaper rash cream. Babies seem to respond to different cleans differently do get a couple different kids.

Make sure to have 0-3 clothes and not just Ns. Some kids grow out of thr Ns in a hot second.

Amazon is both your best friend and worst enemy in your first couple weeks. You end up buying stuff at 2 AM.

Basics: Diapers, wipes, onesies, some burp cloths, safe place to sleep (like a bassinet), and a car seat to get you home from the hospital.

You will survive with just that, and can order other things that you find helpful. I would also say, have a rectal thermometer and some vaseline - anytime you call the doctor, they want a rectal temp, and that's not something you want to be running out to get at 3am.

I would say beyond that - I found velcro swaddles to be invaluable. Swaddling with a blanket is for suckers. The SwaddleMe is what we used.

Baby carrier or sling. Perfect for having your hands free while still making the baby feel held. My BFF loved the ring sling while I preferred my Tula Free to Grow.

Well, very little is truly "essential." A safe place to sleep is the main one.

Products that are not "essential" but to which I became weirdly devoted:

Ollie swaddle
gerber pre-fold diapers as burp cloths
skip hop folding changing pad
infantino music toys
freddie the firefly
boppy lounger
my breast friend pillow
ely waterproof sheets
lanolin cream
zutano booties
zipper footie pajamas
white noise machine

Diapers/wipes
Way to feed baby (bottles/formula or some breastfeeding advice preparation).
Car seat
Safe place for baby to sleep.

Those are the only absolutely essential things. Keep that in mind.

I'd add:
Baby nail scissors (not clippers)
Pajamas/clothes
swaddling blankets
burp clothes
Stroller you can clip your car seat into
Infant bath tub, baby wash, lotion (all unscented)

Hello everyone,

I am due in 2 months and am lost in the world of "newborn essential" items that are suggested everywhere. Surely, not all of these things can be essential! Can anybody who had a baby recently give me a list of what they found most useful. I fully understand it depends on family and baby but I am trying to get a better sense of what i should be getting without being wasteful.

Thanks very much in advance!