Now that Kennedy is nearly three months old, I thought I would share some of our newborn essentials, my must-have-baby items with you!  I am a very “less is more” type of person, especially when it comes to babies because they grow so fast!  Almost everything we have for Kennedy was used with Micheal, with the exception of some extra “girly” pink things.

I am a huge believer in borrowing or consigning some baby essentials, in order to save money so I can splurge on other items.  For example, I borrowed or consigned our Rock A Roo and Cradle ‘n Swing, Boba Wrap and bassinet.  I purchased the crib and changing table (for M), changing pad and boppy (I purchased new covers, sheets and bedding with K), pacifiers, etc.

Here are some of my must have (and have nots) newborn essentials:

Bedroom

Our kids sleep in our room in a bassinet until they are about 12 weeks old and then we transition them to their crib.  However, I do put Kennedy in her bedroom crib from time to time for naps.

• Bassinet: This was a consigned item that my mom picked up and sits next to my bed.  While I really wanted a “prettier” bassinet like this antique bassinet or this Graco Bassinet, the one I have does the job and I love that I can take out the built in mattress to wash it.
• Nested Bean Zen Sleep Sack: I LOVE ourNested Bean Zen Sleep Sack!  I didn’t have it when Micheal was born, but I received it as a gift for Kennedy and can’t get over how much better she sleeps when she has it on.
• Crib: Our crib is the Delta Children® Emerson 4-in-1 Convertible Crib from Target and served as Micheal’s toddler bed until we found out we were pregnant with Kennedy.  It’s pretty basic, but also gender neutral so we could use it for both boy and girl.
• Crib Mattress, Mattress Cover and Bedding
• Changing Table: Our changing table was gifted to us by my sister-in-law and it doubles as a dresser.  I love the double functionality and it’s character.
• Changing Pad/Changing Cover:  This is a must! I keep an extra (basic) changing cover underneath so if the top cover gets dirty, I can easily remove it and toss it in the wash.  I splurged and bought this pink gingham changing cover from Amazon and it seems to make changing a dirty diaper a little bit prettier.
• Sound Machine: Everyone in our family sleeps with a sound machine and it has helped so much!  We actually have one of these in each of our bedrooms.
• Humidifier: With Kennedy being born in the middle of winter, I am so thankful we have had this to add a bit more humidity to the air.  This is another thing that each of our bedrooms have.

Feeding

• Haakaa: The Haakaa is one of the coolest things I have purchased for Kennedy!  I am fortunate to have an oversupply of milk, so this pump collects milk from let down while I feed Kenndy on the opposite side.  Once you suction it to your breast, it draws milk out with no effort (manual breast pump!).
• Spectra Breast Pump: With Kennedy, I have the Spectra Breast Pump and with Micheal I had the Medela Pump In Style. Honestly, I don’t see much of a difference between the two. I haven’t needed to do much pumping with the exception of when my milk first came in and during my first wedding when Kennedy was 10 weeks. I like that theSpectra Breast Pump has a night light and is pretty quiet so I don’t wake Josh if I need to pump in the middle of the night.
• Boppy Nursing Pillow: I could not live without my boppy! I use a boppy water resistant cover as a barrier and purchased this Pottery Barn Boppy Nursing Cover when we found out that Kennedy was going to be a girl.
• Burp Cloths
• Baby Bottles: The Comotomo Baby Bottles mimic natural breastfeeding for newborns and resistant among many other things!
• Bottle Cleaner and Drying Pad
• Pacifiers: every baby is different! I recommend trying various pacifiers until you find one that your baby likes. However, some babies just aren’t pacifier babies and would prefer to suck their thumb instead (Micheal never took a pacifier, Kennedy has loved a pacifier and now is discovering her thumb… so we will see!)

Clothing

• Muslin and Knitted Blankets: I love the size and texture of the muslin baby blankets. We used Aiden and Anais blankets for Michael and I purchased these ones from Little Unicorn Official for Kennedy, they have the cutest girl patterns! We were gifted several crocheted in knitted blankets for both kids, which we seem to use more with Kennedy since she was born in the winter. I would recommend two muslin blankets and two warmer blankets.
• Basic White Onesies: I layer a onesie underneath all outfits. It acts as a protective layer for when baby overflows the diaper and it also adds another layer of warmth.
• Clothing: I am very much a less is more type of mom. We had about eight outfits on rotation for Kennedy’s first three months. Babies grow out of clothing so fast and so frequently that it didn’t make sense for me to spend too much money in this area.
• Socks

Bath and Hygiene

• Beautycounter Baby Bundle: Free of irritants and hidden, harmful ingredients, I feel so much better knowing I am providing the absolute best for K!
• Tub
• Washcloths
• Newborn First Aid Kit (with Nail Clippers, etc.): Nail clippers are a must! I am amazed at how quickly baby’s little finger nails grow. I would highly recommend packing nail clippers in your hospital bag a the hospital staff will not clip baby’s fingernails.
• Nose Frida: I did not use theNose Frida much with Micheal, but we have used it quite a bit with Kennedy. I can suction so much snot out (gross, I know!) and it actually seems to work better than the bulb we were given at the hospital.

Travel/Other

• Diaper Bag: I purchased a Kate Spade backpack this past spring that can easily be converted to a work bag after I no longer need it as a diaper bag. I have back up outfits, white onesies, diapers, wipes, a changing pad and extra pacifiers packed in the diaper bag at all times.
• Rear View Mirror: these are great for checking on baby when driving!
• Graco Pack and Play: we keep a pack and play that doubles as a changing table in the basement. The basement is where our play room is, so it make life easier if K needs to be changed while we are playing.
• Car Seat/Stroller: We purchased the Graco Travel System. We have a car seat base in both cars which makes travel easier depending on which car we choose to go in.
• Boba Wrap/Baby Bjorn Carrier: K is more of a fan of the Boba Wrap at the moment and it has truly been a Godsend! I have a feeling that once she grows she will likely be in the Baby Bjorn Carrier more often
• Bouncer and Swing: We keep the Cradle N Swing in our room and bring the bouncer between the main floor and basement. It helps to have various stations for baby to lie and a “changing station” on each floor.  This minimizes the need to run up and down stairs throughout the day.  While we do not currently have a rockaRoo, I have heard great things about it and am considering purchasing one.

Not Necessary

• Diaper Genie: The diaper genie add an unnecessary stink to the room. Now, we keep a handful of plastic grocery bags in the nursery.  After each diaper change, we tie off the dirty diaper and bring it to the trash bin in the garage.
• Wipe Warmer