Being the mother of three kids ages 6 years down to 15 months, I get asked a lot by new mothers about my must-have baby items.
So when my very favorite store, Target, approached me and asked if I’d like to partner with them to shop the huge baby sale they’re having now through Saturday, July 11th, I just knew it was the time to finally publish my list.
Plus, this sale is no joke, so I was delighted to get a gift card to buy some of the items I’d been eyeing, as well as to stock up on those I continue to use all the time with baby M.
My favorite deal of the sale?
Spend $100 and get a $20 gift card or spend $200 and get a free $40 gift card!
With that $40 giftcard and the everyday 5% discount I get with my Red Card, I got everything pictured above for under $200! Yipee!
Read on for what I got along with my full list of what you must have (and what you really don’t need) for baby…
Newborn – To Buy Right Away
Zip up Footsies – Fresh babies really don’t need (or really fit into) cute outfits. Get a couple packs of zip up footsie outfits and you’re pretty much good to go day and night. Note: the key element here is the zipper! Do not, I repeat, do not get the snap kind as trying to repeatedly fasten and unfasten 1200 snaps every time you change your baby is nothing short of maddening.
Short Sleeve Onesies – The other major clothing staple I recommend are a couple of packs of short sleeve onesies. These are so versatile as you can leave baby in them alone or add pants and a little cardigan in colder weather. Plus, they’re ideal under a swaddle as they don’t get too hot (overheating is something I thought about a lot as a new mama and I always left a fan on in baby’s room to help with SIDS prevention, even for my winter babies).
Diapers – Obviously, this is a no brainer. But I was excited to take advantage of the sale to finally try those adorable (and free of harsh chemicals) diapers from the Honest Company. Those bowties are killing me and this pack was also part of the buy 2 and get a free $10 gift card promotion – score!
Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment – And speaking of diapering, I highly recommend having at least one bottle of aquaphor on hand at all times. This stuff really is the best, most gentle stuff for dealing with diaper rash and other skin issues – hands down.
Miracle Blanket – And speaking of swaddling, great news, you don’t really have to learn how to do it! I highly recommend swaddling to help babies sleep and I became a pro with my first two. Nevertheless, as baby gets bigger, he inevitably breaks out of the swaddle more and more. I discovered the Miracle Blanket with M and couldn’t believe how much easier the whole process was AND how much harder it was for him to break free – a definite must have (I’d say you actually want two to account for any night-time blowouts).
My Brest Friend Delux Nursing Pillow – Suffice to say I have back problems and hunching over to breastfeed my babies has never been a good thing. This is the ONLY “pillow” that’s every provided the support I needed. Love, love it.
Cloth Diapers as Burp Cloths – It’s virtually impossible to describe to a parent-to-be how many times there baby will throw up on them in a single day. Which is why I pretty much lived with a cloth diaper on my shoulder at all times for the first 3 months. They’re cheaper than fancy birth cloths, get nice and soft when washed, and even work great as furniture cleaning cloths when baby is done needing them.
Fisher-Price Rock-n-Play – I didn’t discover this one until our 3rd baby and oh how I wish I’d had it for the previous two! It provides the perfect place to set baby when you need to get ready for the day, make dinner, put in some laundry, or just want to put her down while sleeping. It’s so light weight and easy to fold that I brought it up and down my stairs daily and baby M absolutely loved the inclined position he was in while in it (all three of my babies hated being flat on their backs).
Pack-n-Play – I’ve never been one to set up a pack-n-play in the middle of my living room for my baby to hang out in. Or maybe I should say, none of my babies have ever been happy in one if I tried to walk away. Nevertheless, these things do have their value. My oldest son used his as a bed right next to me as an infant and my youngest played in his in our bathroom while I got ready every morning. By far the best use for the pack-n-play, though is on-the-go sleeping. They are a must have for overnights anywhere away from home but also really great when you want to go see friends for the day and have the baby nap at their place.
Sound Machine – I was hesitant to use one of these white noise machines with my bigger kids for fear they would get used to the noise and wouldn’t be able to sleep without it. With baby M, however, his noisy and energetic siblings made it a must for nap time. I just pop this thing on it’s “ocean” setting and he can sleep through just about anything (did you know pink noise like that of the ocean is actually better for sleep than traditional steady white noise?). Also, my fear turned out to be unfounded as he still sleeps without it just fine too.
Baby Monitor – The question here is do you really need video or is audio enough? Our last home was small enough that we could hear the baby everywhere anyway and really didn’t feel like we needed a video monitor and so we just sticked to the standard audio version. Eventually we realized, though, that it’s kind of handy to be able to see things like whether baby is just a little upset (and likely to sooth back to sleep) or about to really get worked up. The video monitor we eventually got was also particularly handy when our first babies got big enough to start trying to climb out of their cribs.
Baby Bath Soap – We’ve alternate between Johnson & Johnson and Burts Bees and have been equally happy with both being super gentle on baby’s skin and eyes.
Hooded Baby Towels – I’m kind of “meh” on baby bathtubs. We used one similar to this and I liked how easy it was to sponge bath the newborns in it, but I probably just could have gotten by with bathing them in the sink too (actually, this has really caught my eye since M was a newborn). What I do really like, though, are those super cute hooded baby towels. Again, they aren’t totally necessary but they are kind of just the right size for those little bodies and the hoods do a great job drying their little heads.
NoseFrida Nasal Aspirator – There’s nothing worse than a stuffed up baby who can’t do anything to help himself (so sad!). Apparently they’ve been using this method for helping out baby overseas for years and – let me tell you – it works! And don’t worry, the snot totally stays in the tube!
Forehead Thermometer – Yes, this is completely worth it. When you’re worried about whether your baby has a fever it can be so frustrating trying to get an accurate armpit or butt reading. This is a 5 second swipe and you’re done. So easy – we use ours constantly on all three kids and they know a red reading is bad, green is good, and yellow is in-between.
Fisher-Price Space Saving High Chair – We really found this highchair so convenient through all three kids (and we’ve had the same one the whole time so the durability is high as well). The best thing about it for newborns is the reclined positions that allows them to just hang out there before they’ve learned how to sit up. We also love that we don’t have to make room for a whole highchair in our eat-in kitchen. We can just pop this guy on one of our chairs and if people are over and the baby isn’t at the table, we can pop it off and have our chair back for normal use. It’s also pretty portable in a pinch.
Ergo 360 Baby Carrier – All my mom friends absolutely loved their ergo, it’s so easy to get baby in and out of and the brand has always been known for being top-notch when it comes to keeping baby positioned most safely and comfortably. The only drawback was always that it couldn’t be used to wear baby facing outward when she got past the newborn stage. But that all changed with the “360” and now this really is THE baby carrier to end all baby carriers.
Snap-N-Go Stroller – We’ve always used Graco infant car seats (as most have our friends) and have always been very happy with them. Regardless of what type of carseat you go with, though, a super-duper, lightweight stroller like this that you can just snap the carseat directly into is an amazing thing! I love how compact and portable this stroller is and how it provides space to pile things in under the carseat and slung around the handles. It makes everything from quick errands to trips to the park with baby a total breeze because you don’t have to worry about taking him in and out of his carseat (especially nice if he falls asleep).
Changing Pad & Wet Bag for the Diaper Bag – My current diaper bag is this Skip Hop Model, which I really like because it has lots of pockets but doesn’t necessarily scream “diaper bag”. Also it has an included changing pad which is a must when out and about – you DO NOT want to be stuck changing baby directly on a bathroom changing station anywhere, ever. And you can use it for changing on the living room floor at home (You DO NOT need to buy a changing pad, they’re kind of a waste of money in my opinion along with diaper pails)…One more must-have item for the diaper bag is a simple wet bag. They are so, so convenient for sealing up wet clothes and soiled diapers when you don’t have somewhere to dispose of them. And they’re great for the beach and swimming at the pool too!
Portable Hand Sanitizer – A total diaper bag staple – gotta protect that precious baby! I picked up a great portable size from Honest during the sale (we love all things Honest around here) as well as these cool hand and face wipes.
Older Baby – Sitting Up & Eating Finger Foods
Soft Shoes – I never bother with shoes (or socks for that matter) until my babies become mobile. And then I really like these soft leather-like shoes with a little elastic around their ankles once they start moving around. My babies never really pulled them off and they provided just a little more coverage/protection for their feet when we were outside.
Bumbo Seat – This seat that kinda props baby up into a sitting position can be really handy when you need to get stuff done as it lets your baby see what you’re up to and the world around him while safely contained on the floor. (Plus, I have an uber cute pic of each of my three kids sitting in one as a baby.)
Baby Banana Training Toothbrush – This is another one I’m ashamed to admit it took me until my 3rd baby to discover. It’s a soft, 100% Food Grade silicone training toothbrush for kids under 2 years of age that’s perfect for teething as well as brushing the first few emerging teeth with water. Baby M loved to grasp it and chew on it all through out the day.
Convertible Car Seat – It’s a sad but inevitable day when baby outgrows that super convenient portable carseat. All three times it’s happened to us, we’ve gone for the Britax Marathon as our upgrade. It comes highly recommended by both safety experts and my personal car-seat-guru-m0m-friend! (Side Note: You can see from the picture above, we also nabbed a booster seat for our big kid at a great price during the baby sale!)
Baby Travel Placemat – So many restaurants use those wooden highchairs with no tray, leaving baby with no choice but to eat directly off the table (eww!) or end up throwing a plate (you know it will happen). This portable placemat rolls up into the diaper bag and is a great way to give them a clean surface to eat on while out and about – it works great on picnic tables too.
A High Quality Umbrella Stroller – Once baby has outgrown their portable carseat, it’s time to upgrade strollers too and I find a really light weight one is a must-have. We just bought this one at the sale and I’m super excited about using it for the park. I love that it has all the convenience and ease of an umbrella stroller but has a really nice and big storage area underneath the seat, a large sun shade, and even a cup holder. It looks and feels really durable too.
Mum Mums – This little rice wafers are like nectar from the Gods to my babies. So much so that “mum mum” was one of baby M’s first words! They completely dissolve in baby’s mouth so I never have to worry about choking and are great for teething. They’re also great anytime baby is having a moment and needs a little bit of a distraction!
Fruit & Veggie “Crushers” – This our family name for any of the multitudes of fruit and veggie baby foods that come in a squeezable pouch. The reason we call them this is because we don’t reserve them for just the baby – my 4 and 6-year-olds also snack on them regularly. Regardless of age, these things are a tremendous way to get veggies (we only buy the flavors that contain a combination of fruits and vegetables).
Snack Catchers – Once baby can feed herself, she likes to do it on the go. This can be great for getting out of the house and getting things done, but can also be a huge mess unless you get one (or five) of these to keep on hand.
Sippy Cups – The search for the perfect sippy cup that your baby can hold, and drink from, and that doesn’t leak is like the search for the Holy Grail. We have been through SO MANY. This Gerber Graduates version with the handles is the only one baby M will drink from consistently.
There are lots and lots of other adorably precious things you can buy for baby but this is my list of most valuable, total-work-horse items.
Hope you found it helpful and I’d love to hear about your favorites in the comments too!
*This post was sponsored by Target and contains affiliate links but all opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support MPMK!
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