I’m a believer that you really don’t need that much stuff for a baby. There is a very excessive amount of marketing targeted towards new parents, so I’ve made this guide to help you understand what you need. If there's something on your mind that you are considering purchasing or adding to your registry and you’re wondering if you’ll really need it, please never hesitate to reach out and ask.

Bottles and Pacifiers

The most important thing to look for when choosing a bottle for your baby is the nipple shape. Kaylee Rabaja, IBCLC, RN has a great blog about this that you can read here. In her words, here is why the Triangle Test is something every parents of an infant should know about: “Bottle nipples that pass the Triangle Test™ promote a deeper, more comfortable latch. This supports a more effective feeding mechanism for infants. Proper latch and bottle choice can help infants feed efficiently, which is an important part of supporting the breastfeeding relationship. Research shows different feeding methods may influence oral motor development and feeding skills. The Triangle Test is intended for use as an educational tool to help parents evaluate bottle nipple shapes. The Triangle Test is not meant to diagnose or predict developmental outcomes.

Most importantly, whether or not an infant is breastfeeding, latching at the breast is the biological norm and encourages typical oral development. This forms the foundation of choosing a baby bottle. In other words, latching is the way your baby was designed to feed. When a baby has to use a bottle, we want to select a bottle nipple that supports similar feeding patterns and helps infants engage oral muscles appropriately. However, figuring out which bottle will best help support this can feel impossible, considering every bottle markets itself as ‘breast-like’ or claims to ‘mimic the breast.’”

Recommended Bottles

You don’t need to purchase several different bottles, any of these are great! If you are planning to primarily breastfeed, I suggest having 3 or 4 bottles on hand. If you plan to exclusively bottle feed, 12 bottles should be sufficient so that you only need to wash them all once daily. You can click on any of the pictures below and it will take you to the Amazon link, but there are many other places you can buy them.

Recommended Pacifiers

The same test can be applied to pacifiers to promote good oral function for your baby. Having 3-6 pacifiers is appropriate.

Exclusive Bottle Feeding

For the families that are not planning to nurse at all, a bottle washer can be a huge time saver, but it is certainly not necessary.

The Eufy S1 Bottle Washer is the only one that is TUV certified to wash, sanitize, and dry your bottles and pump parts.

Lactation Supportive Products

The Elvie milk collectors are great because they don’t have suction. The Haakaa does have suction, so using it is like pumping and it can lead to an oversupply. The Elvie is a great option to tuck into your bra as you’re feeding your baby on the other breast to catch your let down.

Reusable nursing pads are good for your breast (breathable) and the planet.

Silverettes (or any other brand of silver nursing cups, just make sure they’re actually silver) are really wonderful for sore or inflamed nipples in those early days.

These ice packs are great if you have a bout of mastitis.

Medical grade honey does a great job at healing cracked or bleeding nipples when you’re learning how to nurse your baby.

Pumping

Most pumps come with flanges (the part that fits over your nipple) that are far too large. Having a properly fit flange is key to efficient pumping and your comfort.

This kit comes with a ruler to size your nipples and several flange options. You can also ask your IBCLC to size you for flanges after you have your baby. Your nipples may change in size. so having a few options isn’t a bad idea. These flange inserts can be put into any pump.

The Spectra S2 is THE pump. Nothing else on the market compares to it. The S1 is also great (the pink one), but it must be plugged in so you have less portability.

Eufy makes the best handsfree pumps on the market. This one comes with flange inserts so you don’t need to buy them separately.

The Medela Harmony is a simple, effective, affordable hand pump.

Other Baby Essentials

Wrap carriers like the Solly Baby, Moby, and Boba wraps are the only ones I recommend for newborns. They’re easily customizable to your body and the size of your baby.

A bedside bassinet like this one is really great for having baby close to you at night, but still in their own sleeping space. You can often find used ones on Facebook Marketplace.

I do not recommend buying a Snoo. They can be really disruptive to your baby’s biology. Pediatric occupational and physical therapists do not recommend them because of the issues that often come with it, like torticollis, feeding difficulties, and more. When you use the Snoo, it rocks baby back to sleep at the slightest disturbance, which makes it so you’re missing their early feeding cues. This can lead to excessive weight loss in your baby. It can also make the middle of the night feedings more difficult, because by the time your baby gets past the rocking of the Snoo, they are really upset and overly hungry.

An electric nail file like this one is helpful. Filing your baby’s nails can be quite the task and this makes it a bit easier and quicker.

A sitz bath is an insert for your toilet that you fill up with warm water to soothe your perineum after giving birth vaginally. You can also purchase herbs to add into your sitz bath for extra healing.

Other basics:

Diapers
Wipes (you don’t need a wipe warmer, they don’t work)
Diaper trash can
Muslin burp clothes
Baby blankets
Baby clothes (get these second hand)
Diapers for you postpartum (Depends are great)

You’ll leave the hospital with Dermoplast, pads, cold packs, and lots of other items for your perineum. See what works for you before purchasing more. The hospital will also provide prescription ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and stool softeners on discharge.

Baby and Postpartum Essentials