She knows she needs diapers and cute baby clothes and probably a bassinet. But you’ve been there before. You’ve got tips and tricks and know exactly what will help out the new mom most. Step away from the registry and shop from this baby checklist of items that the new mom will be eternally grateful for… once she realizes how much she needs them.
The baby checklist: 10 essential items
1. The Happiest Baby on the Block
This book by Dr. Harvey Karp should be required reading during pregnancy. If the new mom hasn’t heard of it, tell her to read it NOW.
If not now, then definitely after that first bout of inconsolable newborn crying. The 5 S’s explained in this book are the keys to calming a newborn.
Note: it comes in a DVD, too, with full swaddling instructions!
2. The NoseFrida Snotsucker
So, the reaction you’ll probably get when the new mom opens this at her baby shower is, “Wow… thanks so much… I think.”
Not the most glamorous gift, but this somewhat nauseating tool is a lifesaver when babies are congested. Far more effective than a bulb syringe and surprisingly more sanitary, the NoseFrida gently and effectively clears all of the snot and mucous right up to the sinuses, I’m pretty sure!
Warn her that this might be a two person job. Babies aren’t thrilled about having items stuck up their nostrils.
3. leggings!
Pregnancy, post-partum, um… regular life… we women are LIVING in leggings and comfy clothes these days, amiright?
Let me tell you– your new mama doesn’t have enough leggings. She doesn’t. She may think she ONLY has leggings and yoga pants, but guess what? They are going to soon be covered in spit up, formula, baby food, and they are going to be stretched and ripped and washed over and over and over again.
Treat her with some super high quality, CUTE leggings that will stand up to the demands of new motherhood and make her feel AMAZING in her post-partum body.
These are my absolute favorites (full disclosure: I’m a brand partner because I love them so much!)
Use referral code SavviGrace to shop here and feel free to email me if you need suggestions on the best fit and styles!
P.S. This is an incredible side business that you can do from anywhere! That includes while on maternity leave on the couch with a double-breast pump attached to your boobies. We mamas multi-task like nobody’s business, so ask me how you can wear cute leggings and make money at the same time! I’d love to help you do what I’ve done and add another stream of income to your family. Email me at grace@labormom.com and let’s chat.
4. A Postpartum care basket
Want to know my first field trip after my first child was born and we were home from the hospital? To CVS to pick up pads, witch hazel, and Epsom salts.
Even as an L&D nurse, I was unprepared for the discomforts of the postpartum period. Save the new mom a trip to the drugstore with a sweet basket carefully curated with some of these items:
- SOFT and absorbant pads
- Witch hazel pads (for a genius cost-cutting hack, show the new mom how to make your own with a bottle of witch hazel, cotton makeup rounds, and a resealable plastic container)
- Unfragranced Epsom salts
- An extra peri-care bottle
- Ibuprofen
- Topical anesthetic spray
5. A breastfeeding care basket
Same as above. There are so many little things you can give the new mom that will make the newborn transition period go just a little more smoothly… especially if she’s breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is HARD. It’s time-consuming and exhausting and sometimes painful. Put everything the new mama needs right at her fingertips with this thoughtful basket:
- Snacks and bottled water
- Lip balm
- A fun, trashy magazine
- Baby nail clippers (the best time to trim those little needles!)
- Breast pads (these are my favorites)
- Lanolin cream or organic coconut oil
- Nipple shield
- Hair elastics (also useful as a bracelet to remember what side she last fed baby on)
- Burp cloths
- Nursing tank (see next item)
6. nursing tanks
Before my first baby, I picked up a couple of nursing bras, but didn’t really know what size I would need, so I foolishly decided to just wait until after the baby came to get more.
A friend of mine was in the hospital at the same time, and she was wearing this amazing product– a nursing tank. I immediately enlisted a family member to go pick some up for me!
Trust me on this– these are indispensable. I also have a confession. My youngest child is two years old, and I’m still wearing them, haha! (Sexy, I know.)
Why are they so great? Well, first of all, they are comfortable. Daytime, nighttime, you can practically live in these (and you will).
Secondly, they work SO WELL for breastfeeding anywhere. You can layer any top over them and still be relatively covered if nursing in public. No flashing your sexy, postpartum muffintop, if you know what I mean.
That also means that you don’t have to buy ANY OTHER nursing tops if you don’t want to. I didn’t own any others– just layered my normal clothes over the tanks. What a cost-saver!
If you know the new mama’s general size, pick her up a couple before the baby comes (with a gift receipt, of course). She’ll be so grateful!
7. Wet bags
My sister-in-law gave me one of these when I had my first baby. I didn’t even know this was a thing. Boy, am I glad she did!
This wet bag has been a permanent fixture in the diaper bag. I can’t tell you how often it has saved the day when accidents happen. They are also brilliant for water activity days at the splash pad or pool when you need to bring home wet clothes or swimsuits.
Best part? You just throw the bag into the washer along with the wet clothing. I only wish that I had more of them.
(Sneak peek– this is one of the tips in my post A Busy Nurse’s Best Hacks for Speedy Power Pumping. Check it out here!
8. Diaper Caddy
I’m telling you– I must have some really great friends because this is another item I received for my first baby shower that I had NO CLUE to put on my registry. Four years later, it still holds a prime location on the changing table.
In the course of your baby’s life, you’ll change an approximate 4,000 diapers.
Yikes.
A little organization goes a long way.
Pro tip– use this instead of a gift bag to hold the rest of your new mama baby shower gift!
9. The Mommy Hook
This mommy hook is genius. Especially for those crazy grocery store trips when you are trying to juggle a newborn, a toddler, a diaper bag, keys, phone, coffee, and about 15 bags.
Pure genius! (BRB– updating my Amazon cart now…)
10. A selection of baby bottles
ESPECIALLY if the new mama is planning to breastfeed.
True story– this is how my husband had to feed my baby the first weekend I went back to work.
We then proceeded to spend about $100 on baby bottles/nipples, desperately trying to find one that he wouldn’t refuse.
The new mama definitely doesn’t know that she needs 1,001 different types of bottles… but she might call you in tears of gratitude in a few weeks. Here’s a short list of some of the best “breastfeeding-friendly” bottles:
- MAM anti-colic newborn bottles
- Comotomo Natural Feel Baby Bottles
- mimijumi Breastfeeding Baby Bottles
- Kiinde Breast Milk Storage Gift Set (This is the system that I used for my second baby, and I LOVED it. Direct from pump to freezer to warmer to bottle– so easy and minimizes contamination!)
- Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature
And… even with the best intentions, babies will still make their own choices. My picky first child ended up settling on this bottle. Always the classic.
No baby checklist can cover EVERYTHING, but these are some of the items that SAVED me as a new mom… and I hope they save you some time and sleep, too!
Do you have a favorite baby shower gift for new moms? What are your “must-have” items? Comment below!
Grace,
This is great! I love the idea of the breastfeeding and postpartum care baskets!! Totally pun worthy!
-Heather @ A Life In Labor
This is a great list! I am addicted to my nose frida. I’ve already converted a few blue-bulbers to the magic that is the SNOT SUCKER. It is seriously SO GOOD AT GETTING THE BOOGIES.
Thanks, Liesel! I think it should be hospital issued, don’t you? 😀
Receiving blankets are life as well as a baby closet or baby crib organizer