The Happiest Doulas

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Essential Items for Baby and Which to Ditch

Cynthya Dzialo

by Cynthya Dzialo, certified Hypnobabies hypno-doula and CBI birth doula, childbirth educator, and owner of The Happiest Doulas

Having a baby is such an exciting time but we know it can also be overwhelming with so many choices to make during pregnancy. When considering which items to add to your gift registry, the baby aisles may seem enormous and have you wondering which items are really necessary to get. Check out our list of must-have essential items to get your nursery stocked and ready for your little bundle(s) of joy! For a more detailed list of "less major" items, check out our BabyList Registry.
 

4 Things You Can Do Without

  1. Wipes warmer. Having your baby get used to warm wipes at home won’t do much good when you're out and about and all you have are cold wipes.

  2. Bottle sterilizer. Hot soap and water or running the bottles through the dishwasher kills the germs just as well.

  3. Portable swing. Unless you travel a lot and want an easy swing to take along, this really isn’t necessary.

  4. Stuffed animal with womb sounds. These are much too quiet for baby.

12 Must-Have Baby Items

  1. Travel System (Infant Carset and Stroller combo)

  2. Pack n Play / Crib / Bassinet or rent or buy a SNOO (they have cribs too)

  3. Diaper pail

  4. Rocking chair

  5. Baby swing

  6. Swaddle blankets or Swaddle Me wraps; Halo and Sleepea are good choices too. Get a variety of brands/kinds to try out.

  7. Conair white noise sound machine; read why here

  8. Tommee Tippee bottles or try biomimetic bottles (and pump adapters) from Emulait

  9. MAM pacifiers or ones from Emulait

  10. Breast pump

  11. Baby monitor

We recommend creating only ONE online gift registry to include all the items you wish to receive. Add our Gift Card link to be gifted any dollar amount toward the purchase of doula services and childbirth classes. How cool is that?!

You can review our listing of suggested items that may aid your postpartum recovery.
 

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