My necessities for the baby

There are so many things that a new mom can get, which is sometimes overwhelming and for sure cluttering.  Here's my list for things that I actually used in the first few months.  

Crib

(Somewhere to sleep.  I chose to start Emmett in the crib right away, so I could sleep without hearing all the noises babies make.  It was a bit of a battle, but very worthwhile to me.)

Crib sheets

(A couple, as babies can pee a lot, spit up, or poop while they're in the crib)

Pack-n-play

(If you will be traveling or your baby will be sleeping elsewhere, this is so helpful, especially when baby starts being more mobile.  Emmett slept on beds elsewhere sometimes, but can no longer, as he's now a mover!)

Sleep Sacks 

(For swaddling newborn-I used these for the first month or so, but so helpful!  The swaddling helped so baby didn't smack himself with his flailing arms and wake himself up.)

Onesies 

(white and fun ones)

Sleepers 

(and other footies for the daytime and warmer nights-Emmett wears these the most out of all his clothing options, it’s nice to have his feet covered and he kicks off socks so often)

Diapers/wipes

(We used disposables for the first bit, now we use pocket and all-in-one cloth diapers during the day and a good disposable for over night--12 hours of sleep makes for a super wet diaper!)

Diaper bag

(gotta have some type of bag for extra diapers and clothing changes for blowouts and toys and other things needed to carry around)

Car seat

(can’t leave the hospital without this one!  I like that ours goes up to 30 pounds, as Emmett was 18.5lbs at 6 months...)

Swing/bouncer

(great for when arms get tired or doing something that needs 2 hands, some kids don’t love these things, but Emmett did fine in them)

"Look at these cool TOYS, mom!"

Stroller

(Not totally a necessity I guess, but I liked having it for walks or going somewhere that I didn't want to be carrying the car seat or baby the whole time.)

Carrier

(Nice for going out when you don’t want to put the baby in the stroller while out or getting stuff done around the house)

Changing table

(or just a clean area for diaper changes.  We have Libby, so I preferred an actual table.)

Baby bathtub

(Keeps baby in one place and uses less water than the whole tub.  Babies don't need to bathe that often, so you could just hold baby in the sink or something too.)

Blanket

(for obvious reasons and uses-and for tummy time, as floors can be hard/dirty)

Burp rags

(Emmett was a spit-up-er, so these were needed to keep clothes somewhat clean)

Bottle

(Sometimes mom needs to leave the house or sleep, someone else can give baby a bottle.  We were advised not to give a bottle or pacifier before 1 month, to establish breast-feeding.)

Minimal amount of toys

(Emmett didn’t seem all that interested in toys until around 3-4 months, and especially when his gums started getting primed for teeth.  He doesn’t need a ton of options right now, as he doesn’t get bored with toys yet.)

Books

(Always good to read to a baby, helps with later education and building the brain.)

Things that I didn't have or didn't use:

Wipe warmer

(his little bottom got used to being wiped with a room temperature wipe real quickly)

Boppy pillow

(I thought that I was going to use this a lot, but found I didn't need it at all.  We sometimes use it while Emmett is awake, but less than 10 times in 6 months.)

The surplus of toys

(Everything is new to a baby, so the toys are a bit unnecessary.  We have a few, but didn't need a ton.)

Privacy cover for feeding

(A blanket worked fine, most of the time I didn't want to cover his face.)

All the cute newborn outfits

(Let's be real, I had Emmett in footies and sleepers unless we went somewhere.  It was just easier, since he woke up if a sock came off, and he was sleeping so much!)

Play mat

(Emmett is super content on a blanket, so the play mat didn't get used much.)

Bumbo chair

(I liked holding Emmett in a sitting position or having him on the floor for tummy time.  We now have borrowed one from a friend and Emmett's thighs are too big!  No biggie, as he's learning to sit up on his own now.)