What you REALLY Need...

Every new mommy has 2 lists:

The list of things she thought she needed AND the list of things she actually ended up using. And it's every new mommy's responsibility to pass that info along to the next new mommy.

If you're a new mommy, too, then for sure you're busy with your brand new bundle of baby love, so let's skip right to the list of stuff you're actually going to need, k?

Onesies. Lots & lots of onesies. Babies live in these and they grow out of them very quickly.

A Nipple Brush. You've got to clean your bottles but the nipples must be cleaned especially well. Dr. Brown's bottles come with a small wire cleaner especially for nipples.

A Microwave Sterilizer. You've got to sterilize everything before you use it so a sterilizer like the one Avent makes is a great find. You can sterilize bottles, nipples, paci's, etc., right in the microwave. 5 minutes and you're done.

Burp Cloths & Bibs. Babies are messy. 'Nuff said.

Receiving Blankets. At least 2 large ones so you can swaddle your baby. Swaddling saved us many a sleepless night. Lil man has been sleeping through the night since he was 4 weeks old and it's because we only swaddled him at nght. It helped set him up in his bedtime routine. Swaddling = sleepy time.

Enfamil Travel Packs. If you're formula-feeding, these are a life-saver. They come in packs of 20 and are good for 4 oz. bottles.

Diapers.

A Rectal Thermometer. You WILL have a fever scare and you WILL need to have an accurate temperature reading. Rectal thermometers give the most accurate reading.

Baby Tylenol (Acetaminophen). Great for the fever that ensues after baby's first shots.

A Humidifier. Lil man has had a couple of colds and the humidifier is a huge help.

A Baby Swing. The swing was an integral part of our bedtime routine in the beginning. He no longer needs it to go to sleep but it's great for when I have laundry to fold or dinner to make, too.

Carseat/Stroller Combo. Graco makes a great pair. The car seat locks right into the stroller so you can take the baby anywhere right from the start. I don't know about you, but car seats with babies in them are heavy. Because he's still so little, I usually leave the car seat locked into the stroller. All I have to do is strap him in and I'm out the door. And when I have errands to run, I just take the car seat out, put it in the car and fold the stroller up. I don't have to figure out how I'm going to carry the carseat & baby, my purse and whatever shopping bags I've accumulated either. I pop open the stroller, snap lil man's seat in, and throw the bags in the stroller's storage bin. Easy As Pie.

That's the bulk of my list. Baby nail files, saline drops and the bulb aspirators that the hospital give you also deserve an honorable mention.

What did I miss?

Share your must-haves in the comments section.

Thx!
MAK