When I was pregnant I scoured the internet looking for a list like this, so I thought I'd share ours! These are the absolute essential (and a couple of non-essential) items we've used so far with our 2-month old baby girl. For some this might be excessive, for others not enough but this has worked great for our family.
*Edit to add for context: our little girl was born in early spring on the west coast of the US. I’m breastfeeding and supplementing with pumped milk.
Clothes
4-5 swaddles/sleep sacks
Simple long and short sleeve onesies. (Long sleeves w/ mittens will prevent scratching.)
A couple of pairs of pants with footies
2-3 pairs of footie pajamas with body length zippers
A few fun outfits (we did not use these in the first month, but fun to have around as they get older)
1-2 beanies
1 sun hat
2 warm jackets
1-3 blankets
1-2 muslin swaddles
Gentle laundry detergent
Changing Station
Surface for changing pad (We use a dresser we already had)
Changing pad
Portable changing pad (We have this one for the living room and to take on the go)
Wet bag (To contain dirty diapers/onesies on the go)
Diapers
Wipes (Costco has good multi-packs)
Gentle hand sanitizer
Diaper pail (We love this one bc it’s steel so it keeps odor in and doesn’t require special bags)
Feeding
Burp cloths! Have many on hand, you will go through a lot.
Breast pump (If you have insurance, apply to get covered here. Ours was covered 100%!)
Bottle warmer (Soooo underrated in our opinion! We were told by many we would never use it, but it gets used daily. We love ours!)
Nursing pillow (Not totally essential – I use a rolled-up blanket to use for arm support or a normal sleeping pillow)
Sleep
Bassinet or crib (We got the Halo Bassinest on marketplace and it's worked well. We also have a Moses Basket out in the living room for naps and to safe place to set baby down)
Tylenol (Get child Tylenol, it's exactly the same as infant Tylenol and a fraction of the cost. ETA: apparently this is only the case in the US, please consult your pediatrician first)
Lactation supplements (I use Gaia, as recommended by my lactation consultant.)
I was gifted this postpartum kit which was great, but you'll also get a lot of things from the hospital which they'll likely let you take home. These are the absolute essentials from that kit IMO for a vaginal birth:
@praisethelord12 Can I just suggest for mamas post-partum to seriously consider adult diapers? They were way more comfortable than maxi pads for me! I had them on hand anyway because those last few weeks were tough on the bladder
@proudchristian1884 I did! I used them before, during, and after. 100% recommend. I got a two months period postpartum and I was so grateful for them. I would have used so many pads! I also didn't have to worry about leakage. Not once did I get any on the sheets. I use Thinx. They also have a thong which was perfect for the leggings that have become my SAHM uniform.
@rickylovesjesus Yes! I used diapers for about a week and a half after birth. My husband then informed me I had a diaper butt and I promptly switched to maxi pads.
@rickylovesjesus My grandmother used to wear adult diapers because she had a bad bladder (childbirth, in the 60s and she was in her 30s) she ordered the wrong things, so she got pads instead of pull ups. She passed away 4 years ago and we still have a big boxful. Well omg they are better than maternity pads or maxi pads. I took nearly a bag full to hospital and these helped more then the pads the hospital had. Even the midwives agreed that they where better. I’m still wearing them and I’m nearly 4 weeks pp.
@gcook I had a c section. Tried the always discreet but to me it seemed like they stuck to the tape they put over the stitches. I preferred oversized cotton granny panties with a pad in it. I needed my undies to go way over my incision or under.
@gcook I bought a box of the always diapers and they were very comfy other than the fact that they sat right on my incision. They would’ve been great for a vagina delivery but I had to ditch them because my incision was so sensitive. High waisted period underwear (get them a little bigger and higher than you think you’ll need bc you’ll swell from the csection and if they roll down you’ll be in a lot of pain) or high waisted undies with all day pads were the way to go for me personally. Also tight high waisted leggings (lulu align) to help press on your belly because it’ll feel like a bowl of jello but the recommended binders also sit right on the incision and are MISERABLE at the end of the day especially if you’re sitting all day feeding a baby. Again, maybe size up bc you’ll retain a lot of fluid from the csection. I retained 15-20lbs of just fluid that I didn’t have going I to the surgery but I also labored for 72 hours first so that definitely contributed. DM me if you need any other csection advice. I didn’t expect to have one and was caught totally off guard and unprepared and tried a dozen things before I figured it all out. I’m totally happy to help in any way I can bc no one tells you what the first two weeks post surgery are really like. The pain isn’t as bad as the weird ab muscle weakness and fluid retention imo.
