Baby Essentials for the First 3 Months

There are just 16 things that are essential for the first 3 months with your baby. Maybe even less! Now as a mom of 2, these are just a few things that I can promise you will need. I’m not talking things that will make your life easier (although they will). I’m talking BABY ESSENTIALS you are going to use in the first 3 months.

Feeding Baby Essentials

• Baby Bottles – Whether you are breastfeeding or formula feeding, you’re going to need some bottles. It’s always good to have some bottles on hand just in case, even if you plan to exclusively breastfeed! We’ve loved using these Dr. Brown’s bottles for both of our babies. Quick tip! If you’re trying to stick to breastfeeding, go with the slowest flow nipple to mimic the flow from your breast! Typically, Dr. Brown’s bottles come with Level 1 flow so you might want to purchase some Premie Nipples, too!

• Bottle Brush – If you’ve got bottles and pump parts, you’ve going to need a brush! A bottle brush will get every nook and cranny of each piece (and there are a lot of pieces)!

• Bottle and Pump Part Sterilizer – Okay, this isn’t 100% necessary. We did things the old fashioned way when my first daughter was born… a pot of boiling water. Eventually, my husband bought me the Baby Brezza Baby Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer for Mother’s Day (gee babe, thanks). But seriously, this was a game changer in how sterilized bottles and my pump parts. This Baby Brezza Bottle Sterilizer and Dryer was 100% worth it!

• Hands Free Wearable Breast Pump – Having a hands free pump has made my life so much easier. I do not hesitate in urging you to get one for yourself. There are tons on the market, but I recently purchased the Momcozy s9 for a work trip. I have since used it for every pump session here at home because it just makes life that much easier. I don’t need to be tied to a wall to pump. I also have the Blue Spectra. Even with that, I feel like I’m pretty limited in what I can do while pumping. GO HANDS FREE, get a wearable! I did get the Elvie when I breastfed Penelope. Honestly though, I feel that the Momcozy is a more affordable option with an even greater output power! This might not be considered necessary for some people, but at the very least you will need a breast pump! Remember, most breast pumps are covered by insurance!

• Breastmilk Storage Bags – If you do plan on pumping, you’re going to need somewhere to store your milk. I’ve always used the Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags.

Sleep and Changing Baby Essentials

• Pack and Play Nursery Center – I put it on our registry for baby #1 without really knowing what it was. Someone bought it for us but I wasn’t really excited at first. I didn’t think it was anything we needed because we had a crib. (Bless my little first time mama heart). Then my husbands cousin gave us their pack and play. Which means we had two of these things. We kept one downstairs and upstairs as recommended by several moms in our family. That of course is not necessary, but it was incredibly helpful. WE USED IT EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR 6 STRAIGHT MONTHS! Both pack and plays we got were nursery centers (from two different brands but looked nearly identical). We used it for sleep when they were newborns in the bassinet. Then, we used the main pack and play mattress for sleep as infants. It also comes with a changing station and rolls for easy portability. It breaks down for travel, too! We took one with us for travel and made sleeping while away from home easy too! We currently have it at our bedside and it’s where River sleeps now.

• Sleep and Play 2 Way Zip Pajamas with Cuff Mittens – Yes, that’s oddly specific… but let me tell you why. Sure, you might see a few outfits that are just too adorable to pass up. Your baby is going to live in sleep and play pajamas for a solid 3 months (and quite possibly beyong). You’re going to want to stock up on these! I’d say maybe 5 or 6 in each size from newborn up til 6-9 months at the very least. Why 2 way zip? Because it’ll make diaper changes less of a nightmare in the middle of the night. Why cuff mittens? Because you’re going to want to keep those wittle hands warm when they sleep. But also, their fingernails grow incredibly fast. God forbid you don’t cut them on time, they will scratch themselves while self soothing back to sleep. Just get the ones with cuff mittens. Take my word for it.

• Gentle Detergent – With our first baby, we chose Dreft because it seemed like everyone used it. Yes, it smells AMAZING and I wish my baby smelled like Dreft forever! However, it’s impossible to tell how your baby gets a rash if you’re using multiple detergents in the house. Now, we use Tide Free and Gentle for EVERYTHING in our house. This includes our baby’s clothes and blankets and sheets and all of the above. Like I said, I love me some Dreft! But things can get sort of expensive when you’re buying two different detergents for the home.

• Diapers and Wipes – Whether you go for disposable or cloth, you’re gonna need them! Your baby will go an abnormally excessive amount of times. So you’re going to need diapers, and a lot of them. I always suggest doing a diaper raffle for baby showers! That way, in addition to registry purchases, it encourages your guests to also bring a box of diapers. If you’re lucky, you’ll have boxes left over from your shower for a whole year! And don’t forget: you can always exchange unopened boxes! Usually, Walmart and Target are good about exchanging unopened boxes for another size or brand. Most of the time you won’t even need the receipt!

• Ubbi Diaper Pail – It is truly odor locking AND A FAR BETTER CHOICE OVER THE DIAPER GENIE. We had the Diaper Genie with our first baby, and it was all fun and games until we introduced solids. Every time we opened the pail, a whiff of 10,000 soiled diapers blasted us straight in the face. The problem is that the odor would linger even after closing the pail lid. We haven’t introduced solids to River yet. But so far we have had zero odor issues when using the Ubbi Steel Odor Locking Diaper Pail. To give some reassurance though, sometimes we throw Penelope’s diapers in there (we haven’t mastered potty training yet). As long as the pail is shut, there is no diaper odor! So far so good!

Hygiene Baby Essentials

• Adjustable Baby Bathtub – I would definitely recommend one with a sling for the first few baths. But a bathtub that your baby can grow in is definitely an essential! This is the one we use. River outgrew the sling after the first month, but she loves splashing in it now for every bath!

• Gentle Bath Cleanser and Lotion (and yes… the Tubby Todd All Over Ointment) – So it’s inevitable: you’re going to bathe your baby. And when you do, you’re going to need products that are gentle enough for their delicate skin. We’ve tried A LOT! I’ll leave the brand choices up to you. We have been using Aquaphor gentle baby cleanser for baths because we had some samples left over. Aquaphor is also a brand that our pediatrician highly recommends. And so is Tubby Todd! The Tubby Todd Lotion and/or Tubby Todd All Over Ointment are our go-to for moisturizing. While Tubby Todd is a little on the pricier side, I promise the All Over Ointment is a miracle cream! It calmed River’s baby acne in just 3 days! I ran out of the Everyday Lotion, so now we’re just using the All Over Ointment after every bath. A little goes a long way, so again… we are 4 months in and there’s still half a jar left!

• Nasal Aspirator – While we didn’t use this every day, we still found it necessary for both our baby and toddler. We’ve tried a variety of different kinds: the bulb, the Nose Frida, and the Noze Bot. I did collaborate with Dr. Noze Bot before having our second baby. I really liked the suction power of the NozeBot. We used it for Penelope in her toddler stage when I came across the product. With our 4 month old, I’ve found that it just didn’t do as good a job as the Nose Frida. I think it’s because with electric nasal aspirators, it blows just a tiny bit of air when it isn’t sucking. This would bother my baby any time I tried to get close to her face. While I do love the NozeBot for my toddler because she keeps still when I use it, I would say at the very least, get the Nose Frida. It’s more affordable. And our baby will have a better time letting you suck the snot out than with an electric one. Let me know if you’d like a full review of the NozeBot! I’ve got more to say about it after having used it for more than a year!

• Electric Baby Nail Filer – Nothing brought me more anxiety than cutting a newborn’s nails. Seriously, when I had Penelope… I used nail clippers and cut the poor baby’s actual finger. LIKE… HER ACTUAL FINGER. She was a little over 2 months and I felt like the absolute worst mother in the world. This time around, I opted for this electric nail file kit. It’s safe and gentle to use on your baby’s nails AND it comes with a built in flashlight. You have the best visibility each and every time you are filing your baby’s nails. I also like that it’s soft, so there’s no filing into the nail bed itself. It’s quiet enough to file your baby’s nails while they are sleeping. For me, that’s the BEST time to trim their nails! This set comes with extra replacement heads. We’re 5 months in and I haven’t found a need to replace the heads yet. Trust me, this is ABSOLUTELY essential!

Travel Baby Essentials

• Diaper Bag – This is the ultimate baby essential that will absolutely be used in the first 3 months (and beyond)! Seriously, well into the toddler years if you really need it. This is the one I used for Penelope and now with River. I make sure to keep it stocked with enough diapers to last a day and a half. I also pack wipes, a change of clothes, zip locks for mistakes, and any other necessities you may need. I have a blog post that may be helpful in understanding just how far your diaper bag will go!

• Car Seat – This is an absolute essential to even leave the hospital with your baby. There are two types of car seats to consider: an infant car seat or a convertible car seat. With an infant car seat, you can take your baby out of the car while they are in their seat. These are great with systems where you can typically attach the car seat to a stroller. An infant car seat has weight and height restrictions that limit how long you’ll be able to use the seat. An all-in-one convertible car seat converts from rear-facing to forward-facing when the child is ready to turn. The seat stays in the car though, so you’d have to have a separate stroller with its own seat. Most all-in-ones can be used as a booster, so you get more use out of it. We opted for an infant car seat for both babies since we’ve used stroller systems. We purchased a convertible car seat when our first baby outgrew the infant seat.

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Honestly, everything else is for convenience! And I really took my time going through my original Baby Registry Must Haves list to vet out the fluff. Everything that I listed today are things that I cannot see myself going without in the first 3 months. Well, I’d probably even go far enough to say that the diaper pail isn’t really essential. I’m sure a regular trashcan would work. But I’m really trying to save you from the smell, friend. The smell of a baby’s diaper can get pretty foul… trust me.

I hope you found this list of essential baby items for the first three months helpful. If you did, let me know in a comment or share it with a friend!

Un besito,

Rocío