Newborn “Must Haves” You Don’t Really Need

From the moment any new mom finds out she is expecting, the list of what you are going to need begins to grow. And grow, and grow because every mommy friend tells you that you need this and that, so naturally you buy it. And then baby arrives, and it sits on the shelf and is never used. So whats unnecessary for baby in the first 3 months? I’ve created a list of what I absolutely did not use during the first few months of baby’s life and i’m sharing it with you!

1. Cute outfits- Literally, if you’re planning on purchasing any expensive or cute outfits for baby, make sure you purchase them in a bigger size like 3-6 month. Newborn’s stay in sleepers for a few reasons. One being that they cannot regulate their body temperature just yet so they must be bundled up quite a bit. Now, use your best judgement here depending on the season in which your baby is born and the temp in your home. Second reason being diaper changes. The endless diaper changes will have you thankful for those easy to get in and out of zip up sleepers, so hold off on the cute outfits until baby’s bowl movements slow down a little. Third being they go through so many outfits in a day. The endless spit up and messy diapers will leave you going through 3-5 outfits in a day. Don’t worry, it slows down a bit around the 3 month mark. But for the first few weeks I felt like I was changing my newborn’s outfit every other hour. So again, something easy and comfy for baby is much more appropriate.
2. Shoes- Kind of goes with the cute outfits, but shoes are a total waste of money this young. First of all, baby’s feet will be so tiny that finding shoes to fit is almost impossible. Second, pointless. Baby can’t walk or crawl so no need for shoes. All they need are some socks or an outfit that covers their feet. Save the spending on shoes until baby really needs them.
3. Infant Car seat- Okay, this gets a little tricky here. When leaving the hospital I *THINK* baby has to be in an infant car seat, but in some states the laws vary, so check your state. Infant car seats are great. So great. Some click straight into the stroller, some are super light and easy to carry. I hate to interrupt this broadcast, but some babies HATE their carseats. Some babies cannot stand being in an infant car seat. But thankfully, there are now these super awesome convertible seats that can accommodate a newborn up to a full grown toddler. Talk about money saving? So if you’re a penny pincher and you don’t have to have the click in carseat stroller combo, save on the infant carseat and go straight for a nice convertible car seat that will last you for years! ***Mom lesson- infant carseats are NOT SAFE for baby to rest in while they are outside of the car or outside of the compatible click in stroller. Lots of moms do not know this but the reason they are unsafe is because while in the car on the base, they are sitting at the correct angle to make sure baby is in a proper position. Same with a compatible stroller. Once the seat is simply sitting in the floor or in the grocery cart or in a booth at a restaurant, your infant is no longer sitting in a safe and approved position to be sleeping in their infant car seat. PLEASE be cautious of this!***
4. Tons of swaddle blankets- If you can find a way to swaddle your baby in a single swaddle blanket and them not break out of that thing, crown yourself Mother of the universe. Go on, do it. It’s dang near impossible. I’ve tried every swaddle blanket on God’s green earth and it never fails, my little Houdini babies break right on out. So if you get tons at your baby showers, leave the tags on them, keep them put up and don’t use them until you realize you will need them. Because chances are, you won’t. You’ll end up buying a swaddle blanket that has velcro straps on it or something similar that will in fact keep baby swaddled. Just trust me!
5. Fancy baby bath wash and lotions- Newborn babies have super delicate skin. Most develop baby acne, get cradle cap and dry skin patches. Using scented baby bath and anything with tons of fragrance won’t do anything but aggravate babies skin and cause flair ups. Instead, stick with something fragrance free and clean ingredients. Nothing fancy. Save the bubbles for when they are a little older and will have fun!
6. Pacifiers- By listing this, I don’t mean you don’t need any. That would be setting you up for failure. What I mean is, don’t go out and buy multiples of the same one. Buy a few pacifiers of different styles, nipple shapes and sizes and when baby is here, try them one at a time. Babies are super picky with their paci. The one that worked best for my first child didn’t work at all for my second. So if you get a ton of different pacifiers at baby showers, keep them sealed up until baby is here. Once baby is here take out 1 or 2 and boil them and test them out. Once you know what they like, then go buck wild at target or amazon because you’ll lose about 1 a week.
7. Bottles- Totally personal preference here, but this hits back on the pacifier issue. Babies are picky. Super picky. Especially when it comes to their bottles. If you are planning on breastfeeding, chances are your baby will be even more picky. You will probably get tons at baby showers, but don’t open them. Same as the pacifiers, keep them sealed up until you know what baby likes. Some bottles have wide nipples and some are super small. Some bottles are better to keep babies intake of air down, some are easier to clean and some are just plan awful and leak. You never know what is going to work for you and your family until you try. But I strongly suggest trying one at a time, give baby a chance and see how they do. Don’t confuse them and use like 10 different bottles, pick one that works and stick with it. If you have tons of extra brand new laying around, return them to the store and buy what you need.
8. Newborn size diapers- Yeah.. I know what you’re thinking. But baby is going to be tiny. Yeah. Baby will be tiny for about 2 weeks and then they pack on the lbs and grow right out of them. So if you wind up with boxes and boxes of newborn diapers, i’m begging you- don’t open them. Save them and leave them in unopened boxes and only open them once you know how big baby is and how long they will be in them. Also, don’t go spend a ton of money on one diaper brand. We did this and found out quick that baby was allergic to that one brand of diapers. I always urge my mommy friends to buy a brand of diapers that are organic or without chemicals for at least the first few months while baby’s skin is adjusting to changes. Trust me, you’ll thank me later when you avoid seriously nasty diaper rashes due to chemical burns from diapers.