As a mother and portrait photographer, I have encountered an endless amount of baby products. Today I am sharing my comprehensive list of newborn essentials that I could not live without when Chloe was a baby. I’ll also let you know what items I can definitely live without. When you and your newborn are feeling your best, it is easier to live in the moment and breathe in the newborn stage. 

Sleep Faves

First, let’s talk about my sleep recommendations. We struggled with Chloe’s sleep for so long, and I do not do well on little sleep. Here are my favorite sleep products to help get your little one snoozing through the night! 

• Taking Cara Babies Sleep Course and Blog
• SwaddleMe Velcro swaddle
• Kate Quinn PJ’s
• Kyte Baby PJ’s
  • We started using Kyte ROMPERS (just pjs without the feet) once Chloe was walking more (we have all wood floors and with her footies she was ALWAYS slipping). They are bamboo material and I LOVE THEM. Forever a fan.
  • We also buy our sleep sacs from there now, they have thicker ones, and since our house is always cold, we have the 1.0 tog and the 2.5 tog for the winter. 
• Target PJ’s
• Sleep Sacs
• Pacifier with stuffed animal attached
• Sound Machine
• Egg Light 
  • BEST BUY EVER. Just go buy this. It’s a touch light, you double tap to turn on/off and hold to dim/brighten. SO nice for middle of the night diaper changes.

Feeding Faves

This is such a hard section to write because every baby’s feeding journey is so different. And whatever your baby’s unique journey looks like is okay. You are an amazing mother, no matter how your baby is being fed. Here are the products that we used and loved with our daughter. 

• If exclusively pumping, I used the app Pump Log. It was PERFECT. Highly recommend. It does have an $8 one-time fee after you hit 50 entries, which is well worth the calculations it will do for you. If you log how many ounces you pumped, it will keep track of all of it and also tell you how many months your milk will last based on how much your baby is taking in. I pumped until the app said I had enough frozen to last 12 months, and then I stopped pumping because I had enough.
• Bottle Sterilizer 
• OXO Suction Bowl 
  • THE BEST bowl. It suctions SUPER well and there is no way a toddler could pull it off. It’s actual suction, not a “static” distributed suction.
• Kindred Bravely Nursing and Pumping Bra
  • I LOVED these bras. They had enough support but weren’t too tight to be painful and cause a clogged duct. It’s more expensive, but it’s well worth it if you’re pumping. I could pump in the car while driving without holding onto flanges.
• Target Nursing Bra 
•  I LOVE this bra. I’m still wearing it, even now, 16 months later. 
• Nipple Butter  
• Flange bag 

• Spectra S1
• Not my favorite: Warming Lactation Massagers
  • I think these were largely overpriced for what they were. I found that it was more effective for me to just warm my hands and then do a hand massage. My hands would cramp sometimes, but I usually got a better letdown with a simple hand massage.

Transportation Faves

Getting out of the house can feel impossible with a newborn. But, being stuck inside can be rough on both mom and baby! Here are my favorite transportation products. 

• Solly Baby Wrap 
  • Loved this wrap until she outgrew it at about 7 months old!
• Ergobaby Omni 360 
  • This carrier felt so much better on my back and was very simple to put on. 

• Zoe Stroller 
  • I love this stroller and would make this purchase again in a heartbeat. This stroller is only 10 pounds, and I can carry it with one arm and then carry her in the other. So easy to get in and out of the house. It looks like it isn’t currently available, but it is definitely worth the wait!
• Not my favorite: Chicco Keyfit 30
  • I think it was probably fine for a lot of people, but we lived upstairs, and I’m not a particularly strong person. The stroller weighs 20–30 pounds, and the car seat isn’t the lightest. We have already given it away, I would spend more money on something lighter. Also, if you can find a cheap bassinet insert for a stroller, I would recommend that.

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