Our List of Newborn Essentials When Prepping for a Baby

As we’re prepping for baby number two, we’ve learned a few things about baby items and what you don’t really need! Here’s a rundown of our must-have favorite newborn essentials.

photo of new born essentials to shop for

We’ve been getting a ton of questions about whether we plan to have baby number two share a room with Gwen or if we’re doing a separate nursery.

Gwen actually didn’t even sleep in her own room until she was WELL past the newborn stage. So rather than walking back and forth from a nursery or having the baby wake up Gwen (who’s already a rough sleeper), we’re just making a newborn corner in our room.

So now our bedroom is also a baby room! We don’t have a ton of extra space in our bedroom. So we’re keeping it to the absolute necessities, which is what we learned we couldn’t live without the first time around.

We’re sharing our must-haves and keeping most of them budget-friendly (the Snoo is a REAL expense!) and easily accessible by sharing items from Walmart Baby.

Our Bedroom Set Up

Before we jump right into our shopping list for our fave newborn essentials, we’ll give you a little walkthrough of how we have things set up so far.

We were lucky enough to be gifted the Snoo smart sleeper by a friend when we had Gwen. We have that as the bassinet near my side of the bed and the Owlet smart sock for easy use at night.

One thing we LOVED with Gwen was the Hatch nightlight and sound machine and their wipeable changing pad.

A wipeable changing pad is so much easier than dealing with washing a changing pad cover all the time. Highly recommend!

We’re also shameless and can’t resist a cute diaper print! We almost died from cuteness when we saw this cute clementine diaper pattern!

We also only bought one small package of newborn diapers because they definitely didn’t last long for us the first time around.

Since our other rocker is still in Gwen’s room, we snagged this soft Babyletto glider and ottoman for our room. We’re using the existing credenza in our bedroom (DIY tutorial for that coming soon!) to store all of the baby goodies, too.

We even bought a little step stool for Gwen to be able to peek into the bassinet to “help” out!

Our Favorite Newborn Essentials to Shop For

1 — Hatch rest sound machine and nightlight

It’s so convenient having one item for multiple uses! This nightlight makes midnight diaper changes easier and the sound machine is always soothing.

2 — Owlet smart sock and baby monitor

I don’t think I could sleep without this! We used it every single night with Gwen and it’s such a relief to know that baby is okay while you snooze!

3 — FridaBaby health set

You’ll get SO much use out of this newborn set!

4 — Diapers in sweet prints

Diapers are an obvious one, so they might as well be cute, too!

5 — Organic coconut oil

We used this for cradle cap, body lotion, and just general barrier cream for diapers

6 — Toddler step stool

This is the one we snagged for Gwen to feel like she’s involved and helping out.

7 — Fragrance-free baby wipes

Our kids didn’t stand a chance on having sensitive skin, so fragrance-free is a must.

8 — Diaper Genie

Never underestimate the power of disguises gross diaper smells

9 — Babyletto swivel glider

For late night rocking that matches most decor

10 — Marni metal base ottoman

Making Mom and Dad comfortable while rocking one stool at a time

11 — Snoo smart sleeper

An automated bassinet that rocks baby to sleep

12 — Pacifier and pacifier clip

We clipped pacifiers to EVERYTHING because they get lost so quickly otherwise!

13 — Zipper bodysuits

Since you change a newborn so often, I loved having a quick zipper for outfits.

14 — Burp cloths

Basically the universal newborn baby power tool

15 — Wipeable changing pad

So much easier than a changing pad that you have to wash the cover for

16 — Boon Nursh bottles

We loved this style of bottle that reduces gas but is still easy to clean.

17 — Baby wrap carrier

For having a set of free hands while you do household things or errands with baby

And for those asking about the decorative throw pillow, it’s so soft! Love it with this uber soft baby blanket too.

We’re feeling much more prepared now that we’ve busted out some of our favorite newborn essentials from storage! It’s crazy how nesting most just hits you like a brick wall, haha.

Almost 31 weeks and feeling good so far! Be sure to follow along on Instagram for more family life behind the scenes!

This post has been sponsored by Walmart in Partnership with RewardStyle, but all opinions are my own and we’re happy to work with them since they’re a platform we use regularly! Sugar & Cloth has chosen to donate 5% of all sponsored campaigns to charity, which you can read more about right here.

Please note that we may earn a commission for some of the above affiliate links. However, products featured are independently selected and personally well-loved by us!

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10 Comments

  1. Congrats on baby #2! I think it’s such a smart idea about creating a baby corner in your room. I have a few upcoming baby showers for friends and this list is perfect, thanks.

  2. Could not agree more on the changing pad! That thing was a game changer for us with out daughter. Fantastic must haves for a new born!

    1. Thanks, Billy! We seriously think every parent needs the peanut changer! You will always get pee and poop everywhere!

  3. Cute room! Love the decorating ideas! Some really great ideas on this list. Love it. If I could have one more I’d definitely be looking into getting most of the stuff you have listed.