A New Mom’s Baby Shopping Checklist

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Updated July 26, 2017

When I found out I was pregnant with Maisy I poured over resources.  I blame college.  Before college I went with my gut.  Before college I didn’t have to scour reviews and professional resources just to buy something like a bib.  I laugh at myself.  I tell myself to stop.  But I don’t.  I keep on researching and what could have taken 10 minutes to purchase eats up 2 hours of my time.  The products of my research are some great buys. For all the green and/or natural mommies out there I now divulge the products of that research.  My hope is that maybe this can be your one stop shop!  Yes, every baby is different, but not this kind of different.  If your heart aligns with mine, even most of the way, then you should feel super duper great about purchasing ALL the items below and/or putting them on your registry – I wholeheartedly believe that each of these items will be a guaranteed favorite of yours.  If you get all these items into your arsenal at the time specified you will progress through early parenthood without a hiccup. (Ok so you’ll feel some bumps but not because you were unprepared!)

Now to share my heart.  I have a few #1 goals in life: one, to use my time wisely by choosing to love those I’ve been given to love to the very best of my ability and to work hard along the way; two, to live simply; three, to be a good steward of the things God has given me.  I seek honor all of these goals in my walk through motherhood as well as in general life.

Be a good steward of the things God has given you.  What global issue concerns you the most?  For me, it’s our environment.  This major conviction to serve God by serving the environment causes me to pursue things like cloth diapering, hanging my clothes out to dry, growing my own food as much as possible, buying local food when I can’t grow it, supporting only the businesses that do their best to serve the bettering of the environment (see Better World Shopping Guide, it changed my life), composting, recycling, sourcing my goods from sustainable vendors, to not live in excess and only obtain only the things I really need, and not eating animal byproducts that cruelly treat the animals or harm the environment.

Live simply.  I spent 5 months living with a host family while studying in Africa.  For me, that opened my eyes to the excess that litters the homes of Americans.  Because of this, I strive to have less.  To have only what I need.  And when it comes to a baby you’ll find the faze is so short that it is a massive waste of time and space to buy more than you really need because they only use it for a short while!

And now, for the list!  All of these items deserve some words of explanation as to why they are so awesome but in the interest of keeping the list as simple as possible I’ve only made simple notes where needed and will write separate blog posts for items like cloth diapers.  It is also possible I forgot something here so if that is the case you can expect an update when I realized the forgotten item.

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Some of the items listed below are pictured in these pictures above!

Special items for the Birth

These are the most useful for a home birth but are also great to have for a hospital birth while you’re laboring at home.

For You

For your Newborn

  • car seat with stroller
  • dozens of flannel cloth wipes (easy to make too, an awesome friend made all of mine)
  • 9 Best Bottoms diaper covers
  • 21 Best Bottoms small microfiber inserts
  • 4-5 Best Bottoms small hemp inserts (for doubling)
  • several prefolds old style (use for burp cloths now and potty training accidents later)
  • 2-3 bottles
  • electric breast pump (for the working moms especially, check to see if your insurance covers this, mine covered 80% of the cost)
  • Dr Bronners unscented soap (for bathing and homemade wipes)
  • olive oil (for mild diaper rashes)
  • coconut oil (for lotion)
  • Boudreaux’s Butt Paste or other natural zinc oxide ointment (for bad diaper rash)
  • 1 hooded towel
  • 1 pack of Norwex Bamboo Baby Washcloth Wipes
  • baby brush and comb
  • baby nail clippers or scissors
  • waterproof/wipeable changing pad
  • ring sling (easy to make or find at a natural baby store)
  • moby wrap (easy to make or find at a natural baby store)
  • diaper pail
  • reusable diaper pail liner
  • mild laundry soap (Seventh Generation is the best all around brand for baby needs!)
  • rectal thermometer
  • infant acetaminophen
  • crib (we got a mini crib for naps, she slept with us at night in our bed, and Maisy transitioned to a twin mattress on the floor at 11-months-old)
  • rocking chair (as cozy as possible, we used a hand-me-down lazy boy rocker)
  • diaper bag (though you could just just a backpack or larger purse you already have)
  • two waterproof crib mattress covers
  • two fitted crib sheets
  • hearing protection (espeically if daddy is in a band but their also useful for church, fireworks, or any number of loud outings you might find yourself at)
  • pack n play (travel crib)
  • back seat mirror
  • baby monitor (although if you’re in an apartment or only have one floor you may not need one)

For your Baby 3 – 6 months old

  • amber bead necklace
  • 3 Miracle Swaddle blankets (the only way Maisy would go down for a nap with out a fight, she’s just so squirmy!)
  • 1 pacifier (we had one like THIS, it was awesome because we never lost it and it would stay in her mouth while she was in her carseat)
  • walker or bouncer (something like THIS gave Maisy mobility so she could follow me from room to room as she pleased but Penny preferred a bouncer)
  • buckle carrier (the Lilliebaby is my favorite because it does everything and is affordable)

For your Baby 6 – 12 months old

  • 21 Best Bottoms large microfiber inserts
  • 4-5 Best Bottoms large hemp inserts (for doubling)
  • cloth bibs
  • spoons and forks (3-4 each)
  • 3-4 cups
  • Bumbo + tray (loved mine for eating beginners)
  • high chair
  • sippy cup (a straw cup tends to be the easiest transition for the breastfed baby)

For your Baby 12 – 24 months old

  • 2 wipeable/washable bibs
  • booster seat
  • underwear (Maisy was completely potty trained by 19 months and could have gone for sooner)
  • potty chair
  • potty books

Seasonal needs

  • snow suit
  • fleece body suit
  • sun hat
  • winter (ear covering) hat
  • warm blanket
  • swim suit
  • reusable swim diapers

*My next post will be specifically on cloth diapering.  It’s seriously amazing but it did take a bit to narrow in on the best choices for fit, function, cleaning, and otherwise caring for them!  For now, I will say that my recommended options was a good enough supply to last me 3-4 days between needing to launder them.  You actually don’t want much more than that because you need to wash the diapers that often anyways to keep them in the best shape.  As for the specific recommendation of the Bumgenius diaper covers and Softbums super pods inserts… I agonized over a nighttime diaper solution that didn’t leak and could (at least most often) last all night.  I’ve come to find a lot of cloth diaperers actually use disposables overnight because of this, but I was stubborn and determined!  Every other cover I tried leaked because the trim along the edges sopped up pee eventually and every other insert simply didn’t hold enough pee.  For day time diapers my recommendation for parents that will need care for their baby or simply want the easiest option out there, I recommend Best Bottoms.  For the full time or most-of-the-time stay at home mom or dad you can go for a cheaper option and choose a diaper cover you like, though I recommend Thirsties dua wrap covers, and just buy prefolds to fill your arsenal.  They are dual purpose too, diapering and spit up rags.

Each of these items I listed I had many reasons why they were amazing.  I’m not a mom that wants any more than I need, especially because of clutter and cost.  With this list you’ll have it all!  I promise, you’ll have no shortage of clothing or toys, friends and family love buying these!

My Brush with Fifth Disease While Pregnant

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When we found out we were pregnant with baby two we were immediately startled and excited.  I’d had several cycles before that, when it came around time to see bloody show, I thought for sure I was pregnant due to very much feeling certain things like sore boobs and extreme fatigue, and yet the stick always read “not pregnant.”  This time I was a couple of days late but didn’t expect the “pregnant” prognosis simply because I didn’t feel even remotely with child.

A few days later one of my day care moms takes her 3-year-old to the doctor due to some facial rashes.  She comes back stating the diagnosis at “Fifth Disease” and proceeds to list a few cases in which a child with Fifth Disease could endanger an adult.  I heard, “So the doctor said adults are fine to be around Fifth Disease so long as they don’t have an autoimmune disease, are pregnant, or blah blah blah.”  My heart plummeted and facial expression visibly fell.  I knew she could see it but there was nothing I could do to stop because I’m transparent and all I was thinking was, “well, I’m pregnant but this definitely isn’t the time or situation I wanted to announce this information to my friend.”  Finally I spit it out and all I managed was “I’m pregnant.”  She starts backing out the way she came with both kids.  “Sorry to have to tell you this way, we literally just found out.”  In some confused words we worked it out to send her and the kids home until I could get a hold of my doctor to plan a course of action.

The worst case scenario that popped into my head was that the baby got infected already and was in trouble and we were doomed to banish that poor 3-year-old from my day care until the new baby arrived.  That wasn’t the case.  With a short appointment and a prick of a needle my blood said I was immune to the disease which means my baby couldn’t get it while inside the protection of my belly either. The next day the 3-year-old and her little sister arrived back for more fun in my day care like nothing at all happened.

But man, what a story!

Baby Maisy Sleep

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-Wrote this August 19, 2015 and was pleased to read it just yesterday.  I’m glad I write down my thoughts here even if they don’t prove to be publish worthy at some point.  I found reading this a good reminder of how hard I’ve work and how far we’ve come with sleep.  So grateful and very thankful I don’t have to go back and do it again!

iPhone photo of Maisy asleep on August 25, 2015… a few days after this post was written

Just as no one can prepare you for the love you will feel for your baby, no one can prepare you for the joy you will feel when your baby is not only willing but excited about nap time.  After one whole year of kindly and gently coaching Maisy into good sleep habits I am seeing some exciting fruits from my labor.

At about 3 months old we started this coaching process.   This was the roughest part of the job, in fact, it was the first part of parenting I loathed.  I had a very challenging baby when it came to sleep and I was frequently infuriated by the many many hours I spent (and usually felt like I wasted) in putting my daughter down to sleep – 45 minutes to 1 hour per sleep time for well over a year of her life… you do the math.

At about 6 month old we finally got into a groove.  The groove was arduous and consuming but it was a groove I was happy to call mine!  At this stage I gave in to the fact that Maisy was a die-hard cat napper and that there was no way to convince her otherwise.  So she took four half hour naps every day for about 3 months of her life.

At about 7 months old we transitioned from four cat naps to three cat naps.

At about 9 months old we transitioned from three cat naps to two 1 hour naps.

Between then she became a more regular 1.5 hour napper and would occasionally choose to sleep up to 2 hours.

For the past few days this girl is all about sleep.  She’s sleeping 2 – 3 hours at each of her two naps and is going to bed between 8-10pm (the latter is sure late but then she only wakes up about once or twice in the night!)  In fact, she’s so into sleep right now that she giggles and smiles as I’m putting her in her sleep sack.  Melts my worn out heart!

Teething Toddler

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It may have taken me longer than it should or perhaps I’m more in tuned than I thought but I’m so far happy to say that I have learned enough with the past 16 teeth to know how to help my toddler through the next 4, her 2-year-molars.  She very obviously started feeling the effects of this painful emerging a few days ago.  Her fingers were constantly in her mouth, her mood turned volatile and generally on the more sour side, and her sleep started to suffer.  How are we coping?

  • Day time snuggles.  This girl is moody when she’s teething.  She doesn’t have much of a capability to reason in teething seasons either so in order to keep her from taking her aggression out on toys or the other kids in our home I spend as much time with her on my lap and otherwise on me as possible.  This is were baby wearing devices come in handy too.  So thankful for them!
  • Toddler wearing.  I have both an Ergo (which I keep in the car for errands) and a Lillebaby that both work well for toddler wearing but I definitely have a woven wrap at the top of my baby wearing wish list!  At home I whip the Lillebaby out and strap her on for a hands free piggy back ride when she’s being too aggressive or unreasonable to talk to or to play nicely and keep her there until she seems ready for another round of playing nicely.  Works like a charm!  She just snuggles in and enjoys the ride.
  • Thieves tooth rub.  Thieves essential oil blend is a kind of miracle oil.  I use it in cleaning, for immunity when we’re sick, teething, and so much more!  For teething I have a roller of Thieves that’s diluted with olive oil.  When Maisy is roughing it with sore gums I rub some of this on and it numbs those gums right up.  It’s the clove in the blend that does that wonder!  (Learn more about oils here… Essential Oil Guide: FAQ and Getting Started; or buy some oils and/or get the starter kit… [HERE])
  • Tylenol.  I’m a very anti-medicine kind of girl but I’ve learned that, when it comes to teething, it is the lesser of the evils.  Maisy struggles greatly with sleep while teething.  If I give her some Tylenol before sleep times she gets the sleep she needs.  This way, she’s not grumpy from teething and tired but just the teething.
  • Night time snuggles.  When teething, it is guaranteed that Maisy will wake at least once a night if not more.  The normal Maisy we’ve gotten accustomed to will wake maybe once and we can typically send her back to her own bed after some snuggling and she’ll stay there for the rest of the night until morning.  Teething Maisy, however, repeatedly gets up.  But, if we let her stay in bed with us after the first waking, we all get to stay asleep.  This lesson took me the longest to learn!

For those of you other moms out there, perhaps some of these bullet points will help you.  Perhaps not.  But I’m just thankful to feel like I understand this teething business and how best to cope finally!  Good luck to you on your teething adventures!

See Ya Around Sam

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We adopted Sam on May 20, 2012.  We picked him up from a foster home, paid $250, signed some papers, and loaded all of us into the car (picture above).  All we knew about him was that he was rescued by this foster home from a high kill shelter in Kentucky.  Apparently he had been found simply wandering around a park after some big event.  We learned it wasn’t uncommon there to intentionally leave pets behind at large events in order to be rid of them without anyone knowing.  Our goal in “dog shopping” was to find a buddy for Haley.  We didn’t like leaving her all alone on our long work days.  Sam was perfect.  They slept together, played together, and otherwise did life together.  He also was too stinking cute.

Maisy was born on June 19, 2014.  After that finding Sam a new home came up promptly.  It’s not that he’s bad with kids.  He’s actually the perfect dog for kids as he cleans up their messes (spit up and all), lets them tug on him in any way they please while not doing so much as flinching, and he’s generally the favorite of theirs (probably because he looks like a stuffed animal).  It’s that he’s bad with parents of kids – or at least these parents of kids.  Suddenly his toddler, needy and clingy and whiney, personality was more than I could bear.  I rapidly realized he was a dog much better suited to a no kids lifestyle because he downright refused to give up the “baby of the family” status.  I didn’t like yelling at him especially when my little girl started parroting me.  I didn’t like that I was going to have to stand guard of my chickens, likely indefinitely, because he drooled and licked his lips and actively pounced around trying to get at them every time I took them out to play.  But what I really didn’t like is that no matter how hard I tried I could not fall back in love with my little fur ball.

Then Man Sam met Dog Sam and my heart felt so right about the pair of them living their own happily ever after.  (Yup, a man named Sam adopted our dog Sam.)

Now, our slightly smaller family has settled into a quieter, more peaceful normal.  I cried hard the night before Sam left, the morning of the switch, and a large portion of the car ride home from making the drop off but it really is for the better.  I’ve barely raised my voice in four days.  Though Maisy cried for a while after we dropped Sam off she too bounced back well.  She’ll ask questions about him occasionally but is satisfied with my answer of “Sam went buh bye.”  Haley was the biggest surprise though, I thought for sure I’d have a moping, depressing dog for a good long while but instead it’s almost like nothing happened.  She’s loving the extra attention she’s getting and that I’m not yelling at Sam anymore – even though the yells weren’t directed at her they might as well have been with her extra sensitive personality.  She also happens to be awesome with the chicks.  I put them on a crash course of free ranging it all together outside and they were entirely unperturbed by the other.

I remember distinctly praying prayers about Dog Sam and finding a good home for him, whether it be a solution that I hadn’t thought of yet to make it work here or a new home altogether.  I felt a huge sense of guilt and felt like a hypocrite for giving him up.  How dare I give him up when I was supposed to be the one that rescued him?  Didn’t that make me as bad as the people that first abandoned him in Kentucky?  But now I know that even though I had to be that person that it also was the right choice.  The Lord answered my prayers and His answer was a new home.  A home that needed him too.  And that’s what makes my heart most glad, is that it looks like Sam has what he so persistently demanded from us for the past two years. He now has his beloved endless supply of attention back and gets to participate in all the corners of life with Man Sam like he used to be able to do with us – since we made the switch this weekend Man Sam has shared pictures of Dog Sam joining him on outings like walks and kayaking (life vest and all). Best part of the deal, it isn’t really goodbye, it’s a “see ya around Sam” being that Man Sam is our buddy and all.2016-06-01_0001