0-3 Months Newborn Baby Essentials (You Actually Need)

If you’re a new mom or future mom and have no clue what you’ll need in the first few months with your newborn, look no further. These are the things we got a ton of use out of the first few months with our newborn, and they are all things I will use again with my second! This post has the top items you’ll actually need, so you can add them to your baby registry ASAP!

For some selections of items, I tried to keep in mind getting things in gender-neutral colors for future kids, that way I could reuse it easily. Just a random tip and something to consider, all in all though, have fun and do you!

*A NOTE WHEN ADDING TO YOUR REGISTRY: It would mean the world to me if you copied my referral link when you click “add to registry” in the URL and paste that onto your registry item URL. That way when people order the item for you from your registry, I will receive a small commission for referring the item. As a stay-at-home mom, this blog is how I generate some income for myself and my family. While I genuinely enjoy sharing my experiences with you all at no cost, it is nice to receive the small commission when possible. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Thank you so much in advance!

Best Baby Must-Have Items for Newborns 0-3 Months

1. Snuggle Me Organic Lounger

The Snuggle Me Organic Lounger is great for during the days so you can let baby nap on the couch, or just for laying next to you so they feel cozy, snug, and safe so they don’t accidentally roll away.

It’s great because the cover is 100% organic cotton, super soft, and fully machine-washable. This product is also made in the USA. I ordered the color slate, so it would be gender-neutral for potential future children.

2. Skip Hop Carseat Cover

This car seat cover is a lifesaver for when baby falls asleep in the car, and you don’t want them to wake up when you take them outside. Sometimes the cold air and wind can wake them up. It also is great at protecting baby from light and germs.

This cover is universal and fits on any car seat. It is made of polyester and is PVC-free and Phthalate-free. For convenience, you can keep the collar fully closed to block out cold wind, or flip it open and snap it to the outer layer for instant temperature control. The roll-away front flap also offers easy access to baby and zips off for full access

3. Halo Bassinet

If you plan to let your newborn sleep in your room in the early months (we did for about 6 months), then I’d highly recommend the Halo Bassinet. I love the mesh walls that are super breathable and see-through so you can easily peek at baby many times throughout the night. When you need to grab the baby, the side wall pushes down making it really easy to grab baby and soothe and nurse during the late nights. I also really liked the sleek and modern design of this bassinet. It doesn’t do anything fancy, it doesn’t vibrate or any of that, but we didn’t end up needing any of those features anyway. I also love that it swivels over the bed so baby is almost practically next to you but they are protected in the bassinet. I also got this waterproof mattress cover for the bassinet as well as these sheets.

4. Solly Baby Wrap

While baby is a tiny newborn, especially, this wrap came in clutch. It keeps baby so snug and close to you so you can actually get a few things done around the house or be hands-free while you’re out and about. It can be used up to 25 lbs (typically that’s over a year old), and is great because when you aren’t wearing it, it condenses so small you can throw it in your diaper bag. It’s super soft and washes very well and easily. Once you practice wrapping it a few times, you’ll get the hang of it, it’s not as intimidating as it seems. Absolutely love this thing!

5. Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Glass Bottles

These were my personal favorite bottles when baby was a newborn. I love that they are glass, so when they are heated up, no plastics are released in them. I would simply pour the milk into the bottle, and fill a coffee mug with hot water and just dunk the bottle in the mug until the milk was lukewarm. A little old-fashioned but it worked! I tried not to heat milk up in the microwave due to health concerns, and the stove water seemed to make the bottles a bit too hot unless we really paid attention and watched it and took it out before it got too hot. All in all though, we loved these bottles for the newborn stage. As baby got older we ended up needing different nipples that did not work on these bottles so we ended up having to change.

6. Maxi Cosi Swing

This swing was so great, especially in the newborn stage. Baby would always just sleep in the swing when she wasn’t on me. It is so soothing and a safe place for her to be while you run to the bathroom or need to go grab some food from the fridge or something. I love this swing because of its sleek and neutral design. We also found we didn’t have a need to pay for any fancy features like Bluetooth etc. We wanted a simple swing that swings back and forth and plays bird sounds and that’s exactly what we got, which is why we love this one!

7. Baby Shusher

This thing was a life saver during the early months! If we were out and about and baby was sleeping in the stroller or car seat, or rather we needed her to go to sleep we would turn this thing on and it helped so much. There is also an app called Baby Panda which is free and has a great shusher on it that I also use all the time. This machine is nice though for when you need your phone on you, and can’t leave it with baby. It’s super easy to use and small enough to bring in the diaper bag.

8. Muslin Burp Cloths

You can never have too many burp cloths with a newborn. While their digestive systems are still developing, they tend to spit up a lot, whether they’re breastfed or formula-fed. I recommended having burp cloths everywhere around the house. Some places we kept ours were, in the car, in the diaper bag, in the diaper caddy near the couch, and next to by bedside. It’s helpful to always have one in quick easy reach when you need it. I love these ones because they are super super soft and easy to wash, and they’re neutral and will last a long time. I got them in white, and would just wash them with this non-toxic baby laundry detergent and vinegar as the fabric softener (which I use for all of my laundry).

9. Diaper Caddy Organizer

This diaper caddy is something we have used far beyond the first 0-3 months, so it definitely has gotten A LOT of use. We keep this in our living room for easy access to diaper essentials. We always keep it stocked with diapers, wipes, diaper cream, burp cloths, a thermometer, a hair brush, and disposable nursing pads. Having this always stocked right underneath our coffee table has made changing baby in a pinch so much easier! While they’re newborns, you’ll probably change about 10-15 diapers a day, so after a while, hauling all the way to the nursery every time can get old, quick! This thing makes it so much easier and a smoother process for both you and baby.

10. Newborn Hospital Beanies

Ok so you’ll get some hats from the actual hospital, but for us, we wanted to buy more because they ended up wearing out since we used them SO MUCH. The first several weeks (maybe like 8 weeks) this is all our baby wore. Bows were cute but her head was so tiny that they were obnoxiously huge on her to wear all day. We put these beanies on her to keep her tiny little head warm during the day as well as at night. They are so super soft and just look so adorable on the baby. 10/10 recommend adding these to your registry, you won’t regret it trust me!

11. Baby Hand Mitt Covers

We liked using these in the early weeks because even though I’d try to bite baby’s nails to keep them trimmed, they still are super sharp and she would scratch her face so much! So at night and sometimes during the day, we would put these on her while she was sleeping. We had the elastic ones and a lot of them, however we would always lose them because they were so tiny! I would recommend maybe getting a couple of pairs of these velcro ones. They might stay on better and are super easy to wash.

12. Sleep Sack (or Swaddle)

So it is highly recommended to use a swaddle for baby at night and wrap their arms down so they don’t startle themselves in the middle of the night and wake themselves up. We tried and tried and tried to use swaddled and baby just never liked them. She was constantly grunting and wiggling and trying to get her arms out and would kick her legs etc. So for a while we tried and then we tried swaddling her but leaving her arms out and that worked a little better. At that point, the main reason I was using the swaddle wasn’t to wrap her arms down and tight but rather more to keep her warm at night because it was an extra layer over her pajamas, kind of like a sleeping bag. Then I finally discovered this sleep sack and fell in love and have been using it ever since! It’s SO incredibly soft, the perfect amount of warmth and baby loves it. It’s also. a great reference point so every time we put it on, baby knows it’s time for bed. We just have one and I wash it every week or so, and have got along just fine with just the one.

13. Nursing Cover

I use this thing ALL THE TIME when I need to nurse in front of people or while out in public. Ultimately, you’ll have to find what works for you and what makes you feel comfortable. For me personally, when I’m in front of other women and at home, I don’t really use it, I just nurse. When there are other men nearby, I find it more comfortable for me to use this cover. That is just what worked for me, but you’ll have to feel it out and choose what makes you feel most comfortable as a new mama. What I like about it versus just using a blanket, is that it goes on like a poncho so it doesn’t fall off your shoulder easily. While a muslin blanket works fine, sometimes it does slip off, so this thing just makes it easier and more reassuring that it will stay on if you or baby moves. I love that you can wash it easily and just keep in in the diaper bag.

14. Disposable Nursing Pads

Ok, you know I’m crunchy af and am all about going green and all that jazz. However I tried reusable nursing pads that you wash and in the early months, you leak SO MUCH, so I was having to wash them several times a week, which was a hassle. I was also so scared of getting mastitis, so I was super keen on not letting the moist, wet milk sit in there too long because that could cause bacteria to form. That’s when I decided these disposable ones were for me. They have sticky things on the back so they stay in place, if you want. I never used those. I would just replace them at least every morning, sometimes twice a day, and literally just slip em in the bra. When I would nurse, I would move the one over to the other side while baby nursed on that breast, then swap.

15. Nursing/Pumping Bras

Ok so I tried the cute, lace maternity bras and they would squeak whenever I would move, which absolutely drove me crazy. I tried to be cute, but it just wasn’t working LOL. SO I had to cave and get these bad boys. They aren’t cute, but they are FUNCTIONAL! These bras are great because you can easily unhook whichever side you are nursing on, but you can also pump hands-free with it. I have, love and recommend this breast pump. These bras worked great with this pump so while I was pumping I could put on my makeup or go to the bathroom or read a book or do something on my phone versus having to hold the pump on the breasts for 15 minutes. In the first few months when I was pumping very often, I would only wear these bras every day, because they were just so convenient.

16. Baby Bjorn Bouncer

The bouncer really came in handy for us during the early months when baby isn’t moving around much, but just wants to be by you. I used it mostly when I was in the kitchen, cooking or cleaning, and honestly even when going to the bathroom (lol). It’s nice to have a super lightweight thing you can move anywhere in the house and put the baby in. Once baby gets older and wants to wiggle and crawl and explore this thing probably won’t get much use but during those early months it was great. I liked this one because the cover comes off easily and can be washed, and it is also super lightweight and also has a sleek and modern appeal, which I’m obviously into!

17. XL Baby Gate

Ok so for me, as a first-time mom, bringing baby home with the dogs gave me SO much anxiety. We have big dogs, so I was so nervous about them jumping on the baby or squishing her. I had no clue how they would react to her, so I was just very nervous before coming home. Before baby was born, I ordered this XL baby gate. When we brought baby home, I put it across the living room so that we could be with baby on the couch and the dogs would stay away and not jump on her or get all their dog hair all over her etc. This gave me a lot of peace of mind just having the space and giving myself, and the dogs more time to slowly adjust to the new member of the family. The gate is great because once baby is older and crawling, its super versatile. It can fit in any doorway, you can turn it into a circle playpen, you can use it while you’re outside, etc. It’s just a really great thing to have and really came in handy for us during those first few weeks while we were all adjusting.

18. Breast Pump

When I was building my registry, I asked so many moms which breast pump they recommended and pretty much all of them said this one. It’s the most versatile, easy to use, powerful, quiet and most efficient one out there. I tried a few different ones in the hospital and with my lactation consultant and this one was my favorite by far. It’s rechargeable and easy to bring with you around the house (especially if you use a nursing bra). All of the attachments are included and it’s overall just such a great thing to have. Only other thing you need is storage bags, I used these. From the early on struggles of breastfeeding to now, later one where I got it down pat and felt like it was a piece of cake, this guy was with me through it all. Helping me pump away like a champion. I will continue using this one and recommend it to all the new mamas out there.

*A NOTE ABOUT PUMPS: Be sure to check with your health insurance on whether they help cover some or all of the costs of breast pumps. Ours did which was so awesome, so I didn’t even have to put it on my registry! I just ordered it and my insurance reimbursed me.

I know the exciting and overwhelming feeling of being a new mom and not being sure what the heck to add to your registry or what you’ll actually need. I really enjoyed putting this post together to help a sister out! I hope this helps relieve you. As long as you have these things for the first few months during the newborn stage, you’re going to be set for the most part. The most important thing though is to just surrender to the unknown, even though I know it can be scary. Motherhood is such an incredible and surreal experience and I can’t wait for you to get to see it with your own eyes and feel it with your own heart!