Before RJ was born, I looked at countless lists of the “best newborn essentials” and “baby items you can’t live without” in hopes it would make me better prepared to enter parenthood. In reality, you can have all the best, trendiest products in the world and the things that end up being the most essential to you end up being an entirely different list than what’s essential to someone else. 

When I found out I was expecting our second child, I had a pretty good idea of what products I’d be using again and which things would end up on Facebook Marketplace. Whether you’re about to have your first baby or you’re looking for something to buy a new parent for their baby shower, these products are what I’d call my “holy grail” newborn essentials. I actually just sent this list over to a friend who asked what she should add to her registry, so this is what I’d recommend to you as well.

Newborn Essentials I’ll Be Using With My Second Child

(Some of these are affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you click and make a purchase. This is at no extra cost to you)

Big Absorbent Burp Cloths (the cloth diaper kind)

I received so many burp cloths at my baby shower in every possible size and pattern. I remember my husband asking before RJ was born if we’d REALLY need all of those burp cloths, and I had to resist patting him on the head like “oh, you sweet summer child”. RJ was what the doctors called a “happy spitter”, so we actually needed MORE than what we had. And it turns out, the cloths we took home from the hospital that also double as cloth diapers ended up being the most reliable and absorbent in our stash. Eventually I bought a pack of bigger cloths on Amazon, which were the closest I could find to the same size and style of cloth. When a baby is leaving a 3-foot long string of spit up down your arm, the mini cute cloths that everyone gifts you are not going to cut it. I’m buying another set of these for the next baby to make sure we have enough to go around. 

Runner-up item: Muslin blankets. We have a bunch of huge muslin blankets/swaddles, which also work great as burp cloths when you literally feel like a baby spit-up sewer. Something about the muslin cloth is more absorbent than other fabrics, and you can at least get through a few feedings with one blanket. 

Manual Breast Pump

I didn’t really pump for the first few weeks of RJ’s life, but when I did add pumping to my routine, I relied more on my Lansinoh manual breast pump than the fancy Willow pump I bought with my insurance. I’d wake up super engorged and would get 4-5 ounces in a few minutes of morning pumping, enough to build up a supply with minimal effort. No need to plug it into the wall or connect it to my phone via bluetooth which means I was pumping and going back to sleep faster. 

My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow

The My Brest Friend original nursing pillow was a life-saver during the newborn phase and I cannot recommend it enough. Newborns are very floppy and need a lot of support when you’re nursing, and this worked so much better than the Boppy pillow when he was tiny and unable to support himself. It took so much strain off my body and made breastfeeding in pretty much any chair a breeze. I didn’t bring any pillow to the hospital for his birth, but I plan on bringing this one with me for my next delivery. 

Snuggle Me Lounger

I know the Snuggle Me lounger is controversial, but it’s helpful when you want to scarf down dinner and need somewhere cozy to set the baby down. We’d put the snuggle me between us on the couch and for a time, it was the only place RJ could be put down without yelling at us. No, don’t let your baby sleep in it, but there’s nothing wrong with using it when the baby is awake and you want your arms free for a few minutes.

Halo Sleep Sacks

We tried using swaddles in the beginning, but RJ did what I learned is called the “newborn curl”, which is where babies turn to the side when sleeping. The first time I saw him do this when we got home from the hospital I panicked because I thought babies weren’t supposed to be able to do that?! They grow out of it eventually, but since he was laying on his side, the pediatrician suggested we not swaddle him and use sleep sacks instead. The Halo sleep sacks were a favorite because they had the velcro swaddle-like feature but his arms were still free and it was easier to get on and off than a swaddle. 

VAVA BABY NIGHT LIGHT

I didn’t spring for the Hatch sound and light system because I didn’t want yet another thing to hook up to my phone. My friend recommended this baby night light for nighttime feedings and changings. I bought one for my nightstand, then bought 2 more for around the house because I love it that much. They put out a nice warm glow without an overwhelming amount of light (ideal for when you don’t want to wake a sleeping baby but still need to see), and you can turn them on and off with 2 taps. They’re rechargeable so you can move them around as needed without the cord. Now that RJ is older he gets a kick out of turning it on and off. 

Sound Machine

This cheap and portable sound machine is helpful when you have a newborn sleeping in your room and you have creaky floors. 

Car Camera

One of my most unexpected postpartum anxiety triggers involved driving with a baby in the backseat. When the baby is still a tiny little peanut and rear-facing, just getting in the car and driving is terrifying enough as it is. Combine that with the fact that you can’t physically see them and it was too much for me to handle. The baby car mirror didn’t work well enough for me to see RJ as well as I could, so I bought one of these car cameras for my dashboard and it reduced my driving anxiety by 85%. This way I knew he was OK and not silently choking on his “happy spitter’ spit-up. 

Other products I recommend that are useful but not necessarily “holy grail” products:

Wipe Warmer – a lot of people say that this is a useless product, but we brought RJ home when it was 3 degrees outside, so literally everything was cold. He’d scream bloody murder every time we changed a diaper, and the second day he was home my husband ended up buying a wipe warmer. We’ve been using it ever since. I think it reduced diaper rash because they were less harsh on his skin. 

Diaper Genie – Can you use a regular trash can? Sure. Will a regular trash can conceal the smell of baby poop once they start eating solids? Probably not. Just get the diaper genie.