When the time comes to bring your newborn home, you’re likely to experience a lot of conflicting emotions, especially if this is your first baby. Your hormones are all over the place, your body is sore, you’re exhausted, but you’re experiencing a love you’ve never felt before.
When you’re building your newborn baby registry, you may find yourself completely overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite source of information and product recommendations. Every parent and baby is different, and so much of those first precious days together will be spent getting to know what works and what doesn’t. Here at Gooselings, we’re all about simplicity, so we’ve put together a list of tried-and-tested items we wouldn’t want to be without.
Coming Home
To make the transition from the hospital or birthing center as smooth as possible, you’ll want to ensure that your baby is comfortable and cozy. We recommend a onesie made from 100% pima cotton as it’s the softest cotton available and perfect for sensitive skin. If you have a baby during the winter months, these super soft baby suits offer all of the warmth without the bulk.
And since you can’t leave the hospital without one, the Nuna Pipa™ car seat is a superior option that’s perfect for city and suburban dwellers alike. While choosing an infant car seat is a matter of personal choice, we love that this one is designed with comfort in mind, and contains no added flame retardants, so it’s a win-win for baby and parents.
Diapering Essentials
Diaper duty is a big (and messy!) job. Since you’ll be spending a lot of time at the changing station once you arrive home, you’ll want to be sure it’s stocked with all of the right essentials. When it comes to diapers, we love that Bambo Nature products are made using sustainably sourced skin-safe materials. To prevent and treat diaper rash, this French pharmacy staple is a must-have, and it’s even great to have on-hand for any eczema flare-ups for the rest of the household. And while we’re on the topic of sensitive skin, nothing beats these ultra pure wipes formulated without any synthetic ingredients.
We can’t get through a list of diapering essentials without mentioning our favorite diaper sacks. These do a fantastic job of masking odor while keeping messes contained, because the last thing you need as a new parent is a leaky, stinky diaper sack.
Newborn Favorites
Baby’s first bath at home can feel intimidating, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly. To make this experience comfortable and happy for everyone, we love this natural and gentle line of products by Minois Paris paired with these soft and absorbent bamboo washcloths. After a bath is also the perfect opportunity to treat any pesky cradle cap by carefully brushing out any scales using a fine-tooth baby comb.
Since we’ve already sung the praises of pima cotton, you won’t be surprised to find these adorable pima burp cloths on our list. You won’t need to worry about the beautiful patterns being stained with spit-up when you have this stain remover formulated specifically for all of the messes that come with parenthood.
Must-Have Equipment
We won’t get into strollers since finding the perfect one is totally dependent on your lifestyle, but our two favorites for longevity and multi-use purposes are Bugaboo and the Babyzen YOYO. If carriers are more your style, nothing beats a classic BabyBjörn for keeping your baby close to you, which we all know is so important, especially in those early months.
For a comfortable spot for supervised napping, tummy time, and playing, we couldn’t live without the DockATot, or bednest as they call it in Scandinavian countries. Available in a range of sizes, these docks are great for toting from room to room. This Scandinavian-inspired Wood Baby and Toddler Rocker is one of our favorite hygge baby products. It doesn’t only look beautiful in any space (especially with one of our Baby Duvets), its motion is activated by the baby's own natural movements which help keep them feeling comforted and entertained.
Mother Essentials
Mom, it’s so important not to forget your own self-care. While everyone has a different birth story, it’s no surprise that childbirth is both miraculous and hard on the body. The most important thing we can recommend is a postpartum massage to help lower stress and increase blood-flow.
You no longer have to seek relief by freezing adult diapers when you have these. We describe them as a frozen water bed for “down there” and trust us — you’ll be glad to have them on hand. And while there are so many postpartum underwear options available, we find these to be the most comfortable by far.
It’s important to remember that postpartum healing is a process. One of our favorite hacks for staying mobile while limiting exertion is using a wheeled utility cart that’s fully stocked with everything you may need. So easy!
If you choose to breastfeed, the award-winning and cost-conscious Haakaa Manual Breast Pump uses the power of natural suction, and it’s super compact, so it’s great for throwing in a bag when you’re on the go.
We hope our recommendations help to bring you some peace of mind when it comes to your baby making their world debut. If you have any questions about any of the products mentioned in this post, don’t hesitate to send us an email or DM.