Most Loved Newborn Products for the First 12 Weeks
There are a million lists of “newborn essentials” but I am sharing what we actually used on repeat for the first 12 weeks. None of these products are sponsored or affiliated. It’s really truly what I bought and love!
First photo by Coterie
When I was pregnant I obsessed over every baby checklist I could find. However, these lists included A LOT of stuff. We live in a tiny cape cod style home, so I knew we couldn’t fit a ton of baby gear due to size constraints.
Besides the space/storage issue I did not want to ruin the aesthetic of our home with a ton of brightly colored baby gear sprawled everywhere. Selfish I know, but newborns really do not need a lot and I felt like these “must have” lists were trying to take advantage of me. Much like the “must have” lists when we planned our wedding years ago.
These are products that made our lives much easier outside of the true necessities which I consider: a bassinet (see our Snoo review here), baby clothes, diapers/wipes, burp cloths (don’t waste money on fancy ones, get these), etc…
Coterie Diapers (photo by Coterie)
Before having a baby of our own, I had shockingly never changed a diaper. So I thought a diaper is a diaper is a diaper. Boy was I wrong.
We used Pampers in the hospital which worked great since my milk hadn’t come in yet and we only dealt with one or two poopy diapers total. Then alternated between Coterie and Honest Co once we got home. The Coterie diapers blew the other two brands out of the water. In terms of softness, fit, security, and protection I do not think these can be beat. They are more expensive but I can honestly say we’ve only had 1 blowout, no leaks, and no diaper rash in 12 weeks using these.
We also use Coterie wipes which are fabulous as well, and this diaper cream after baths and before bed.
**the link is my referral link, so you get $15 and I get $15 to spend at the site
2. Snuggle Me Organic Infant Lounger
This thing is magic. The Snuggle Me Organic is the pillow lounger shown above. It does not come with or need a Moses basket but we use ours in one to keep some distance from the dogs. What makes the Snuggle Me different from other loungers is that it is stitched with an area that pulls the lounger in to “hug” your baby.
This made the list because it is the only place (other than our arms) Benji will nap for longer than 20 minutes. We use a Snoo for night sleep, and he still naps 10x better in the Snuggle Me than the Snoo. I also used it to set him down as a tiny newborn when I needed to shower or run to the bathroom. It was a great stopgap before he was big enough to sit in a bouncer.
Speaking of bouncers, we have used this one since Benji was about 4 weeks old. When he was super little we used it on the lowest recline setting and bounced him with our hands or feet. Now that he is almost 3 months old, he loves to sit in it and bounce himself while playing with a toy.
This bouncer is simple, lightweight, and fold-able which makes it perfect for our small space. Benji is a super gassy baby, so it also helps a ton with getting his gas out since it allows him to sit upright.
This machine is on at least 12 hours a day in our house. It has a built in battery so we use it in the bedroom for night sleep, then move it to wherever Benji is napping during the day. It works through an app over WiFi which can be pretty buggy to be honest. However, the machine is modern, gets loud, and has a built in clock. So the positives outweigh the occasional glitch.
We got this as a gift before Benji arrived and the white noise setting put my husband to sleep even better than it puts Benji to sleep now! Even if you don’t have a baby I recommend this for better sleep (also now they’ve released a version marketed for adults).
This photo is of us the day after we got back from the hospital. Benji was fussy after we’d tried everything, so I thought hmmm let’s try the wrap.
He cried a bit the first few seconds he was in it but then calmed down and slept until I took him out. Fast forward 3 months and he still loves to be carried around, especially now that he has enough head control to look around. I also know now to keep the straps wide on my shoulders which makes it even more comfortable!
We love to baby wear in our house so we also have a Wildbird linen ring sling and a Ergo Omni 360 carrier. However, if you’re only looking to get one carrier for the newborn stage I’d say based on comfort the Solly is the way to go. Then maybe upgrade to a structured carrier like the Ergo once baby is older.
I do like the Wildbird ring sling and it is beautiful, but there’s something about the coziness of the Solly wrap that can’t be beat.
This one isn’t really important if your baby isn’t picky about harder surfaces. But Benji HATED doing tummy time on a less padded mat, and now he tolerates it on this super soft squishy mat.
It’s reminds me of the old school folding gym mats, but much squishier. It folds up to a reasonable size for storage and the pattern selection is top notch. We spend a lot of our day laying around on the mat to make sure he has enough time to freely kick and squirm around.
We also put his play gym on top of this mat since the mat it comes with is not very padded.
Have you tried any of these products? What products have you found to help ease the transition to having a newborn?