Bringing a newborn home is so special—but let’s be honest, it’s also completely overwhelming. Looking back on those first few weeks after bringing our daughter home, we’re so grateful for the things (and people!) that helped us through the craziness of it all! Whether you’re expecting or deep in the newborn trenches, here are our newborn must-haves and simple things that truly made a difference for us.

Our Favorite Newborn Products That Were Well Used

Let’s start with the baby gear and newborn essentials that made life easier in those bleary-eyed early days of parenthood:

1. Snuggle Me Lounger

We borrowed this from our friends, but I will 100% be buying one (hello Rhea Lana!) for ourselves if we decide to have more children. This was our go-to for supervised lounging. It helped create a cozy, womb-like space for our girl to rest near us while we ate meals, cleaned around the house, or just needed a minute to rest. Worth every penny!

2. Two-Way Zipper Footies

Game. Changer. If it has snaps or one-way zipper, I don’t want it. Middle of the night diaper changes (and there are many) became infinitely easier thanks to the double zipper design. Trust me, your tired selves won’t want to deal with anything other than this! The soft bamboo ones are so nice (I often found at TJ Maxx), but we also really loved the Carter’s pajamas often purchased at Target.

3. Wellements Gripe Water

Inevitably, your newborn will experience gas pain, and it is pitiful to watch them endure! This natural gripe water gave our little one (and us) some much-needed relief. A newborn staple!

4. Swaddle Sleep Sacks

Sleep sacks made swaddling safer and more consistent. Our baby slept longer stretches, which meant we did too! While we did like the Halo Sleepsack Swaddle, we ultimately opted for the Kyte Baby Sleep Bag Swaddler. We liked that the swaddle piece was removable, allowing us to utilize the sleep sack longer without the swaddle attachment.

5. A Well-Stocked Nursing and Pumping Caddy

While I did not feel the need to have a three-tiered cart full of baby and mom essentials like you see on Instagram and TikTok, I did enjoy having this portable caddy was always by my side. It held my pump/parts, nursing pads, vitamins, nipple butter, protein snacks, water bottle, and even chapstick—because once you’re settled in to feed or pump, you don’t want to be running around looking for what you forgot. I focused my caddy less on baby (her nursery housed all of her things) and more on my needs, and it was definitely helpful! I continued to use the caddy the whole duration that I pumped as well.

6. A Bottle Sanitizer & Dryer

You may be like me and think “I can wash bottles by hand, that’s not a big deal.” But what I QUICKLY learned was that washing a bottle or two by hand is fine, but having MULTIPLE bottles + pump parts was getting very annoying to wash and dry numerous times a day. I broke down and bought this bottle sanitizer and dryer for my own mental well-being and I’m SO glad I did. This machine was running many times throughout the day. We continue to use it nightly for bottles, spoons, and any other miscellaneous items (paci, nose frida parts, etc.)

Feel free to peruse my Amazon Storefront to see other baby & postpartum items we use and love!

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Things That Helped Us More Than The Products:

Brutally Honest Transparency + Clear Communication

One thing we did right from the start, I mean as soon as we got home from the hospital, was be really open about how we were both feeling. Brutally honest. The kind of honesty that you can only share with your person. Our biggest thing: You can say ANYTHING and the other person will not judge you. It created a safe space for us to share where we were, how we were feeling, what we needed – candid and judgement free. No one can read minds (especially when you’re both sleep-deprived and on an emotional roller coaster), so having “check-ins” with one other often and communicating transparently helped us support each other better.

Taking Night “Shifts”

We also started taking “shifts” at night. Basically, one of us would be on baby duty for the first half of the night while the other got a longer stretch of uninterrupted sleep – minus getting up to nurse and/or pump then going straight back to sleep. Then we’d switch. It wasn’t perfect, but it made a MASSIVE difference in how functional—and kind—we were the next day.

Giving Myself Permission to Pump

One of the best choices I made for myself in those early weeks was allowing myself to pump exclusively instead of nurse. We had no issues with nursing, but it became more of a duty and annoyance instead of a sweet bonding experience. Instead of pushing through and burning out, I (with much needed encouragement from David) gave myself permission to do what was best for me. That simple shift, and being able to share the feeding responsibility with someone else, made a huge impact on my mental state. Just a little encouragement: If what you’re doing isn’t working/causing more stress/burdening, you have the freedom to change things. You’re NOT a bad mom for choosing what’s best for you when it will allow you the space to be a better mom to your baby in the long run.

The Power of a Good Meal

Since we had our baby in December, we didn’t start our Meal Train until after Christmas. My mom was one of the biggest helps those first couple weeks. She brought by homemade meals a couple times a week to ensure we were eating good food – instead of just throwing stuff in the microwave last minute when you realized you’re starving. After our meal train started, we were so grateful for those that dropped a meal by to keep us fed so we didn’t have to think about filling our bellies! Feeding new parents is the ultimate love language.

One of the Best Pieces of Advice We Got…

A couple from our church encouraged us to spend time just the two of us sooner rather than later. So at just nine days old, for my birthday, we left her with my mom for a couple hours. We went to lunch, walked around Target, and grabbed coffee while we talked, held hands, and looked into each other’s sleep deprived eyes. It felt weird, almost wrong – like, will people judge us for leaving our baby so soon? But it was the best two hours to reconnect with each other, take a break from the demands of a newborn, and come back to her feeling refreshed. We continue to sneak in a date as much as we can, and it’s always the best thing for our relationship! Remember, you were husband and wife before you became mom and dad. Don’t forget to prioritize each other!

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Final Thoughts

The newborn stage is intense. It’s beautiful, exhausting, emotional, and raw. The right products help, but what is more important is that you give yourselves grace and lots of patience. Finding small ways to care for your relationship and yourself. Every family’s journey looks a little different, but if you’re in the thick of it—know that you’re not alone. And yes, you will sleep again. I promise.

Got a newborn must-have or a tip that got you through those early days? Drop it in the comments—I’d love to hear!