Nursery must-haves for new parents

Sharing is caring!

---

Must haves for your nursery

There are so many products out there that you can buy for your most valuable new addition to the family but do you really need all of them?

There are good baby basics parents should have that will make the life with a newborn so much easier.

There are essentials that every new parent should have and stuff you really don’t need.

Especially being pregnant with the first baby it can be completely overwhelming to figure out what you actually need.

Below you can find a list with the best baby basics that every new parent should have and what products are a waste of money from my experience. (for more on that make sure to check out my other post about most useless baby products)

I hope this post can help you as first time mom to figure out what you really need and take some stress away.

Make sure to grab the free baby registry checklist withing this blog post to make it even easier on you to get all the baby essentials covered.

You got this.

There are affiliate links in this post, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will be compensated if you click through and take action. For full disclosure click here.

Get a Baby registry

The most popular places to get a Baby registry for all your baby basics are Amazon or Target.
If you don’t have Amazon Prime yet you can get a 30-Day Trial for free.

The Amazon Baby Registry with Prime membership will get you a free Baby Welcome Box. All you have to do is purchase a product of $10 or more from the registry and the welcome box will be sent to you.

Target also has a Baby welcome bag including coupons for Target that you can pick up in your local target at the service department (you may have to show them your registry for proof)

Both registries will give you a 10-15% discount if there are products left and you are very close or over your due date.
Both make it very easy for your family and friends to purchase products for your baby. You will definitely find all the basic buys you need at both places.

Products you are receiving seem to change every year or more often but you will always get very useful products. I saw boxes including a baby toy, swaddle blanket, pacifiers or bottles.

Make sure to grab your free Baby printable registry checklist in pdf format here: (Click on the picture) and make sure you got everything covered.

If you start a baby registry with amazon they offer a whole checklist within the registry too.

1. Crib

This is probably the most important product considered as baby basics. You want to make sure the crib you choose is safe, reliable and will last you for a while to get your money’s worth. When you are choosing a crib you should make sure they are sturdy and made of good quality.

So-called drop-side cribs do not comply with the newest safety standards and are actually banned by the U.S. Consumer Saftey Commission.
I personally chose the Graco Solano 4-in-1 Convertible Crib with Drawer

This Crib comes with or without a drawer. We have the drawer and i store all the Crib sheets in there right where i need them. It has a good size and you can buy the additional parts later to transform it into a toddler bed so this crib will last you for years.
Setting it up is very easy – I did it by myself heavily pregnant even though another hand can be very useful.

2. Crib Mattress

A baby will spend most of the time on this mattress so you want to make sure you find the perfect one. Here are the best sellers with crib mattresses. If you do not have one that is already waterproof you should also consider buying a mattress protector.

3. Crib Sheets and Bedding

The possibilities for cute Bedsheets are endless. When you are purchasing sheets you want to make sure they are fitted sheets. That way they will stay in place.

I would recommend buying at least three fitted sheets to make sure you got your baby basics covered. So you always have a spare one to switch out.

This may also be interesting for you:
– Baby registry must haves
– Freebies for Babies
– Most useless baby items

4. Changing Table – or not?

There are Cribs that come with an attached changing table like the Graco Remi 4-in1 Convertible Crib and Changer or you can get a Changing Table on its own. A changing table is a great way to keep everything organized. But it can take a lot of space if you have a small apartment or house.

I personally never bought a changing table and never regretted that choice. In my opinion, you don’t necessarily need one. So this is not really a basic buy but a nice addition.

We are still using a simple changing Pad and a Diaper Caddy and change diapers on the couch – the living room is where we are most of the day anyway.
The Munchkin Portable Diaper Caddy Organizer works great for us, comes with a changing pad and you can simply buy it on Amazon .

5. Dresser or Shelf and Storage Baskets

Every well-organized baby nursery definitely needs some kind of furniture like a dresser or shelf where you can store your baby’s clothes. I bought two of these basic cube shelves and a bunch of storage baskets that go with it.

Every Basket is used for a certain size of onesies and pants while I had dresses and jackets hanging in the closet. One of the shelves is in my daughter’s closet and the other one standing in her room. I also store her towels and Pajamas in separate storage bags.

I absolutely adore the combination of this shelf in white and the pastel-colored storage cubes. This would go great in a rainbow baby nursery.

6. Car Seat and Stroller

You can buy a stroller and car seat separate or a travel system which includes both.
I opted for a travel system – it saves you money and you can use it together.

The Graco Modes Travel System includes the stroller, Car seat and one Base for the Car seat.

I like this system because it is lightweight, easy to fold and so simple to use.
You can use it as stroller by itself (when your baby is old enough to sit by itself or lay it all the way down), click the car seat on top for a quick run to the store and then simply take it off to set the car seat on the base in your car and fold the stroller all within just a few minutes.

This stroller works great for normal errands, walking around the neighborhood or your local events.
If you are really sporty you might want to consider a jogging stroller. Find top-rated ones here.

7. Rocking Chair

A Rocking chair will make your life so much easier. A comfortable chair for the mom or dad to rock their baby to sleep or feed is the best addition I had for my nursery.

Especially when you are breastfeeding it makes things very easy for you. The rocking motions will soothe your baby. In addition to the rocking chair, I bought a bedside organizer these are great to store water and a snack plus an extra burp cloth in it.

As a Breastfeeding mom, I always got so thirsty while feeding.

8. Bath tub

Basic Bathtub? Bathtub with insert? no bathtub? This is surely one of the most important baby basics.
So many options – I went with the Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Sling ‘n Seat Tub

This Bathtub comes with a newborn net (only sponge baths until the belly button is healed) and an extra seat for when the baby is older. Also included is a toy and a rinser which makes it really easy to wash their hair or rinse them off at the end. I am currently still using it with my toddler.

The newborn insert can be washed in your washing machine and is easy to install.

A friend of mine was using the Blooming Bath Lotus that you can easily use in any sink and it is very cozy for your baby.
But unlike the Bathtub you can only use it with a newborn which means only a very short time and they will be too big.

9. Diaper Bag

A diaper bag is probably the most used product at all when you have a baby. You want to get one that is good quality and useful to last you as long as you need it.
We got the Mokaloo Large Baby Bag

This diaper bag is a backpack. It comes in different colors so you can either choose according to your baby’s gender or get the neutral grey (I’m sure your husband/boyfriend won’t mind).

You can wear it as a backpack or use the extra straps to put it on your stroller even though I like to just use the backpack straps to attach it.
It is very roomy, comes with an extra zipper on the back for easy access to the products on the bottom and is waterproof.

The front pocket has insulated compartments for baby bottles and it even has a USB charging port.

10. Hamper

A separate hamper extra for your baby clothes and dirty sheets can be very helpful and stand right next to the changing table. I love having one of those in my toddler’s room. It makes it so much easier to separate the baby laundry from ours for separate washing.

11. Baby Monitor

A baby monitor is a very essential part of your nursery. Unless you want to spend every moment next to your baby you will need one. Baby monitors give new parents a good feeling to know their baby is OK.

Nowadays a lot of parents choose to use a baby monitor with video where you can see exactly how your baby is laying and what is going on when your baby starts crying.

12. Night light

With a night light in the room, your baby will never be in complete darkness which can be soothing. It will also help you to navigate through the room during the night without having to turn the room light on and risking to wake your baby up.

You can get classic night lights or special ones for babies that show stars on the ceiling.

13. Closet Organizer

Closet organizer make it easy to find the right size and keep everything organized.

I currently offer printable nursery closet organizer for girls in my shop. All you have to do is print them on cardstock and cut them out.

Good to have:

DockAtot

You probably already heard of those before.

DockAtots are nest-like to sleep in for babies.

While these are not one of the basic buys you need to have it is very helpful.

The DockAtot is supposed to give the baby a feeling of still being in the womb all snuggled up.

They can also be used for co-sleeping in your bed and they are even available for toddlers.

Now you got the most important baby basics covered.
Do you feel like there is something important missing?
Let me know in the comments.

And just like that, you got all the nursery essentials covered.

Do you need ways to keep your kid entertained while working from home? Get fun worksheets, coloring pages and more for free when you subscribe to my emails.
And find your tribe of like-minded parents in our Facebook group.

Sharing is caring!