Baby Necessities (My Must-Have Lists)

Almost every day in my final trimester of pregnancy I scoured online blogs that gave tips for how to prepare for Baby's arrival. The articles ranged from "How to you know you're in labor" to "What to pack in your hospital bag" to "10 most underrated items to ask for on your baby registry". 

Now that I have successfully conquered labor and delivery and have had a few weeks with my baby girl, I want to create my own lists (based on my experience) of must-haves and helpful tricks for both mama and baby. Maybe some new mom will find this helpful, but honestly I think it will be nice for me to refer back to these lists once I get pregnant again (which will not be for a while). 

Hospital packing lists

Mama

• ID and insurance information (be sure to preregister if you can!)
• comfy pillow from home
• robe
• 2 nursing bras (the comfy sports-bra type)
• no slip socks/slippers
• flip flop sandals
• leggings and/or comfortable pj pants  (I personally liked being in pants rather than the hospital gown because it held in my monster pad much better than just the loose, mesh underwear. The leggings were part of my "going home" outfit. Make sure they are big and comfortable!)
• shirts (?)- I stayed in a bra and robe all day. I found shirts just a waste when I'd have to remove them for breastfeeding anyway
• light, zip-up jacket (be sure it is a zip-up! You don't want any extra work for breastfeeding.)
• granny panties (ok, real talk right now...after using the mesh 
• toiletries (yes, I did end up taking a shower and putting makeup on...it just made me feel more human)
• dark towel (You just had a baby. You're bleeding....no one wants to see that on a white towel!)
• entertainment (in case labor is long) ex: music, movies, book, face cards, etc.
• Boppy pillow (some may use this right away from propping up Baby when she is nursing. I, however, used it to sit on when I wanted to finally sit somewhere else besides my hospital bed.)

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Baby

• correctly installed car seat
• going home outfit (Honestly, we didn't really take "going home" pictures, so this outfit can just be a comfortable pj onesie.)
• pacifier
• blanket and car seat cover (consider the outside weather)
• journal for writing to my baby

Daddy

• pillow and blanket
• sweats or pjs
• change of clothes 
• toiletries
• charger (phone, iPad)
• snacks 

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Baby Registry 

My sister-in-law is pregnant with her first child right now. Just a few weeks after having Grace, she sent me a text and asked, "What are the things you couldn't live without?"   So here is the list I sent her of my must-haves for my brand new baby.

• nursing pillow (Boppy or My Brest Friend. I have both, and they are both great. The Boppy is not super easy to use with a newborn, but on the other hand My Brest Friend is much more bulky.) 
• binkis (We like the Mam brand)
• lots of swaddles
• lots of burp cloths
• bottle dryer (They have those cute ones that look like grass and flowers. Whoever invented those is genius!)
• open gown pjs (makes middle-of-the-night diaper changes much simpler)
• snot sucker (Ok, that is the less elegant name, but seriously these things are brilliant! We prefer the NeilMed Naspira brand.)
• white noise machine
• bouncer (The swing vs bouncer debate is a hot topic, but we've been totally satisfied with just a bouncer)
• pack and play (We chose to use our's as our bassinet for the first few months.)
• night light (We have a few: one attached to the pack and play mobile and another on a white noise machine in the nursery. These make it easy to see without shocking baby awake with the bright glare of bedroom lights.)
• baby bathtub (Another sister-in-law suggested this one, and we like it so far.)
• car seat (duh!)
• diaper bag (I love my Fawn designer diaper bag) 

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Take it for what it's worth

So those are a few of my lists. Take 'em or leave 'em. Tweak them to your own style and experience. I know that for me, at least, these lists will be helpful reminders for the future.