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Now that I’ve had two newborns, I feel perfectly qualified to write this post.

I know I’ve said that London is a good baby. She is, but she’s even better now that we’ve realized there are some things we need to keep her happy. Over the past month, there has been a couple weeks where Cameron and I would have to take “shifts” overnight because London wouldn’t sleep if she wasn’t being held.

Basically, this meant that Cameron stayed up with her from 10pm-2am, and I stayed up with her from 2am-6am. As you can imagine, it was not a great time.

We’re not doing that anymore, though! Here are the top 10 newborn essentials that we couldn’t live without:

Rock n Play – If you’re having a hard time getting your newborn to sleep, if there is one thing I could recommend, it is the Fisher-Price Auto Rock n Play Sleeper. It’s the only reason Cameron and I were able to stop alternating night shifts, and even though we bought the Rock n Play once London was around 2.5 weeks old, I still wish we had discovered it sooner. I actually asked my Facebook friends for advice on getting her to sleep, and several people recommended the Rock n Play. If you don’t believe me, it has a ton of great reviews on Amazon, too. It rocks and plays music/white noise. London is in it right now. If we didn’t have it, I’d never be able to write this post, because I’d have to hold her all day.

Similac Pro-Sensitive Ready To Feed – I really wish London would use any regular, generic baby formula, but we’ve already switched her three times and this seems to be working the best. Liam always used the regular Similac Sensitive Ready To Feed. We use Ready To Feed, because for some reason, the powder gave both of them gas. I don’t know if it’s because it creates air bubbles when you mix it or what, but we’ll gladly pay extra for Ready To Feed, if it means we don’t have to deal with her crying from gassiness every time she eats.

Pacifiers – I don’t have a lot to say about this, other than the only pacifiers that Liam or London would take are these Gerber First Essentials Pacifiers. We seriously have about 15 of them.

Dr. Brown’s Original Bottles – I think these bottles are pretty popular, but one thing that I do recommend is buying additional bottle nipples. Cleaning them is a pain, and if you’re like us, you wait until the very last one is dirty before you wash them all. The last thing you want is to be woken up by a screaming baby at 3am, and then realize you have to wash a bottle nipple before you can feed them.

Sleep n Plays – Sure, there are loads of cute baby clothes, but consider this: you are going to have to change diapers like 12 times a day. Pulling off pants and unsnapping onesies 12 times a day is a waste of time. Unless we’re leaving the house, London basically lives in sleep n plays. Liam did, too. My favorite ones are the zip-up kind, because they’re even faster than button-ups. I also really love fleece sleep n plays during the winter, since they’ll keep the babies warmer.

Sleep Sack – We never used these with Liam, and I don’t know why. Probably because he was born in the summer. London’s going to be a newborn during the coldest parts of winter, though, so sleep sacks are a must. They’re pretty much a wearable blanket for babies, but they’re safe. I double-checked with the doctor because I’m always paranoid.

Lotion – No one ever tells you this, but newborns are born with the most dry, peeling skin of all time. London’s looks like it’s finally starting to become normal, and she’s a month old. I feel like Liam took a lot longer, but that’s because we weren’t using a lot of lotion with him. For the past month, I’ve been using Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Moisturizing Lotion on her.

Travel Bassinet – Before we discovered just how life-saving the Rock N Play was, London slept in the Lulyboo Baby Lounge To Go. She would sleep in it, but it had to be laying on top of the couch. I don’t know how she knew, but either way, I’m glad we have it. It’s nice to have if you ever have to stay overnight at someone else’s house. It doesn’t take up very much space at all, and it actually seems cozy and comfortable, unlike pack and plays.

Car Seat Cover – London was born on October 30, and because Ohio weather is crazy, it can either be 80 degrees or 3 degrees on that day. Before she was even born, we bought the JJ Cole Car Seat Cover. I was afraid it would be cold when we left from the hospital, and I didn’t want her to freeze. Plus, she’s going to be a tiny, little infant throughout all of winter. It’s great at keeping her warm, and I’m glad we don’t have to bundle her in a ton of clothes just to get her in the car.Pampers Swaddlers – Everyone has their favorite brand of diapers, but honestly, I don’t know why anyone is choosing anything other than Pampers Swaddlers. Especially for newborns. They have a line on the front of the diaper that turns blue when the diaper is wet. Some people are really good at smelling a wet diaper. I am not one of those people, so Pampers Swaddlers save me from constantly having to check a diaper. Also, so many people talk about their babies having blowouts all the time. London had one at the hospital right after she was born, and Liam’s had less than five his entire life. They’ve always used Pampers Swaddlers.

BONUS!

I know this is only supposed to be ten of the most essential newborn baby items, but I have one more.

Little Remedies Gas Relief Drops – I used to think these didn’t work, so I didn’t even bother buying them. They work. Buy them before your baby is even born, so you’re not up at 3am, looking for something you can buy on Amazon to get your baby to quit screaming. Because then, you’ll have to wait two days, when you really need them to be in your possession immediately.

That’s all I got. Leave a comment and let me know what some of your newborn must haves are!