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Here are my thoughts after two babies:
DS1 - nose frida (LOVE IT) and pack n play
DS2 - rock n play

With DS2, we didn't have to buy a lot because we had everything from DS1. However, I did buy a rnp because I wanted something smaller for him to sleep in while still in my room. Big brother slept in a pack n play. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the rnp. And we had zero issues transitioning to a crib.

I chose the nose frida and pack n play for DS1. I think the nose frida works way better than the bulb. The pack n play was also super useful to us as a place for baby to sleep as well as a place to rest him to play. We stopped using it with DS1 at around 1.

Also everything is very dependent upon your baby. Neither of my boys wanted to be swaddled so we went with sleep sacks from the start. Also neither liked babywearing.

A vibrating bouncer was also great for both boys. I used it to feed them, put them in it while I showered, etc.

@Eko: following! What a great question to post here... I'm completely overwhelmed by what's out there & while I have lots of friends & SIL's to ask advice from, sometimes it's just so much easier here on HB b/c no one will be offended if we pass on the advice & also won't push their (unwanted) hand-me-downs on us. Not to say that I'm not looking forward to benefitting from some of those, H-M-Ds, of course...

nose frida (but LO hated it) and a good baby monitor.

I'm also going to say a good changing pad... we used this on the couch and this is basically where LO hung out a lot till he started to learn to roll.

Can't live without? Ergo!

Favorite item? Stokke crib! We had/ have a small space and although the crib costs a fortune, it has been worth every penny. It has wheels so we can move it around, small footprint, and no corners to bump into in a small space. I also use it as a pack n play of sorts, I just wheel it out...

boba 3g to wear her. we used that from the first week to now at 21 months!

@Eko: came back to link to this thread I started when I was pregnant that might give you some more ideas!

http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/best-and-worst-registry

And that I loooove my soft gear changing pad without a cover

The Boppy Newborn Lounger -- my son LIVES in it. I cannot recommend it enough.

I can't pick just one. Every baby is so different but these were our must haves:

1. Swing(get a plug in unlike me, batteries get pricey quick!)
2. Rock and play. Slept in this every night until we transitioned to the crib at 5.5 months.
3. Boppy. Crucial for me for breastfeeding. Used it until I wean last week at 20 months.
4. A good breast pump if you're going to be working.
5. A&A blankets. She has slept with one of these every night of her life and also has to have one for every car ride. They're so light and soft and a great size for swaddling.
6. Playmat. Once she was a couple of months old she loved hanging out under it.
7. Some kind of carrier. I like our ergo. It wasn't a MUST have, I wouldn't have died without it, but it was especially nice before she could sit up in shopping carts. Also nice for when it was just me and her so that I didn't have to deal with the stroller or anything.

Rock n play
Ergo

@Mrs. Lion: I didn't think we'd use a stroller much (since we had the Ergo), but man, I LOVE it! Great rec!!

Wine

Plus all the aforementioned things!

@youboots: just keeping it real hehe. I drank a lot of wine in the early days

I've used my ergo almost everyday since LO was a few days old and she's 14.5 months. It's lifesaver!

I think the number 1 thing for me surprisingly has been a video monitor. Runners up are blackout curtains (her room faces east) and a white noise machine that stays on continuously. We have used these things every day now for almost 13 months and I don't see use stopping anytime soon!

The swing and the ergo saved my sanity in the newborn days but had short life spans.

Rock n Play!!

Rock n play and video monitor. I know two things but our LO had bad reflux and the RNP was a must and the video put my mind at ease.

When she was an infant we lived in a very hot Apartment. I mean, it was snowing outside, and I wanted the windows open!
So she spent most days and nights in just a diaper, but that wasn't so great for sleep, so we wrapped her in her snuggie (since she kept wiggling out of the blanket). She stopped being able to hit herself in the face while sleeping, it was a godsend!

RNP, swing, wipeable foam antibacterial changing pad (no covers to wash)

In the early days, miracle blanket and wubbanub (seriously, a paci that doesn't fall out of their mouths = total win, you can tuck the arms into car seat straps or swaddle). I loved the moby when DD was little and Ergo when she got big enough (didn't try infant insert). And some sort of baby container that you can move around easily, preferably that will fit in the bathroom while you shower (rock n play would work, or I really like the FP infant to toddler rocker- vibrates/reclines for the baby days and my 20 month old still uses it as a rocking chair). I didn't miss having a bouncer or swing bc we never tried one...just remember, if you don't test it out, you won't miss it. But blogs and bee wisdom helped me decide what to get and what to skip.

A good carrier - whatever works for you. I love my olives and applesauce as well as tula ( I prefer the O&A over tula though.) at 15 months we still use it every day.

I also loved the blooming bath. Use it for bathing in the sink. I Never ever had her cry in the bath, my back never hurt from bending over the tub. Loved it. It worked until she was about 8 months old then we moved to the bath tub.