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I used a bouncy seat until she was big enough to really fit in the swing! Nose frida snot sucker, lots of burp cloths, handy snacks if you plan to breastfeed, and a Netflix subscription! I lived on my couch that first month. Also postpartum supplies: heavy duty pads, granny panties, tucks pads, numbing spray for your vagina, some really comfy yoga pants.

Lots of burp cloths and muslins/wraps/blankets - we use blankets under him on the bed, couch, carpet, etc to protect the surface from spitup. Also enough comfy pillows to support you when nursing or even just holding LO- I found it really uncomfortable to hold my body weight pp, although I did have a c section.
I wish we had the bouncer from the start, its great to have somewhere to put the baby for a few minutes and bouncers only last til they can situp anyway so if you're going to get one, right away is good.
Lastly, I used a wrap carrier so he would sleep and I could do stuff around the house or even just use the computer. I got so sick of being confined to the couch!

Lots of burp cloths, both reusable and disposable nursing pads, nipple cream, and a couple of nursing sleep bras have been key for breastfeeding for me. We go through a shocking amount of burp cloths and nursing pads, so I would recommend having a lot on hand.

A carrier of some sort (I started with a moby and just started using an infantino mei tai as well at almost a month old), has been essential. We go for daily walks and have used our stroller maybe 10 times at 5 weeks.

I would highly recommend something portable to set baby down in. We have a pack n play that came with a napper thing and we use it daily. The first couple of weeks I didn't want her out if my sight and loved being able to move her from room to room.

I love having lots of blankets, especially muslin swaddle blankets. We use multiple blankets every day and they need to be washed often. I also recommend having some sort of sleep sack that you can use if your baby doesn't like swaddling. My baby hated being swaddled with a passion.

My husband unfortunately worked two nights a week for the first 6 weeks of my son's life, and on those nights my stretchy wrap carrier was invaluable. My son never wanted to be put down during the witching hour, so I wore him while I made dinner and ate dinner at the kitchen counter. Other than that, all the suggestions given are awesome! Breastpads were an absolute necessity. Reusable didn't work for me, only disposable. Good luck you'll do awesome x

I agree with PPs - I think you should get a baby carrier! We just bought a ring sling (under $100) and it seems awesome so far. I am due in 6.5 weeks. Congratulations, mama!!

I didn't realise how thirsty & hungry I would be! So lots of easy/healthy snacks ready, I guzzled sparkling water so had to have loads of that around.

I also wish I knew just how much time I would be in maternity/nursing wear (ie always!!!) so I would recommend getting some nice good so you don't feel too daggy hanging out in home clothes 24-7. That, and nice nursing bras. Sounds silly but it's definitely something I would organise better next time!

If you are BFing, babies really don't need too much for the first few weeks! Though I agree with the above suggestions!

Swaddle (we like zip up ones!)
A sling
Bouncy vibrating seat
Disposable nursing pads. Johnson and Johnson are my favorite because they are curved
Extra underwear-lots of bleeding and discharge
Zip up sleepers for baby (target sells them. THE best)

I would agree with what most everyone has suggested above. But for us DS hated the bouncer, we didn't have a swing, and for the first month or so he spent any down time in his RNP. We got a swing once he became more alert and wasn't eating every 2 hours. So some of those things were pointless for us. Every baby is different. You mentioned this already but hands down the best thing I did ahead of time was do plenty of freezer meals and stocked up on household items, so definitely don't skimp on that!

We have a britax stroller that his bucket car seat attaches to and that's what we use. DS likes his stroller more than his carrier so that's what we use. DS was born in June and I found that he got so hot in his carrier so we may have gotten more use out of it if the weather was different.

LO is 7 Wks and what has been invaluable so far:

Miracle blanket (works so much better than regular swaddle blankets)
Swing (this is a recent purchase and has saved my sanity and given me my hands back in the daytime! She hates the bouncer we already had)
Rock n Play or bassinet for sleeping near you
Earth mama angel baby nipple butter
Pump & pumping bra
Oral syringes for supplementing and eventually we moved to the Medela Calma nipple at 3 Wks
So many burp cloths
iPad with Netflix and books on it
Baby gas relief drops
Find some little booties/slippers that actually stay on their feet. Socks suck!

Formula and a couple bottles, even if you're planning to BF. Things didn't work out in that area the way I'd hoped, and I was completely unprepared - had nothing and hadn't researched any options. You can always donate that stuff if you don't need it but it's not fun to have a hungry baby and no way to feed it in the middle of the night.

Agree with pp on a baby carrier. We used a Baby K'tan for the first month and Beco Gemini after that, multiple times a day for a whole year. Rarely used our stroller and could have done without it for a long time.

Last - a subscription to Amazon Prime! So helpful to just order what you need as you need it and have it come in a day or two.

Buy things you will need in postpartum...
Comfy pjs/ robe (you spend whole days without getting dressed), pads for when you're leaking, stool softener, nipple cream, easy snacks, a good water bottle, nursing bras/ sports bras (I actually liked the sports bras for nursing that I just pulled them down), comfy socks, thick pads for bleeding etc. With my first I was so focused on the baby coming it never occurred to me that I would need things too!

Cloth diapers to use and burp clothes and a thermometer that you can take your newborn's temp rectally are essentials! Aveeno baby for bathing and aquaphor for protecting baby's skin. I didn't realize till after my baby was born that other products are not recommended by my ped because they are not gentle enough for baby's skin. Amazon prime so you can get anything you need I'm 2 days!

I didn't read the other comments but instantly my mind went to a comfy place to sit in front of a TV with cords for charging phone tablet etc. A great water bottle, a basket of snacks, a nursing pillow, nipple cream, a swing and a bouncy seat or some other easy to move baby holder.

I feel like the rest of the stuff wasn't useful until after the first month.

Have fun and good luck!

Every mom and baby are different so you'll do a LOT of trial and error and despite your best efforts, you'll be buying a lot of stuff after LO arrives in the first few weeks. Diapers.com was a life saver for me. ANYTHING you need for a baby or yourself is on diapers.com and if you spend $50 (and you will) it's delivered next day for free!

My list, and many of these I only discovered after we struggled without them at first:

- side snap kimono style undershirts. I hated putting stuff over his head till he was about 4-5 weeks
- swaddle me or other brand of "swaddle pods". So much easier than trying to swaddle for real.
- footed sleepers, zippered were best for us. No fumbling during the night with buttons
- the "happiest baby on the block" book AND we downloaded the hairdryer sound from iTunes. It calmed him during changes or other stressful situations.
- even if you are BF - have a can of formula and some bottles there. You never know how it'll go and if you have latch or supply issues, you don't want to be without formula at 3am with a screaming newborn.
- we loved the boppy newborn lounger (not the same as the regular boppy). I would put him in it next to me on the couch so I could give my arms a rest but still keep a hand on him for comfort. Or I would put it on the floor outside the bathroom where I could see him.
- boppy for bottle feeding
- rock n play. Hands down. I waited till he was 5 weeks to get one and I have kicked myself every day that I didn't have it from day one. He didn't sleep in it, but it was one of the only devices he would chill in while awake.
- a manual pump. Many times this worked better for me than the electric one.
- if you have an electric one, get the simple wishes hands free pumping bra. Don't get medela. You will thank me!
- sound machine
- lots and lots of diapers. You'll be changing about every 2 hours, so that's minimum 12 in a day. Don't overstock in the small sizes though, they grow fast. Again, diapers.com or Amazon prime. I would just keep an eye on how many we had left and when we got down to a couple days worth I would know what size he was, if he was on the cusp of the next size, etc and order based on that. We've only ever wasted a few diapers that way.
- a nightlight near the changing table
- if it's a boy, keep lots of wash cloths near the changing table. We always threw one on his penis when we were changing him and avoided getting too much pee in the eye that way.
- LOTS of bibs and burp cloths. But, we had a spitter/reflux baby. So I don't know if that's normal.
- lots of microwave meals, homemade or store bought. When I was home alone with him I always felt like I didn't have time or free hands to make anything, even a sandwich or eggs. So I had lots of freezer meals. Healthiest? No. Better than starving? Yes. But to be fair I'm not much of a cook by nature so maybe this was my own personal struggle
- NETFLIX. for sure.

Lastly, this isn't an item, but it's something that made me enjoy those first couple months way more - cut yourself some slack. I felt like I had to have the house perfected every day on top of taking care of a newborn. It made me feel completely overwhelmed and inadequate if things weren't perfect. Once I realized a few weeks in that it's OK to just veg and do NOTHING when the baby is sleeping, I felt a lot better. I used the dishwasher instead of hand washing every bottle and apparatus. I watched Netflix instead of making beds. I just relaxed. Because taking care of a newborn is enough! It took me way too long to realize that.

Good luck, it'll all work out. You can try to be as prepared as possible but things will still be missing or forgotten. And that's ok

@SweetiePie: yes nightlights! turning on a light in the night is so jarring

@Ms.Badger: I've always wondered about this! I am always afraid I won't be out of something and will get a shipment and have too much. But, I live in an apartment so storage space is at a minimum. Maybe if I had a house I wouldn't feel that way.

-AA swaddles
-rock n play sleeper chair
-baby wrap carrier
-lots of nursing pads and nipple cream
-Lansinoh gel cooling nipple pads were lifesavers for me in the beginning. Pop them in the fridge until you use them.
-burts bees lavender night time baby wash. LO would pass out right after night time bath.
-obviously lots and lots of diapers. Some NB an size 1.
-comfy clothes and netflix

Everything pp have said! Lots of side snap kimono style long sleeve with built-in mitten shirts for Lo! My favorite snacks are still Kind bars in the dark chocolate flavor. Find them at Costco. Good luck!