Both for you and baby.
We have another shower this weekend, and after that we're going to go over our registry and postpartum care shopping list and buy the things that we will really need immediately post-baby, and buy the other stuff only as we find ourselves needing it later on.
What did you find to be essential that first month or two?
GOLD / squash / 13576 posts
We needed:
- Boppy/Breast friend
- Diapers
- Sleepers
- Baby bath tub
- Towels/wash cloths
- Swaddling blankets
- Wabbanub
- Pumping supplies
- Bottles w/ slow flow nipple
- PNP w/ newborn napper
- Stroller w/ carseat insert
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
I don't have any personal experience (yet!), but I found this article very helpful:
pear / 1965 posts
Besides what was already stated... breast pads and lanolin cream and pads for yourself for post baby bleeding.
squash / 13764 posts
Nursing tanks, Muslim blankets, bottles/pump, swing, boppy, nipple cream, diaper rash cream, NB diapers, some sort of baby carrier, and the # of a good LC!
grapefruit / 4235 posts
Also, stool softeners (for you!). The only thing the hospital didn't send us home with.
ETA: I really liked having a soft stretchy sleep nursing bra.
pomegranate / 3452 posts
Bottles/storage bags
Pump rental
Nipple butter (earth mama angel baby is awesome)
Soothies
NB long sleeved onesies
Swaddlemes
Washcloths/infant tub/towel
Receiving blanks for laying on and keeping warm in stroller
Wipes/diapers in every room
Boppy
Glider
PP care supplies for mom (peri bottle, tucks, pads, dermaplast)
Burp cloths (Gerber pre folds)
White noise machine
Safe place for baby (chair, swing, etc)
papaya / 10473 posts
@lawbee11: So, you are pretty much my hero today 
That list is awesome, and you saved me over $100 on an Ergo!
pear / 1895 posts
Lots of people love using lanolin for their sore nipples, but I didn't! It was too thick and sticky. I preferred Earth Mama Nipple Butter. You definitely need something, though. Take it to the hospital with you!
cantaloupe / 6017 posts
We are only a week in...
Boppy
Nursing pads
iPad! (I am nursing all the time)
Nursing tank top- I only have one right now, and can make due without but it is really convenient
Nipple butter- I like the earth mama stuff, I've had almost no nipple issues
Washcloth
Towel
Unscented baby soap
Diapers (we are using pre folds/covers)
Wipes
Sleep gowns for bed time
Pants/ onesies or one pieces for day time
A&a blankets
We have also loved having our boba carrier- baby only sleeps when she is with us so it has been hugely helpful
Car seat
Pads (I have had an easy recovery, and didn't need the tucks pads)
Stool softener
Extra strength Tylenol
We are co-bedding right now, so we haven't used our crib or co-sleeper yet.
Things like freezer food, take out, etc were helpful. And my husband!
grapefruit / 4717 posts
Great lists above. In addition, I would add a vibrating bouncy chair or another item to put your baby down safely in instead of the crib/bassinet/your arms, etc. Lifesaver. Truly.
I second/third/fouth Nursing tanks. Lots and lots (and lots!) of burp cloths. I used the Motherlove Nipple Cream and also preferred it to lanolin.
iPhone (preferred over iPad b/c you can hold it w/ one hand) and streaming TV/books/apps. It's amazing how much I relied on my phone during the first couple months. Especially helpful when you're nursing or otherwise stuck under a delicious baby for hours at a time.
LOTS of snacks you can eat with one hand. Helpful if they are stashed near wherever you are nursing. I loved Fiber bars (which are also helpful in...ahem....other pp departments), trail mix. I was so much hungrier pp than I ever was while pregnant.
Multiple water bottles that you keep filled and around the house. PP thirst for me was incredible.
pineapple / 12053 posts
Brest friend
Breast pads
Nursing tanks
Soothies
Booby tubes
Tucks pads
Pads for pp bleeding
Panty liners for after heavy bleeding stopped
Mama bottom spray
Sleep sheep or other white noise
Cosleeper
Glider for nursing
Tv shows for watching during nursing
pomegranate / 3225 posts
I tried to buy everything I could possibly have needed, and it was too much. So, I would urge you not to do that! I really loved the Rock and PLay sleeper, woombies/miracle blanket, puj tub, soothies gel breast pads, and the Boppy Newborn lounger. Also a nursing pillow and wubbanub pacifiers.
GOLD / pomelo / 5737 posts
Others have had great suggestions but as someone who ended up formula feeding for various reasons, I highly recommend finding a good LC BEFORE the birth of your baby. With a screaming (potentially very hungry) baby you're not going to want to be shopping around for one.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
grab witch hazel from target (it was like, $1/bottle vs over $4/bottle at CVS!). when i ran out of ice pack pads, i poured that onto some and froze them. if you end up not needing it, just return
I second @googly-eyes too - if you decide to breast feed, make sure you know ahead of time if your insurance covers an LC visit. I spent a lot of time on the phone trying to find that out, in pain and crying because I was so stressed.
papaya / 10473 posts
@sorrycharlie: @googly-eyes: I actually found this out on accident when I called our insurance co the other day! Our insurance only covers a manual pump (boo!) but I found out that surprisingly all lactation consultant services are listed under preventative medicine and are covered! I'll ask my OB and my childbirth instructor for recs today since I'll see them both. I wouldn't have thought to line one up beforehand. Thank you!
pomelo / 5524 posts
Love the lists above. I wanted to second the PnP newborn napper. It was the only thing LO would nap in at first. That and our nap nanny, but those were recalled.
The other thing that helped soooo much was classical lullaby music. He loooooooved that. It seemed to calm him down right away when he heard it and he still associates it with sleepy time.
Oh, and one more that we discovered really late, but helped so much when he was inconsolable. An exercise ball. We would bounce on it with him, and his crying would immediately stop and he'd drift off to sleep. It was our lifesaver when he was so colicky for the first 3-4 months.
nectarine / 2127 posts
Clothes that don't have to go over LO's head. I hate trying to get his head through onesies. Looooove the sleepers!
bananas / 9357 posts
These were my essentials for the first month:
boppy
nursing tanks
breast pads
earth mama nipple butter
ibuprofen
stool softener
pads
tucks
snacks
large water bottle
ipad
baby connect app
sleepers
velcro swaddle blankets (easier for middle of the night)
bouncy chair or swing or rock n play (we used bouncy chair a lot)
burp cloths
newborn sized hats
tiny nail file for those little razor sharp nails
white noise machine
night light or dimmer on bedside lamp
hostess / eggplant / 11068 posts
Maybe not something you want to present at a shower but any hemorhoid cream! *shuddering at the memory of mine*
GOLD / wonderful coconut / 33402 posts
Burp cloths, lots and lots of burp cloths
Emory boards
newborn and 0-3 clothes
newborn and size 1 diapers
A&A blankets
SwaddleMe blankets
noise machine
Ktan
Boppy
Nursing tanks and bras
Nipple cream
nursing pads
Trumpette socks
Breast Pump
Footed sleepers ( I like the snaps better)
Rock n Play
bath tub
wash cloths
towels
diaper rash cream
iphone (something to do during feedings)
cantaloupe / 6397 posts
I bought tucks with witch hazel and they've helped a lot along with the peri bottle (given to me at the hospital!). I also had those gel ice packs which I sat on, felt awesome. A sitz bath and Epsom salts also helped!!! Lansinoh, breast pads.
For baby - diaper shirts so you don't have to pull anything over baby's head. Woombie - so easy to swaddle with this!! Sleepers that zip up. I've loved Aden and Anais blankets too. Our bassinet and swing have been life savers. And the bouncy chair!!
honeydew / 7589 posts
Here's what we used.
For baby:
- Cloth diapers (we have 24 AIO's)
- Large Hanging Wet Bag (Planet Wise)
- Cloth Wipes (we have 40 grovia)
- Wipe Container (oxo tot)
- Diaper rash ointment (we LOVE the grovia rash stick)
- Wipes Solution (we make ours with knickernappies drops)
- Sleepers
- Gowns/Sleep sacks (she loved these and still does, because she likes to rub her feet together inside them and the sleeper doesn't let her do that)
- A couple comfortable outfits (I love Tea Collection rompers)
- Soothies pacifiers (she loves her wubbanub, it's the only thing that makes car travel possible)
- Moby wrap/K'tan (we have both, and use both)
- Burp cloths
- Sound machine
- Baby soap/shampoo (we use earth mama angel baby)
- Boppy
- Burp cloths
- Swaddleme
- Nail clippers
- Windi
- A&A blankets
- Car seat
- Snap and go stroller
- Laundry detergent (we use method free and clear)
- Ear thermometer
For me:
- Tucks pads
- Washcloths
- Peri bottle
- Pads (super giant thick ones for the first week, regular after that. At four weeks I'm using thin liners).
- Depends (adult diapers. Way better than pads for nighttime use, they hold way more and you are less likely to leak blood everywhere)
- Colace
- Disposable nursing pads
- Nursing bras (sleep bras are awesome)
- Comfy clothes
- Snacks
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
- Boppy/Breast friend
- Diapers/wipes
- Sleepers/onesies
- Baby bath tub
- Towels/wash cloths
- Swaddling blankets
- carseat
- postpartum care supplies
I think those are the things you absolutely NEED.
eggplant / 11287 posts
Stool softener (first poop is scary)
Dermoplast for lady bits
Boppy
Lightweight swaddling blankets
Nursing tanks
Nursing pads (I got reusable and loved them. Save a tree)
Sweats
Moby wrap (used it every day it saved my life!)
Nipple cream
Sleepers and comfy clothes for baby
I think that's it. We didn't need much. Everything else was just excess!
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
baby:
Rock n Play
Bottles
Pump/accessories
Nursing cover
Diapers/Wipes
Sleepers
Bouncer
Blankets
Swing (she loved her swing, it was a savor!)
Car Seat
Changing pad washable covers (I liked the ones that covered the pretty cover)
Me:
Yoga Pants/nursing bra/nursing tanks/baggy shirts
nipple cream
stoll softener
snacks - easy to grab food for night nursing
Big water bottle
nursing pads
and these pads you put in the microwave/fridge for your boobs that fit around the pump...AMAZING
Pads
comfy cotton undies
apricot / 364 posts
Multiple waterproof liners and sheets for whatever baby is sleeping in and layer them. Then if they spit up or diaper leaks in the middle of the night all you have to do is strip off a layer instead of changing sheets etc.
Also I didn't like baby wash cloths and towels because they didn't seem absorbent so we just used our regular ones.
Everyone else seems to have it covered so that's my 2 cents.
pomelo / 5093 posts
Very little, honestly.
Comfy clothing for me.
Warm jammies for the baby, and swaddlers for nighttime.
diapers, clearly
All the hygiene stuff you'll need after delivery.
Moby wrap - crucial. I had several.
lots of food? nursing made me severely hangry.
bassinet next to the bed.
1000 hours of television for the 8+ hours a day I nursed.
nursing pads and nursing bras! how could I forget??? the annoying thing about nursing bras is that your boobs will keep changing size - so don't splurge on a nice one for a month or two.
honestly, that's about it. we hung around the house and nursed or we went exploring around town. I didn't need much for either. I switched to cloth after a few weeks, which made my diaper bag a little heavier, but that's about the only wrinkle.
ETA: I see that I'm in the minority, and that most people used a ton more stuff than me. I thought a lot about what I would need, and what to get, and all that before my baby came. In the end, I just decided that it would be impossible to know exactly what I was going to want, and that I lived very close to several stores that were open quite late. Worst case, my husband could run out and get some crucial item. And in 19 months - he never has. So I'd personally advise just getting some basics, and then planning to grab what you need later. I bought a lot of other stuff that just went to waste.
grape / 80 posts
Cabbage in the fridge
They work great to reduce engorgement and sore nipples. (And cheaper then those booby tubes)
My midwife said to take out two leaves (try to keep them whole) and crush the veins a bit with a rolling pin. Then cup your breasts with them. Remove when they are wilted and repeat.
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