Newborn essentials

The list below is a good overview of the items that I believe are your first must-haves when welcoming a new baby into your home.

Aden and anais swaddle blankets, 4 pack. Ugh these are so cute and great. You'll use them for everything from swaddling to just resting the baby around the house. These are by far the best ones I've tried. Amazon has a huge selection: http://www.amazon.com/aden-anais-Swaddle-About-Pack/dp/B002SW3B1I

Boppy pillow and cover of your choice. Great for resting baby in and nursing. Awesome item.
Baby activity gym. The one the baby lays under. These are must haves for the first few months. No need to get fancy!

Bouncy seat. Again, no need to get anything fancy.  Here is a mid price example, but I think cheaper is just as good: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-W9458-Deluxe-Monkey-Bouncer/dp/B005IWM6BG/ref=sr_1_7?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1358714116&sr=1-7.

cloth diapers. Babies poop and spit up a lot. Cloth diapers are cheap and soft and absorbant. Way better than the burp cloths most stores sell. You go through them fast and get them stained a lot, so cloth diapers are ideal for this purpose. I used these gerber prefolds- they are very thick and absorbant. http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-10-pack-Prefold-Premium-Diapers/dp/B00897VF1Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1358714210&sr=1-2&keywords=gerber+cloth+diapers

Tweezerman baby nail scissors. These are amazing and perhaps my biggest must have- if you take no other advice, trust me on this one! The nail clips for babies are useless. These make life incredibly easy. I've been using them for 3 years on 3 kids and they're perfect still: http://www.amazon.com/Tweezerman-Yellow-Baby-Nail-Scissors/dp/B000G686X6/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1358533887&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=Tweezerman+baby.

Mylicon. These are infant drops for gas. Not a medication- its some sort of thing that doesn't actually absorb into the body but makes gas easier for a baby to pass. One of our babies had bad stomach pains from gas and would cry a lot- as soon as we used this he was fine. (it's something to keep in your medicine cabinet, not an everyday thing. Just mentioning because it's one of those things that you never hear of until you suffer for days! Recommend buying it to have it around before baby arrives.)

Baby bath tub. Any one is fine. Cheap is great.

Don't forget wash cloths and soft baby towels. 2 towels is probably enough.

Baby wash- there are tons out there but I really like the California baby products. Organic, Eco friendly. We have very sensitive skin over here and these are great as they have a no fragrance version (its called super sensitive) It's sold on amazon and at target too!

Night light. Good for baby's room and also your room so you don't have to turn on lightstouring night waking/feeding. Less jarring for the baby. Target has very good ambient ones in the kids room section.

Fyi on thermometers. doctors do not recommend or take readings from the ear. They will take readings from the underarm though, which you can do with a regular electronic thermometer and it's actually a bit easier. I'd choose a nice, fast read electronic and skip the ear. We have this and would recommend:  http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2393694On bedding: no need to buy blankets or bumpers unless you have your heart set on them. They are considered a suffocation risk so all you need is a fitted sheet. I have found that the gerber and carters fitted sheets are painfully small and nearly impossible to get on the bed. For the fitted sheets, after much pain, I finally splurged and bought ours at pottery barn kids- they fit GREAT so I just bought whatever pattern was on sale!On diapers: check out honest brand diapers. https://www.honest.com/diaper-trial/?sid=10001&cid=google&mid=search&aid=Diapers_Top:Diaper_Terms:diapers:Phrase&gclid=CJ6U7_3u97QCFUOK4Aod5isA9g. They are the biodegradables I told you about. If you do go the disposable route, you'll want a diaper genie. On strollers: I feel a new mom is better off using a car seat to walk the baby with a snap n go (universal stroller) for the first 4-6 months. Those universal strollers are less than $100 and worth their weight in gold. But it is not about money. New babies can only breathe through their noses, so the slight head elevation actually helps them sleep better- like what a car seat provides. I personally would get the car seat & universal stroller & great stroller for later. Here's a universal stroller: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Trend-Single-Snap-Stroller/dp/B000BMKEVC/ref=pd_sbs_ba_3. Our stroller, the uppababy Cruz, also can become a universal stroller if you put in the car seat holder (sold on amazon). If you need more info on strollers and brands, let me knowOn breast feeding: strongly recommend nursing pads and Lansinoh lanolin.... And the best nursing bras by far are the bravado ones. http://www.amazon.com/Bravado-Body-Seamless-Nursing-Honeysuckle/dp/B00745NIVM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358535742&sr=8-1&keywords=Bravado