As a first-time mom, I spent months researching newborn essentials, watching countless videos, and building what I thought was the perfect list of baby must-haves to avoid panic buys after arriving home. I was determined to be fully prepared for every possible scenario before bringing my baby home.
But once we entered the newborn stage, reality hit fast.
There were a handful of baby items I didn’t buy either to save money or because I assumed they were unnecessary. I remember thinking, “Babies didn’t need this years ago, so why would I?”
I was very wrong. They exist for a reason.
Within days of being home, I found myself making a series of panic buys for my newborn. I think the Amazon truck driver made our house a part of his routine stop every day for the next week with my panic purchases.
And honestly? Some of those purchases turned out to be the best newborn essentials I own and have lasted me well into infancy.
If you’re a new or expecting mom, these are the 5 newborn must-haves I panic bought (and don’t regret at all).
1. Bottle Washer
This was one of those newborn essentials that I tossed in the “extra” category. I didn’t think was worth the space to sacrifice for it.
It wouldn’t look the best sitting on my countertop next to my sink and I thought it was money better spent somewhere else. Plus, why would I need a bottle washer when I had a perfectly fine dishwasher a few feet away.
Boy, I’ve never wanted to eat my words so much.
We bought our bottle washer about 9 days after coming home with our newborn. Best panic buy ever. I actually use it to wash my pumping parts more than I do baby bottles. If you’re considering breast pumping, I would say this needs to be at the top of your priority list. I did not realize exactly how much of my time would be spent washing pumping parts. If you’re pumping, this quickly becomes less of a luxury and more of a postpartum essential.
My lactation consultant recommended for me to pump around every 3 hours to mimic my newborn’s hunger cues. This comes out to around 8 times per day. After each pumping session, I spent at least 15 minutes per day washing and thoroughly drying each intricate pumping part. I felt like every time I blinked, I had to wash pump parts.
And don’t even get me started on washing pump parts after that MOTN pumping session.
After realizing I was spending 15 minutes, 8 times per day washing pump parts and bottles, I realized I could be spending those two hours bonding with my baby instead. Those two hours added back to my day are WELL worth the cost of the bottle washer. Looking back, this is one of those baby products I thought I didn’t need but ended up using every single day.
We personally use the Grownsy 4-in-1 EaseClean Feeding Bottle Washer Pro. We have never had remaining milk residue and the pump parts are always dry after the cycle ends. Read my honest review on this bottle washer and how it’s the best bottle washer for pump parts. We have almost zero complaints.
2. Heating Pad for Bassinet
This is something we didn’t consider until we brought up our sleeping struggles to some friends who had recently phased out of the newborn era.
Sure, it’s the newborn phase, so we didn’t expect much. But, if there was something out there that would let us get a three (or four) hour stretch in, we’d be more than willing to try it.
They suggested that we use a heating pad to warm up the bassinet so that our baby wasn’t transferring from his warm and cozy parent’s arms into a cold bassinet.
Lo and behold, it worked!
The specific heating pad that I have is this one. I prefer this one since it’s machine washable and it has an auto shut-off feature as a safety net for your sleep-deprived self.
We found two different ways to warm the bassinet: either place the heating pad in the bassinet to warm the sheets and remove it immediately prior to placing baby in, or sandwich the heating pad between the bassinet mattress and mattress protector. We usually prefer the second option so that we can leave the heating pad on for a few minutes longer until baby falls into a deep slumber. This quickly became one of my favorite newborn sleep hacks.
I will stress, though, that if you prefer to leave the heating pad in in the bassinet, a mattress protector (not just a sheet) is essential for barrier protection against liquids.
3. A (Second) Bottle Warmer
The word “second” is the keyword here if you didn’t catch that.
For those night time feeds, we strived to find a way to warm breastmilk without having to get completely vertical.
I had a micro fridge on my nightstand to store my MOTN pumped milk (clever, I know), and my husband had a bottle warmer on his nightstand to warm those bottles up. I’ll be honest, before we bought a bottle warmer to keep in our bedroom for night feeds, we were tired of having to get up out of bed for that only step in our routine since our bulky bottle warmer lived in the kitchen.
While this may not be a true “panic” buy, it’s definitely something that added quality to our sleep.
This is also something worth considering for multi-story homes.
4. Baby Carrier
Like the bottle warmer, a baby carrier is another thing that I thought was just extra clutter. In my mind, I didn’t see much of a difference between this and holding my baby in my arms. If you’re a first-time mom, this is something that might not seem necessary, but it actually makes a huge difference.
My overflowing laundry basket, dirty dishes, and tabletop clutter all looked at me and my husband’s full arms and laughed.
I underestimated the value of having my hands free to accomplish house chores or tidy up on short notice. Plus, my baby enjoyed the closeness of my chest and usually fell asleep within a few minutes tops. Also, this newborn essential helps keep my baby close to me when we’re in crowded places.
5. Nipple Shields
To be honest, I didn’t even know these existed until my lactation consultant introduced me to these.
When my little one was born, he was unexpectedly admitted into the NICU. It was physically challenging to breastfeed my baby during the first few days due to not being able to be with him 24/7. For the first few days, he was fed my breastmilk through a bottle if I wasn’t physically present. As a result, he developed a bottle preference and was stubborn to latch.
A nipple shield can help transition a baby from bottle feeding to direct breastfeeding. I assumed that I wouldn’t run into much trouble with latching, and this is truly something that I wish I already purchased for that just-in-case scenario. After using a nipple shield for 3 weeks, my baby latched consistently without much trouble. Better late than never!
Final Thoughts
Looking back, these panic buys for my newborn ended up being some of the most useful and time-saving items in our daily routine. What I once considered “extras” quickly became essential baby items I now use all the time.
The truth is, no amount of research can fully prepare you for what life with a newborn is actually like. Sometimes, the best newborn essentials are the ones you don’t realize you need until you’re in the moment.
If you’re a first-time mom, give yourself some grace. After all, you don’t have to get everything perfect before your baby arrives. It’s completely normal to discover what works for you along the way (even if that means a few late-night Amazon orders).
And if you’re on the fence about any of these items, take it from me. These are baby must-haves I truly don’t regret buying.