A List of Must Have Baby Items That You Would Never Think Of

One day you wake up living your normal life and the next day you wake up and you find out you are pregnant! It’s an exciting time, a new feeling, a real wow moment!

Pregnant, baby, list, registry, baby registry, pregnancy

*This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, click here.

Get Your “Must Have” Baby Items Here!

As the months go by, the feelings of excitement remain, but the mama bear senses start kicking in and take over! In your head you are thinking, okay what are all of the things I am going to need to keep this baby in the best environment I can? You start looking, realize there are some super cute things to get the baby and some ridiculous things that you just add to your registry just because you can 😊. Excellent, you are feeling good. Not so fast. Here is a list of must have baby items that are probably not on your registry.

If you are anything like me, you have googled every list possible and printed out all of the baby registry lists so that you can compile them into one master list, that way you have EVERYTHING you need for this precious new lucky child. Yes, this was me. I had to have everything that I thought I needed and more.

What You Don’t Need for Your Baby

Yes, I was the mom that registered for the baby Jacuzzi…yes, I know. The funny thing is, that gift got me really excited, but I used it I think once, only because I had realized I never used it and it was just taking up space. Okay, secretly it was still one of my favorite gifts, but okay not a necessity. Moving on…

Another great thing I pulled was that I felt the need to have two of everything. We have two floors so I needed one on each floor, right? I couldn’t possibly carry anything up and down the stairs. I just needed to make my life easier and just have one on each floor. Let me tell you, LESS IS MORE! I ended not using half of what I registered for, and it was great when I didn’t use the item, I had two of.

Oh, and I was also the mom that didn’t know what my child would like. What if my child doesn’t like the swing? Or the Mamaroo? Or the Bouncer? What if my child only likes a low swing and not the high swing? I need them all of course because I simply don’t know what my child will like and if I have all of them, problem solved.

Also, it is easy to just add them to your list of must have baby items, and see what you end up with. Man, I wish I had a picture of my living room with all of those gadgets. I mean my kid didn’t even have a chance not to act like a spoiled millennial. What was I thinking? Whatever happened to the simple days where if they didn’t like it, too bad?

Let me make the mistakes so you do not have to and give you a list of must have baby items. Items that are not typically found on the registry lists that you print or look at online. This is a list of the items I most definitely could not live without. I used all of these items for all three of my children and I can tell you, only a couple of them were on my baby registry 😊.

What You Absolutely Need For Your Baby

Now on to what you absolutely Need for your next baby. These are the items that were NOT on my registry that I wish I knew about. They are not your “standard” baby items that typically get added to baby registries.

To see the items to purchase for your next baby, see the list at the end of the blog!

1. SugarSNAP Organizer Files

SugarSNAP Organizer Files have to be one of my favorite items. It is the first item on my list of must have baby items. I really try to stay organized with everything because with three kids, it makes my life A LOT easier. These packs have been a game changer for me. I originally registered for a diaper bag that I thought was amazing because it had so many compartments, one for everything I needed. The only problem was it never stayed that way. Everything was always shifting around because my newborn had an accident and I needed a diaper stat, or my child was starving and I needed to get some food like now. I was in panic mode trying to find which compartment had the items I needed.

SugarSNAP Organizer Files are the way to go. You can attach them altogether or keep a couple separate. I always kept the diaper pouch separate so that I could just pull it out when I needed to change my child’s diaper.

2. WubbaNub

Now I will say, your child will either be a pacifier baby or not. If your child is, the WubbaNub is a must have for a couple of reasons. The fact that there is a stuffed animal on the end is a life saver. I never lost this thing, like I did all my other pacifiers. The stuffed animal was great for that.

Also, when it was dark in the room and the baby was crying, looking for a pacifier can be super annoying, not when you have a Wubbanub. It is so easy to find and stick back in their mouth. Also, when the baby gets older, they too can find it easier and put it back in themselves… winning! I will say, that because we used ours SO much for my first born, the tip of the pacifier did get worn a little, so make sure to have a couple if your LO is an avid sucker 😊.

3. Fridababy Tools

Another one on the list of must have baby items. First off, the NoseFrida Baby Nasal Aspirator. Yes, it’s that thing that you see at almost every baby store right when you are about to check out. It looks gross and in theory is gross, but I have one thing to say… “Welcome to Motherhood!” This will not be your only semi-gross encounter. Your child will get sick, it is inevitable. Do not mess with anything else, just buy this. It is the best tool out there for getting rid of snot and clearing congestion. It is much like a nose syringe bulb but much much better!

They also just came out with the NailFrida Snipper Clipper! Clipping baby’s nails is never fun. This tool makes it so easy. The design is brilliant. I no longer cringe every time I have to clip their nails and best of all I still use it on my toddlers!

4. Car Mirror

You do not need one that plays music, lights up etc. You can get a mirror like this (they are fun). I had one, but the one I used the most was a car mirror that I picked up at a garage sale for $5.00. Being a new mom and being able to see my newborn was so comforting to me. I had to take the mirror out when we got a new car and I was without one for a bit, and I was immediately uncomfortable. I put it back in right away.

5. Baby Monitor with all the Bells and Whistles

Now I know what you are about to say… duh, obviously this is one of the must have baby items!?! But let me tell you that baby monitors are not one size fits all. There are things that I will tell you are must haves for a baby monitor, especially if you are not able to hear your baby when in different rooms in your house. The first thing I will say is register for two. Ugh I know I said it. Here is something I didn’t register for two of and I wish I had. Yes, two baby monitors.

The Ultimate Baby Monitor

Let me tell you why. My husband and I are social people, we also travel occasionally, occasionally enough to make it worth it. Your first Baby Monitor should be your Maserati. Get two cameras (trust me), if you don’t use it now you will if you have a second child. The first monitor I purchased had all of the bells and whistles and I am happy it did. Oh, and if my child was not napping in bed and in one of her 5 swings… guess what, I had another camera on her.

5 years later, we still needed the monitors for our other kids and unfortunately the original one fizzled out so we had to buy a new one. I was much more relaxed with my second and third child so I purchased a cheaper monitor without all the bells and whistles. It has inconvenienced me so much and I am kicking myself for not spending the extra money to get another nice one.

Here are the features to look out for and I will tell you why.

The Option to Move Your Cameras
- I didn’t realize how great this was until I didn’t have it. We only had a couple options to place my sons monitor. I can now only see him or half of him where we have it. My son also moves… a lot… I can never see him and it drives me crazy. He is a little older now and in a bigger bed and I can never see if he is even in his bed.

A Microphone to talk into
- You will not need this when the child is a newborn, but when they get a little older, it is a must have. When my littles are not sleeping, I now have to run upstairs every time and tell them to politely SHUT THEIR MOUTHS 😊. I so so miss just pushing the button and really politely saying, “GO TO BED.” It is super annoying to have to go up and tell them every time.
- Also, in the morning, for some reason my children just yell, “MOM” over and over and over again until I go in and get them. This is even after I have told them numerous times, to just come in my room when they wake up or if they need me. Again, ah that button, would be so nice.

Two Cameras
- Two Camera’s are great because yes, we originally had one on each floor of the house which did work great. As they got older, I was able to put one camera in each kid’s room.

An Extra Standard Baby Monitor

The only reason I say to get an extra baby monitor is for traveling. You don’t want to bring the expensive baby monitor with you everywhere. We purchased a very basic Baby Monitor for traveling and for friends’ houses or other family members, just so we could hear our baby when they were napping in the other room.

6. Clip on Stroller Fan

The Clip on stroller fan is key for those hot summer months or if you live where it is hot all year long. This fan lasts up to 40 hours and is perfect for long walks. No need to worry that your baby will ever over heat. The best part is that this is another item that you can still use AFTER your baby has outgrown the stroller. Just clip it on a desk, table, treadmill, really anywhere it fits!

7. Comfortable Rocking Chair

Get one. Just spend the money. This should definitely be on the list of must have baby items. Whether it be in your living room where you will spend a lot of time with your child or one for the nursery for those night feedings. Just get a nice one. You owe it to yourself. Splurge on this one. If I could suggest anything, one that is a little firm and that swivels is great. I felt like I always need to swivel to get something or another. As I started having more kids, the swivel was great. I could sit with one and swivel and watch the other. This was the Rocking Chair I purchased and I love it! It is a little firm, so easy to get in and out of and it swivels and reclines!

8. Baby Portable Highchair

This could start as simple as a bumbo and then progress to a Baby Portable Highchair, but just make sure you buy something that you can feed your baby in when you are not at home. It will make your life much easier.

9. A Good Nursing Pillow

If you are anything like me, you may have struggled with nursing in many different ways. I felt like having the perfect position was necessary in order to do it right. As time went on, it did get easier but I don’t know what I would have done without a good nursing pillow. It was also good for people to use when holding the baby. Anything that I can use in multiple ways, is always a plus.

10. A Marpac Dohm Classic

What is this you may ask? The best thing ever. The Marpac Dohm Classic is a noise canceling sound machine that has natural soothing sounds from a real fan. The best part about this is that adults can use this too! It drowns out noises and the sound is very soothing. I even purchased a Marpac Dohm Classic for myself, because I liked it so much!

So that’s it. This is the list of must have baby items that are probably not on your registry. If I could summarize, I would say, less is more. Let me make the mistakes and teach you so you know exactly what you will use and what you need.

For a list of items to purchase for your next baby, see the list below!

Amazon