25 Useful Items as a First Time Parent to a Newborn

Sep 22

6 min read

As a sole parent who also happens to be a business owner, I was increasingly nervous about having the tools I needed to take care of an infant and run my business with no childcare. If there was a gadget that claimed it would make my life easier, I pretty much tried it. And this is not to say that you really all this stuff to care for a child, but I was taking all the help I could get at this point! A lot of the higher ticket items (snoo, doona, folding bathtub, baby bouncer) I was able to re-sell when I was done using them at almost the same price I paid!

My daughter was 1.5 years old when she started going to daycare 2 days a week, and now that she is 4, I can look back on the items that I felt were really valuable and useful to me. Some of them gave me peace of mind and some just plain peace.

All of these are affiliate links, because ya know.. single mom. This is mainly a guide for 0-12 months. I will make another post for 1-2 years old soon!

The Snoo. My sister had 2 kids before me and both of them slept in the Snoo bassinet, and both of them were excellent sleepers from the get go. That was enough evidence to make me also get a Snoo. My child was sleeping through the night within 2 weeks. I had to either wake her up to feed her or pump in the middle of the night. She slept in it for 8 months and then just started sleeping in her crib with no problems. I hauled that thing across the country and back twice in my camper and in my car. I brought it into countless hotel rooms and even bought a solar set-up in my camper to be able to bring it with us on a 2 month long journey.

Doona. The Doona is an infant car seat that turns easily into a stroller. This thing was so essential for me. If she was asleep, I could just easily turn her car seat into a stroller and still go about my errands. It made travel a lot easier too because I didn't need to lug a car seat and a stroller. I watched other moms doing hauling their infant car seat in the crook of their arm and I was just so glad it wasn't me. LOL.
Haaka. Universally loved and adored, this unassuming device is so super helpful. It catches let down and overflow in the breast you are not feeding with at the moment. Especially in the beginning, I was able to collect and store so much excess milk that really came in handy later down the line when I was having dips.

Baby Lounger and Baby Bjorn Bouncer. Provides a safe place to put down baby while you do something like brush your teeth or go to the bathroom. While you learn how to do most things one handed, sometimes you just need both hands and to put the baby down.

Sit-me-up-floor seat. In that same line of thought, once baby can hold their head up, this little seat is another place where baby is contained and entertained while working on core strength.

Cozy Mat Play Gym. This is a great place for baby to play and to do tummy time. It is also an item you will likely keep in your main living area so it is a huge bonus that it is nice looking too.

Stokke Folding Bathtub and infant insert. A folding baby bathtub that is easy to tuck away when not in use and take it on the road. Then when you are out of the infant stage, you can take out the infant insert and it is a great tub! We used this at home, in hotels and when camping.

Keekaroo Peanut Changer with liners. I liked that this changing pad was nice looking, soft and easy to clean. I liked having the liners too, as then I could just pop them in the wash as needed and then the changer kept really clean and I was able to re-sell this item for top dollar!

9. Yogasleep portable noise machine. I used this everywhere. Attached to her stroller, to her carseat, in our house or while traveling. Even still, it is great to drown out unexpected sounds at a hotel or visiting the spirited older cousins.

Inglesina Fast Table High Chair. I ended up using this at our house and for travel. Takes up no floor space, super sturdy and easy to travel with.

OXO one handed wipe dispenser. A wipe dispenser that has suction on the bottom, so you can open and grab wipes with one hand. Soon you will learn to do everything with one hand, and this helps a lot!

Natursutten Natural Rubber Pacifiers. 100% natural rubber pacifier, designed to reduce "paci-teeth"

Hatch Rest+. Sound machine, monitor, sleep training aid and night light. Great because it is 4 in 1. White noise, night light, and monitor. I still use this because you can set the lights to turn on at a certain time. Red light means, it is still time to be in bed, green light means OK to get up and come wake up mom :)

Willow Go Breast Pump. A hands-free breast pump that made it so easy to pump driving the car, working on my computer, watching a movie or in the middle of the night. I tend to be always on the go, so being able to pump while driving was a huge help for me. Stick this on one boob and the haaka on the other and you are GOLDEN.

Baby Einstein Take Along Music Toy. I called this the "last resort toy". When nothing else worked. This thing was like magic.

Parker Felt Diaper Caddy. A cute caddy that looks good on your changing station and holds everything you need at hand. Also works great for in the car to have everything within reach and bringing it all into the hotel in an organized fashion so you can be set-up there too and not fishing around in a diaper bag.

Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater. Non-toxic, super effective stain spray! I carry this with me in the diaper bag and in the car and spray it on as the stains and spills roll in.

Guava Travel Crib. Folds up super small, easy to carry, free to check... we used this all the time. It also came in handy when we were places like the beach, or when I was selling at a craft market. A nice, safe and cozy play pen that was easy to bring along!

Light-up electric toothbrush. This thing is so helpful. You can really see what is going on inside their mouth and feel good that you are getting their teeth brushed. I never really got the hang of the rubber practice toothbrushes, so just started using this as soon as she had a few teeth. We still use ours at 4 years old, and she has never had a problem with me brushing her teeth.

Frida Baby Safety Nail Clipper. We had all the nail buffers and electric files and alllladat, but this thing worked the best. Easy to use, safe and we still use it today.

Electric Booger Sucker. Don't waste your time with the mouth/tube situation. You want pure medical grade suction when your child's nose is chock full of boogers.

3-in-1 Electric Thermometer. Nothing is worse than your child being sick. I was sure to have all the essentials on hand from before birth to be prepared for the inevitable. I will probably do another post soon of all the items I kept in my baby first aid kit. Most with a holistic/natural approach.

7AM Enfant Stroller Warmer Gloves. I would just leave these attached to the stroller in the winter, and would wear thin cotton gloves underneath. Being set-up to brave the cold, helped me to still get out every day on our walks. Speaking of which, I continue to buy these Woolino socks, as they are well priced, keep her feet warm and STAY UP!