Newborn Household Essentials Stockpile
Life can be nonstop with a new baby, so making sure you have your newborn household essentials stockpile in advance is crucial! If you’re a new mom you need this shopping list.
There are so many things to prepare for with the arrival of a newborn. From bottles to wipes, diapers and clothes, you’ve checked and rechecked your lists. But have you thought about your household essentials, too?
No matter what kind of delivery you have, you’re going to be exhausted. While it might not seem as important, the LAST thing you want to worry about when you come home with that fresh new baby is heading to the store because you realize you’re out of laundry detergent.
Stocking up on your newborn household essentials before baby arrives will help you feel less stressed and better prepared. I’m going to break down my suggestions of household essential stockpile items by room to make it even easier on you.
As you go through this list, my biggest recommendation is to purchase enough of these items to last you at minimum 1 month, but ideally up to 3 months (because not having to grocery shop is one less thing to worry about).
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Newborn Household Essentials Stockpile
KITCHEN
Paper Towels & Napkins
Babies make our worlds so much cuter, but also messier! Having plenty of paper towels on hand before baby arrives is a great idea.
Sponges & Extra Bottle Brushes
Sponges should already be changed often, as they are one of the biggest bacteria areas in our homes. With all of the moisture and food particles, sponges quickly become a home for unwanted bacteria!
Pick up a pack of extra sponges to make sure you’re extra safe with baby. While you’re at it, I also recommend grabbing an extra package of bottle brushes, like these by Dr. Brown. Just like regular sponges, bottle brushes can get gross quick.
Dish Soap
A new baby means a lot of new things you need to wash by hand. You’re going to need more dish soap than you probably used previously, so be sure you have a few extra bottles.
Plastic Wrap, Aluminum Foil and Freezer bags
Easy food prep and cleanup is going to be the name of the game for a while. Be sure you have at least a few rolls of both aluminum foil AND plastic wrap, as well as gallon sized freezer bags.
Garbage Bags
You’re going to be doing a lot of diaper changing and going through more garbage bags than you ever dreamed of! I recommend grabbing a box like this that are easy to tie and are more durable. The last thing you want is a garbage bag full of stinky diapers to rip!
Pantry Staples & Frozen Items
Those first few weeks home with a newborn are exhausting, and the last thing you want to stress about is running out of easy food. I recommend having your pantry stocked with staples that can be used to create simple meals, and plenty of snacks.
Check out this article on pantry staples to help you prepare! It has everything broken down, including how long things are good for and a free printable pantry checklist!
Here is a list of items of a few items that you can buy ahead of time to get your wheels turning:
- Cereal
- Crackers
- Oatmeal
- Tuna
- Pasta
- Spaghetti sauce
- Frozen Veggies
- Frozen fruits (for smoothies)
- Meat (get it on sale and freeze it)
- Easy snacks (like granola bars, protein bars, chips etc)
- Bottled water. If you are breastfeeding or pumping you will be drinking a LOT of water. If you are bottle feeding you will also want to make sure you have bottled water to make bottles with.
Freezer Meals
Cooking fresh meals is challenging with a newborn and managing labor recovery. Freezer meals are an incredibly easy thing you can do now to make those first few weeks even easier on you.
You can easily stock up on a bunch of frozen meals from your local grocery store or a meal prep company, but you can also make many options yourself if you don’t want to spend the extra money!
A few tips for freezer meals:
Meal prep is key for making these easy on you if you aren’t making them in advance (for example, dump meals in your crockpot). You can chop all of the recipe ingredients and put them in Ziplock bags. Be sure to label them with a Sharpie that includes the date you froze it and the recipe name. This will make it so simple to get started quickly!
Need more help with meal prep? Check out these recipes:
Easy Instant Pot Whole Chicken
How to Cook a Turkey in a Crockpot
Easy Meals Using Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
Many, many foods freeze really well. Our family loves to buy meat on sale and freeze it all of the time! If you like cooking, plan to batch cook a few meals in the weeks leading up to your due date. Easy meals that fall under this category are soups, casseroles, pasta dishes and veggies. Freeze them in meal-sized portions for easy heating up.
BATHROOM
Toilet Paper
You’re going to be visiting the bathroom a LOT in those first few weeks, and you don’t want to run out of toilet paper.
Body Wash, Soap and Shampoo
You are most likely going to want to bathe a lot more than usual in the first few weeks following childbirth. You’re not only going to feel gross, but your body is going to be doing all kinds of lovely hormonal things.
Make sure you have plenty of soap! And while we’re at it, be sure you are stocked on shampoo and conditioner. I can’t tell you the number of times both of my boys threw up in my hair multiple days in a row.
You’ll be surprised how quickly you go through these!
Toothpaste and Mouthwash
This might not sound like a newborn household essential, but fresh breath can help make you feel much better faster. Be sure you have at least one extra tube of toothpaste, and an extra bottle of mouthwash.
Body and Face Lotion
Like many women, I struggled with dry, itchy skin postpartum. Be sure you snag lotion for sensitive skin, as your skin will come in contact with your sweet baby’s!
LAUNDRY AND CLEANING SUPPLIES
Laundry Detergent and Stain Remover
Be prepared for doing a ton of laundry! That sweet baby will be going through multiple clothing changes each day, on top of all of the burp rags, crib sheets and towels you’ll be using!
Be sure you pick up a fragrance-free and non-toxic laundry detergent. Your baby’s skin is incredibly sensitive for the first few months, and one with dyes or perfumes can actually irritate their skin.
My husband already struggles with ecezma, so we love using Seventh Generation. It’s been fantastic for our boys, both of who also have ecezma.
Also be sure you snag some kind of stain remover. I swear by OxyClean soaks for stubborn baby stains!
Sanitizing Wipes and Spray
While you don’t have to use something as strong as bleach wipes, you absolutely are going to want something that makes cleaning up messes easy on you. I also recommend grabbing an extra bottle of Lysol spray for easy and quick disinfecting of surfaces (especially during cold and flu season).
MISC.
Pain Relievers
No matter what kind of delivery you had, your postpartum recovery process will include some level of pain or discomfort. Be sure you have plenty of over the counter pain relievers (like Tylenol or Advil) to help.
Be sure to double check with your doctor after your delivery on what you’re allowed to take.
Batteries
We totally forgot these after my first baby’s birth! So many baby things use batteries, including your baby monitor, baby swing and more.
Pet Food & Supplies
If you have a pet, this is very easy to forget in all of the craziness of preparing for your new baby’s arrival.
Buy enough pet food to last a few months (as well as litter if you have a cat). It’s also a good idea to get a couple “special” food items and treats to help with their transition.
Whew!
I know, it feels like this is a lot. Make it easier on yourself by creating a stockpile inventory. Go through what you already have, and then make a list of what you still need.
I recommend starting your newborn household essentials stockpile as you enter your third trimester. This gives you not only plenty of time to get everything you need, but also some wiggle room depending on when you go into labor.
Remember, when it comes to your newborn it’s always better to be overprepared! Also Amazon Prime is a LIFESAVER when it comes to middle of the night items you realize you need. With 1 day shipping on many items you can get what you need fast. Click here to try it free for 30 days!
I can tell you from experience that stockpiling the household essentials you’re going to need before baby arrives will really help you from feeling even more stress postpartum.
You are going to do amazing at this motherhood thing.
Fantastic information, great resource.
Thank you so much!