Baby Necessities You Cannot Live Without

Having a new baby is such a wonderful experience, but it’s often preceded with months of confusion, beginning with the baby registry. There are so many baby items that it’s just not funny. It’s so overwhelming to stand around looking at baby stores and wondering just what you need and just what you don’t. As a seasoned mom of four, including my newborn twins, I can tell you that there are a few things that no mother can live without; and here they are.

A Pack-N-Play

Forget the fancy bassinet. If your baby sleeps in your room for a few weeks after coming home, you’ll want a pack-n-play. Why? Because this is also going to double as a safe play yard on days you visit others. It’s going to be where baby sleeps for a few years when you travel. It’s going to be where your baby sleeps for the first few weeks of his or her life. Even if you decide you don’t want your baby in your room after a few weeks, you’ll use this thing until it falls apart. Trust me!

Baby Monitor

Whether or not you choose to buy the one with the video monitor or just one that lets you listen to baby only, you need a monitor. This is non-negotiable. This is what’s going to allow you to feel comfortable leaving your baby asleep in another room. It’ll also help if you have other kids and the only way you can hear if your baby is crying, coughing, getting sick, choking or scared is through the monitor. It’s something you must have.

Muslin Blankets

These blankets are so amazing for swaddling. They make it so easy, even if you’re like me and you mostly use the premade Velcro swaddlers. If you don’t want to use them for swaddling, you don’t have to. You can use them as blankets when baby is in the car seat or swing or just when you want somewhere for baby to lie on the floor. They’re the perfect baby accessory.

(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)