Newborn essentials.

one word...hand-me-downs.  in my opinion, these are the best.  especially since most newborn gear is only useful for a few months.

ok then, since we got that out of the way, let's begin.

now that gabriella is almost 2 months old, i feel comfortable discussing the topic of newborn essentials.  we are renting our house right now in hopes to buy one soon, so i didn't prepare a nursery for her.  plus we wanted her to stay in our room.  this is what i found to be our newborn essentials.  i hope this helps any future mommies out there who are budget conscious and practical.

• Pack n play- we use this as our crib.  we place one beside our bed and use it as gabriella's crib and we have one in our family room.  no need to get the ones with a changer or napper.  it's a waste of money if you ask me.

• Newborn bath tub- this one is the best because of the newborn net.  it makes bathing a newborn a breeze.

• Water proof pads- i mentioned before we don't have a nursery.  so i just change gabriella on our bed.  this is essential so that pee and poop doesn't get on our sheets.
• Sleep n plays- gabriella pretty much wears a sleep n play day in and day out. 

• Short and long sleeve onesies- i prefer the white ones.  they match everything.  for newborns, the long sleeved ones that cover up their hands are perfect.  gabriella wears this, a sleep n play, and gets swaddled for bed.

• Burp cloths- forget the bibs.  gerber cloth diapers are way cheaper and work way better.  

• Nose frieda- john is the official booger sucker ;-)

• Bottles and nipples- i use the playtex drop ins.  i hate washing dishes so drop ins are perfect for me...and gabriella.

• muslin blankets- aden and anais are the perfect blankets.  they are all purpose...from swaddling to being used as a breast feeding cover up. 

• Swaddleme or halo sleep sack- i live in a cooler area of the bay so i bought the micro fleece ones.  depending on how big your newborn is, we initially used the swaddleme to swaddle her throughout the day and night.  once she grew out of it, i switched to the halo sack swaddle to keep her arms nice and snug when she sleeps.  

• Car seat

• Diapers, wipes, wash cloths, baby towels

These items aren't essential, but we found them helpful and useful.

• Breast pump- if you plan on breast feeding.  my friend gave me hers. 

• Glider with an ottoman- i found a dutalier glider and ottoman for $60 on craigslist.  i reupholstered the cushions for $110 and it was as good as new.  i realy like my glider because it not only rocks, but it can recline, and you can lock it in place.  it would be the perfect glider if it was a little wider.  i have to smoosh the sides of the boppy to fit in the chair to breast feed.  

• Boppy- i like this one because the top is soft.  i also received a waterproof cover...you never know when spilled milk can occur. 

• Rock n play- this is very convenient because it is light enough to move around your house.  we move it upstairs, downstairs, and we're even planning on bringing it with us on our roadtrip to san diego. gabriella loves it.  i bought it used for $15 on craigslist.

• Stroller - we're using the chicco key fit frame stroller because i wasn't sure which stroller i wanted to get...the city select or the uppababy.  plus it is a super light and convenient.

• Ergobaby

• Swing