Newborn Baby Essentials Checklist: 0-3 Months Edition

*brand-new* Nuna Pipa Lite LX Car Seat is the one I got after thorough research. You will need to carry this infant car seat INTO the hospital and secure the baby inside for the nurse to check you out. I do not recommend starting with a convertible car seat for this reason.

Check out all of their specs on their website. Reasons why I chose this infant carseat:

1. “Feather weight” at 5.7lbs (without canopy or insert). I did not want to be carrying a heavy car seat around and this was the lightest on the market.
2. Super easy install and one of best in terms of safety.
3. It has a dream drape. Think of it as blackout blinds for the car seat. It has UPF 50+ protection and it tucks away nicely in its own zipper in the canopy. No fussing around with another cover on top and baby is out like a light each time.

Downside is its premium price. I got this on sale for 20% off during one of the gear events so I’d highly recommend getting it on sale. Big sales happen once in the summer (July/August) and once in the winter (November/December).

I would not get it second hand if you don’t know the source and how it’s been used. Car seats have expiration dates and if it has been in an accident, it’ll likely be void.

*second-hand ok* UPPAbaby Cruz v2 Stroller has the most well-rounded features. You should go in stores and try as many strollers out as possible before getting one.

1. Smooth handling for all terrains. I really liked the added suspension and wheel upgrades for the v2 after trying it out in store.
2. Large, unobstructed basket to hold lots of things.
3. Lots of attachments and I use the adapter to put my Nuna car seat in this before baby can sit up. I didn’t buy the bassinet attachment so I saved the money for the Nuna infant car seat instead.

Downside is the weight. It’s not the lightest on the market in the same category (due to suspension mechanism) but I found it to be worth it for its sturdiness.

If you’re debating between Cruz or Vista, I would say it depends if you’re planning to have 2 kids within 3 years apart. If you are considering have multiple young kids, opt for the Vista to save on purchasing another double stroller later on.

I have the Cruz because it’s lighter and I didn’t plan on having another child within 3 years…but here we are.

*brand-new* Babyletto Lolly 3-in-1 Convertible Crib (Amazon.COM sells in combo with mattress). West Coast Kids seem to carry the most colour options. Unless you know the source, I would not purchase a crib second-hand for sanitary and safety reasons. Note that all cribs over 10 years old should not be used because of old parts.

Read about crib safety guidelines under theheading “Cribs” on government of Canada website.

1. Comes with the toddler bed conversion kit unlike many others on the market.
2. Sustainable New Zealand pine wood with Greengard Gold certification. Especially important when your baby starts teething because they will likely bite the rails.
3. Aesthetic design, easily matches nursery/bedroom decor.

Downside is the price and how it’s always sold out. It’s a good idea to make sure this and the mattress is on your registry! We got ours as a gift from a generous friend, but if we didn’t receive it, we would have still received the registry completion discount (usually 10-15% off!)

I have the Babyletto Pure Core Non-toxic Crib Mattress, again for the Greenguard certification.

Pobibaby Baby Crib Sheets are the best compared to even more premium priced crib sheets.

I find them super soft and stretchy so it’s easy to do crib sheet changes. These sheets washes really well and hasn’t pilled going through the washer and dryer multiple times. It comes in many solid colours and cute prints!

Cubo Ai Plus Smart Baby Monitor with the stand is the one I have. This is for parents looking to monitor with their phones, not with a local, standalone system. I wanted one that I can monitor outside of the home and share access with grandparents.

My favourite parts of this camera (among others – see the full details here):

1. Connectivity is great based on my experience. This was a concern when reading reviews on other smart baby monitors like the Nanit and Miku.
2. Has rollover and face covered alerts that are highly sensitive (you can choose sensitivity). You can also elect “zones” for it to monitor for wider than crib area. Cry alert is also sensitive.
3. Clear night and day camera quality, takes photos for your to look at throughout the night and has 18 hour playback even without subscription.
4. Shared access with others can be limited to video only (no audio), no alerts, and no access to gallery for photos.

Downside is the subscription model for video playback and sleep information, although it comes with 1 year free for you to try it out.

I also wish the view was wider than 135 degrees, but it is more than enough for monitoring the crib activity.

There is no perfect camera out there based on my research, but this one is pretty close without the ultra-premium price tag! I know the developers are constantly trying to upgrade and update the product, as well.

Konny Baby Carrier is a back saver (and my life saver). I really cannot rave about this baby carrier any more. Both of my daughters would nap instantly in the Konny when they were newborns. I also got the Ergobaby carrier, but it was too structured and hard for my daughter’s liking until about 6 months.

1. Easy to wear like a t-shirt. Don’t have to learn how to wrap the baby or sling the baby and worry about the baby falling out.
2. Anti-bacterial material that is breathable and washes well.
3. Easily worn under the Konny Winter Cover. I wear the winter cover for all of our walks. If you have a fall/winter baby, I highly recommend it!

There is no downside anymore in my opinion after they upgraded the new Konny carriers to be adjustable and multi-sizes. I would recommend going for the summer mesh if you run hot.

Nook Niche Organic Nursing Pillow is multipurpose and my favourite after trying out My Brest Friend (way too hard and structured, not multipurpose) and the Boppy (too small and not enough coverage for baby to be on it).

1. Organic material, super soft and comfortable for baby and mommy.
2. Multipurpose. It’s large enough to work as a napping pillow for mom and dad, for tummy time, and for a between the legs pillow to sleep.
3. Washes well. The covers come off and I’ve washed following the instructions (low temperature, lower spin by itself) and it’s looking like new after multiple washes from my first daughter to my newborn daughter.

Downside is the price compared to the other two nursing pillows mentioned above. But for its multipurpose use and quality, I’d say it’s well worth it!

These pillows do go on sale and have a wide variety of colours to choose from.

*second-hand ok* Snuggle Me Lounger is a cult favourite, but my caveat is that not all babies will love it. My first daughter loved it and slept in it (with supervision), but my second daughter barely used it.

I’ve included this on the list since it does provide you with a surface to put the baby down safely and it is very mobile.

I borrowed mine from my friend since it is about $250 with the cover to purchase brand-new, and they only use it for a month or two.

You do NOT need so many outfits for the newborn phase. Your newborn would most likely be living in a onesie. Look for onesies that have ZIPPERS and built in mittens and footies. Don’t give yourself the headache of getting mittens.

My top 3 recommendations for zippered footies:

1. Owlivia Organic Cotton Zip Front Footed Sleeper (one-way zip, thicker material)
2. ZippyJamz Organic Cotton Zip Footed Sleeper (has a separate inseam zipper for diaper changes!)
3. Kyte Baby Organic Bamboo Rayon Zip Bodysuit (two-way zip, thinner material, fits large and stretches, good for layering)

I recommend to start your nursery with 5 of these footed onesies if you are doing laundry every other day. Your newborn will likely spit up and need a few changes a day

Nest Designs Basic Organic Cotton Kimono Long Sleeve Onesie (3 pack) is by far the best layering onesie for everyday wear. These always sell out!

I layer these onesies inside the footed sleepers or the sleeping gowns since both of my daughters were born in the fall/winter season.

The material is super breathable with 100% GOTS certified organic cotton. The fit is large so I would size down.

I recommend getting at least 1 of these 3 pack kimono onesies if you are doing laundry every other day.

Parade Kimono Gowns are the best nighttime wear with a onesie layered underneath. This is the ONLY snap button clothing item I’d recommend.

If you aren’t certain how tall your baby might be, this is the solution! It only comes in 0-3 months and 3-6 months sizes.

100% GOTS certified organic cotton, printed by hand with azo free dyes and nickel free snaps for sensitive baby skin.

I recommend getting at least 3 kimono gowns if you are doing laundry every other day.

Juddlies Newborn Hat is the best fitting newborn hat I’ve tried. It’s super soft and washes very well. This is the newborn hat I switch my daughters into in the hospital because the hospital hats are so scratchy!

My daughters are wearing caps almost all the time in the newborn phase because they cannot regulate their temperature very well.

Most of the heat dissipates from the head, so it’s really important to keep their little heads protected!

This newborn hat comes in 2 sizes (newborn/ 0-3m and 4-12m). The newborn/0-3m size fits well for my daughter from birth until 3 months old and she has a 90th percentile head.

Love to Dream Swaddle is the easiest swaddle that truly works to help the baby to sleep from my experience. You’ll find that if you strap your baby’s arm down and do the traditional swaddle, they will try to break free–it’s just not the natural form when they were in your belly.

I didn’t include any swaddle blankets in this essentials list. I just found so many other items that are designed better for the various purposes that a swaddle blanket serves that I don’t ever reach for one.

I suggest getting two size Smalls and it should be more than enough for the first 3 months assuming you do laundry every other day.

Although my second daughter was only 5.7lbs when born, she quickly grew to fit the Small, so Newborn size would have been a huge waste.

Dreamegg White Noise Machine has 24 soothing sounds with the MOST important fan sounds and womb sounds.

It might seem counterintuitive to have white noise for your newborn to sleep, but trust me, you’ll want to add this to your registry.

Babies hear loud sounds of your heartbeat and fluids inside the womb constantly. The goal in the Fourth Trimester is to mimic the womb environment as much as possible so your newborn can sleep soundly.

I also have this portable sound machine that I brought to the hospital and use on outings that’s super useful to help lull baby to sleep.

Dimming light is that is tap operated a must-have for those frequent night wakes. You don’t want to go and turn on the full room lights or reach for your phone to turn on smart lights.

I recently purchased a portable dimming egg light for my newborn daughter that actually turned out to be really useful. The battery lasts surprisingly long.

If my older daughter didn’t already have the dimming light in her room, I would have purchased this two in one light that is both portable and a full dimming light that have a full range of functions.

Itzy Ritzy Sweetit Soother Pacifier are my girls’ favourite pacifiers out of the many, many we’ve tried. This specific one I’ve linked is very soft and sucks similar to a human nipple. I do NOT recommend the natural rubber type that Itzy Ritzy also sells.

The sucking motion is very soothing for babies. You don’t have to worry about pacifier dependence and its negative orthodontic effects until after 2 years old.

Within the first 2 – 4 weeks, your newborn’s mouth might be too small to take this Itzy Ritzy pacifier and prefer even smaller pacifiers like the MAM newborn pacifier or the Philips newborn pacifier. I got one pack of each for my daughters before they were born, but they quickly grew to prefer the Itzy Ritzy one because it is more similar to the human nipple.

I’ve tried the NUK orthodontic pacifiers, but these are a bit too “rubbery” and don’t suck as well because it’s not as soft.

I’ve tried the popular BIBS pacifier that cost $21.99 CAD for 2. My girls always spat it out. It’s also really annoying to wash because the water would get INSIDE the nipple. The natural rubber is also harder to maintain and deteriorates much quicker so you’ll need to replace it often.

Top Fill Humidifier with Warm & Cold Mist is a staple in our bedrooms. I highly recommend this humidifier that checks so many boxes for us:

1. This is a top fill humidifier unlike most humidifiers out there, so you don’t have to worry about water spilling everywhere when you want to fill it up.
2. It has a large capacity at 6L which means it can go on 60 HOURS of continuous cool mist, and covers over 750 square feet.
3. Very quiet operation. I keep this running in my daughter’s room at night.
4. BOTH warm and cool mist options. Warm mist is better for congestion but more dangerous if placed somewhere the child can touch.

Newborns were in the womb completely submerged in amniotic fluid. I’ve noticed with my first daughter, she was breathing very loud and always had a lot of boogers during her newborn stage. Having a humidifier helps moisten the air and helps a lot with the stuffy nose.

This item will continue to be helpful as your child becomes a toddler and gets sick often! You can check out this post to prepare your baby’s first health care kit.

Remember to use distilled water for your humidifiers to minimize mineral build up. This could become a health concern when it sprays into the air for your baby to breathe in for long periods of time. It’ll also give your humidifiers a longer life.

“The Play Gym” by Lovevery is my top recommendation when it comes to the best activity mat on the market. It’s an “all-in-one” solution for your newborn activities.

Getting directly from the website ships free with the lowest price available.

High Contrast Cards or books are a great newborn activity if you do not have the Lovevery playmat or lovevery subscription.

You can get $20 off your Lovevery subscription with my referral link here.

Newborns do not have fully developed eyesight until about 5 months of age. I strongly recommend start helping your newborn build focus with these high contrast cards during tummy time!

You can check out my full first library recommendations in my blog post here.

[Related Post: “Baby’s First Library: Birth to 12 Months Old“]

Oball rattle is the only “toy” you’ll need during this newborn stage and beyond. For less than $10, it’s one of the most versatile toys ever.

I use the oball in the following ways:

1. Parent to hold it above newborn’s head while they are on their back in different directions to practice eye tracking.
2. Roll it around during tummy time to practice eye tracking, and later, grasping.
3. Give it to the newborn to hold and rattle, mouth, grasp.

Selfie Stick Tripod seem like a random one on this list, but if you are home alone (or have a partner who isn’t the best at taking photos/videos of you and your baby) with your newborn, you’d definitely want this on your list.

Never drop your phone again while simultaneously holding a squirmy baby for a selfie!

It’s also great for taking those family photos when you don’t have others to take it for you.

Comfy Cubs burp cloths are my absolute favourite burp cloths. They are large, absorbent and soft wash after wash.

I have so many of these lying around the house. It works great for so many purposes.

Pro tip is to use these during those first baby baths! You can wet these burp cloths and lay them on your newborn’s body to keep them warm and cozy during their baths.

360 Degree Muslin Bibs are my favourite type of bibs. You don’t have to worry about it rotating, and muslin is perfect to soak up the spit-ups and drool.

Aden and Anais burp cloths are my favourite traditional bibs. They’re really absorbent and great quality. I have all of their various bib styles from this brand, and I’d say the essentials line are smaller and work best for newborns.

Philips Avent Glass Bottles are *the* ones to get after trying SO many bottles on the market. We also liked the Dr. Brown glass bottles, but it seems like they aren’t as readily available on the market anymore.

My top 2 reasons to choose this bottle:

1. Slowest flow nipple is the most similar to the breast compared to others on the market, thus won’t choke/surprise baby with fast flow with minimal effort.
2. Fewer parts to wash compared to Dr. Brown’s.

Make sure you are getting the GLASS bottles for the following reasons:

1. Glass baby bottles do not collapse when baby sucks hard. This was a problem with the Comotomo bottles especially.
2. Glass baby bottles don’t develop that plastic/silicone residue smell from cleaning.
3. Glass baby bottles are more economical in the long term. Plastic bottles are meant to be replaced every 4-6 months.

Organika Probiotic Drops with Vitamin D are a must! I really like the convenient dropper unlike many other vitamin d packaging on the market that isn’t as accurate.

If you already have a vitamin d by itself and are worried about babies having lots of gas (or colic), I highly recommend the BioGaia Probiotic Baby Drops. It made a huge difference for my newborn daughter to reduce her bloated belly and help her pass gas!

Baby Brezza Formula Pro Advanced Formula Dispenser seems like such a splurge, but it truly is a life saver. With my newborn daughter, I only supplement once a day (if at all) for the night feed, but I STILL recommend it for that once a day purpose. Think of it as a baby Nespresso: one button, few seconds, perfect bottle.

Imagine your newborn crying hysterically and you’re sleep deprived. Measuring the powdered formula, mixing it evenly with the perfect temperature water will seem impossible!

You’ll need to wash the funnel every 4 bottles to keep the machine working in good order, so you can purchase the replacement funnel together in a bundle.

UV Sterilizer and Dryer Box is a really worthwhile investment. We use this item multiple times a day, everyday, in our house. I do NOT recommend the Baby Brezza Sterilizer because it doesn’t fully dry the bottles/nipples, it’s very bulky and not multipurpose.

Reasons to invest in this sterilizer:

1. Multipurpose. Not only for baby bottles and nipples, but also sterilizes so many other things in the household like your phone or keys.
2. Truly DRIES the bottles unlike other baby sterilizers on the market.
3. Large capacity for up to 12 bottles or baby toys, and it has a metal rack for nipples.
4. Long lifespan and child-safe design.

OXO Tot Bottle Cleaning Set is the best on the market in terms of design and function. Other bottle cleaners on the market are too flimsy, or don’t come with the multiple tools to wash the nipples really clean.

Dapple Baby Bottle Dish Soap washes the milk film residue off of bottles extremely well without leaving a cleanser “smell”. It is non-toxic and hypoallergenic.

I would especially recommend it for bottle feeding parents. It works well to wash highly mouthed baby toys too.

You can get the refill and not keep replacing the bottles!

Aleva Naturals Multi-Surface Spray is so affordable and cleans baby-specific surfaces so well. I’m always so worried about the ingredients that may not be baby safe, especially when they are so young.

I spray this cleaner on my newborn daughter’s playmat, toys, any cabinets/surfaces in her room, and even use it to clean the highchair for my older daughter. You can use a microfiber cloth and cleaning is a breeze.

Ivory Baby Laundry Detergent is a daily workhorse in our household. With a newborn baby, you’ll likely be doing a LOT of laundry. This detergent is fragrance free with no dyes and cleans well in all water conditions.

It seems so extra to get a baby specific laundry detergent, but it’s extremely important to protect that newborn baby skin. Less irritants mean less potential sickness or skin problems.

Puracy Natural Baby Laundry Stain Remover actually works to remove milk stains, food stains and other stubborn stains. Although I’m not sure what the difference is between the baby specific one and the regular one on Amazon.

I’m not gatekeeping: this baby stain remover works better than any other stain remover I’ve tried, and I’ve tried MANY. From Oxy, Resolve, BunchaFarmer, The Laundress and Nellie’s WOW stick. I’ve also tried to use Dawn and baking soda on some of the stubborn food stains, especially the ones my toddler brings home from day care and it’s a battle every time.

I spray generously and use a wet stain brush to rub in the solution, let sit overnight. For really, really stubborn stains, I try to hand wash first with a few drops of detergent in hot water (whites and lights only) and rub the stain out as much as possible then let the solution sit overnight.

Aden + Anais Snuggle Knit Multi-Use Cover is SO soft and stretchy. The knit material is so comfortable and breathable, unlike many cheaper alternatives on the market.

If you are a breastfeeding mama, this is a must-have! Since it’s super compact, you can easily put this in your bag on the go. I got the heather grey colour (linked) so it’s very subtle when I’m feeding outside.

I also really like using this as a cover on the infant car seat for walks on windier days. It prevents strangers from trying to look and touch your newborn (yes, it happens!).

Diaper bag is something that I did not invest in. I think it’s great to have one for its functions of having a backpack with large capacity and pockets that are insulated for bottles, but that’s really it.

I don’t carry backpacks normally, and as your baby gets older, you’ll likely not have to carry bottles and so many diapers, burp clothes, etc with you.

You could splurge on a super expensive diaper bag but I didn’t find that this was necessary.

Portable Baby Changing Pad is great to have in the car or in your diaper bag for on the go changes. I have the one from Herschel as a gift, but you really don’t need to spend $45 on a portable changing pad.

I would never want to put my baby down to change in the public washroom’s changing tables without my own changing pad. If you plan on frequent trips to the mall, this is a must-have!

Keekaroo Peanut Changer is a game changer. IF you are getting ANY change table/pad, you should get this one. I did not list it as an essential because you will be more often than not just changing baby on the floor, on the bed, or on the go.

Opt out of traditional cloth diaper change pads and get this one because:

1. No covers for easy cleaning! You’ll be doing a TON of laundry so don’t need to add to the pile with change covers and pads.
2. No slip surface that is impermeable to any fluids AND limits bacteria growth.

Downside is finding the colour that you want in stock! It’s always sold out. I’d check multiple retailers including West Coast Kids, Snuggle Bugz and Little Canadian in store if you’re local.

SNOO Smart Sleeper Bassinet is not a must-have because of its hefty price tag. I purchased this with my first daughter because I was a first time mom worried about baby’s sleep safety.

I really think it helped with extending my daughter’s sleep, especially during fussy periods. The smart sleeper will be activated by the newborn’s cry and play white noise + move side to side.

It will not continue to move and try to soothe the baby if they have needs like hunger, diaper change or cuddles.

You can get the white noise for free on Spotify.

You can read all about my first year sleep guide here.

Yogibo seems like such a random one on this list, but I really LOVE having it in my daughter’s room. We have the Yogibo Short and it serves so many purposes for us:

1. A “recliner” of sort where I can sit comfortably and feed my baby.
2. A soft place for my daughter to lay on when I change her diaper.
3. Later when they are older, they can sit on the Yogibo to drink their milk.
4. Play! My daughter loves to fall and run into the Yogibo to run out her energy.

I didn’t include a real recliner glider on this list because I didn’t have the space for it with my first daughter. In hindsight, if I had the space, I would definitely invest into something like the Babyletto Kiwi that has all of the bells and whistles. You are feeding and napping SO much all the time in your baby’s first year.

You’d want to get one that can endure the wear and tear, have all of the features you’d want AND have a great resale value. Buy once, buy well!

Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine is $99.99 and it combines the sound machine and night light all in one. I couldn’t justify getting this after receiving the Dreamegg as a gift (also half the price!).

However, it does have the tap light function that’s also super useful. I ended up getting a separate tap dimming light anyway.

A BIG downside from the reviews is that it doesn’t have a fan option…which in my opinion is really useful.

Baby Scale is another one of those items that are just above the “get it on a whim” price points. I think it’s a great item to have if you’re concerned about your newborn’s growth, but really NOT an essential.

You midwife/doctor will do their routine checks within the first 2 weeks to tell you exactly how well the baby is growing. There is really no need to be checking it every day.

The one I’ve linked grows with the baby and adults can use it all the way up to 100kg. If you don’t already have a scale at home, this could be a handy item to have.

Alternatively there is the Hatch Grow Smart Changing Pad and Scale but my research says it’s just an expensive change pad and the scale is not accurate.