Finding out I was pregnant was one of the most joyous but most anxiety inducing news I had ever received. Prior to that pregnancy, I had a miscarriage just 4 months before, so I was not thinking about the physical things I was going to need. I just wanted to see my baby outside of the womb, healthy and well.  

Being a first time mom or new mom who lived in an apartment, my goal was to only have the necessities. I didn’t want our apartment to be crowded but I also didn’t want to not have what I needed because I was attempting to be minimal. So I put a very thoughtful registry together consisting of 39 items, some I quite loved, and other items I could have done without.   

With that said I have put together what I believe are the must have for new moms besides your usual list. So this list is everything I fully used and continue to use, not including the givens like diapers, crib, breast pumps, etc… These are secondary must haves for new moms. 

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A drawer (click HERE for item suggested)

If you have a smaller space or will be sharing a room with your newborn, the drawer is a must have. The one I have has four drawers, which allows me to allocate each drawer to different clothing items. Like the bottom drawer was for outside clothes, one for blankets, the other for towels, sleepwear, etc… The best part about this is, you can even divide it further with an organizer, to make your life even more simple. With a newborn the last thing you want to do as a new mom is to spend an unnecessary amount of time looking for where everything is. You are probably feeling lost already, you don’t need any extra chaos.

A diaper cart (click HERE for item suggested)

Before I gave birth, I didn’t know anyone who had a cart, so it was not on my rader. I was on Pinetrest one day searching for how to make my bedroom into a nursery as well, then I saw a cart. I immediately knew I needed it and boy was it helpful. In Ghanaian culture, it is the norm that your mother will come help you when you give birth. So having this cart really helped because I’d load it with the necessities, and just wheel it back and forth from the living room to my room or the guest room. That way anyone who wanted to help would have easy access to the things they needed. 

A butt cream (click HERE for item suggested)

As a new mom, I had no experience with diapers. Other mothers around me and even non-mothers shared strong opinions about which diapers worked for their little ones and which ones were an utter no-no. As you’d expect, I had very conflicting opinions. Plus, I received so many diapers and wipes as gifts, so instead of sifting through them, I decided to use whatever was gifted to me. My little one went through every brand you could possibly think of, which resulted in diaper rash. Literally every moms worst fear, especially a new mama who has no experience in dealing with a newborn with a diaper rash. What I learned was that some diapers absorb urine better than others, so I had to change some more frequently than others and not treat all the diapers as equals. But the butt creams were life savers, I used three different kinds.

A Stroller (click HERE for item suggested)

In my culture, when someone gives birth they are encouraged to stay home for 3 months before stepping out with the baby. Not me. I was out and about on my first week with my baby boy. Having a stroller really saved me because my walks became my saving grace. But I think a stroller is a given. I just wanted to throw that in here. Possibly getting a good quality one.

Onesies (click HERE for item suggested)

Confession: I am a mom who keeps my child in onesies the entire day. Honestly, I wish I was the kind of mother that woke up in the morning and got my child ready in “real” clothes. But I am not and I am okay with it, and I have a special place in my heart for onesies. As a new mom or first time mother, my life was made so much easier because I had so many onesies on hand. Coupled with everything I was learning and what my body was going through, I didn’t want to add the headache of dressing my little one.

Leggings (click HERE for item suggested)

On the theme of clothing, as a new mama, I lived in these leggings purchased from amazon.com. The material is soft, thick enough, high-waisted, and hugs the belly area quite well. After giving birth, the first two weeks was me living in my morning coat, but I found it was making me feel frumpy and down. I just didn’t like myself in that all day. So to look a little put together, I started wearing leggings and t-shirts around the house. It did wonders for my mood.

Water bottle (click HERE for item suggested)

Whether you are a breastfeeding mom or pumping mom or both, you already know how important water is for your milk production. You also know how annoying it is to be getting glasses of water several times during the day. Investing in a good water bottle really changed the game for me. I have a 40oz water bottle, so I would just fill it up  maybe once or twice a day, and I would just carry it everywhere with me. Being a first time mom, so many things were taking up my time and I was learning so much, so I wanted efficiency in certain areas, and having a water bottle afforded me that.

Tablet (click HERE for item suggested)

For me, breastfeeding and pumping was very difficult for me. I know it is a bonding moment for you and your baby, but to be honest, it is extremely boring. Also, I found myself feeling very depressed when I breastfed or pumped. I did some google searches and learned the cause, I will share more about that later. But I would feel really down, like my world was over. I started using my laptop to watch shows, but I found that it would take up so much space, so I started using my kindle. Having a tablet that doesn’t take up much space allowed me to read, watch the shows I wanted to watch, and browse social media if I wanted to. As a new mom, if you can afford some kind of tablet, please invest in one. 

This is not a complete list, but these are the things I’ve loved for myself and for my baby. I think I would do another post about the things that I didn’t find necessary. 

Are you a new mom? What are your must haves?