Most Used Items Postpartum
Two babies in and I feel like I’ve really honed in on what you do and don’t need in those early months of parenting. To be honest, we barely had to buy anything to prepare for having Arne (our second baby) since we saved most things from our first born. We tried to be really practical when it came to buying / registering for baby items with our first daughter and honestly I feel like we did pretty well! Avoiding gimmicky items or things that will quickly become obsolete. I also have a blog post featuring 9 items that make parenting easier (that aren’t specifically baby/kid items!!) that’s worth checking out since all of those items could make this list as well :) Anyways, with that said, here’s my master list of items that we genuinely used often and love.
FOR ME
Silverettes - I did not have these postpartum with Ruth and sooo wish I had! A friend (who’s daughter is a day older than Ruth and who’s son is 6 months older than Arne and who had the same midwife as us :) gave me her silverettes (lol not the type of second hand gift you can give just anyone) after she was finished with them and I’ve used them daily since Arne was born. We’re trying to get to the bottom of why nursing is so painful (again) for me right now but until then wearing the silverettes over my nips has really helped soothe them in their cracked and raw state. I wish I better understood how they work but all I know is that silver is healing and calming to the skin and…they work!
water bottles & electrolytes - a word of advice- keep water bottles everywhere after you have a baby!! the first few weeks (and even now) I like to keep on in the bedside caddy, on the nightstand, on the end table next to the couch and usually a big jar of water on the kitchen counter. you don’t know where you’ll be when you’re suddenly SO thirsty and if you’ll have hands free to fill a water. or what will be in reach when you’re sitting with a sleeping or feeding baby on you.
so anyways, the 40 oz stanley is great because you don’t have to fill it as often and it has a straw top so you don’t have to try and unscrew a cap while holding newborn. I like this 30 oz one too because it’s pretty much leakproof so I can have it in bed with me or on the couch without it leaking.
plain water is one of my favorite drinks but too much plain water can flush out important minerals so I drink 1-4 electrolyte bevs each day to make sure I’m optimally hydrated / to keep up with my milk supply, etc. (seriously, your body takes so much of your water to make milk that your hair can become brittle, your eyes get dry, even your mouth produces less saliva- more on this soon) so adequate hydration truly is important postpartum. this blog post goes into detail about my four favorite drinks for hydration during pregnancy and postpartum but here are a few favs off the top = this electrolyte packet, these electrolyte drops, and this antioxidant drink.
alllllll the supplies listed in a previous blog post: Postpartum Healing Supplies (Holistic Remedies For A Vaginal Birth Recovery) the post goes into all my healing supplies for down under, nursing supplies, and a list of random, whole body/mind supports.
button down loose shirts - the best for quick & easy nursing access and for skin to skin! I am a big believer in the benefits of skin to skin with newborns but also…don’t want to be topless all the time ;) so button downs are where it’s at. I recently got this free people dupe off amazon and love it.
hair serum & diy scalp spray - pp hair loss is real my friends (as is dry, brittle hair!) a quality hair serum and this diy scalp spray are one of a few things that I do to cope with this. this serum smells amazing and is make of 100% clean, non toxic ingredients! (cuz ya know I’m not putting toxins/chemicals/fragrances/etc in my hair right next to where my baby snuggles) fair warning- a little goes a looooong way! just a couple drops is all you need! as for the scalp spray, there have been studies done proving the effectiveness of rosemary essential oil for hair growth. (in fact - it’s just as effective as rogain!! who would have thought. plants = medicine :) you can buy pricey rosemary hair sprays but I make my own because it’s way cheaper and fun and easy to make!
What you need:
10 drops each: rosemary eo, cedarwood eo, and lavender eo. 3 oz witch hazel, water, 4 oz glass spray bottle
What to do:
Mix essential oils and witch hazel together in an empty glass spray bottle
Fill remaining space with water
Shake vigorously before use then spray on wet hair / into scalp
Dry and style hair as normal
YL tip : sub salt water for water for that natural, beachy look
FOR THE BABY
disposable diapers & wipes - obvious i know. for the first couple weeks we go with disposable diapers until they fit into the cloth diapers we have and we feel like we have a little more of a grip on things to add in the (small) amount of extra work cloth diapers require. but ya know me, I’m not out here buying pampers or other diapers loaded with toxins (yes, of course even baby diapers and wipes are riddled with chemicals that can (and do) lead to serious health concerns and environmental damage.) anyways, we ultimately end up using cloth diapers when we’re at home but still use disposables while on the go and overnight. we’ve tried a handful of clean brands and so far these are our favorites! along with water wipes.
reusable diapers & wipes - I plan to do a whole post on reusable diapering (it’s not as hard or as much work as you’d think!!) but we bought this two part system before we had Ruth and are using them again with Arne! the inner is made of organic cotton and the outer is made of post-consumer recycled plastic bottles! they have a resell and recycle program when you’re finished, a payment plan option, and are legitimately leak proof (two kids in and so far NO LEAKS OR BLOWOUTS!!) anyways, if you’re looking for a good reusable diaper these are it! and we use their reusable wipes too! (this link gets you 15% off your order!!)
skin to skin jammies / two way zipper jammies / nightgowns - these skin to skin jammies are so nice if you want to do lots of skin to skin (which - i do!) but don’t necessarily want baby to have to be just in a diaper all the time. the front has a flap that velcros open and closed to allow for easy chest access. with ruth, we saved the few extra bucks and bought button jammies. word of advice - spend the extra $3 and get two way zipper jammies!! I am the worst at those damn buttons and there’s nothing worse than fumbling through those at 2 am with a screaming baby while you’re trying to change a poopy diaper. another favorite of ours are baby nightgowns! such easy access for diaper changes day or night. if it’s chilly I might put on socks or pants with a nightgown but overall - highly recommend.
baby carriers - of which we have a few. Edgar and I both love wearing our babies. it’s the best way to keep them close and safe while having at least one free hand/being able to walk/move around. i personally love this lightweight wrap in the first couple months (looks tricky, i know but i assure you with a little practice it’s the best for newborns!!) we got this semi structured super soft & cozy carrier when ruth was maybe a month old or so because Edgar was struggling to get the wrap right. it’s super easy to put on and comfortable to wear and cozy for the babe! we both really love it. we also just started using our bigger / more structured carrier with Arne and it’s suddenly become my go to! it has a pocket which i find super handy and seems comfy for the babe and is probably the most comfortable for me on my back (the lumbar support belt is great!) anyways, I just put up an IG reel with some baby wearing tips that you might find helpful!!
olive oil - lol very random, i know but we learned this trick from our midwife - the first week or so when newborns are pooping out meconium (which is very hard to wipe off!!! and the last thing you want to do is rub vigorously on your newborn baby's butt) apply a little layer of olive oil to their bottom and wiping off meconium is SO much easier! a safe, nontoxic option!!
burp cloths - both of my babies have been major spitter uppers so we go through many burp cloths in a day. again, we opt for organic cotton/fabrics for our babies to reduce their chemical exposure as much as possible.
muslin blankets - muslin is one of my favorite fabrics and it’s so nice for babies. we have lots of them and often use them as burp clothes in a pinch too!
snuggle me organic lounger - we bought this with ruth because we could not set her down…at all…and thought maybe, just maybe this would help us get a few minutes here and there and..it didn’t lol. but with Arne he seems to love it in there! we don’t leave him in there for long (and sometimes he doesn’t want to be there at all) but it’s nice to have a cozy space to set him - especially in this season of life with two small kids at home. we got this over the doc a tot because i’m all for organic, chemical free baby products! so, long story short, your baby might really enjoy this (arne!) or your baby might not (ruth!)
stroller - okay full discloser we bought a tandem double stroller than I genuinely thought we would love (I did a looooooot of research) and ended up returning it after a month or so. we used it almost daily the first couple weeks of Arne’s life and ultimately decided we didn’t like it. so we sent it back and are back to our trusty bob! we LOVE this stroller (so sturdy, quality materials, such a smooth ride, can take on almost any terrain (trails! gravel! you name it!) and you can run/jog with it (lol not why we bought it but it turns out we actually love going for runs with a kid in there!) right now we usually put Arne in a carrier and push Ruth in the stroller but if she’s not with sometimes I put him in the car seat with the car seat adapter. we’re considering a double wide bob but they don’t have a car seat adapter for our carseat (nuna pipa lite) for the double bob and Arne is too small to ride in the regular seat so we’re going to wait and probably get one in the fall??
car seat - as mentioned we have the nuna pipa lite infant car seat and love it! it’s really nice to be able to take the carseat of the car (for us anyways) it’s only a little over 5 pounds! green guard gold certified (low tox! no unnecessary flame retardants!) and is very safe/highly rated!
portable white noise machine - so handy! take it in the car, hook it on a carrier, anywhere that suits! not all babies love white noise but I find it can be helpful if you have a baby who wakes easily / is easily woken by sounds.
FOR THE FAMILY
mattress pad - I’ve said it once I’ll say it again, postpartum is messy and sooo wet. Leaky boobs, postpartum vaginal bleeding, spit up, that fun postpartum sweat, baby poop/pee leaks, you get the idea. We have two mattress pads that have saved our mattress many many times and have kept us from having to scrub/clean our mattress because no one has time for that after having a baby.
bed pad - we also picked this up months ago for Ruth’s bed when she started refusing to wear a pull up to bed but would pee the bed (thankfully now she either sleeps through and doesn’t pee until morning or wakes up once in the night to go pee on the potty!) We grabbed one for our king bed too because it’s nice to not always have to wash every single piece of bedding if something or someone leaks. I had been putting the mattress protector first, then a fitted sheet, then this pad on top. This works well because then you really only need to wash this pad and not everything. But, it does come loose on a larger bed easily and that’s not safe for bed sharing with a baby. So, now the order is: mattress protector, this pad, then a fitted sheet on top. Mattress protector keeps the whole mattress safe just in case and the pad catches majority of leaks. Of course it means still washing the fitted sheet but still less than having to wash the full mattress protector every time too!
bedside caddy - got this with Arne and it’s been super handy, it has three sections and i put diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream (just in case), a water bottle, nightlight, nursing essentials (for the first couple weeks) like silverettes / nipple cream / etc. sometimes i throw some snacks in there and my kindle.
dimmable nightlight / salt lamp - this rechargable dimmable nightlight is so handy for overnight diaper changes and feedings!! you literally just flip it over to turn it on/off. I also have a salt lamp in our room that provides the perfect warm light glow (honestly I often leave it on overnight sometimes) turning on bright lights or lamps overnight makes everyone more upset but sometimes you need some extra light so I can’t recommend these enough.
drip coffee maker with single serve option - okay to 99% of you this might seem like an obvious no brainer but Edgar and I have been STRICT french press only people for probably the past 8 years or so and have rarely brought ourselves to use a drip (coffee snobs I suppose you could say.) but for awhile during Ruth’s first year of life we got a cheap drip machine to save a little time/make life a little easier. using a french press really isn’t that labor intensive but it does take a little more time/effort than a drip machine and sometimes that little bit of time/effort saved makes all the difference when you’re a busy parent! the cheap drip coffee maker we had broke so we went back to the french press (ruth was also a little older and it didn’t seem like as big of a deal to spend the extra time to use the press again!) and while we really do love our french press (highly recommend a double wall stainless steel to help keep it warm…and less likely to break!), we got this coffee maker a few months ago that has a 12 cup pot option OR a single cup option. both features get used daily in our household! a big pot in the morning and usually a cup of decaf for me and a cup of regular for edgar each afternoon! it’s also pretty aesthetically pleasing to keep on our countertop! it’s also programmable so that Edgar has one less thing to do in the morning (he gets up before everyone else to start getting ready for work so he makes our coffee every single day!)
kindle - I surrendered to kindle life years ago and honestly love it way more than I expected to!! but, it’s especially nice when you’ve got a new baby around. 1) one handed reading 2) not as heavy as a regular book (edgar always feared dropping a regular book on our babes) 3) doesn’t require light / has the softest backlight that won’t be bright for babe but still allows you to read / see well! 4) I personally do a lot of laying / sitting in those first few weeks with a sleeping baby on me (and…for a very long time I’m a fan of contact naps) and it’s nice to have something to do besides scroll or watch tv. I also love that it’s waterproof for the beach or the bath..or ya know if it gets spit up on or something ;)
There are, of course, other items that have gotten lots of use in this early postpartum season but these are hands down the things that are both unique to this season of life and get used at least once a day! & I hope they help you and are as practical for you as they have been for us! As always, these are actual items that I’ve purchased with my own money and genuinely recommend! I very very much appreciate you using my links (some get you a little discount!) xx Nalani
RELATED BLOG POSTS :)
9 Purchases That Make Parenting Easier (that aren’t specifically baby / toddler / kid items!)
Postpartum Healing Supplies (Holistic Remedies For A Vaginal Birth Recovery)
Preparing for a home birth: practical action steps and ideal supplies for birthing at home!
What to wear when nothing fits: creating a maternity wardrobe without buying 1000 new pieces.
