Mamas preparing for birth typically buy lots of things baby needs: somewhere to sleep, clothes, diapers, wipes, and bottles. And those items are needed and necessary but there are a few unglamorous items that are essential the moment you bring your newborn home that you may have missed on your registry.

SANITIZING STATION

However you're feeding baby you'll probably need to sanitize items daily. Bottles for formula feeding, nipple shields for breastfeeding, and pacifiers all need frequent sanitization.

I recently learned that sanitizing isn't really necessary unless your baby is immunocompromised, a preemie, or younger than 3 months. I've been sanitizing probably more than needed but will occasionally use something that is washed but not sanitized. The regulations and suggestions weren't around for many decades and lots of babies turned out just fine. I tend to tread lightly with survivor bias and turn to science-based sources for advice on this kind of thing. Care instructions on packaging for baby items often says to sterilize before first use.

The night before my planned C-section my husband sanitized all my pump parts so I could take my pump to the hospital in case I needed it to encourage my milk production (some moms struggle with milk production after a c-section delivery, but just so you know, the placenta detaching is what prompts the milk production process and the placenta is removed from your uterus when you have a c-section). I had been so nervous to sanitize things via boiling because I didn't want anything to stick to the side of the pan. My husband brilliantly used our steamer pot with the steamer basket in it and it works perfectly. We just kept it on our stovetop since we sanitized my nipple shields, Haakaa, and pacifier daily when we were using those items.

POSTPARTUM SUPPLIES FOR MOM

C-section or vaginal birth, either requires some supplies for mom afterwards. My c-section bleeding wasn't too bad once we got home (day 4 postpartum) so I used store brand Ultra Thin pads and Always Infinity Regular pads. Then the bleeding dropped to light and I used the liners I normally stock for my (very light) period.

Depending on your birth this might mean a Peri Bottle, tucks pads, Depends, high-waisted undies, an abdominal binder, or an array of other items.

Don't forget any meds you'll need. Continue taking your prenatals if you're breastfeeding and consider adding any supplements your doctor recommends, like calcium, iron, or a probiotic. You'll likely want stool softeners and pain relief, too.

GAS DROPS

When you're first home with baby there's a lot to learn about this new little person. What makes them happy? What upsets them? How can I help them be happy? For many babies, gas is a discomfort that is making them cry. Burping is helpful but sometimes baby just needs a little more help and gas drops that are safe for newborns are definitely the way to go. We used Mylicon Gas Drops more than once a day sometimes when Oden was a newborn. Gripe Water is a popular option but the labeling says not for use under 2 weeks of age.

NIPPLE CREAM

Breastfeeding mamas need nipple cream from the start. If you didn't take any to the hospital, ask a nurse or the lactation consultant for some, then Amazon Prime it for asap delivery once you're home. Even if baby latches perfectly and breastfeeding is a breeze, nipple cream is magic. Think of it like Chapstick for your boobs. Earth Mama Nipple Butter is an awesome choice. I also found Lansinoh Nipple Balm to be good, too. I used the Earth Mama during the day and Lansinoh at night and felt that combo worked well.

BABY TRACKING APP

The hospital will likely want a written log of baby's feedings and poops and pees while you're there so they can just look at your log if you're asleep and they need to chart it. At home, you can use an app to make your life easier. It's hard to know which you'll like ahead of time but I saved myself the step of looking for a list of the best tracking apps when I got home and instead downloaded a few prior to birth so I had them in my phone and ready to access.

Huckleberry is perfect for me. It tracks sleep, feedings, pumping sessions, diapers, and medications. You can input via a timer that you start then stop, or manually input the info after the fact. Right on the home screen of the app it shows how long it has been since baby's last nap and feeding which is my main use for it; I can't remember anything and have no concept of time passage. Once you've tracked so much sleep in the app and baby is old enough, Huckleberry will suggest nap times for baby based on Wake Windows. I love this feature for a few reasons: I am bad at math so figuring that out myself isn't reliable, Wake Windows change in duration as baby ages and, without prompting, I wouldn't know that it's time to start transitioning into a different nap schedule. Huckleberry also lets you log into it on several phones so you, your partner, and other caregivers can all have access to it, easy peasy. Plus it has really cool graphs of data you can look at to help you notice patterns or trends. And this is all on the free version!

Some parents feed on demand and nap baby with the sign on sleepy cues, are better at remembering a schedule/routine, or fare just fine without tracking anything. That's totally fine too! There's no need to track unless you want to or your doctor asks you to.

VASELINE

Little penises that get circumcised will need Vaseline on their diapers until it's healed to protect it from drying and getting stuck to the diaper (ouch!). The hospital provided us with little packets of Vaseline while we were there but we needed a tub at home to keep up with it for about 11 days after birth. Now we use vaseline on his bum for diaper rash prevention and to lube the thermometer for rectal temps.

ALCOHOL AND Q TIPS

Caring for their belly button stump is an easy job that I didn't know I would have as the parent of a newborn. They instructed us to use alcohol on a q-tip to clean the belly button daily until the stump fell off. I had no idea it required care.

I had no idea what to expect when I came home with my newborn baby. I knew overall what to do but didn't have a great handle on the nitty gritty. To comfort myself I think of people who had babies that they didn't even know they were pregnant with! 🤯 Thank goodness for Amazon Prime and same-day Target Drive-Up.

What item did you desperately need when you came home with your newborn? Share in the comments!