1. A good quality safe care seat. DO NOT BUY USED! There are many places you can be cheap when raising kids their safety seats should NEVER be one of them. This means DO NOT BUY USED! DO check expiration dates. Yes car seats do expire. All current car seats pass the same safety standards. The prices differ depending all the bells and whistles. You also need to find a seat that works not only with your baby but with your car. Kennady's first car seat was a Graco Snugride Classic connect. We have since purchased more/different seats. Her convertible seats are the Graco 4ever seat and the Diono Radian RXT. They have high rear facing limits as well as forward facing limits. Both of these seats can also be used as booster seats as Kennady gets older. There are safe seats in all sorts of price ranges. Many hospitals will provide seats free of charge to families that can't afford them. The website Car Seats for the Littles is an amazing source of correct information.
2. A safe place for your baby to sleep. No brainer, right? You'd be surprised. I picked a Rock-n-sleep by Fisher Price. They fold up pretty flat and are easy to travel with if you're going by car. We also have a couple of Graco play yards that could also be used for sleeping. I didn't use them for travel because they were a bit bulky.
3. Good quality diaper bag. Chances are you're going to end up using your diaper bag as not only a place to keep baby's things but a place to keep your things as well. It's just easier to carry one bag. I have a few diaper bags. Actually I have a few too many diaper bags. I've tried everything from the bag the hospital gave me to Coach to Ju-Ju-Be. I LOVE my Coach diaper bag but it was just too bulky for everyday use. I changed to the Ju-Ju-Be BFF bag and have been very happpy. You can use it as a regular diaper bag or you can attach the backpack straps and wear it in backpack mode. As Kennady has gotten older I have started to carry the Ju-Ju-Be HoBoBe bag.
4. Diapers and wipes. Now diapers are a hot button issue. Do you want to use disposables or cloth? You may have to try out a few different kinds of diapers to see what works best for your baby. People told me not to buy a lot of newborn diapers but when Kennady was born she was on the smaller side so I needed newborn diapers for like 6 months. Personally I say if you're going to stock up buy a few packages in size NB and even more packages in size 1. Cloth diaper wise I like the ones with snaps and bamboo inserts. Wipes are along the same lines as diapers. You'll need to test out which wipes work best for your baby. My daughter has allergies so I have to be extra careful.
5. Onesies , Sleepers and Gowns. I know we all like the idea of dressing our babies in cute little fancy outfits with matching everything but truth be told they are not needed. For the first month get the basics. Something for the baby to sleep in and something to leave the house in. Some might also throw pants in there for the winter but I love chunky little baby legs lol
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