The Complete Nursery Essentials Checklist For New Parents

Daydreaming about your baby’s room is a thing of the past; the time has come to get your little one’s nursery in order, starting with the nursery essentials.

This is such an exciting adventure! Unfortunately, if you’re on this adventure, you may feel overwhelmed by all the choices available. That’s why Newton Baby created this list of nursery essentials so you know just what you need!

Nursery Essentials For Sleeping

Crib Or Bassinet

When your baby is a newborn, they have a couple of sleeping options: a crib or a bassinet. To help you nail down your choice, check out our article Bassinet Vs. Crib: What’s The Difference And Which One Is Best For Your Baby.

Whatever you decide right now, your baby will eventually end up in a crib and will spend a lot of time in it, so make sure it’s sturdy. Safety is a top priority when it comes to your baby’s sleep!

Mattress

When searching for a mattress, it’s important to consider safety. For the safest mattress, choose one that’s breathable, like Newton Baby’s Crib Mattress. It’s 100 percent breathable, comfortable, and washable!

Yep, you read that right! We have the only washable crib mattress on the market. With our mattress, you can say good-bye to worry, sweaty backs, mold, bacteria, and allergens!

After you say good-bye to those things, your little one can finally get a good night’s rest! Babies often sleep better on a Newton Baby mattress because it’s much more comfortable than traditional mattresses, which are rock-hard and wrapped in plastic.

With the right mattress, you can rest easy knowing your little one isn’t sleeping on harmful substances, like foam, glue, or latex.

Mattress Pad And Cover

Countless inevitable messes and accidents will occur in your baby’s crib over their first year and beyond. Before they happen, try our Waterproof Crib Mattress Pad that makes any crib mattress washable!

It’s 100 percent breathable and waterproof, so it protects your baby while protecting your mattress from leaks, moisture, and mold. It’s perfect for quick changes after those middle-of-the-night accidents!

Swaddles

Your baby is used to being snug and tight in your comfy, warm belly. To give your little one that same feeling outside the womb — and to help them sleep well! — swaddle them during the first few months of their life.

Try Newton Baby’s 2-Pack Organic Swaddle Blankets to keep your little one safe and comfy all night long. Our swaddles are completely breathable, which helps to regulate your baby’s temperature so they don’t get too hot while they sleep.

Sheets

If you’re using a Newton Baby mattress, it’s OK to skip the sheet. Our mattress covers are comfy even without a sheet!

But if you’re using another mattress (or you’d simply prefer adding a fitted sheet to your baby’s sleep surface), look for sheets that are soft and safe — more specifically, breathable.

For example, your little one can breathe straight through Newton Baby’s Breathable, Organic Cotton Sheets! And the all-around elastic guarantees a safe, snug fit for any crib mattress!

Nightlight

To set the mood and help your baby associate dimmer lighting with nighttime, add a nightlight to their room. You’ll also find this nursery essential helpful when you have to stumble into the nursery for those late-night feedings!

Nursery Essentials For Feeding

Rocking Chair or Glider

After you bring your baby home from the hospital, there will be plenty of snuggles and feeding sessions going on!

This is where a rocking chair or glider comes in handy. It gives you a comfortable place to sit while feeding, and the rocking motion helps soothe your baby.

And even after your baby passes the age of bottle-feeding or breastfeeding, you can use the chair for reading, rocking, or late-night cuddling!

Nursing Pillow

In the early days of your baby’s life, you’ll nurse at least eight to 10 times a day. If you add up how many minutes you spend during one nursing session, you end up calculating a lot of time spent sitting for feedings in one day!

Obviously, you’re going to need to be as comfortable as possible. Whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, a nursing pillow allows you to comfortably (and safely!) support your baby in your lap.

Nursery Essentials For Diaper Changing

Dresser/Changing Table And Changing Pad

You’ll need somewhere to store all of the essentials you were gifted with at your baby showers. A dresser is the perfect solution!

And if you’re running low on space, your little one’s dresser can double as a space for changing your baby. To make the dresser multifunctional, you’ll need a soft, comfortable changing pad and cover to place on top of it.

Conveniently, the obvious essentials for diaper changes — like wipes, diapers, and creams — can be stored right under the changing pad in a top dresser drawer.

And since you’re using the dresser for a changing area, you can skip over purchasing a separate changing table!

(If this is the route you take, always securely strap the changing pad to the dresser so it doesn’t slip off. And make sure the pad has safety straps to buckle around your baby to keep them from wiggling or rolling.)

Nursery Essentials For Storage

Storage Bins Or Baskets

Easily accessible baby essentials are going to be a top priority when your little one makes their big debut. But all of those items can create a big mess!

To find a solution to your clutter woes, design an organizing system in your baby’s nursery using storage bins or baskets.

Strategically place these storage bins or baskets in places where you can easily reach for blankets or other necessities while holding onto your baby, like right by the rocking chair and within arm’s reach of the changing area.

Hanging Bookshelf

Books are the next best thing to all of the baby essentials you received at your baby shower. But where in the world are you going to place all these precious picture books?

Instead of taking up space on the floor with a bookshelf, get creative by hanging a bookshelf on the wall and using books as nursery décor!

Hanging Closet Organizer

Sometimes standard closets aren’t practical for your baby’s little clothes and accessories. A hanging closet organizer is just right!

Even better, this type of storage solution is ideal for all of the additional baby essentials that you weren’t able to fit in the dresser or baskets.

Nursery Essentials For Playing

Baby Seat

Your baby will need a place to sit while you fold clothes, clean up, or do all the things. And sometimes your arms just need a break from cradling your sweet little one.

While you could place your baby in their crib so you can get things done, that doesn’t allow them to look around much, especially during the first several weeks of their life.

A baby seat gives your little one the chance to play, learn, and observe their surroundings.

Bonus: This way, you’re teaching your baby that their crib is just for sleeping, not for playing, which is beneficial when it’s time to sleep train!

Age-Appropriate Toys

A play mat is the perfect first toy for your baby! Toys hang down from the top of the play mat, encouraging your little one to start reaching for things, and the mat is visually appealing to them.

Store age-appropriate toys in an easily accessible place, like a basket, which we mentioned above. Any other toys that your baby isn’t quite ready for yet can be stored in the closet.

Nursery Essentials For Safety

Baby Monitor

A monitor becomes your eyes and ears in the nursery while your baby sleeps and allows you to stay in visual contact with them. The technology for baby monitors these days is phenomenal!

Your preference and budget are the only limits on this one!

Outlet Covers

Your little one will be rolling around and crawling before you know it!

When your baby starts crawling, they start exploring. Their minds are inquisitive, and electrical outlets are the perfect height for those curious little fingers to touch and investigate.

Your baby’s safety is your number one priority, so before they become mobile, cover the electrical outlets throughout your home with outlet covers.

Nursery Essential Extras

Journal

Those early days of parenthood can leave you sleep-deprived, which paves the way to a forgetful brain!

To help your mommy-brain (or daddy-brain!) out, keep a notebook and pencil handy to jot down when your baby napped, pooped, and ate. This way, you can more easily predict the next feeding or nap time.

Keeping a record of your baby’s diaper changes also helps you determine a pattern in your baby so you can detect what’s normal and what’s not.

And while you’re at it, jot down any milestones — like smiling, cooing, and rolling over. Your mommy-brain or daddy-brain will thank you later!

Blackout Curtains

Even a tiny sliver of light can disturb your little one from a sound nap or wake them up early in the morning. Blocking out daylight can be a lifesaver (or at least a sleep-saver!) for you and your baby, and using blackout curtains is the best way to do this.

Do You Have Everything?

There are tons of items out there in the baby market, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to decide what you really need. Stick to our list of nursery essentials and you’ll have all the necessities to care for your new little one!

Babies are simple, so keep their nursery simple with these essentials. Consider our list when planning for your baby’s nursery, and give your little one the best sleep possible with Newton Baby’s Crib Mattress!