Photo by Nynne Schrøder on Unsplash

According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, parents should avoid the use of soft bedding, including crib bumpers, blankets, pillows and soft toys. The crib should be bare. Instead, just go with Organic Cotton Fitted Sheets and that's it. You can decorate the crib with fancy blankets, pillows and toys BEFORE baby arrives to take some cute photos. Otherwise, for your baby's safety, the crib should pretty much be empty.

Bedding for the crib, including a cotton flannel water-proof mattress cover and snug, fitted sheets. No other bedding products should be used in the crib. This means there should be no pillows, loose blankets, quilts, comforters, pillowlike toys, positioning devices, or bumper pads in the crib.

Your baby's safety is very important and the American Academy of Pediatrics says to prevent suffocation do not use baby or talcum powders on the baby. If inhaled, talc-containing powders can cause severe lung damage and breathing problems in babies.
Instead:

• Keep baby's diaper area clean and change diapers frequently (especially if you suspect it's dirty)
• If possible give baby's bottom a minute to air dry
• After baby's bottom is dry, and prone to rashes, petroleum- or zinc oxide-based cream as a barrier

I'm a fan of using Burt's Bees Baby Diaper Rash Ointment but we also always have Aquaphor.

Shoes are not necessary until after your baby starts to walk. If your baby wears them earlier, they can interfere with the growth of his or her feet! The same goes for socks and footed pajamas if they're too small and worn for a prolonged period of time. If your baby does wear footed pajamas, be sure to get the appropriate size with a little room. 

This is based on my own experience of  going through a couple packages (about 40 diapers) of newborn diapers, and then immediately switching to the next size up. Babies grow quickly in the beginning, and you'll find out that a healthy, full-term baby will most likely quickly outgrow newborn diapers. Better to have a few packages of those, then more of the next size, unless you plan on using cloth diapers. If you choose to cloth diaper, some brands have newborn sizes so you might invest in a few of those, otherwise the next size up will last you much longer. 

Once you find the brand of diapers and wipes that you like, you can save an extra 15% by subscribing to that brand with Amazon!

I mentioned this before, that I wanted a piece of furniture that could be used past Ryan's baby stage, and instead of a changing table, we opted for a dresser and put a Changing Pad with a Cover right on top of the dresser.

Now, I actually own the hiccapop Wipes Warmer, but it's hardly used, and doesn't seem to make a big difference during diaper changes. Most of the time, I'm changing a diaper in another room, and my son doesn't care what temperature the wipes are at. That being said, it may be a whole different story when it starts to get cooler out. But going through summer, in an air-conditioned home, the warm wipes haven't been a necessity.

Expensive Diaper Bags

There are lots of options for diaper bags as I mentioned in a previous post. Different styles, storage options, and price tags. We went with a relatively inexpensive but not cheap (as in flimsy) option. It gets the job done, and actually helped us better decide if "we really need to bring this?" The best option for a great buy is the HaloVa Diaper Bag that is inexpensive, useful and has lots of storage.

“Preparing For A New Baby / Preparing Your Homes And Family For The Baby's Arrival.” Your Baby's First Year, by Steven P. Shelov, Bantam, 2015, pp. 34.

“The First Month / Safety Check.” Your Baby's First Year, by Steven P. Shelov, Bantam, 2015, pp. 224–226.

This post may contain affiliate links. Using links to these sites means I may earn a percentage of the purchase at no extra cost to you.