Must Have Newborn Items From A Newborn Photographer

After five years, three kids of our own, and hundreds of newborns as a newborn photographer, I have come across so many baby items! Our favorite items have changed and evolved over time, and I have finally sat down to compile a list of all the things I can’t live without!

Coterie Diapers 

All of our babies have pretty sensitive bottoms. We got different brands of diapers at our baby shower and tried them all, but Coterie was the only brand that didn’t give them diaper rash. Not to mention, we have never had a blow out in these diapers and they are incredibly soft. Plus, as a newborn photographer I love the simplicity of the white diaper! If you are in the market to try them out, use my code EMILY for 20% off! 

Coterie Wipes 

Before we found this company we loved water wipes, but Coterie has given water wipes a run for their money. These wipes are slightly thicker, larger in size (meaning less waste) and still have simple, clean ingredients. Not to mention, they are way easier to get out of the package (which is always a consideration during a messy diaper change)!

Weleda Diaper Rash Cream 

Did I mention our babies have sensitive bottoms? After 5+ years as a mom, I have tried all the creams. While this one is a bit harder to find (we get it on Amazon) any rash is 80% gone after one use!

Munchkin Changing Pad Liners 

We still use these! They’re easy to throw down wherever diaper changes are happening, and can be thrown in the wash. A few of ours have sadly been retired after some major blow-outs, but they’re relatively inexpensive!

Wipe Warmer 

I don’t know any newborns who like to get their diapers changed, plus cold wipes? I can’t blame them! We used this for the first three months or so. The one we found to be the easiest to use and refill (which we did often with three kids!)

Pack N Play 

Any parent knows with as many diaper changes as there are in the early days, it’s good to have a changing set up on the main floor of the home in addition to the nursery. Insert: Pack n Play! We have found this to be one of the most versatile baby items out there! Later on we used it when traveling but it was so important in the early days. It comes with a seat and changing station. The seat became a life saver for us, so much so that we bought a second Pack n’ Play just like this when the twins were newborns! All of our babies would easily nap in these seats. They have just the right amount of recline that we felt comfortable letting them nap there.

Kyte Baby Sleepers 

I knew I would prefer zippers over buttons before we even had babies. But, knowing we had two on the way, ALL the diaper changes that came along with two meant zippers were non-negotiable! Kyte baby has some of the softest baby pajamas, with the perfect amount of stretch to get more use out of them as the baby grows!

Swaddle-Me Swaddles 

Even as often as I swaddled babies before having my own, (I’d like to think I got pretty proficient at it!) I still preferred velcro swaddles over anything else. Muslin swaddles are great for everything BUT swaddling. We tried a few different brands but found these to be the most effective at keeping both babies swaddled in tight, and used them for naps and bedtime until they learned to roll over. You can get them off Amazon, Buy Buy Baby, or if you are in a bind Target carries them too!

Kyte Baby Sleep Bags 

While the twins loved Zipadee Zip, and I still recommend them, our youngest is a thumb sucker and needed to have his hands free. I tried a few different sleep sacks but the fit or material was never right. Kyte baby changes all of that, they have the prettiest colors and patterns, the softest fabric and even offer different weights to the sleep bags based on your baby’s needs! 

White Noise Machine 

White Noise is an absolute must have for babies in my book! This particular sound machine is my favorite because it has a wide variety of sound options, but it also gets louder than most of them, in addition to being able to change the tone of each sound.

Portable Sound Machine

As a newborn photographer, this is my secret weapon! I use this during sessions, its rechargeable, and easy to throw in the car seat or in a crib with a sleeping baby!

Baby Shusher

We got a baby shusher from a friend as a gift and it was the BEST gift. We ended up purchasing a second one because they were so good for our babies as tiny newborns and we could easily take them with us in their carseats, or for sleeping in other places!

Wubbanub

These are great because the animal attached to the paci helps it stay in the baby’s mouth. Plus,  it makes it easy to find in the middle of the night or in a dark room or car seat too.

Baby Wrap 

We wore our babies A LOT in the beginning. It was the only way we could keep them happy some nights, especially during witching hour, and the only way I could accomplish anything on a normal day. We liked the Moby best for wrapping up both babies at once, but the Boba is very similar in material and worked well also! As a mom and a newborn photographer, I swear by baby wearing, especially when nothing else seems to work to keep the baby calm, happy and sleeping!

AngelCare Baby Bath Support

We tried three different kinds of bath tubs and bath solutions, this saved us after a recommendation from a friend! It’s just the right amount of support for new babies where as we felt the sling insert inside of some of the other tubs caused both of our babies to slouch into uncomfortable positions. It dries out easily and we used it for a full 8 months!

Burt’s Bees Burp Cloths 

We got a few different types of burp cloths to try and these were our favorite because they were the softest, most absorbent and have held up the best over time after MANY washes. From a mom and newborn photographer, trust me when I say these burp cloths are the best of the best.

My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow 

The best thing that ever happened to us was this pillow! There is no way I could have nursed our babies without it, and I used it everyday 10-12 times a day in the first several weeks. We only just stopped using it around 7 months ago. The Brest Friend is designed a bit better than the boppy because it has a flat edge for the babies as opposed to being rounded which always worked better for all three of us.

Freda Nursing Pillow

While I needed to use a twin nursing pillow with two babies, it turns out nursing one baby is a bit different. I loved this nursing pillow because it was firm enough to hold a bigger baby, had layers you could remove to change the size, had a waist strap to keep it in place, and the material was easy to wipe down and clean in between washes (the zipper made washing super easy too).

Medela Soft Shells 

Our postpartum nurse in the hospital recommended these and I am so thankful, they allowed air to get to the nipple and let them “rest” in between feeds the first week or two which made a big difference during that adjustment period.

Belly Bandit 

This was SO helpful postpartum and especially after having a c-section. Having the extra support in my abdomen (especially considering 16 pounds of babies gave me diastasis recti) was crucial for me to get back to feeling like myself (not from a vain stand point, but actually being able to move around, sit, stand, lay, etc!).

Newton Baby Mattress

I never thought I would champion a particular mattress, but never say never, right? This mattress was a must have for us with my youngest as a belly sleeper (it is 100% breathable!) and with lots of spit up it was so easy to trust that he was safe, but also be able to clean and wash it easily! I wish I had these for the twins! 

If you have any other questions about items from this list, let’s chat! Of course, if you’re looking for a Northern Virginia newborn photographer, I would love to work with you. Take a look at my portfolio to see my other work. Follow me on Instagram for announcements and new posts, or check out my Pinterest for ideas and inspiration!