When preparing for a new baby the focus is often on all of the necessities required to make their entry into the world as seamless as possible. However, we don’t want to forget about the essential household items that can make parents entry into life with a new baby equally as seamless. You don’t want to be in a situation, especially soon after the baby is born, where you find yourself stuck without some key essential household items (like food and toilet paper!) that could make life a lot more simple.
I have been paying really, really close attention recently to the daily essentials that make my life way easier without a newborn – so I can only imagine with a newborn having these on hand will be extremely helpful. I will be sure to make any adjustments to this list as I go.
This post is a list of 16 essential household items to stock up before a new baby arrives to make your life as a new parent easier & stress-free.
Essential Kitchen Items you Need Before a New Baby Arrives:
If you have space in your cupboards or pantry, I highly recommend stocking up on these essential household kitchen items before the baby arrives. If you don’t have the space – try finding some! Having these items on hand when you’re in a pinch will make life a whole lot easier.
1. Coffee
This list is in no particular order of importance, but coffee just naturally came to mind first – coincidence? Probably not! I have the cutest espresso machine from Swan, equipped with a milk steamer that makes the best at-home lattes & cappuccinos. I like having a good stock of ground espresso on hand (your husband will thank you!), as well as always having a decaf option on hand when caffeine is off the table.
Decaf is my go-to at the moment – but you can still enjoy warm lattes this way as well.
2. Non-Diary, Shelf-Stable Milk
An abundance of non-diary milk is a great item to have in the pantry. There are plenty of non-diary options on the market these days that have a great shelf length. My absolute favourite type of non-diary milk and brand is Oatly Oat Milks. My top 3 favourite choices currently are:
-
- Organic
- Barista Edition – for when you’re wanting something a little bit creamier
- Chocolate – because who doesn’t love a little mocha-cap every now and then
Oatly has a bunch of new international stockists these days, so check out locally where you can find their products on their website.
3. Nut Butter
High in protein and natural fats, nut butters are perfect for when you need a quick breakfast or snack. Make sure you look for nut butters that are made from 100% of that specific nut. Most traditional store-bought peanut butters have a shockingly high amount of salt, sugar and oils added to them to make them taste better. Natural oil separation will occur with natural nut butters – that is normal! Just give your nut butter a little stir.
Pip & Nut Butters are my current favourite. I love the story, the products and the selection is great.
4. High-Fibre Cereal
Do you find yourself needing a quick breakfast or maybe feeling like you need a bit more fibre in your diet right now? Having a high-fibre cereal in the pantry is a great way to stay nourished and get your daily dose of fibre in.
5. Nuts
Nuts are high in protein and healthy fats. When feeling like you need some nourishment, reaching for a handful of nuts is a much smarter decision than reaching for a bag of chips. The smarter choice is to go for a naturally roasted nut or raw nut, like these almonds, while staying away from the salted, flavoured selection that turns a healthy snack into a not-so-healthy snack.
Note: with more and more nut allergies being ever so prevalent, please do your part to ensure consuming nuts are safe for you, your family & those around you.
6. Dark Chocolate
Okay, okay. You’re raising a baby, you deserve a little treat. When the sweet tooth hits, reaching for the dark chocolate is a great way to treat yourself. Look for chocolates that are 70% or higher. My recommendations are 70% and 80% – anything above that get’s a bit tart and is better for baking – not snacking.
Green & Black Chocolate is a good option. You can find in bulk on Amazon or local stockists.
If you are avoiding caffeine or in the breastfeeding stages, it is important to note that some chocolates do contain caffeine. Worth looking out for.
7. Olive Oil
A pantry essential and one of the most versatile kitchen items! Olive can be used to make salad dressings, grease pans, toss vegetables in, and found in some baking recipes. It is shocking when you run out how much you realize this item is used!
8. Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic vinegar is typically seen as olive oil’s sidekick, but it can stand on its own two feet. Mixing with olive oil to make salad dressings is a great and healthy way to top your salads but balsamic vinegar can also be used to marinate vegetables and chicken. This is a hidden essential household item that you didn’t even realize you needed.
9. Whole Wheat Pasta
When hunger strikes it strikes and you do not want to be eating a bowl of cereal for dinner because you already ate it for lunch and breakfast (am I right?!). Stock up on some whole wheat pasta so when dinner time comes along, you’ve always got something. Whole wheat pasta contains more fibre than regular, white pasta options, keeping you fuller longer and providing you and the baby with more essential nutrients.
10. Pasta Sauce
Can you really have pasta without pasta sauce? You can but we’re being proactive here. Stock up on quite a few jars of your favourite pasta sauce. Do give the labels a look though, some sauces are high in sugars to give them extra flavours.
11. Paper Towel/Kitchen Roll
Paper Towel – an everyday essential that you probably already go through quite quickly. You don’t want to be washing dish clothes as often as you perhaps do right now, so stock up on this kitchen essential.
Essential Bathroom Items you Need before a New Baby:
12. Toilet Paper
It seems like a no-brainer to know to stock up on toilet paper beforehand, but you’d be surprised how often we forget when the focus is solely on prepping for the baby. You probably already found yourself using far more toilet paper than you ever thought you were capable of while being pregnant when your washroom visits 10x in the second trimester – and remember that feeling when you realized the roll was out? Ya, you want to avoid that now! You have bigger things to worry about.
13. & 14. Laundry Detergent & Dish Soap
Two essentials to keeping any household fresh and clean – but definitely two essentials you do not want to forget about! You will want to extra mindful of the laundry detergent you are using for both your clothes and baby’s clothes. Go for an option that has a little toxicity as possible – their tiny little faces and mouths will be all over your clothes and their own! I recommend Seventh Generation:
- For baby: Seventh Generation Baby Laundry Detergent
- For you: Fragrance-Free Laundry Care
- For dishes: Seventh Generation Dish Care
15. Shampoo & Conditioner
Make sure your bottles are not on their last squeezes before the baby arrives! The absolute worst thing that could happen is that you step in the shower for a nice refresh to find you can barely get a drop of shampoo or conditioner out!
This Aveda combo (shampoo & conditioner) has been a favourite of mine for a while now. As a light clarifying shampoo free from many chemicals found in other traditional shampoos, this has done wonders to my hair.
16. Face wipes
You will tell yourself you will always take your make up off – and then you won’t. Make this as easy as possible by having some makeup removing/facial cleansing wipes at home. With so much skin to skin contact with you and the baby, you do want to be mindful of what is in the wipes. I’ve actually been testing out reusable wipes recently. With a just-add-water approach, these low waste, low cost reusable wipes are a good option. I still find they leave a tiny bit of makeup residue, but overall I am enjoying this less-waste approach.
Having these essential household & bathroom items in your house before your little bundle arrives will you plenty of stress by keeping you well fed & looked after. Enjoy this new time with your little one, prep these items in advance.
Download a printable version of this list here to help you keep track.