50+ Items To Stock Up On Before Having A Baby

We all know having a new baby is hard work. No matter how much you prepare, you can never fully prepare yourself for the birth of a baby… no matter how many babies you have had before. Every baby is so different!

I am a planner and I get a lot of anxiety when I cannot prepare ahead of time. So, I like to try to plan for anything I can to ease the transition to having a new baby.

One of the things I do to help prepare and ease my anxiety is to stock up on household items before the birth. I put together a list of 50+ items to stock up on before having a baby.

Stocking up on items gives me time to adjust to having a new baby and not have to worry about going to the store or ordering something online. I do the majority of the shopping in our house. My husband is great, but I don’t quite trust him to get me exactly what I want when he does go shopping. Preparing ahead of time ensures I get exactly what I want/need. I can also make sure I have enough snacks/food in the house for myself and the older kids during the day. It gives me one less thing to stress about.

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Usually, I start stocking up on the non-food items a couple of months before the baby comes. Then I can slowly start buying stuff and then there aren’t as many upfront costs. Having a baby is expensive and this way it allows me to budget a little better as well by stocking up on items that I will eventually need. Here are other budgeting tips and tricks for moms!

I included links to some of the items that I get on Amazon so you can see exactly what I buy. Some items I get at Costco or Sam’s Club and others I get on Amazon.

Household Essentials:

1. Toilet Paper
2. Kleenexes
3. Paper towel
4. Contact solution
5. Shampoo and conditioner
6. Dry Shampoo
7. Deodorant
8. Chapstick
9. Shaving Cream
10. Face Wash
11. Hand soap
12. Hand sanitizer
13. Toothpaste
14. Laundry detergent- both for the family and baby detergent
15. Batteries- I usually get a variety of sizes of batteries
16. Garbage Bags
17. Tinfoil
18. Saranwrap- press and seal is hands down my favorite.
19. Household cleaners- I use a lot of Norwex for my cleaning supplies, but I also like to make sure I have some Lysol wipes, Mrs. Meyer’s all purpose cleaner, and My Bar Keepers Friend on hand. If you haven’t ever tried My Bar Keeper’s friend, I would recommend trying it out. That stuff cleans my shower with very little scrubbing… just wipe it clean! I do plan to make a post for this in the future.
20. Dish Soap
21. Dishwasher Soap/Pods- We switched to pods a year or so ago and it makes a big difference! Click Here to see the pods we switched to.
22. Paper plates
23. Ziplock bags- I usually get sandwich bags, quart, and gallon sized bags.

Food/Snacks:

1. Peanut butter
2. Pretzels
3. Taco Seasoning- I like to have a few of these for a quick meal
4. Cereal
5. Oats- I try to make oatmeal to help improve breast milk production. I also like to add brewers yeast to help with milk production.
6. Sparkling water- Bubly is my favorite. I like to have something to drink in addition to plain water
7. Body Armor– This is another thing I like to drink when I want something other than plain water. I also think this helps to increase breastmilk production.
8. Snacks- I usually stock up on popcorn, pistachios, Larabars, and a couple of variety boxes like these.
9. Coffee and creamer
10. Pasta and Pasta sauce for a quick meal in a pinch
11. Olive oil- or whatever kind of oil you use
12. Bread- I usually buy a few extra loaves and freeze them.
13. Lunch meat- I usually freeze extra of this as well
14. Butter
15. Milk- a little harder to stock up on this too far ahead, but make sure to have some on hand once the baby comes.
16. Fresh fruit- this is also a little hard to stock up on ahead of time, but I have sent my husband to get some after the baby comes.
17. Freezer Meals- if you feel up to it and have time before baby comes.
18. Eggs
19. Meat- I usually try to get a variety of meat stocked in the freezer to grab for meals. I usually get chicken, shrimp, ground beef, beef roast, pork roast, and pork chops.

Mom and Baby Items:

1. Diapers- I like to start with 1-2 boxes of newborn, 2 boxes of size 1 and 2 boxes of size 2.
2. Baby Wipes- you will need so many baby wipes. I usually get 2-3 large boxes from Sam’s Club.
3. Breast pads
4. Baby Soap
5. Pads- I usually get a variety of sizes
6. Tucks– these are essential for a vaginal birth. You will not need these if you have a c-section.
7. Haakaa– this is AMAZING if you are breastfeeding! It helps ease some pressure during feedings and can catch any extra drips on the opposite side you are nursing. Click here to read all about the Haakaa, why you need it, and how to use it!
8. Nipple cream- I have tried a few different brands. My two favorites are Medela and Earth Mama
9. Soothing Gel Breast Pads– These helped me so much in the early weeks with nipple soreness!
10. Breast Milk Storage Bags– If you are planning on pumping at any point, you will certainly need some of these.
11. Breast Pump Steam Cleaning Bags– If you are planning on pumping, these are very convenient! It certainly saved me a lot of time with cleaning my pump parts at work.
12. Tylenol or ibuprofen or both
13. Hot pack- I used this both for cramping after birth (uterus cramping gets so much worse every baby you have) and I also used it on my breast when I had a clogged milk duct.

Hopefully this helps you get a good stock of items and decreases your stress before having a baby! What are other items you like to stock up on before baby comes?

Make sure to check out this post on what to do in your 2nd and 3rd trimester to prepare for baby!

Here are essential baby items you need +a free printable baby registry checklist.