10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

GIVEAWAY + 10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn

I am a preparer and planner to the max and I have basically been nesting since I found out I was pregnant. Finally I have almost everything ready to welcome my baby boy. Today I am sharing 10 of my essentials for pregnancy and bringing home a newborn. I have partnered with some fabulous brands to give three of you lovely ladies some of these essential items! Stay tuned because in one week I will share a part two to this post including three more exciting prizes.

Hope you enjoy reading the post and find something that helps you get ready for bringing home a newborn, as well as staying healthy, happy and comfortable during your pregnancy. The giveaway is at the bottom of the post, it ends in exactly one month on 9/26/2016. Good luck ladies!

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

1. Buy A Practical Bassinet

A bassinet is so important for bringing home a newborn. When I was pregnant with Zoey I bought a bassinet completely based on the esthetic style with no real thought of functionality. It was the most darling wooden mini crib!  And it was the most inconvenient thing in the world for night time nursing… The trauma of labor leaves your body sore and midnight feedings leave you exhausted. I dreamt of being able to roll over and nurse. I didn’t feel comfortable with co-sleeping and spent weeks researching other options. That’s when I discovered Arms Reach.

Arms Reach bassinets attach to the side of your bed leaving a small lip that is too high for your baby to roll over, but easy for you to reach over. I purchased their beautiful wooden sleigh bed co-sleeper. It converts from a bedside co-sleeper, to a stand alone bassinet, to a daybed-type bench that you can share with your toddler during story time. The Arms Reach Bassinet is the number one thing on my list of essentials. Sleep and safety are so important, as well as bonding with your newborn.

The Mini Ezee Co-Sleeper is priced to fit almost any budget. It comes in the most adorable prints and solid colors to match whatever look you are going for! The wooden sleigh bed is a little bit more expensive, but definitely worth the price tag. I prefer the look and feel of wooden furniture and loved the modern design, which is why I chose the sleigh bed. Whichever option you go with, you will not be disappointed.

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

2. Choose Great Maternity Clothes

There are a lot of clothes that can transition to maternity, like loose t-shirts and pjs, underwear and longer dresses. There are some things you really have to buy maternity though! Like a good pair of jeans. I wear a size 0-2 in jeans and have had a very difficult time finding a pair of maternity jeans that are fitted to my needs. Every pair seems to be too baggy, I wanted a pair that looked like how my pre-pregnancy jeans looked, but felt comfortable on my belly.

Seraphine is the first brand I came across that had a pair of jeans that were small enough to look like a perfectly fitted pair of skinnies. I got this pair and they are so comfy I could wear them every day! Seraphine also has a great selection of dresses and tops for maternity. I got this top, this top, this dress and this dress because I felt like they were all styles that could transition to my post pregnancy wardrobe as well. I am also obsessed with their ‘bump kit‘, which includes all the basics you need for your entire pregnancy. If I wasn’t getting so close to the end I would have grabbed that too!

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

3. Take Care Of Your Skin

I learned the hard way this pregnancy just how important this is! When I was pregnant with Zoey I applied belly butter every day and only got the tiniest stretch marks. They pretty much disappeared completely after 6 months or so. With this baby I was a little more lazy. I thought maybe I just had stretchy skin and that the lotion didn’t really help. I was wrong… My stretch marks are worse with this one despite being smaller than I was with Zoey throughout the pregnancy!! The worst stretch marks usually appear in months eight and nine so I am playing catch up and using Mumsie Naturals to help prevent any further damage. I chose Mumsie Naturals stretch relief cream over other belly butter options for a lot of reasons:

  1. It works to repair damage to your skin, as well as prevent future damage.
  2. It smells great! I am really sensitive to smells during pregnancy, which is a huge reason I stopped using my last belly butter. This one is not too perfumed, the smell is fresh and light.
  3. It isn’t too oily!! I didn’t like the belly butter I used at the beginning of this pregnancy because it was so greasy and wasn’t absorbed well by my skin. The amount of oil it left on my belly was ruining all my pj tops!!
  4. Mumsie Naturals makes a whole line of product for all your needs including: stretch mark relief oil, gentle cleansing face wash, daily facial moisturizer and firming and lifting night cream. All their products are made with natural and organic ingredients and they are all clinically proven to repair damage to your skin, as well as help prevent future damage.

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess 10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

4. Choose The Right Skin Care Products For Baby

Newborn baby skin can be extremely sensitive so it is important to choose your lotions and soaps with thought. When you first bring your newborn home you will only have to bathe them 2-3 times a week. Bathing can cause a newborns skin to dry out, so following a bath with lotion is always a good idea.

I love Giggle for my baby bath time products because they are hypoallergenic, gentle on sensitive skin, have a sweet rice milk scent and are made with natural ingredients. For the new baby I plan on using the lotion and shampoo, but since Zoey loves bubble bath I got the entire set of bath time products. Giggle is also a great stop for your other skin care and bath time needs for your newborn baby. They have the cutest selection of bath time toys and towels and some great diaper rash cream.

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

5. Buy A Few Newborn Outfits

Obviously you will want to pick out some outfits for your new baby to come home in! If you want to continue with the organic theme Finn + Emma is a great place to start. All of their products are made from 100% organically grown materials. Not to mention they have the most darling designs!

I had the hardest time picking which prints I wanted, so I ended up getting two of their gift boxes. You choose a theme and they curate the box for you with a three pieces of clothing and a matching toy. I chose the Sailor collection and the Jungle. Both are absolutely ADORABLE… They make me seriously excited to dress him up in just a few weeks.

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

6. Prepare For Grocery Shopping After Baby

The Binxy Baby shopping hammock is so vital for grocery shopping with a newborn. Newborns cannot sit in cart seat, obviously, and lots of times your baby seat won’t fit on the cart. The Binxy Baby will fit on any shopping cart and it can hold your baby, or you can even place your carseat directly in it. The best part is you can still put groceries in the cart underneath your baby. It doesn’t take up too much extra space. Unlike a baby carrier it leaves you completely uninhibited and hands free so you can shop quickly. I think this will be a lifesaver now that I will be shopping with two kids!

We wanted to test out how it fit on the cart, so we brought it with us on our last shopping trip. You can see below how perfectly it fits. There are straps inside so your baby is safe and secure, no chance of falling or rolling out! For 10% off your Binxy Baby purchase just click this link (exp. Aug. 31, 2016). Oh and the dress below is another one I got from Seraphine! Seriously obsessed with that brand.

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

7. Prepare Meals In Advance

I could not stress enough how important it is to prep some easy meals before bringing your newborn home! This is great to do with baby number one and absolutely vital with baby number two. I am using Once A Month Meals to prepare a whole months worth of freezer meals for after the baby is born.

How it works is you build a menu including 14 meals out of their HUGE database of recipes. From that menu they automatically generate a shopping list organized by grocery store section. In this list they include the supplies you will need for freezing, freezer bags, pans, etc. They also create a list of custom instructions that will guide you through ONE day of preparation. ONE DAY! To prepare a whole month of meals!! You will eat each meal twice that month. They also generate little cards for each freezer meal with a short instruction on how to prepare the meal on day of.

As you can see my cart was VERY full the day I did my Once A Month Meals shopping trip… But now my freezer is going to be very full too! Check out my page on Once A Month Meals for more information on how to get started.

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

8. Purchase Toys Wisely

From day one your baby starts learning hand eye coordination and how to grab and hold onto things. Since babies put EVERYTHING in their mouths, it is important to consider what toys you are giving to your newborn. I chose a selection of Bannor Toys as the first thing I will offer this baby because they are made out of 100% organic materials. They are wooden, so they are totally stylish. I am so sick of all the tacky, brightly colored plastic toys on the shelf and just love the modern look of Bannor Toys. They are guaranteed to maintain the beautiful craftsmanship they are designed with FOREVER, so that is kind of a plus!

I am excited about giving my newborn boy this darling rattle. I got a teether for when he is a few months old as well. I couldn’t resist the little guitar, maybe it will inspire him to love music as much as his mama. I think this wooden stacking toy will be perfect for when he is sitting up. I also got a customized state rattle with his name engraved on it, I can’t wait to show it to you guys after he is born!

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

9. Plan Ways To Document Your Babies Growth And Milestones

You would not believe how fast the time goes by after bringing a newborn home… With Zoey I planned to document every milestone. I purchased a new camera in preparation for her birth and planned to write down in my journal every time she did something new. Unfortunately my journalling idea turned out to be unrealistic and I often forgot to write down important things. I remember the general time frame of when she sat up and rolled over, etc. But I really wish I knew exact dates and had more details about each experience. This time I planned it out a little better with baby Milestone cards.

I am so excited about my set of Milestone Cards. They are the most simple way to document milestones. And they double as the most darling props for photo opps! I want to keep better track of important and meaningful moments with this baby than I did with Zoey and I think these will really help.

10 Essentials For Pregnancy & Bringing Home A Newborn by Rachael Burgess

10. Set Up A Registry

Even if you aren’t having a baby shower I think this is vital! The list of things to get ready for bringing home a newborn goes on and on and on. I didn’t have a baby shower this pregnancy, but I set up a registry via. Gugu Guru as a way to keep track of the things I had for my baby and the things I still needed to purchase. The reason I chose Gugu Guru over other sites is because by simply filling out a short quiz and sharing your style preferences and needs, they will curate a registry for you. This saved me SO much time searching the web.

Gugu Guru has such a wide range of products in their database. From small mom and pop shops, to unique boutiques, to big box brands and designer looks, Gugu Guru is the perfect place for finding everything you need for bringing home a newborn. You can check out my registry here to see what they look like once they are set up, it was almost 100% curated by Gugu Guru and fits my style SO perfectly!

Giveaway Time

To celebrate that I am getting so close to having this baby I have partnered with all of the above brands to give three of you mama’s a gift that will help you take care of yourself during pregnancy and prepare for bringing home a newborn! To enter simply use the giveaway form below. Keep your eyes peeled, in exactly one week I will be sharing a Part 2 to my list of essentials and will be giving away three more exciting prizes!!!! Below are the prize details. Good luck everyone!

First Prize (ARV $175)

Second Prize (ARV $100)

Third Prize (ARV $75)

Mumsie Naturals: The Complete Product Line A Binxy Baby Shopping Hammock A $50 Gift Cart To Bannor Toys
Giggle Bathtime Essentials Kit A 3 month subscription to Once A Month Meals A Milestones Original Card Set
A $50 Gift Card to Finn + Emma
A Milestones Original Card Set

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130 Responses

  1. I wasn’t great at taking milestone photos with my first so maybe the A Milestones Original Card Set would inspire me.

  2. My fourth child is due in November and I’ve yet to start on her nursery!!! My nesting instinct need to kick in!!!

  3. I would be honored to win any of these great products! The A $50 Gift Card to Finn + Emma would be my top pick.

  4. The Finn and Emma gift card and the Giggles Bathtime Essentials Kit would be my top picks! Amazing products all around!

  5. The once a month meals would be a welcome gift for any parent! Such a neat idea. Super stuff in this package 🙂

  6. There are so many cute things at Finn and Emma, the gift card would be great! All of these products are really useful!

  7. Any one of these prizes would be amazing!! I would love to gift the first prize package to my daughter and see what she chooses from Finn & Emma for my grandson.

  8. I’d-love-to-win-any-of-it,especially-1st-prize.
    Our-1st-grandbaby-is-on-the-way-and-they-still-need-EVERYthing!
    Thanks-for-the-chance!

  9. Would love any of these amazing prices! but would definitely be a blessing to win the 3 month subscription to once a month meals for my baby boys 🙂 Thank you!!!

  10. This is the greatest thing ever to be pregnant with you!! ❤️ Due October 7th or now that my doctor is saying I might be due early

  11. I would like to win any or all of these things. Our 24 yr old daughter is due to have our 1st grandbaby in March

  12. I love all the selections you’ve shared! Thank you! I’m always appreciative when others share their favorite things and I get to discover great companies I otherwise would have no idea about. I really like the idea of Bannor toys.

  13. I’d be tickled pink OR blue to win any of them. Our 1st grandbaby is due in March and mommy & daddy need everything still!

  14. I would love to win prize number 1 for my little love bug due in October but any prize is fantastic

  15. I’d love to win any of it especially the giggle products or bannor toys giftcard because i love their products! Need to get this second baby a jalopy to match his brother’s.

  16. Fantastic prizes! Thank you for the opportunity to win one of these awesome packages. I would love to gift any one to my daughter, especially the Finn & Emma or Bannor gift cards. I know that these are two of her favourite vendors.

  17. This is such an awesome giveaway! Love Bannor toys. I have one of their customized star teethers and it’s amazing. Would love an opportunity to try out some of the other products!

  18. This is such an awesome
    Giveaway! I really love Bonnie toys, I have a star teether from them and it’s great for my little guy.

  19. Lovely! I’m totally in for all those choices. Baby 5 is almost there and i’m in love with Bannors products! ♥

  20. This is an amazing giveaway! I would love to win! I love everything! I have really been wanting the milestones card set. 🙂

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