Newborn Bed Time Essentials

As new parents, bed time was a struggle for us. Once we figured out what we needed for our newborn bed time essentials, we got into a night time groove and stuck with it. Bed time was a special bonding time and personally it was my favorite part of the day. Lucas seemed to agree. Having our newborn bed time essentials ready to go made night time less hectic and we really got to enjoy these specials moments. Let’s jump into our newborn bed time essentials.

 Hey there! This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I would use myself and all opinions here are my own.           Read full disclosure here.

Newborn Bed Time Essentials: The Basics

Routine

I really can’t stress enough how important getting into a routine was for us. Once we figured out the routine in time bed time was smoother as the nights went by. First off, it reduced stress with us, the new parents, because we knew exactly what we needed and everything was ready to go. Second, as each night went by, Lucas seemed calmer and calmer. He learned what to expect and it helped him settle down. The components of our bed time were the “4 B’s.” Bath, Bottle, Book and Bed. (The order can we switched around as baby gets older. For example, when teeth started popping up we moved bottle before bath) Ultimately, bath time is what really started the wind down process.

Check out Baby Bath Time Essentials List for our favorite bath time items.

Bassinet & Crib

The place the baby sleeps is going to be next on our bed time essentials list. head up our bed time essentials checklist. There really is a lot of choices. We really had limited space. We lived in a 1,000 square foot house with VERY small bedrooms. Our king size bed did not help the situation. We used a Pack N’ Play as a bassinet option in the early months. After we switched him to a crib for overnight sleep, we were able to use the pack n’ play elsewhere. If the Pack N’ Play does not seem like a good option for you, just skip the next section. 🙂

Pack N’ Play ( used for bassinet in early months)

We opted for this portable Graco Pack N’ Play in place of a bassinet. We really liked this particular pack n’ play because it had a lounger at the top for when he was little. I will say at night, it was sometimes challenging to soothe Luke without getting up. That was mostly due because the sides of the Pack N’ Play were high in comparison to the height of our bed. We made it work though. We just wanted to minimize the larger baby items as much as we could. 

The Crib

Why are there so many cribs? Obviously, this is going to be the top of our newborn bedtime essentials list. We ended up getting this IKEA SUNDVIK crib and its been great. It was affordable, easy to put together and can be transitioned to a toddler bed. We did have to purchased a separate safety rail for when we transitioned to a toddler bed. The IKEA NATTAPA safety rail was inexpensive as well and we were able to use it with the “big boy” bed.

We used a different crib at my mothers house for nap time when she kept him. We used a hand me down version of this Graco convertible crib and it was great. Grace 5-in-1 Convertable crib is super sturdy and it has 5 different options for transitioning all the way up to a full size bed!

NOTE: Please follow all recall guideline and do your research if you are buying secondhand cribs.

Waterproof Pad for Crib

I can not tell you enough how much frustration this saved us. You are going to have accidents and diaper leaks, even with the overnight diapers. It happens. In the middle of the night, this is a life saver.

TIP: Get two sets of sheets and two waterproof pads and alternate between them. Just make sure it all still lays flat and doesn’t bunch. If an accident happened or spit up then we just removed the top sheet/waterproof pad to wash and there was already another layer ready to go. This saves you having to change sheets delirious in the middle of the night. Especially if there is a crying baby. 🙂

Sheets for Crib

LOVE these Burts bees sheets. ABSOLUTELY LOVE!!!! They are the softest. Luke’s whole nursery was based on these sheets. They have a great selection of neutral prints! A variety of prints are available. We ended up getting 2 sets for our house and one for my mothers house.

Waterproof Pad for Pack N’ Play

I think that if there is a waterproof pad for something, its almost always worth getting. This Biloban Pack-N’ Play waterproof pad was perfect and has 5 star reviews on Amazon! We changed this quite a bit when he was a newborn. Between spit up and diaper leaks, this made life easier, trust me. 🙂

Sheets for Pack N’ Play

We bought Ely’s & Co brand Pack N’ Play sheets. They are jersey material and come in a 2pack with adorable designs. I washed these sheets frequently and they held up great through all the washes.

Newborn Bed Time Essentials: Sleep Aids

SwaddleMe Easy Change Swaddle

In the beginning we started off with these Easy Change Swaddles which were gifted to us at our shower. They were a lifesaver! Honestly, they cover all the bases:  easy to use, easy to use, soft, lightweight and comfortable for baby.  Luke ranged between 97-99% for height, so when he was close to 3 months we had to switch to a different option (below) because he started to outgrow the swaddle.

HALO Sleepsack Swaddle

This is the option we went with when Luke started to outgrow his swaddle. We used the HALO Sleepsack Swaddle as a transition between swaddle and sleep sack. The great thing about this option is that you can use this as a swaddle with arms in or a sleep sack and arms out. You can use the velcro flaps and have one arm in when transitioning. Honestly, I really like both options we used. I think the original swaddle was great in the beginning because Luke felt more secure. When a baby is close to rolling over is when they should no longer be swaddled.

EDIT: As Luke got older we continued to use the HALO brand sleep sacks until we maxed them out. Lucas would actually ask for them at bedtime. Definitely recommend.

PJ’s 

We were gifted so many cute PJs. Everyone has their own preference. Lucas was hot natured and we used swaddles/sleep sacks. The ones we decided we liked the best were Carters and Gerbers. One recommendation that we learned the hard way…2 way zippers!!! When it comes to changing a baby for an overnight diaper change, trust me look for 2 way zippers! Examples below:

Muslin Blanket

We loved muslin blankets! LOVE! They are soft, breathable and hold up great with constant washing. We did not use these for sleeping unless we were using it as an actual swaddle. I don’t think a day went by in the first year that we did not use them! We have a stockpile and kept them everywhere… in the diaper bag, the emergency car kit and in every room of the house!

*** Friendly reminder, no loose items should be in a sleeping area with a baby. This includes quilts, blankets, pillows, comforters, stuffed animals, “lovies” or any other soft material.

• Read more about My Newborn Diaper Bag Essentials where we always kept an extra muslin blanket.

Pacifiers

My favorite pacifier… The MAM Original Pacifier. We went through quite a few pacifiers trying to find ones he liked. Luckily, we were gifted a few because I literally had no clue which to choose. There are so many different brands and types. The MAM pacifiers came with his Anti-Colic bottle system and we are so glad we had them on hand to try. They were the only pacifiers that he would keep in his mouth.

They also have MAM glow in the dark pacifiers which may I say is super amazing. I had no idea how much glow in the dark pacifiers would save my life, but I am here to tell you…. You need them! Seriously, Lucas can find them in the middle of the night and so can mommy when they drop on the floor. EDIT: after going back through these post, I would like to add they MAM now sells matte/solid color pacifiers, which I wish they had when Lucas was a newborn! They are super cute.

White Noise Machine

SO we have two different kinds. We love them both! The house we lived in when Lucas was a newborn was old and off grade and you can literally hear everything. The train going by (which is too close and we won’t talk about that- sore subject) It felt like noise echoed through our house. So our solution was 2 sound machines. One by the window to block out outside noise and one near the bedroom door to block noise from the house. Im not kidding when I say Lucas is a very light sleeper. The dog walking down the hallway on the hardwood floors would wake him up. Neither machine has the volume up high, but just enough the mask any noise that could wake him up.

Hatch. We love the Hatch sound machine. It is programmable for different times programs, different sounds, different colors and it is all adjustable. We use a certain program for getting ready for bedtime, another for overnight sleep and one for waking up. I think it has helped him with his overnight sleep schedule. We aren’t yet quite consistent with nap times, but once we are we will have a program for that also.

Hussh Portable White Noise Machine. This guy is small and great for travel.  The Hussh portable sound machine has three different “noises” and a night light if needed. We used it not only at the house, but traveling. It has a plastic clip that we would clip on the diaper bag or car carrier.

Overnight Diapers

Honestly, these overnight diapers are pretty high up on my bed time essentials checklist. We tried a few brands in overnights. This was the only brand that we didn’t have a “leak through” problem at night.

Newborn Bath Time Essentials: Optional Items

Lavendar Spray

This one really is not an essential but Its one of my favorite bed time items, so I decided I would share. The Lavender Spray smells so good. I wish they made candles, air freshener and more.I would buy it all.

Cool Mist Humidifer

We had another cool mist humidifier at first but it did not last long. Due to COVID, humidifiers were frequently out of stock. I read a lot of great reviews about the Crane cool mist humidifer. I can not tell you how much we used this. We had a lot of ear infections and colds and this was a lifesaver. I especially like that I can control the mist level. It seems that most of the other units I looked at only had preset settings. I will say, I did have a minor issue with mine, but their customer service was great and a brand new one was shipped to us. Their customer service alone was worth it.

We liked this brand so much we purchased this smaller version, the Crane Personal Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier and we love it. It is especially great for traveling.

This bath time essentials checklist is short and sweet. Make your life easier and do not overcomplicate bedtime.