11 Essential Newborn Products We Actually Used (while Living in Paris)
When I was pregnant (which now feels like a lifetime ago), I remember being so anxious about what newborn products to get.
I was pregnant in a foreign country and also the personality that doesn’t want to purchase things unless I absolutely need them. Add to that pregnancy hormones and I ended up with a lot of unnecessary stress and research when it came to creating a baby registry and purchasing the essential newborn items.
I know there is endless pregnancy and mom content out in the world, so my hope is that this is not another post to add stress to an already stressful time.
Instead, I hope to bring light to the truth that you really don’t need that much when in the newborn phase. There are a few essential items that will help make life easier and that will all depend on your lifestyle, unique family situation and of course your baby.
The below list of essential newborn products are ones that we actually used every single day. A few of them we had in advance of baby, and a few I stressed myself out about purchasing in the days post-partum and wish I would have though to have beforehand.
Before we get into the items, I want to share a truthful reminder that you don’t need to have everything in advance for your baby. Of course it feels really nice to be prepared for your baby, but none of us can ever fully prepare for the little one that’s coming. They are a unique human being entering the world and will have unique desires and needs based on their personalities.
However, what we can do is our best to prepare safe and loving environments for them to thrive and grow, and the following products do so.
As I was pregnant and birthed our baby in Paris, I’ve included links to items in France and similar or the same items in the US. We were living in an 80 sqm apartment, and did not have a traditional nursery space for our baby (which you definitely do not need, but is nice to have and fun to plan).
Finally, life in Paris includes a lot of daily walking through the city (and no car), so we have more city-geared newborn items than you might not need as much if you’re not living in a city and/or have a car.
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1) Stroller Bassinet
Living in Paris, we knew we needed a stroller option for our baby to sleep in while we walked around and ran errands. So the bassinet for the Cybex stroller was a newborn essential for us. We were able to use it until she was around four months old, and she grew out of it due to her height (she’s taller than average).
The bassinet was a great item to bring along for our travels as it doubled as a bed in whatever hotel or Airbnb we were staying in, as the bassinet is fit for full sleep and not just naps.
When it comes to newborn essentials, I can’t speak highly enough of the Solly Wrap. The Solly wrap was a lifesaver after a very hard post-partum recovery. I physically couldn’t hold my baby in my arms, but I was able to put her safely in the wrap without fear of growing too weak. We used the Solly Wrap around the house, for newborn naps, and when going on short or longer walks throughout the city.
I ordered mine from the US and had my mom bring it, but I think they sell them at Smallable.
Although it might seem like too much to have multiple baby carriers, the Baby Bjorn carrier was also an item we used daily with our newborn. The Baby Bjorn feels more secure, and we would also use it for our city strolls. It was very helpful when traveling as it’s an easier carrier to put on out in public than the Solly Baby Wrap.
During my pregnancy, I only purchased one or two bottles as I had hoped to breastfeed and didn’t want too many of one type of bottle my baby didn’t prefer. I unfortunately ended up unable to breastfeed, meaning we needed a lot of bottles. We purchased the Phillips Avena Bottle Sterilizer which we used daily throughout the newborn phase and up to a year.
A bottle sterilizer can definitely be purchased post-partum as you navigate your baby’s feeding needs. We ordered ours on Amazon.
The bottle sterilizer is also great for sterilizer her pacifiers and little rubber teethers and toys.
Image from the Philips website.
5) baby rocker or bouncer
Another lifesaver was the Charlie Crane Baby rocker. It was a safe space to place our baby when she was smaller and we needed to run to the bathroom or eat dinner. We used it daily (maybe a little too much), and look forward to converting it to a chair for when she’s a toddler.
We also highly considered the Baby Bjorn Bouncer and looking back wish we would have had it for our travels, as it folds compactly.
6) baby floor mat
An item I wish I would have purchased in advance, the Totter and Tumble floormat was an immediate game changer for our newborn once it arrived. We didn’t really have a space in our home for our newborn to do her tummy time, so we would end up placing her on a bed which she didn’t really prefer. She generally didn’t like tummy time, but once we got the Totter and Tumble mat I felt so much peace knowing I had a designated space for her to roam and learn to start rolling.
Floormats available in the UK, EU and US.
Image from the Totter and Tumble website.
7) Nursing Pillow
Another newborn essential was a nursing pillow. I ordered the Snuggle Me nursing pillow and loved it! I was unable to breastfeed, but the pillow was such a helpful support when bottle feeding our baby, especially in those first few weeks where I didn’t have my strength back.
Snuggle Me available in the US and we ordered ours in Europe from Hello Archie (with shipping to France).
Image from the Hello Archie website.
8) Pacifiers
We ended up using a pacifier with our newborn and I purchased the Frigg pacifiers because they were flowers and adorable. Thankfully our baby took to them over a few other pacifier brands. I always had around 6 pacifiers at a time and replaced them every month or so.
Frigg Pacifiers available in the US and EU.
Image from the Frigg website.
Another item I didn’t think to purchase in advance, but is an essential newborn item are a set of black and white high contrast cards. Our newborn absolutely loved looking at these during diaper changes and tummy time.
Now that she’s older, she still enjoys looking at the images and of course, trying to eat the cards.
Image from WeeGallery website.
10) baby bathtub
We had no bathtub in our Parisian apartment and not even a sink that would accommodate any sort of baby bath set up. So we went with the Beaba bathtub which has been perfect. It has a little support for the newborn in the bottom and you can set it on any flat surface. We didn’t get the legs which has worked out perfectly for us as we just set it on the kitchen counter.
Similar US product: Munchkin® Sit & Soak™ Baby Bath Tub
Image from Amazon product listing
11) A Bassinet
A bassinet is a newborn essential, and I especially loved this Polish mini crib version from Woodies. I couldn’t breastfeed, so I can’t recommend it from that perspective, but our newborn loved it and you can even add little rocker legs that help with the newborn self-soothing.
Woodies Noble Mini Crib available in the EU and UK.
I hope the above list helps you as you navigate the baby planning process. Truthfully, as long as you have a safe space for baby to sleep and a way to feed them, you will be totally fine. Don’t stress, Momma!