What do I REALLY need for a new baby?

A dear friend of mine just recently gave birth to one of the SWEETEST baby girls I have ever seen! She and I talked multiple times about preparing for the baby, what she would need for labor/delivery and the first several weeks, etc. It got me thinking about/reflecting on my own experience.

My little lady #1, Noelle Elizabeth Grace, the day she was born!

When I first discovered I was pregnant with little lady #1, I could hardly wait to start browsing the isles of every baby store and begin my baby registry.  So there we were, me and Mr. Wonderful, strolling blissfully into a well known baby department store, ready to take on the world with those fun little gun-like thingys. My initial excitement and confidence quickly dwindled when I was handed the registry packet. There were over 200 items. Yes. 200!!!!!! that we supposedly needed for this little person. All I could think was, "THIS is impossible! I don't even require 200 items to survive everyday!" (Now I know that a lot of items on the list were meant for several months postpartum, but I was trying to mentally prepare for the "here and now". What did I REALLY need just to get from point A to B?) Because I was a hormonal, overwhelmed basket case, I just started crying right in the middle of the store and chose to come back another day.  I spoke with other moms and finally mustered the courage to start really planning for what I needed for baby.  Although I managed to buy  way less than 200 items, I still discovered that a good percentage of the things I had accumulated I never  really got around to using.  It wasn't until the up and coming birth of my little lady #2 that I  narrowed down my list of newborn essentials.  I've compiled two separate lists  for what I'm calling your "Birthing Bag" (some of us give birth at the hospital, birthing center, or at home so I feel like this name, as opposed to Hospital bag, includes everyone) and your first several weeks  at home with baby!

My little lady #2, Vivienne Elizabeth Faith, the day she was born!

BIRTHING BAG

For Baby:

1. A few plain onesies/sleepers
2. A "coming home" outfit
3. Diapers
4. Wipes
5. A few swaddling blankets
6. 2-3 Hats
7. Unscented baby lotion
8. Burp cloths
9. Pacifier (be careful with nipple confusion)

For Mama:

1. Pads (for postpartum bleeding)
2. Loose comfy clothes (shirts, undies, sweat pants, maxi skirts, etc.)
3. Nursing pads
4. Your own (unscented) body soap and lotion
5. All other usual toiletries
6. Bottom numbing cream or spray  (the Earth Mama Angel line is the best in my opinion and you can find it here)

7. Regular pads that have been soaked in witch hazel and frozen (this will help reduce swelling and the coolness will help ease soreness

FIRST WEEKS AT HOME FOR BABY

1. Your breasts/bottles
2. Swaddling blankets
3. 0-3 month onesies and sleepers (I'm saying this because I thought my babies would wear all of their adorable, fancier newborn clothes and they literally stayed in onesies and sleepers except for an occasional picture lol)
4. Burp cloths
5. Diapers
6. Wipes
7. Diaper Cream
8. A wrap/sling/carrier of some kind.  You can find my personal favorite here.  This is seriously the BEST. WRAP. EVER.  A lot of wraps are very bulky and caused me and my babies to feel too warm, but this wrap is the PERFECT fabric. I seriously cannot stress enough how much having a wrap helps in the early weeks, especially if you are dealing with a colicky baby!
9. A place for them to sleep (crib, bassinet, or your bed)
10. A car seat
11. A bouncer, rocker or swing of some sort to lay them in when you need your hands free!
12. HOMEMADE FROZEN MEALS (I'll blog about this soon.  After sweet friends and family delivered meals for the first week or so, it was nice to open my freezer to even more pre-made dinners.  It takes some time and planning leading up to your due date but it is SO. WORTH. IT.)


Well hey I think that's way less than 200 and we even had some overlaps from the lists! I'm sure I left out a few things since I'm already over a year postpartum and suffer from major forgetfulness.

What do you think, mamas? Anything else to add?