As a first time mom, it’s probably not hard to imagine how excited I was in anticipation of my little guy’s arrival. Maybe you’re already a mom or somewhere on your way to joining the club. I always heard the phrase “pregnancy journey”, and I guess what flashed into my mind was the cute, comic-like flip book of 9 cute, monthly photos of the mom-to-be’s stomach morphing into a major belly! So cute!

At first, my journey was nothing but small changes. If it wasn’t for my extreme morning sickness, I can’t say I noticed many changes in my body for the first couple months. Slowly, new bulges and stretch marks set in, but what struck me most was the mental side of things. Anticipation and excitement! Would it be a boy or girl? What would they be like? I’m going to be a mom! Family life will be different, but I’m so ready for this! Although I didn’t avoid the occasional worry or fear, for the most part I rode a wave of happy expectation – 9 months couldn’t end quickly enough!

Weeks and months added up, and I started planning a baby shower to fully celebrate the moment with all our loved ones. The venue was beautiful, the conversations and catch-ups amazing, and it felt so nice to have a serious village of supporting people behind us!

After that moment of bliss, a surge of anxiety hit. For the baby shower, I threw together a quick registry (cause that’s what you’re supposed to do, right?), and although I felt super grateful to receive a major haul of gifts, it was now midnight as I returned home and sat in our small one bedroom apartment surrounded by a pile of stuff. Overwhelmed, I now second guessed everything… I had no idea how much baby gear you need! Was all this stuff useful? Were there other more important items to buy?!

Talk about information overload! With so many sources bombarding me from seemingly every angle, I had to take a step back and relax. After coming to the realization that there’s no tell-all manual for everything a newborn needs, I took a break from all the research and just chatted with the most knowledgeable sources I knew on the topic of newborn arrival prep: experienced moms!

These wise moms (you know who you are!) made it simple for me by sharing their real, first hand experiences of what I should be concerned about most for the moment I brought home my little bundle of joy. Their tips and unselfish insight was just what I needed to get my butt in gear and prepare mentally and physically for Greyson’s due date.

The only problem was… he came one week early, so of course we had almost nothing ready! After the delivery and multiple holiday hospital stays, we did some major scrambling but I’m here to tell you we made it out safely on the other side. There were so many things that we wished we had foreseen and prepared for ahead of time, but after our crash course learning experience, I wanted to share with you my five favourite baby essentials that have been my go-to life savers to keep my little guy (and me!) happy and healthy. Because I wish I found all this info in one place during my pregnancy journey!

Five Baby Essentials:

1. Laundry detergent – You heard me right. This one is key. After talking to other moms out there, I didn’t realize how sensitive babies’ skin is. After hanging out inside the friendly confines of your belly for a good 9 months, you’ve got to be gentle on their fresh outer layer in this harsh world! Since it was winter for Greyson’s arrival, I stocked my nursery with cozy outfits to keep my little man toasty and comfortable. I learned that babies’ skin requires specially formulated products to give it the gentlest care. This meant pre-washing all the new clothes that would be touching Greyson’s gentle skin with a laundry detergent that would be safe and gentle. After doing some research, I picked Ivory Snow because it’s the #1 pediatrician and #1 dermatologist recommended baby detergent, specially formulated to be gentle on babies’ delicate newborn skin and tough enough to get out stains, because we all know that babies are mess-making machines.

2. Newborn size clothes – Make sure to get clothes small enough for your little bundle of joy! This means Newborn size, not 0-3 months, so your babe won’t be swimming in fabric for the first month of life! Onesies with full body length zippers are the best for quick diaper changes, and look for clothes with fold over mitten cuffs to prevent their little dagger-like fingernails from self-inflicted scratches to the face.

3. Diapers/wipes – If you have the storage space and you find a good sale, absolutely load up! You will use them all!

4. Non-absorbent diaper changing pad – Maybe you’re a baby whisperer, but I’ve found that my newborn has a knack for letting loose the second I unstrap his soiled diaper. We were told you can change a diaper on any surface, but we are so glad we decided to purchase a non-absorbent changing pad. Unexpected flooding? No worries, just a little wipe will do.

5. Bottle sterilizer – If you are going to be pumping and using baby bottles, get a tabletop bottle sterilizer! It might seem like an unnecessary splurge at first thought, but this will be the best $50-100 you can spend. Believe me, after the first week of cleaning bottles and breast pump parts, you will do some mental math and be astounded – you’ve got A LOT of repetitive cleaning ahead of you, and who wants to boil pot after pot to sterilize everything?

Well, that does it! Pregnancy is such a major journey, but the real fun starts with the arrival of your little one! I hope you bask in every second of your unique pregnancy experiences, and I hope that my trial and error in finding these five baby essentials will give you some confidence and guidance as you prepare for your little one’s arrival!