Hayeen Palencia-Morales

The Ultimate Shopping Checklist for First-Time Moms

Resources, Tips & Tricks

Shopping was one of the favorite things that I did whilst pregnant with my first-born. Nothing beats the excitement we felt as we visited these baby stores and little by little tick off our list in preparation of our LO’s arrival. I totally had no experience with baby care so one of the things I had to do to cope was to do everything in our capacity to make sure all was settled before “d-day”.

In this blog, I will be sharing a categorized personal checklist of items that I bought or received as gifts prior to and early months after giving birth – both for myself and my LO. Though this is mainly a self-reference (and virtual memory storage) of the things to prepare in case my husband and I decide to go for our second baby, I also want this to be a guide for new moms, especially Pinay moms, as they come up with their own checklists. I will add a few comments on some items of my experience of using and acquiring them. I included as well a downloadable and ready-to-print copy of this Shopping List and a Hospital Bag checklist (available in PNG and PDF format) which I hope you will find useful in your own preps.

FOR MOM

*Comfort and Grooming*

  1. Maternity Dresses 
  2. Maternity Leggings 
  3. Maternity Pillow 
  4. Flat and comfy sandals – I preferred easy-slip adjustable sandals with soft soles which helped me during my last trimester when I had swollen feet
  5. Maternity Undergarments 
  6. Girdle
  7. Moisturizer / Petroleum Jelly – especially on the tummy part, to help with the stretch marks somehow
  8. Sanitizer
  9. Tissue
  10. Tumbler – so I can always remember to drink water during work

*Breastfeeding*

  1. Nightgown / Nursing Dress – or any comfortable dress that had buttons in front so it will be easier to put on or remove when breastfeeding
  2. Nursing Bra 
  3. Nursing Pillow
  4. Nursing Cover 
  5. Nursing Pads – I bought both washable and disposable pads
  6. Breastpump – mine was a Double Electric Breastpump – a Spectra 9 Plus which I bought from Babymama. It was a good fit for my Avent feeding bottles so I did not need to transfer the expressed milk. It was also portable and rechargeable so I can pump anywhere, anytime
  7. Breastpump Extra Valves – need to buy extra pair as it wears out after months of use
  8. Breastpump Bag with cooler – good especially when traveling
  9. Hands-free pumping bra – this is such a relief to use especially if you want to multitask while pumping
  10. Breastmilk storage bottles
  11. Nipple soothing cream – used these when nipples were sore from pumping
  12. Lactation aids (Malunggay capsule, lactation cookies, teas, etc.) – I never actually used any as my milk supply was okay, but just adding this in case you need

 

FOR BABY

*Clothing*

  1. Receiving / Swaddling Blankets – I had a couple swaddling blankets I was not able to use because apparently, swaddling is not that very popular in the Philippines given the climate and humidity. I instead used them as an alternative bed cover and blanket
  2. Diapers – used both cloth and disposable ones, but mostly disposable. I used Huggies and then Pampers
  3. Bonnets / Caps
  4. Mittens and Booties / Socks – The garterized ones we had eventually became loose or too tight for my LO. So, we also bought ones that are tie-able.
  5. Bodysuits, Onesies – we bought a 20-piece Garanimals set from Baby Store Ph and were composed of 4 pants, 2 gowns, 5 bodysuits, 2 frog suits, 3 caps, and 4 mittens. We also had long-sleeved tie-able shirts in case it gets cold. We also had second-hand ones which we used as LO’s first clothes because of the superstitious belief that it will help our baby not be picky with his clothes. (See Superstitious Beliefs only Pinay Moms will Understand)
  6. Binder Cloth – only got this as told by elders and was only used when taking a bath for baby, because Pedia advised that LO’s navel will heal quicker when uncovered
  7. Jacket
  8. Extra Muslin Sheets – some we used as diapers during “presko time”
  9. Diaper Clips

*Bathing and Grooming*

  1. Bath Tub – we used the Safety Custom Care 3 Stage Bath Center which we were able to use as LO switched from Newborn to Baby and to Toddler.
  2. Bath towel/s – have chosen soft and cottony ones
  3. Rubber mats – for changing nappies
  4. Cotton Balls – I used Baby Clean cotton balls as it has the right size
  5. Baby Wipes – also Baby Clean but later switched to Nursy after LO’s 4th month. Will switch to organic wipes now though.
  6. Baby Wash and Shampoo – I used Cetaphil Gentle Wash during the first few months then switched to Cetaphil Body Wash and Shampoo
  7. Baby Oil and Lotion – also Cetaphil
  8. Baby Powder – I used Fissan Diaper Rash for baby’s bum and Fissan Prickly Heat for the body. I used two different containers for it.
  9. Baby Cologne – Have been using Baby Flo Cool Bloom since day one
  10. Isoprophyl Alcohol – as prescribed from the hospital. Probably because it can cause lesser skin dehydration compared to Ethyl alcohols
  11. Betadine – I used this as antiseptic for my CS wound and baby’s navel
  12. Baby Care and Medical Kit – I had the Summer Infant grooming set which included a comb, a hairbrush, nail clipper and emery boards, a nasal aspirator, a forehead and digital thermometer, gum massager, teether, a finger silicon toothbrush, medicine syringe, and pacifier.
  13. Aceite de Manzanilla – to ease stomach flatulence
  14. Mosquito Repellent – I used No-bite as prescribed by Pedia

*Feeding and Cleaning*

  1. Feeding Bottles – We used Philips Avent Natural Infant Starter set which includes 3 4 oz and 2 9 oz feeding bottles, a pacifier, formula dispenser, and a bottle brush
  2. Extra Nipples – We initially used natural slow flow Avent Nipples
  3. Burp Cloth / Bib
  4. Bottle Container
  5. Sterilizer – We had the Nuk Sterilizer
  6. Bottle Cooler Warmer
  7. Bottle Dishwashing Liquid – I used Pigeon Liquid Cleanser
  8. Laundry Powder Soap – I used Cycles
  9. Small Basins – I used 2 small basins dedicated to Bottle washing only

*Nursery, Co-sleeping, and Other Activity*

  1. Crib / Playpen – We bought Graco Pack ‘n Play. Aside from it occupies lesser space than the wooden cribs, it is also easy to literally just pack and bring it whenever we need it. The one we had comes with an infant bassinet, a removable nappy changer, a music box, and a hanging toy.
  2. Comforter Sets and Head Pillows – I found lots of good designs in Baby Company
  3. Extra Beddings
  4. Mosquito Net
  5. Portable Co-sleeper – Since we co-sleep with Baby, we bought this as a safety measure
  6. Baby Cuddle Bed – bought one from Baby Cuddle  which has been a helpful and comfy co-sleeping alternative especially when we were traveling
  7. Stroller – Bought Baby 1st which has a reversible handle. Will be selling this soon as I wish to switch with a lighter stroller suited for traveling
  8. Baby Carrier – We had Chicco Ultrasoft Infant Carrier
  9. Carseat – We also had Chicco
  10. Jumperoo
  11. Walker
  12. Walker with Harness

Below are the downloadable images and pdf documents for the Ultimate Shopping List for First Time Moms and the Hospital Bag Checklist I made. It is ideal to prepare and separate these items during your last trimester so you would just grab and go anytime at the onset of labor.

The Ultimate Shopping List for First-Time Moms

Download PDF here: The Ultimate Shopping List for First-Time Moms

The Ultimate Hospital Bag Checklist

Download PDF here: The Ultimate Hospital Bag Checklist

Happy shopping Mommies!

The MoMillennial Pinay