I get asked what kind of things I recommend for baby stuff ever since I became a mom and with increasing frequency since the twins were born. Each time I have to think it over and remember and come up with links. So for my own ease of use I am compiling a list of things that I think are great or at least useful. This way I can send someone a link to this post instead of recreating it each time. Yay for laziness!!
My philosophy on baby stuff is each baby is different so don't buy too much junk before you know about your kid. Also there are some things that may make your life easier but are super not necessary (at least in my experience). So I have divided this up into must haves, buy after baby is born, and nice if you can afford it. (Also I'm not an affiliate of anything so I don't get any money from the links, use as you will, buy where you can)
Must Haves
These are things either that I have recommendations for or are outside of what you might think are necessary. Obviously I'm not going to list the obvious like diapers or a crib. I have thoughts about strollers and car seats but there are no less than 834,632 guides on the internet about that so you can look there or ask me what I think.
Baby bathtub - These do not have to be expensive but they do need to submerge at least a portion of the baby's body. If they are just those little slings you put in the sink and rinse the baby, the poor baby's butt is going to freeze and they will not be happy (I'm sure there's some great purpose for these that I don't understand but I'd rather have a baby who's bottom is warm). We used this one for all three babies and didn't have an issue. Find on Amazon here.
Swaddles - I LOVE a zipper swaddle. When I was pregnant we had all the classes that tried to teach us how to swaddle with a blanket on a baby doll, when we were in the hospital the nurses were amazing at it, then we got home, were exhausted and trying to take care of a baby at 2 am and all the swaddling skills went out the window. So I love these zipper swaddles. The zip up and down so you can change a diaper without letting their little arms free which is awesome. Available on Amazon here.
White Noise Machine - When my oldest was born I thought that a white noise machine wasn't really necessary, then my sister in law got us one and we never looked back. It is COMPLETELY NECESSARY. It helped keep our kids asleep through random noises from the tv or the occasional dog bark. Literally any machine will do but the one pictured is available here.
A Good Pair of Nail Clippers - Nothing prepares you for the first time you have to trim your child's nails. My first recommendation is to do it while they're asleep whenever possible, they move less and get less freaked out. Then get a good sharp pair of nail clippers. Ones made specifically for babies usually have a good way of seeing the nails so you're less likely to cut them. The ones by Frida Baby are linked here.
Buy After Baby Is Born
There are so many products out there on the market for new parents and I would say that while most of them aren't necessary, some of them might be great for your baby. The problem is you don't know until the baby is actually born. So this is a group of items that were useful for one or two of my kids but not all and the price point makes them not great to buy if you might not need them.
Swing - There a bunch of different swing types out there and none are especially cheap. Some babies love the swing (two of mine did) but some don't. My recommendation is waiting until the baby is born to buy one. However, take one if you can get it second hand because my experience is more babies like them than don't. Here's the link to the one we had.
Some sort of activity center - These can get pricey and they are different for different kids. We had a bouncy one and the run around one (pictured above) both were good but our kids definitely had preferences. This one was definitely a hit! Link here.
Nice If You Can Afford It
Formula Maker - We did not have one of these with our oldest and got on just fine, but when the twins were born we broke down and got one and fell in absolute love. They are expensive but if you have to/choose to use formula they are super helpful. We recently passed ours along to a new family who are contemplating building a shrine to it in their kitchen. Here's the link.