19 Things You Should’ve Bought by the Third Trimester
Yes, your baby shower(s) produced a ton of gifts for your family to welcome your little one. But I found out quickly that I didn’t have certain essentials that I needed primarily once I bought Aiden home. Even though I researched the essentials, I constantly thought that I wouldn’t need certain items or that I already had enough of certain items. Wrong! And the last thing you want to do is go out to the store once you’ve already brought your baby home.
This is the ultimate checklist for what you need to have bought before your due date. These are the items you will need for your last few days before your baby is born and it’s the must-haves for your early days when you bring your baby home.
This third-trimester shopping list features only the essentials you’ll need for the first month before and after your baby arrives. Nothing is on this list that you won’t need until later.
Happy Shopping!
For Mama
Hospital Bag
This is probably the most obvious thing to do in your third trimester. But it’s good to go ahead and pack your bag early because you never know when your baby will make their grand entrance.
You can see a full list of everything we packed here.
Nursing Pads
It takes a few days for your milk to come in after your baby arrives. Once your milk comes in, you’ll need a good supply of them to soak up the milk that automatically starts leaking from the opposite breast your baby is nursing on. Or just when your books leak throughout the day. I recommend Lansinoh’s Disposable Nursing Pads. They’re so many positives about these nursing pads. They’re super absorbent, dermatologist-tested and approved to be super soft on mama’s sensitive nipples, waterproof lining, individual wrapped for hygiene and convenience, and lastly they have a new InvisiLock Core which means each nursing pad captures and disperses moisture away from the skin. BAM!
Lansinoh Stay Dry Disposable Nursing Pads
$5
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Maternity Pads and Underwear
You may want to invest in some postpartum underwear. No, I’m not joking. I bled for a good two weeks and sometimes, the regular pads weren’t cutting it. I wore postpartum underwear for at least the first week because the bleeding was so heavy, and I was afraid that regular pads wouldn’t hold all the blood. You may want to do the same. It’s so unsexy, but dammit, postpartum ain’t necessarily pretty.
Always Postpartum Underwear
$38
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Nursing Bra
I would skip maternity bras and go straight on the nursing bras. Pretty much the same thing, but with the hooks. Also, nursing bras are super comfortable. Shout out to Motherhood Maternity because they fitted me for nursing bras that would fit when my breastmilk came in. Huge bonus because I was saving money on nursing bras, rather than buying maternity bras and then nursing bras. I will say, once my breastmilk came in, I started getting clogged ducts. Apparently, that was due to the underwire in my nursing bra. So, when I started wearing the nursing bras without the underwire and they are super comfortable, and no more clogged ducts!
I recommend purchasing these nursing bras from Motherhood Maternity. They are super comfortable with no underwire which means no clogged ducts!
Motherhood Maternity Wireless Nursing Bra
$19
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Nursing Top
Maternity/Nursing Tanks: these make breastfeeding so much easier after the baby is born and yet are comfy with your growing bump as well…check out this discreet Motherhood Maternity tank.
Motherhood Maternity Nursing Tank
Up to $32
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Nipple Cream
If you’re planning on breastfeeding, then you need some nipple cream. It helps soothe the discomfort of sore and cracked nipples. I highly recommend this nipple cream most of all. Motherlove Nipple Cream is an organic, Lanolin-free, and Plant-based salve. Bets of all, it doesn’t need to be removed before nursing.
Motherlove Nipple Cream
$15
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Breast Pump
Medela pump: I know this one is pricy (check with your insurance to see if you can get it for free), but it’s worth every penny. I was impressed with the suction, the convenience, and it wasn’t super noisy. I tried an Ameda before this one and I had to keep turning the volume up on the TV to drown out the sound of the pump. I’d include this in your registry for sure if you’re not able to get a free one with insurance! FYI, for baby #2, I would like to try a Willow or Elvie breast pump. They’re both wearable and expensive, but I’ve heard good things about them.
Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump
$325
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Milk Storage Bags
There are so many milk storage bags out there, but I found that the Lansinoh Milk Storage Bags were the most accurate when it came to how many ounces were in the bag versus what’s in the bottle. Some bags said it would be four ounces in the bag, but if I put it in the bottle, it would be three. What the heck?! However, the Lansinoh bags were spot on. Plus, they were easy to organize in my freezer.
Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags
$14
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Postpartum Kit
Have you picked up the essentials you’ll need for recovery? Your body just worked extremely hard to bring a baby into this world. It’s going to need time to recover. That means needing the right postpartum essentials. You can go for the good ole Tucks witch hazel pads and a peri rinse bottle. Or you can go for Frida Mom Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit. Either way, your body is going to need some TLC and these are the way to go.
Frida Mom Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit
$50
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For Baby
Diapers
Not going to lie, we are a Pampers family. Always have been, always will be. We’ve only used them, and Aiden has had zero issues. We’ve used Pampers Swaddlers until we started potty training and now, he’s in Pampers Easy Ups. Never switching to another brand!
Pampers Swaddlers Newborn 84ct
$25
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Wipes
We have only used Pampers Sensitive wipes. They’re hypoallergenic, unscented, no alcohol, no parabens, and no latex. Perfect for a baby’s delicate skin. And it’s the #1 pediatrician recommended brand. Need I say more?
Pampers Sensitive Wipes
$16
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Baby Clothes
We had so many cute onesies, but blowout after blowout happened. I was tired of blowouts ruining the cute onesies. I went out and bought Carter’s plain white onesies and I didn’t care if Aiden had blowouts in those. But later on, I found out that they made side snap onesies. For our next baby, I will definitely be purchasing those rather than regular onesies. Regular onesies can be a tad difficult to get off (even if you use the shoulder opening and pull downwards). But these side snap onesies look to be a whole lot easier. My advice is to get a couple of cute onesies, but just know that you won't get as much wear from them as you think.
Carter’s White Onesies
$21
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Pack ‘n Play/Bassinet
We have the Chicco bassinet because it was simple and easy to transport. However, to me, this is one of those items that you truly don’t need. Then again, I’m super practical. And we also have a small house, so the one we did have took up space, so we didn’t use it.
But what we did use EVERY.SINGLE.DAY was the Graco Pack ‘n Play. Praise the Lord for the Graco Pack ‘n Play! For the first six months, Aiden slept in this Pack n’ Play in our room. It was probably one of the best decisions. This one came with a changing station built-in. Again, I live in a small, 100-year-old house. I need all the multifunctional products I can get! This is another baby registry must-have!
Graco Pack ‘n Play with Travel Dome and Changing Basket
$189
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Mattress Protector
You’ll need at least two mattress protectors for your crib mattress. At some point, your baby will spit up or have a blowout on those nice sheets and the last thing you want to be doing is cleaning up the mattress in the middle of the night.
A good waterproof mattress protector will wash in the machine really well. Have a second one as a backup while the first one is in the washing machine.
Waterproof Fitted Crib Mattress Pad
$20
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Changing Pad
We used the Summer infant changing pad in his room or the Graco pack ‘n play’s changing basket. Our house was small enough to where we didn’t need a ton of different changing areas around the house when there was a blowout. But you do need to make sure you get a waterproof and wipeable changing pad cover. You can just wipe it down with disinfectant wipes rather than having to wash it every time there’s a blowout.
Summer Infant Changing Pad
$20
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Diaper Rash Cream
We are an Aquaphor family. At 3 weeks old, Aiden had a very bad diaper rash with blisters. We cleared that rash up with Aquaphor. After that, every time we changed Aiden’s diaper, we slathered this stuff on his bum. I kid you not, he has not gotten a diaper rash since. We are potty training now, and we are only using Pampers Easy Ups at night. We still lather Aquaphor on his bum to keep it protected from any moisture and wetness he may experience at night. Again, never going to any other product.
Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment
$8
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Swaddles
The Aden + Anais swaddles are life-changing! Rather than trying to master the art of swaddling with a regular muslin swaddle, these are Velcro! Gone are the days of trying to mimic the nurses in the hospital that got swaddling down packed. Hello, are the days of convenience and ease with these Velcro swaddles!
Aden + Anais Velcro Swaddles
$30
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Car seat/Stroller
I’m a huge fan of products that do multiple things. This Chicco car seat and stroller combo are the best and it’s affordable. What’s not to love? The car seat comes with the base and it can detach from the base to lock into the stroller, which was huge for me. This was an all-in-one combo set and it was fabulous. This is my baby registry must-have!
Before your baby arrives, make sure the car seat is properly installed in your car. It’s a good idea to do this before your due date, just in case. My advice, practice putting in the car seat, taking it out, and familiarize yourself with it beforehand. Those things are heavy and awkward to lug around! Also, make sure you read the instructions and that you and your significant other know how to work the blasted thing.
If you have a hand-me-down car seat, as we did, make sure you have all the necessary pieces. This includes newborn inserts, car seat straps at the smallest setting, etc.
Chicco Bravo LE Trio Travel System
$399
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Dreft Baby Detergent
I only wash Aiden’s clothes in Dreft. It’s pediatrician recommended, it is natural, and it smells heavenly. It’s specifically made for newborns and is hypoallergenic. Did I mention that it smells heavenly?
Dreft Baby Detergent
$21
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I hope this guide has given you a good idea of the stuff you’ll need for the month before and after your baby arrives. Getting ready for a baby in the third trimester is so exciting, so best of luck to you!
LOOKING FOR MORE BABY CONTENT? MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT:
The Only Third Trimester To-Do List You’ll Ever Need
