How to Survive Your First Week Home

with a Newborn 👶🏽

Okay, Jackson and I are 100% not pros at this and still learning every day, BUT there are some things we’ve found to be really helpful during our first week home with Beckley! Hopefully these things are helpful for you also if you’re expecting or have a newborn at home. 👶🏽


  1. Baby Tracker App
  2. Give Everything a Place/Station
  3. Routines Over Schedules
  4. Have a Checklist Mentality
  5. Be Flexible!
  6. Baby Laundry Hampers
  7. Rolling Laundry Hampers
  8. Keep a Diaper & Wipes Out & Ready
  9. Elvie Pump is LIFE
  10. Order Extra Pump Parts
  11. Freezer Meals
  12. Stay Social
  13. Take Time for You & to Rest
  14. Lay Out Items Ahead of Time
  15. @littlezsleep & @takingcarababies
  16. Halo Sleep Sacs
  17. Enjoy Every Moment!


Let's break these each down...

01 | Baby Tracker App

I was recommended the Baby Tracker App by a friend of mine, and it is a GAME. CHANGER. In the app you can easily track feedings, diaper changes, sleep & wake times, and your pump sessions. This can help you track of all those important factors without the stress. Plus, it's completely FREE!


02 | Give Everything a Place / Station

I mean EVERYTHING. Baskets will be your best friend! I have a station on our counter for pump parts and feeding items. I have a basket in our bedroom for miscellaneous bedtime baby items. A basket in our bathroom for my post-birth recovery items. Baskets make it super easy to keep the items together and easy to access without feeling cluttered.


03 | Routines Over Schedules

This is easier said than done but try your best to develop routines instead of trying to create a schedule. The reality is that newborns developmentally cannot be on a schedule until weeeeks after they're born, so let them tell you when they need to eat/sleep/wake. What has been helping me a lot has been establishing routines that we use every time Beckley wakes or is going down for a nap/bedtime. I let her set the times, but we set the routines.

04 | Have a Checklist Mentality

The best thing you can do for yourself when your baby is fussing is to have a checklist mentality. Chances are they're fussing because they're either hungry, have gas, or need a diaper change. Just go through the checklist and check each one of those things!


05 | Be Flexible!

Again, easier said than done, but be flexible! One night you may go to bed at 10pm and another at 12:30am. This is OKAY. Be flexible and let your baby set the pace.


06 | Baby Laundry Hampers

Who loves a good practical tip? You do a lotttt of laundry, and having your baby's laundry separate from your own makes it way easier to stay on top of. You can get a small plastic laundry hamper to keep in their nursery, or any kind of basket you have on hand to hold their laundry.


07 | Rolling Laundry Hampers

Speaking of laundry, get yourself some rolling laundry hampers if you can. When you're recovering you really shouldn't be lifting much, and having rolling hampers is an easy hack to avoid lifting! I got ours for around $35 off of Amazon. Click here to get the same one!


08 | Keep a Diaper & Wipes out & ready

Another practical tip: keep your wipes, diaper cream, and a diaper ready to go on top of your changing table. This way if you're in a rush, you have everything out and ready to go when needed.


09 | Elvie Pump is LIFE

I am lucky enough to have the Elvie Pump and, yes, it is worth every penny. I would HIGHLY recommend it! Having your hands free and being able to freely move around while you're pumping is huge!


10 | Order Extra pump parts

A friend of mine recommended ordering extra pump parts and I'm so glad she did! Having extra parts on hand means you can pump more often without having to worry about washing the parts between every session. Any way to minimize stress or your to-do list is a huge win in my mind!


11 | Freezer Meals!

If you're able, have freezer meals stocked up and ready to go! A couple months before giving birth I started doing double batches of our dinners on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. I then froze the second batch. LIFE. SAVER.


12 | Stay social!

Obviously do whatever feels safest and best for you and your baby, but try your best to stay social during the first week! Have your parents over if you can, FaceTime friends. Staying social has helped me mentally a LOT!


13 | Take Time for you and to rest

Recovery is SO. IMPORTANT. Let yourself take naps when you can. Have a movie marathon day and don't feel guilty about it. Make sure you're drinking water and eating enough. Your health is soooo important, so prioritize your test and recovery.


14 | Lay out items ahead of time

before going to bed, hit the reset button around the house. Toss dirty purp cloths in the hamper and place clean ones where needed around the house. Put bottles and pump parts in the dishwasher and hit run so they're ready in the morning. Pull out baby clothes for the morning. This takes maybe 5 minutes, but makes mornings so much easier!


15 | @littlezsleep & @takingcarababies

Go follow these two women for all things sleep related! If you have any questions chances are these women will answer it for you. Cannot recommend these accounts enough, they'e helped me loads!


16 | Halo Sleep Sacs!

We were given a few of these by our hospital and they're amaaaaazing! If you do decide to swaddle for naps/night sleeping, I highly recommend these!


17 | Enjoy every moment

I honestly cannot believe how quickly time is flying by with Beckley. It goes by SO FAST. Snuggle as much as you can, take it all in, and enjoy every moment with your sweet little one.

Again, we are learning every day and are 100% NOT pros at parenthood, but I hope these are helpful for any of you who may be expecting or who have a new little one at home. :)


Cheering you on, mama!

xx