Whether you’re an expectant mom looking to get ideas for your registry or a new mom looking for the next thing you must buy for baby (at 3am on the Amazon app on your phone while feeding), this comprehensive list contains recommendations for everything you’ll need in the first six months – from swaddles to spoons to sunblock.

I’m the type of person who tends to travel with anything I might possibly need, just in case, so this is a VERY thorough list. You probably don’t need everything here, but this list is a great place to start – pick and choose your own essentials, based on where you’re going, how long you’re going for, and how you’re getting there.

This list is composed of both books my husband and I have read and found useful, and books that have come recommended to us by friends, specialists and professionals. There are a lot of books on this list, so unless you’re an amazing speed reader with a surprising amount of time on your hands, it would probably be hard to get through all of them; plus there are different approaches to all things parenting, so some may resonate more than others for you. I recommend reading the descriptions, reading reviews, and choosing the ones you think will be most useful to you.

Our daughter started daycare at just over 7 months and we braced ourselves for the first cold we’d heard would follow within the first two weeks. Sure enough, right on cue, she started coming down with something 10 days later. On the second day of it, she just looked downright miserable – sniffling, coughing, fever – and she was pretty out of it. We thought it was the worst! That is, until the diaper rash that followed the cold...

What to do about childcare, and especially daycare vs. nanny, is a big question on a lot of new and expectant moms’ minds. And it’s one that you have to start thinking about pretty early in a place like NYC, since a lot of daycares have long waitlists, and if you don’t get on them while still pregnant there’s a good chance that your child won’t get in by the time you have to go back to work.

One of the questions I see over and over again in the moms’ Facebook groups are by first-time expectant moms asking for recommendations on a pediatrician. In major metropolitan areas, there are a lot of options, and too much choice can be overwhelming. You want a great practice, doctor(s) you trust, an office you can walk to, a space you feel comfortable in…and maybe there are specific issues that are important to you too, such as their stance on vaccinations or views on sleep training. And don’t forget other considerations, like how to contact the office after hours, who will call you back when you have a question, whether they take sick visits on weekends and holidays, and any extra charges you should be aware of.

Ah the hospital bag… What to pack is on every first-time mom-to-be’s mind, and it’s a good question because everyone will give you a different answer. Some people bring a lot and use it all, and others don’t even end up opening their bags and say you need nothing. It’s obviously personal, and what you use may vary depending on which hospital you go to and what they provide, your length of stay, and how things go during labor. So here is my list of “must-have” items, based on what I brought and actually used.

There are countless blogs on The Top Things You Need For A Baby, The Top Things You Need To Know When Having a Baby, and Things No One Tells You About Having a Baby. But for some reason, I did not see tips like these ANYWHERE else and had to learn the hard way. Yes, I am making a big claim here, but seriously – I read a lot of new mom blogs in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep and they were basically all about...

My now-husband and I got our dog four years ago, when he was just a 12-week-old puppy. I posted a photo on Facebook of us holding our new fur baby with an ironic (and hilarious, if I do say so myself) birth announcement description. Following that were many photos of our new family member, doing various cute things, and at one point I even (half-)jokingly posted something on Facebook comparing how having a puppy must be like having a baby...

Don’t get me wrong. I love spending time with my baby. She’s nearly three months old and getting more interactive by the day. Buuuut, it’s also pretty great when she’s sleeping...