Household Items to Stock Up On Before Baby Arrives

I recently shared a post about the practical ways I am preparing for baby. In that post, I mention stocking up on household items before baby comes so that you don’t have to worry about them for a while after baby arrives. I had a lot of people ask what exactly I stocked up on last time and what I’ll stock up on this time, so I thought I would share a list. I am not stocking up on some of these items this time around, because I have more than enough on hand to get us through the first three months, but I wanted to include a more comprehensive list for someone starting from scratch.

Kitchen

Dish soap

Dishwasher tabs

Garbage bags

Ziploc Bags (multiple sizes)

Saran wrap

Tin foil

Parchment paper

Paper Towel

Napkins

Cleaning

Toilet bowl cleaner

Multi-purpose Cleaner (or use the ingredients below to make your own)

Ingredients to make different cleaners (empty spray bottles, rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, dish soap, essential oils, baking soda) 

Laundry

Detergent

Vinegar (in place of fabric softener)

Stain remover

Bathroom

Kleenex

Shampoo/Conditioner

Body Wash

Bar Soap

Toothpaste

Toothbrushes
Dental floss
Razors

Specific skincare (one backup of each item)

Toilet paper
Hand soap
Q-tips
Cotton rounds

If you start stocking up a couple months ahead of time, you can also wait until the items are on sale, which is actually a great habit to get into if you’re trying to be budget-conscious and you have some storage space to spare. Instead of waiting until you are on the last bit of a product or the last roll of paper towel, when you grab that last item add it to your list and keep your eye out for the next couple weeks to wait for the sale. Sales tend to go in cycles of six weeks, and you will eventually notice the patterns in your area. But I can dive into that another time if you’re interested.

Is there anything else you would add to this list of items to stock up on?