There’s so much baby stuff out there, it’s overwhelming. To help cut through the clutter, here are some must-haves for the first month, as approved by Team Newman:

Suzianne’s Favorites

Boobs: but when she can’t have a boob (because the boob is taking a nap, or at Chick-Fil-A), she prefers her milk from the Comotomo Natural Feel Baby Bottle. We think it is because it touches her nose, like a breast does.

Natursutten BPA-Free Natural Rubber Pacifier. We tried several pacifiers and she rejected all of them. But Amazon reviewers swear by this one, so I tried it. And it works! Again, we think it’s because it touches her nose. It’s insanely ugly. But it “pacifies” her, so whatevs.

Baths by Granny Sue Sue. For some reason, in the first few weeks, the thought of bathing my child scared the crap out of me. When I bathed her, she screamed like crazy; and this is a baby who (knock on wood) never screams. But a bath administered by her grandmother is like a day at the spa to this child. Find a person who would like to soothe your baby with a bath for the first few weeks and make let them do it; it will take a load of stress off of you until you gain some confidence.

Margie and Dave’s Favorites

Halo Sleepsack Swaddle. This thing is genius. Yes, you can use a normal swaddle/receiving blanket to swaddle your newborn. But about a week into life, she’ll suddenly become The Strongest Tiny Human On Earth. And I don’t care how tightly and expertly your husband wraps that child, she’s bustin’ out, beyatches. Rather than resort to duct tape, which many of my sleep-deprived friends have done, the Halo velcros her alarmingly strong arms to her side. It’s magic (and check out my nails):

Cradle n’ Swing. My co-workers purchased this for me and said it would be a God-send; they were right. You need something sturdy, swing-y and noisy to put your baby in so you can do things like pee, eat, and shower for the first time in five days. It’s a rather large contraption, but so worth it. Get one.

Video baby monitor. For the first few weeks, you’ll want to keep your newborn in your room at night so you can obsess over her breathing patterns and whatnot. But after you decide your own sleep is important, you’ll want to put the baby in her room at night. Last week, Suzianne started sleeping in her fancy nursery. Every now and then, it’s nice to ease my worried momma mind by taking a peek at her while listening to her odd goose-like sleep sounds. It’s even nicer to turn the volume down after I’ve had my fill of them.

Happiest Baby on the Block DVD. I read the book, but the DVD shows you how to properly swaddle, swing and shush the baby. The techniques really work; I swear.

Bag-like pajamas/gowns. There’s just something so awesome about not having to remove pants or snap anything to change a diaper at 3 a.m. Plus, Suzianne looks adorable in these little things. When I first started receiving them as gifts, I thought the concept was weird. Now, they are my favorite thing to put her in. See! Look how cute:

Total Baby iPhone App: let’s you track your baby’s nursing, bottles, baths, poops and pees. Yes, your parents will make fun of you, but it’s 2012, ladies. This is how we do it.

If you’ve got first month favorites, please share them in the comments!