Bedside Manner: What’s Really in My Bedside Table (Newborn Edition)

There’s nothing as glamorous as watching your nightstand go from candles and mood lights to baby pumps and diaper caddies. But when I was pregnant, I couldn’t fathom what would really be required of our bedside table. I had no way of knowing, as a first-time mama, what midnight feeds and blowout duty would demand of my CB2 bedside table.

I simply refused to compromise the feng shui of our master bedroom by Amazon-Overnight-ing an ugly bedside cart. Not to mention, we’re still hoping to keep a moody-romantic vibe around here even though we’ve got a new roommate. So, function and maintaining a semblance of form became the prerogative for building our newborn nest.

Today marks a week since we brought our daughter home, and over the last few nights of practice, I’ve added and removed many cherished registry items to optimize the overnight flow.

Of course, everyone’s bedside caddy looks different. Some choose to get up and walk to their meticulously designed diaper station, and others can stand the mess of midnight shifts. I, on the middle hand, need a balance of both.

I can heartfully admit I only use her diaper station during the day and if I’m already up and feeding at night. Most midnight changes happen on the bed for now. And I am also type-Z OCD, where I can handle a little disorganization throughout the night, but I also like to prioritize a little five-star-hotel morning setup and a luxurious evening turn-down. It just makes newborn life a little more fabulous—and my little diva appreciates it as much as I do.

So here’s how I optimized my nightstand to meet middle ground. Of course, I worked with what I had—I didn’t feel the need to buy an entire new bedroom set while I was nesting. I have double-drawer nightstands, both of which I am thoroughly glad are closed-front. (There’s no need to see the pharmacy we have in there, even though it’s pretty well organized.)

Let’s open the drawers and dive in!

Since I’m pretty much on-call for breakfast, and the mom-brain, as well as the soundtrack to The Sound of Music we have playing, is thoroughly limiting my capacity to go into depth, I’ll just share what’s in the nightstand with a single- or double-liner on why it’s well worth considering in yours:

First and foremost, Medela Harmony Hand Pump:

Whichever your drug of choice, darling. I have two of the exact manual pumps on rotation. Alongside my Contigo (emphasis on the brand; I am not a Stanley or Owala mom), this is what takes up most of the surface area on our nightstands.

A pack of diapers and wipes:

Duh. On both sides of our nightstands, we have a pack of diapers and wipies for easy grab-and-go changes. My advice: Keep these stocked enough… just in case you feel the bed shake with farts and hear the booty trumpets sound off.

Diaper changing pad:

I originally planned for disposable pads, but these washable ones from Amazon (literally no-name $9 ones) are just as comfortable and convenient. Somehow, too, my baby has taken to them arguably better than the hundred-dollar changing pad on her dresser.

Disposable/washable nursing pads:

Full disclosure: the leak is real when the milk comes in. Lately, we’ve had to check my wetness level more than the baby’s. So, I keep a little pouch of disposable nursing pads, just so I’m not sticky with breast milk.

My Frida Mom C-Section belt:

I have a draft in the making for this one. It’s a list of the absolute, non-negotiable must-haves that we couldn’t have survived birth and postpartum without. I wore this 24/7 for the first week post-op and couldn’t have even gotten up, let alone moved and maneuvered around, were it not for this amazing invention.

My water bottle:

Say less. As I briefly described above, this baby is with me 24/7 and has enough ice water in it to navigate every baby grunt, cry, and feeding session.

The medicine drawer divider and what’s in it:

This is the medicine cabinet of our nightstands, and they both match and make do according to the needs of our baby on either mama’s side or dada’s.

Colostrum syringes and mini collector container:

I used these religiously in the first few days before my milk supply came in. Unopened collection syringes and the container (almost like a shot glass) were very important for every drop of colostrum in those first nights. Now, I use them a little less, but they are still in there. (I just traded 1 mL syringes for a minimum of 5 mL. Tears of bittersweet joy.)

Breast milk bags:

For anyone who doesn’t know, you can keep freshly pumped breast milk at room temperature for up to four hours. And when my milk supply came in, I was so engorged I would fill up these bags within half that time. Safe to say, now I just keep a couple in the nightstand for that letdown pump and then put whatever I collect in the fridge to build our long-term supply. Between us, I sometimes wonder how much of this supply I’ll end up using down the line because the freezer is already getting full and we’re a week in.

Doggy poop bags:

Speaking of bags, hear me out. These things are biodegradable AND act as a scent barricade. We have the Ubbi Diaper Pail (to me, infinitely worth more than the Diaper Genie), and having this open poopie bag to add her used diapers and wipes adds an extra layer of protection from the smell.

Dr. Brown’s Pacifier and Bottle Wipes:

These are the disinfectant wipes of newborn life. I use them to clean my pump parts on a whim or in case anything drops to the floor. I even wipe down the nightstand when milk, coffee, or water stains the surface.

Silverettes and nipple butter:

Fun fact: I’ve been blessed with an otherwise blissful breastfeeding experience. The only pain I experience is that first latch. But for the most part, I’ve used these many times and will continue to keep these right beside me—on-call, like I am.

Muslin cloths:

It’s another “say less” moment. They’re great for burping and wipe-downs. Just don’t use an even remotely soiled muslin near your baby’s eyes because the bacteria from dried-out breast milk can bring on those cucky eyes.

Which brings me to the very last, but certainly not least:

Oral cleaners:

More like clinical newborn face, eye, and tongue cleaners. They’re the sterilized SUPERSTAR of newborn life. When the baby’s cucky eyes came in (usually a short-term result of the eye ointment—but also great for managing and tending to clogged tear ducts), I threw a dozen of these in my medicine divider. Yes, you still have to get up for the distilled water, but they’re honestly so great. I would opt for these over Q-tips or baby facial wipes ANY day. We also, of course, use them to wipe down baby’s mouth and tongue when they get a little white.

Electric heater:

This is placed perfectly in the bottom drawer. It was an absolute essential on the first few nights, with the post-op pain/postpartum cramps setting in and the hospital room thermostat set to North Pole. Now it mainly waits for those uncomfortable, gassy newborn moments and nights when we give her a (for the moment, sponge) bath. We set it on a very low but warm-enough setting for the baby and will place it down before we put her down, just to warm up the area. Her entire body fits on it and around my back and belly. It’s a definite must-have in your nightstand.

And there you have it! The nightstand of newborn champions!

Baby girl is between us, and we’re about to start our morning with, as we call it, “brunch.” She’s snuggled up in our Fairmont sheets, and I’m proudly glancing over at my nightstand between sentences. Hubby has taken the first morning snuggle shift while I wait for her to be ready to feed.

We’ll soon start “turn-up” service, where the bedroom becomes less of a hospital-grade nursery and more of the bougie master bedroom we’ve all come to nest and love. That’s why I love our space so much. It optimizes the function of every piece of furniture, but it never compromises the feng shui. Perhaps that’s why she’s so calm: every room sets the energy just right.

If any mamas out there have some must-have nightstand recommendations, drop them below. We’ve always got space in the night table to make nights a little more manageable.

Image and Art by Sarah Elle, Prose Club © Copyright