Sanity-Saving Must Haves for Passover (and what you can skip)

These sanity-saving must haves for Passover include both ways to make your Passover prep easier – and ideas to make sure you don’t forget those easy-to-forget items that need replacing! When you’re done, make sure you download the full Passover master shopping list to make your list-making so much easier! This post contains affiliate links and some gifted products.

I’m here to make your Pesach prep as easy as I can make it, so I’m sharing some of the top Passover must haves on my own list.

Some of these are things you actually really need but might forget about. And some of them are just affordable (mostly) gadgets and gear to help your cleaning and food prep go smoother.

Then there are those things you think you may need but can totally ditch. I try to share a few of those here as well, so that you can figure out where to prioritize your budget.

Scan this list for new ideas, for things you need to add to your master list, or for just-this-year items that you know you’ll forget!

Please note that traditions vary. Mine follow a looser but halachically-minded Orthodox tradition. So obviously, ask your Rabbi or do as you do – this list of Passover must-haves is just to provide you with ideas and insights to make things easier!

Must Haves for Passover for Babies & Toddlers

If you have a baby or toddler, you likely have some feeding supplies you’ll be needing in Kosher for Passover version. This is the one thing that I forget almost every time – and find myself scrambling the day before for!

Things to remember to get!

Baby Bottles

As a mother of a toddler, I know I should be letting go of bottles soon, but yes, he’s still using them, and Passover is the WORST time to try to change things for him.

Comotomo makes soft silicone bottles with natural shaped nipples. They come in newborn and larger bottles, with multiple nipple levels, and have air vents to prevent colic.

I love that the wide open mouth means that we can skip the bottle brush this year.

Pacifiers

While not everyone needs to replace this, for those of us who pop ours into the dishwasher to sterilize them (or even the chametz sink)… well, I was told to have fresh ones for Passover.

Baby J uses only the round nipple ones (and yes, I’ve introduced it to some pacifier reluctant family members who were sold!) BIBS makes these in the coolest color – and yes, they have other shapes too for the babies that need those! J prefers the natural rubber latex nipples on the BIBS round pacifiers, and I recommend them too!

Sippy Cups

Again, switching up the toddler’s… anything really, should not be done Passover time and so we’re choosing to restock our sippy cups then too! I use the weighted straw kind, and find that Dr. Brown’s has a much slower flow than others, which works best for us.

I also find that some of the weighted straws aren’t flexible enough – and Dr. Brown’s really does work in both sitting and lying positions.

Silcone Bibs

Yes, you want the same good bibs you use throughout the year for Passover – to protect those brand new beautiful holiday outfits! Do it! I always tell myself I’ll just wash some fabric bibs for that one week… and watch all those brand new stuff turn colorful.

KeaBabies 2-packs come at an affordable price point in gorgeous colors. It’s a silicone bib with a catch tray – and the closure is very secure, so even a stubborn toddler like mine can’t pull it off easily.

Things I personally skip

• Baby spoons – unless I find them at the Dollar Tree because it’s less specific and they can go without it for a bit.
• The same goes for special plates, etc. They can just live without it over Passover.
• Burp bibs aren’t used for food so we treat them like clothing.

Must Haves for Passover Cleaning

Cleaning the whole house is HARD WORK and for those of us who AREN’T getting that extra cleaning help, spending a small fraction of what that would cost on more functional cleaning tools can make a big difference.

Here are some favorites.

Must-have cleaning gear for Passover

Casabella Power Spin Scrubber

Last year, while cleaning my living room, I noticed just how bad the rug had gotten. I was honestly sure a Cheerio would surprise me in middle of Passover from its depths. So I took it outside with some scrubby drill attachments on one freezing cold Friday and cleaned it.. beautifully.

And my back had a fit for the next week or so.

The Casabella Power Spin Scrubber is great for all sorts of applications – those places that need a little more elbow grease (the scrubber’s – not yours). Those hard-to-reach spots, or even more so, the places where you’ll be endlessly bending and turning into awkward positions.

It extends quite far and comes with a few attachments for different needs. If you’ll be using it in your kitchen and bathroom, you can also dedicate specific attachments for specific uses to keep things hygienic.

We’ve been using it for a few months around the house already and will definitely be using it to clean the carpet this year!

Casabella Clean Water Flat Mop Bucket

A mop and bucket system that “organizes” your water, keeping clean with clean and dirty with dirty seems like a fairytale, but yes, it exists! And it exists in such an easy-to-use system that stores so well!

The Casabella Clean Water Flat Mop Bucket is a flat mop with pad that features a bucket that squeegies out the dirty water into a separate section. When you dip your mop, you get clean water (which you can feed from one compartment) and the dirty water squeegies out separately.

The dirty water has a covered spout for easy emptying. And my favorite part is that the whole mop can be dismantled and fit right into the bucket, which is compact enough to go under my sink – literally the only spot on the main floor of the house where I have space to store a mop and bucket system.

As I am Passover cleaning the whole house, having a system like this is a game-changer for my back and my morale. It’s easier to carry around, easy to store closer to where I need it, and actually cleans and doesn’t just smear around dirty water.

Dyson Vacuum

I mostly kept this list to affordable items, but I can’t create a “Passover must-haves” list without sharing the game-changing vacuum that yes, I have been using for about eight years!

It’s hard to find a vacuum that lasts that long (and we did need to replace an easy $30 part that cracked at one point). It’s also very easy to carry around and use, with no cords holding me back and it works so much better than any other vacuum cleaner I’ve owned.

Things to skip

• Any corded mops, steam cleaners – etc. Yes, this is controversial, but I don’t understand why anything used around the home would be corded! It’s just so much harder to use!
• Magic eraser – If you need to magic eraser it, you probably don’t need to worry about it…
• Dusters – Dust isn’t chametz. Period. If it bothers you, vacuum it.

Must Haves for Passover Kashering

You’re going to Kasher your kitchen – and you may be covering it too! Here are some must haves for Passover that’ll help you switch over that kitchen.

Things we’re totally using

No Residue Duct Tape

My friend introduced me to this last year – and it’s a game changer! We used it to cover the edges of the counters and yes, it pulled right off, with no residue. It’s great for wherever you need to create a waterproof seal, but don’t want residue.

(We kashered our counter tops with hot water but didn’t want to make a crazy mess so we covered the edges with this tape – it was a flawless system).

Note: I doubt it would stop at pulling off paint from painted surfaces – I wouldn’t use it there.

Foil tape

Foil tape is what we use around the stovetop – however, please beware that it WILL pull off paint! Ask me how I know!!

Things we skip

• Covers and inserts – since our tradition is to Kasher OR cover (and not both) we’re totally skipping all those inserts. I’m sharing this here because every year I buy fridge and cabinet covers and then remember that if it’s cleaned well, our Rabbi has said that it’s not needed. And who isn’t cleaning these areas well anyway?
• Counter tape – I used to use this before my introduction to no residue duct tape – and I found the duct tape to be a better option (though pricey).

Must Haves for Passover Food Prep

So much time is spent in the kitchen both before and after Passover – more than all the holidays combined (or so it feels like).

Sometimes, simple tools can make a world of a difference and here are some favorites.

Things we’ll be using

GoodCook Pro fruit and veggie divider

In my notes from last year, I have “get cutting tools for next year”. There is so much cutting and dicing that happens that to me, anything that helps with minimizing the fruit and veggie prep is a game-changer.

GoodCook makes a few such aids all at very affordable price points, but I like this one because of how compact it stores – and we all know that Passover storage is a hot commodity. I wanted to see how it works with potatoes specifically, since… well, you know why. I did have to cut down potatoes to fit but then it cut them quickly further into wide French fry shapes. It sliced through smoothly and easily.

It can fit whole baby potatoes, cucumbers, and more and is surprisingly wide. It can cut grape tomatoes quickly for a salad, turn veggies into snacking sizes, and basically feed your family in half the time…

Serrated peeler for tomatoes

While it’s not our custom, some families have the tradition to peel all fruit and veggies for Passover – or not use them! Just imagine what that looks like with tomatoes. If this is your custom, I highly recommend you look into getting a serrated peeler.

I bought this for my mom a couple of years ago (since she follows this tradition) so I don’t have a photo to share with you. But she said it worked fabulously!

Peelers. Just get dozens of peelers

You’re going to lose the one at least once. Just have spares!

Good paring knives – and two spares.

Same as the peelers! Don’t skimp on Passover knives – get good ones, especially the ones you grab for everything (like paring knives).

Things we’re skipping

• Bulky appliances – you don’t need a Passover air fryer, and you don’t even need a blender! Stick to an immersion blender for your soups and dips (but get a decent one). For grating – if you’re making lots of kugel, yes, you will want a decent food processor, but otherwise… just skip it.
• Cutting boards – honestly, it’s just another thing that I don’t need to store for Passover. I use a plate. Sometimes I get the Dollar tree ones to toss away when I’m done, but it’s really not needed.

More must haves for Passover

There are so many things that didn’t fit into a perfect Passover must-have niche but are high on the list.

A plan (or a planner)

Until I started keeping a Pesach planner, I was always double buying, forgetting, or at least I had things scattered in different places!

Having a plan consolidates everything in one spot and makes sure that you remember how things went down last year. Fill out the Kashering page so you don’t need to refer back to the rabbi each year. Plan your menu in an effective and fun way. Keep track of what you have and what you need for next year.

Water bottle

If you’re a carry-a-water-bottle-everywhere kind of person, don’t forget to get one for Passover too! (It’s on this list because I did forget it in the past)

Trivets

Once again, this is here because we needed them in the past and didn’t have them. To me, something like this was thought of as excessive… until I realized how much hosting and cooking we do. And for the eight (or more) Passover meals, we don’t want to burn our table or tablecloth.

I personally like getting small cheeseboards as gorgeous trivets – especially for larger dishes, like roasts.

Something new to wear

Did you know that one of my favorite Mitzvah’s is to have something new for the holiday? It’s considered a way to bring joy to the holiday, and to elevate materialistic items by using them for a holy purpose.

Whether it’s a new pair of earrings or a festive dress to wear, it doesn’t have to break the bank – just bring a smile to your face!

New toys and games for the kids

While not a MUST, I find that it’s so helpful to have some new toys to pull out during a long holiday. In fact, while we are cleaning all the toddler-preschool toys, we are only cleaning a handful of the big kid toys and games, because they are just so much harder, with endless pieces.

Not only that, but these are the kids rewards for the incredible help they’ve been with Passover prep. They have been taking things on their own, have had an amazing attitude towards cleaning, and rewards are in order!

Some recommendations:

• For games, I picked a classic, a new take on a classic, and a totally new game:
  • Classic: Mancala – my kids have been asking for it so we’ll surprise them!
  • New take on a classic: Monopoly Bid – I don’t get it, but my kids love playing the three or 4 versions of Monopoly that they have, so I picked up another more compact one.
  • Totally new game: The How I Survived Game – While we already played this a few times, this is one of the two games that my kids chose from their big stash to clean for Passover, so that says a lot! And it’s so unique – something we’ve never seen before!
• For toys, I haven’t yet picked anything new up yet, but here are some great ones that are perfect for Passover. We’re looking for things that are non-electronic and Shabbat-friendly, and of course have lots of positive play value, and high entertainment value – see more non-electronic toy ideas here:
  • Keva planks – this Structures set has 200 of these carefully engineered, precise planks. It’s like a wood building block but next level, with cool and elaborate structures to build once you learn how to use them properly.
  • Clixo – My kids love Clixo, and sometimes a new set of a toy they already love (especially if it’s one of the few they chose to clean for Passover) is the perfect way to go.
  • I’ll probably still be getting them a new LEGO set or two, and I still need a couple of new ideas – so drop them in the comments if you have any!

Passover themed activities and seder props

The Seder can be long and we love having some exciting things that are on theme! My favorites are those that can be prepped in advance, keeping them busy during busy times, and then used by the seder to bring the story of Passover to life.

Some ideas:

• Makkot scratch art – I got this for the kids today (in-store at Amazing Savings) because scratch art is always a win here! I figure these can double as table decorations or puppets.
• Color & Craft printable projects – I have designed so many of these over the years. The ones pictured will be available soon, but you can see what else I have available here. The cool thing about printables is that you buy them once and print them for everyone – year after year!
• Props – I got some squishy frogs (for the plague of frogs) for the kids – and there are so many similar props you can get for kids to play with during the seder!

What we’re skipping

• Toys – Toddler and preschool toys live on the main floor so we’re going through those. We won’t be adding any new ones to our stash unless we find something compelling – or if we’re getting anything new anyway, we may save it for Passover.
• No need to overdo it with the clothing – your last year’s stuff are good too! The Mizvah is to have something new.

Got any must haves for Passover to add to this list? Comment below!