Newborn Baby Essentials List

It’s a minefield deciding what you need to buy when having a baby, especially what’s essential. Then again, what’s a nice to have? What’s a luxury? These are some challenging questions you have to ask yourself when deciding what to get.

Most of us have a limited budget of some sort. Yes it varies from one family to the next but unless you’re rolling in money at some point you will have to make a decision whether to spend your hard earned cash on a baby item, or whether you don’t really need to. Does that sound like you?

Well it was me when we had N!

So then I thought it would be a good idea to just write a big list that people could use to helps them decide what to buy. Knowing what’s essential is really important so you can feel prepared for your new arrival. So here it is!

Anything I’ve added with a question mark is more of a ‘nice to have’ rather than essential. Of course it’s all my opinion. You will obviously make up your own mind but it’s a good place to start. It’s also those things you just need right at the start, as soon as you go home with your baby. You will of course buy more as they grow.

So here goes…

Sleeping Essentials

  • Somewhere to sleep – both during the day and at night. They might be the same thing or they might not
  • Sheets for where they will sleep
  • Mattress protector for where they will sleep
  • Cellular blankets?
  • Swaddle blankets? (this or cellular blankets, depends what you want them to sleep in)
  • Gro Bags? (again, depends what you want them to sleep in…these could come later perhaps)
  • Dim light to switch on if needed (maybe a GroLight?)
  • Monitor – I’d recommend a BT6000
  • Moses basket stand? Depends what you’re using for them to sleep in

Bottle Feeding Essentials

  • Formula (we used Mamia from Aldi)
  • Bottles (we used Mam anti-colic bottles)
  • Perfect Prep machine? This isn’t essential but I wouldn’t be without ours!
  • Bottle brush
  • Some way to sterilise the bottles (we use Milton)
  • Bibs
  • Muslins – lots of them!
  • Preprepared formula bottles to take out or flask etc to make up bottles when out

Breast Feeding Essentials

  • Breast pump?
  • Bottles?
  • Nursing bra
  • Breast feeding pillow?
  • Breast pads?
  • Sterilising equipment?
  • Ointment for sore nipples?

Nappy Changing Essentials

  • Nappies (we used Mamia ones from Aldi – I’d recommend them!), or items for reusable nappies
  • Wipes or cotton wool. We used Water Wipes rather than cotton wool and they seemed to work fine
  • Changing mat
  • Nappy bin and cartridges? Depends if you want to put used nappies outside immediately but I’d certainly recommend a nappy bin!
  • Nappy bags for when you’re out and about
  • Nappy rash cream(s)

Clothing Essentials

  • Vests, both long and short sleeved. How many depends on how often you want to wash them! You could need three per day! Or more!
  • Baby grows – preferably with in built scratch mitts. Again, the number you need depends on how often you want to wash them. I’d get quite a few to give yourself a break
  • Gloves?
  • Hat – you will need this for when they are born, and maybe after depending on the weather
  • Coat
  • Other tops, bottoms, socks etc? – depends what you want them dressed in. We put N in baby grows most of the time

Bathing Essentials

  • Somewhere to give them a bath, like a newborn bath such as a Shnuggle bath
  • Towels – ones with the hoods on to keep their heads warm
  • Child friendly bubble or soap solution, such as Childs Farm stuff
  • Cotton wool – pads are better than the balls
  • Wash cloth or mitt

Check out my guide to bathing your baby here.

Toys

Personally I think that at first, immediately after you have your baby, they don’t absolutely need toys. Toys are certainly a nice to have. They can only see about 8 inches and are quite happy just looking at your face. I wouldn’t spend loads of money on toys.

Having said that you could consider a baby mat for them to lie on and listen to music. N loved his and we could leave him lying there and he would be very happy.

Other Essentials

  • Car seat, like the Kiddy Evoluna i-Size
  • Cotton wool – pads are better in my opinion
  • First aid kit
  • Pram, such as the Uppababy pram and carrycot
  • Non-bio washing powder/tablets such as Persil
  • Room thermometer for where they will sleep, like the GroEgg
  • Thermometer to test their temperature
  • Tissues (for runny noses!), though you could just use wipes
  • Changing bag
  • Baby bouncer – useful to pop them in when you need your hands free, like when you’re running a bath
  • Kitchen roll – for sick and spillages
  • Hair brush?
  • Baby sling?
  • Nail scissors or this handy nail file
  • You can buy medicine too? Like Calpol (or generic Paracetamol) or Nurofen (or generic Ibuprofen) but check the guidance on them before using
  • Dummies and dummy clips?

In Summary

There’s a lot to buy! There’s no denying that but hopefully this list helps you to be prepared and know what’s essential.

It’s only my opinion though, perhaps there are other things you can think of that would be useful…?

Let me know in the comments…

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