What You Really Need For Baby

I am a minimalist at heart, as you may be able to tell from what I’m packing in my hospital bag. To me, less really is more. My mom is a hoarder and because of that I think I have gone the complete opposite way and will get rid of anything not necessary.

I’ll admit I wasn’t always like this. I bought everything I could think of for my first baby and the truth is I didn’t need half of it. Some of it was nice to have, not necessary but nice. Other things were completely useless (I’m looking at you wipe warmer)

The next time around, I still had everything. I was not a one and done mom so even though it hurt me to have a closet full of things I couldn’t use for two years, I kept the baby things for the second child I knew I would have.

After my second child, I wanted more but my husband was dead set against never having another child but I kept feeling like we weren’t done. That we were supposed to have another little in our lives but I got rid of anything big.

Even though I’m a minimalist, I am also a sucker for baby things. So I still have the clothes that meant the most to me and all of their school crafts but lately the crafts have been driving me crazy and I might par down.

Point is- for this baby I needed to get a few things back. Amazon is amazing for this. First of all, as soon as you finish your registry the send you a care package which I loved. The only problem is the absolute absurd amount of things they want you to pick out for the baby. As a first time mom I would have fallen for it hook line and sinker.

But going into this for round three, I now know what I will use and what I won’t. What can be in the must have, nice to have, and just plain clutter sections of the registry.

So what do you really need for a baby? As in the absolute necessities? The list is surprisingly small, actually, but here we go.

ABSOLUTE NECESSITIES

A place for baby to sleep: Take your pick. There are zero cost items like co-sleeping (make sure you do it safely) low cost options like a pack & play or the big ticket items like a crib or bassinet (which I don’t recommend, but to each their own) My personal choice is a crib but many people say their baby never slept in it. Both mine have from day one.

Sheets: Fitted sheet only. You only NEED one but go with at least 2 and even then I would recommend 3. Whether this is for a crib, bassinet, or your own bed, you’ll want a couple of these. There will be middle of the night sheet changing and it won’t be fun but at least you’ll have an extra sheet or two to make it easier.

Diapers & Wipes: Another item that you have a wide variety to choose from depending on your personal preferences. Cloth or disposable, disposable wipes or washcloths and baby soap. Personally, and I know it’s not environment friendly but I use disposable diapers and wipes because of the convenience. I honestly would love to use cloth but three kids and cloth diapers? No thanks .

Bathtub Supplies: A baby bathtub, soap, and shampoo. I wouldn’t suggest getting the baby towels unless they are high quality. The cheap ones don’t dry well and it’s more frustrating than anything. If you aren’t going to get the nice quality ones, I suggest just using your own towels. My cousin made me three hooded towels for my first from regular towels and they are the absolute best things ever.

Clothing: Obviously your baby needs to wear something but how much you need depends on how often you plan on doing laundry. And what you need will depend on the season your baby is born into. If you want a more extensive list, you can check out my baby clothing esssentials post.

Car Seat: This is an expense you can’t get around unless you plan on going nowhere for the next 8 years. Plus there are so many options to choose from in all price ranges. Pick between convertible or infant car seat to start off. Both of mine have loved their car seat (they both had a MyRide Gracco car seat and I adored it as well)

Seriously-that’s it.

Whaaaat??? Where are the feeding supplies and the strollers and the baby laundry detergents?

Well, honestly, you don’t need any of that but many decide breastfeeding isn’t for them or they don’t like carrying them everywhere and well, there’s a lot of things for convenience and that’s where the next list come in handy.

MUST HAVES

Feeding Supplies- There is a lot that goes along with this so I’m going to break it down a little further by ways of feeding because that will ultimately determine what you’ll need.

Formula Feeding:
- Bottles and Nipples: I would say the minimum is about 10 bottles if you don’t want to be washing all day long.
- Formula: Don’t buy too many ahead of time because you won’t know how you’ll baby will react to the formula
- Bottle Brush & Bottle Sterilizer: For cleaning.
- Dishwasher basket or Drying Rack: If you have a dishwasher you’ll need the basket for small items. If you don’t, you’ll need a place to let them dry off after you wash them.
Breastfeeding:
- Nursing bras/clothing: To be comfortable
- Manual breast pump: If you aren’t planning on being away from baby often you don’t need more than this for an occasional pump every now and then
- Bottles and Nipples: My first two never took a bottle but that won’t stop me from trying again this time around but you’ll only need two or three maximum.
- Nursing Pillow: You can always just use a bunch of pillows but I found my Breast friend to be a lifesaver even more so than the bobby everyone raves about.
Exclusive Pumpers/Working Moms
- Electric Breast Pump: If you plan on pumping often you’ll need more than just a manual breast pump. There are tons to choose from and vary in price. I suggest getting a good double electric breast pump.
- Bottles and Nipples: I would get enough for two days if you are a working mom who pumps for the feeds you’ll be missing. And at least 10 for the exclusive pumper.
- Bottle Warmer: I never owned one so I can’t say for sure it’s a “nice to have” but I imagine if I was bottle feeding pumped breast milk it would be a nice option to have. I didn’t include this for formula feeders because my sister always did room temperature water and it worked well for her.
- Milk Storage bags: You’ll want to have a small freezer stash for those just in case times
- Cooler: For transporting the milk if you are a working mom and for times you are traveling for the exclusive pumper

Carrier and/or Stroller: If you are only going to get one I recommend the baby carrier hands down. I have used my stroller only a handful of times. But would I still buy it? YES! Even if I only used it a few times, it was a life saver in those times. I strongly recommend going ahead and getting both. If you got an infant car seat I would definitely go with the matching stroller. As far as carriers go, my babies lived in the moby wrap.

Baby Monitor: I have used the same monitor through both my little ones and plan on using it with this little too. It’s nothing special but it’s been working for 7 years. Some will want a video monitor but I haven’t found the necessity of it and someone else connecting to it freaks me out so… No thanks.

Waterproof Crib Mattress Cover: Get two, it’s a lifesaver. I didn’t do this with my first two but I read somewhere to put on a cover, then a sheet, another cover and then another sheet. Quick sheet changing for the middle of the night blow outs. What an awesome idea!

Diaper Bag- You’ll want to take it everyone so get a nice one. I had the original diaper bag setup for my first two and usually ended up just using a backpack but it didn’t have a lot of pockets so everything was just kind of dumped inside. This time I got a backpack diaper bag. I’ll update when baby gets here about if it is working out for me or not. As far as what you should put inside? Check out my diaper bag essentials post. And if you are looking for what diaper bag to pick check out my How to Choose post or What I Chose.

Baby First Aid Kit: Here I would include a nasal aspirator, digital thermometer, fever reducing medicine, and nail clippers.

Swaddlers/Swaddling blankets: For my first I only had the swaddling blankets and they worked just fine but someone gave me a swaddlers for my second and that was great too. So either one will work just fine.

Burb Clothes & Bibs: To save clothes I will always recommend getting these however after the first month I always forgot to put one on my shoulder. I don’t recommend forgetting.

Books Books & More Books: Honestly reading is one of the most important things you can do for your child. Foster a love of learning and you won’t be disappointed. I know I’m not.

NICE TO HAVES

*Pack N Play: I know in the must haves I suggested a crib but the truth is I have both and I wouldn’t give up either now. The pack N play is so nice for traveling and just having some place to put them and be able to move that space around.

A swing- I haven’t bought one this time around and the one I used with my daughters is long gone but I’m debating on getting another one. It’s so useful in those early days when you need a few minutes. (Yeah- minutes but still worth it)

Lovey– I have gotten one for each one of my kiddos. I know, I know you aren’t supposed to put anything else in the crib until they are one but I do put this in. With my older two I would carry it around with me so it would get my “scent” and let them ~~slobber~~ play with it while they were awake. By the time they were 9 months old they became inseparable. And both are still that way to this day.

Pacifiers: My daughters never took one so they were a waste for me but I see the appeal and have a set ready for little mister when he gets here just in case.

I’m not going to list all of the things you don’t need because that would take way too long and neither of us have time for that but if you are curious about why I didn’t add a couple of things, you can check back next week to find out what you think you need for baby but really don’t.

Is there something here you wouldn’t have on your list? Or something I forgot? Let me know in the comments!