What You Actually Need for the First Few Months
There is something about preparing for a newborn that makes it feel like you need to buy absolutely everything before your baby arrives, Mom.
You start with a crib and a few onesies. Then somehow your shopping list grows into bottles, bottle warmers, sterilizers, swaddles, wipe warmers, bath seats, loungers, diaper organizers, sound machines, special drying racks, baby towels, nursing pillows, bassinets, carriers, pacifiers, monitors, and several products you did not even know existed a month ago.
And because every product is marketed as something that will make newborn life easier, it can be hard to tell the difference between something that is genuinely useful and something that may end up sitting untouched in the nursery.
The truth is that your baby does not need nearly as much as the baby aisle makes it seem.
During those first few months, most newborn products fall into a few simple parts of daily life: somewhere safe to sleep, something safe to ride in, diapers and clothes, a way to feed your baby, and a handful of things that make everyday care easier.
Everything else can come later.
You will also learn very quickly that babies have preferences. The bottle set you researched for three weeks may be the one your baby refuses. The swaddle everyone told you to buy may never make it past the first night. Meanwhile, one plain burp cloth somehow becomes the most useful thing you own.
So instead of trying to prepare for every possible situation, it helps to focus on what you are likely to use from the beginning and leave yourself room to figure out the rest once you actually know your baby.
Start With the Things Your Baby Truly Needs From Day One
If you strip away all the cute extras, a newborn’s needs are fairly simple.
Your baby needs a safe place to sleep, appropriate clothing, diapers, feeding supplies that match how you plan to feed, and a properly installed car seat if they will be traveling in a vehicle.
A safe sleep space deserves special attention because this is one place where simpler really is better.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends placing babies on their backs for every sleep on a firm, flat sleep surface. The sleep space should be a crib, bassinet, portable crib, or play yard that meets current safety standards, with only a fitted sheet inside. Pillows, loose blankets, stuffed animals, bumper pads, and other soft objects should stay out of your baby’s sleep space.
That means you do not need to fill the crib with matching pillows, blankets, and decorative bumpers before your baby arrives.
They may look beautiful in a nursery photo, but they do not belong around a sleeping newborn. In the US, padded crib bumpers and inclined infant sleepers are banned products under federal law, and the CPSC continues to warn parents against using unsafe sleep products.
A fitted sheet on an appropriate mattress inside an approved sleep space is enough.
And Mom, there is something reassuring about that.
You do not have to create the most elaborate nursery.
You just have to create a safe place for your baby to sleep.
Diapers, Clothes and Everyday Messes Will Take Up More of Your Day Than Fancy Gear
You are going to change your baby a lot during those first few months.
Diapers, wipes or another gentle cleaning option, and a simple place to change your baby will probably get far more daily use than many of the expensive gadgets on your registry.
But even here, you do not need to overbuy before your baby arrives.
Newborns grow quickly, and you may have no idea how long your baby will stay in newborn-size diapers. The same goes for clothes. Some babies wear newborn sizes for several weeks, while others move into 0–3 month clothing almost immediately.
A manageable collection of sleepers and bodysuits is usually much more practical than a closet overflowing with tiny outfits.
And when you are choosing clothing, think about what you will actually want to deal with during a 2 a.m. diaper change.
The adorable outfit with six tiny buttons may suddenly seem much less adorable when you are trying to fasten it in the dark.
Soft sleepers with easy access for diaper changes tend to earn their place very quickly.
You will also probably use more burp cloths than you expect.
Spit-up happens.
Milk dribbles.
Diapers leak.
Someone somehow gets something on the couch.
You do not need special designer burp cloths, but having a few washable cloths within reach can make everyday newborn life easier.
The same philosophy works for almost everything during this stage: easy to use, easy to wash, and comfortable for your baby usually beats complicated.
Feeding Supplies Depend on How You and Your Baby Actually Feed
This is one area where it is especially easy to buy too much before birth.
Maybe you plan to breastfeed and register for every nursing accessory available.
Maybe you plan to formula-feed and buy a complete bottle system.
Maybe you expect to do both.
Then your baby arrives, and your feeding routine develops in a way you did not completely predict.
That is normal.
If you are breastfeeding, you may find nursing bras, breast pads, nipple care products, and a water bottle for yourself useful. Depending on your plans, you may also need a breast pump and milk-storage supplies. But you do not necessarily need every breastfeeding gadget before you know what will actually help you.
If you are bottle-feeding, start with a few bottles rather than buying an enormous set immediately.
Babies can be very particular about nipples and bottle shapes. Your baby may happily drink from the first bottle you offer, or you may end up trying a couple before finding one that works comfortably.
Formula-fed babies will obviously need infant formula as well, but this is another place where I would avoid creating a huge stockpile before your baby arrives. If you have questions about which formula is appropriate for your baby, especially if there are feeding, digestive, allergy, or growth concerns, talk with your pediatrician.
The same idea applies no matter how you feed your baby.
Prepare enough to get started.
Then let your actual feeding experience tell you what else you need.
You do not need to predict every feeding problem while you are still pregnant.
A Car Seat Is One Product You Really Do Need Before Baby Comes Home
There are plenty of newborn products you can decide on after your baby arrives.
A car seat is not usually one of them.
If your baby will travel home from the hospital or birth center in a car, you need an appropriate car seat ready and installed correctly.
NHTSA says children under age 1 should always ride rear-facing. You can use a rear-facing-only infant seat or another car seat that is approved for rear-facing use and fits your baby’s size.
And this is one product where correct installation matters just as much as which model you buy.
Read both the car seat manual and your vehicle manual before installing it. NHTSA recommends installing rear-facing seats in the back seat and checking that the seat does not move more than one inch side-to-side or front-to-back at the belt path once installed.
You do not necessarily need the most expensive car seat on the market.
You need one that is appropriate for your baby’s age and size, works with your vehicle, meets current US safety requirements, and can be installed and used correctly every time.
That distinction matters.
Sometimes the product with the longest list of luxury features is not automatically the best fit for your family.
Bath Time and Baby Care Can Stay Very Simple at First
The baby-care aisle can make newborn bath time look like it requires an entire cabinet of products.
It really does not.
Newborn skin is delicate, and you generally do not need to use lots of scented washes, lotions, oils, powders, and other products from the beginning.
A simple baby bath setup, a few soft washcloths, towels, and gentle baby cleansing products are usually enough to get started.
And newborns do not need a full bath every day.
The AAP notes that a few baths a week are generally enough during the first year, as long as you are cleaning the diaper area properly between baths.
You may also want a baby nail file or clippers, because newborn nails have an impressive ability to become surprisingly sharp.
A digital thermometer is another useful product to have at home before you actually need one. When you are worried about your baby’s temperature, that is not when you want to discover you do not own a thermometer.
But beyond those basics, you can add products as situations come up.
You may discover your baby’s skin becomes dry and your pediatrician recommends a particular moisturizer.
You may need saline drops or another care product during an illness.
You may find that a certain bath accessory makes things easier.
You do not need to purchase solutions for every possible baby problem in advance.
Some Popular Newborn Products Are Easier to Skip Than You Think
This is where giving yourself permission to wait can save you money and nursery space.
A wipe warmer may sound wonderful, but plenty of babies do perfectly well without one.
A bottle warmer can be convenient for some families, while others never use it.
A fancy changing table is not essential if you have another safe, practical changing setup.
A huge collection of newborn toys is unnecessary because your newborn is going to be much more interested in your face, your voice, and being held than in a room filled with toys.
And there are also products you should be cautious about using as sleep spaces.
Baby loungers, nests, swings, and car seats may be convenient while your baby is awake and supervised when used according to their instructions, but they are not substitutes for an approved infant sleep space. The CPSC advises parents to move babies who fall asleep elsewhere to a crib, bassinet, play yard, or bedside sleeper designed for sleep.
This is one reason I would be careful with products marketed using phrases like “cozy sleep,” “nest,” or “lounger” without first checking whether the product is actually intended and approved for infant sleep.
If you are unsure, look at the manufacturer’s instructions and current CPSC information before using it as a sleep space.
When it comes to newborn sleep, boring is often exactly what you want.
Flat.
Firm.
Clear.
Safe.
Give Yourself Permission to Buy Things After Your Baby Arrives
I know it can feel like you should have everything figured out before your due date.
But some of the best newborn shopping decisions happen after you meet your baby.
You may realize you need more sleepers because your baby spits up constantly.
You may discover that the bottles you bought are perfect and order more.
You may find that your baby hates being swaddled and feel very grateful you did not buy twelve expensive swaddles.
Maybe breastfeeding looks different from what you expected.
Maybe you suddenly understand why everyone told you to buy more burp cloths.
Maybe your baby loves the simple $10 item and ignores the expensive product you spent weeks researching.
That is newborn life.
Your baby’s real needs will become much clearer once you are actually living through your days together.
So prepare for the basics.
Leave some room in the nursery.
Leave some room in your budget.
And leave some room in your plans.
You can buy more later.
One Last Thing, Mom
You do not need to have every baby product figured out before you bring your newborn home.
Your baby does not care whether the nursery is perfectly stocked.
They do not know whether their sleeper came from an expensive boutique or a multipack you grabbed during a sale.
They are not going to judge your bottle drying rack.
They need to be fed, warm, clean, safely transported, safely put down to sleep, and loved.
That is the foundation.
The rest gets figured out surprisingly quickly once your baby is actually here.
You will learn which clothes you reach for every day.
Which bottle your baby likes.
Which diaper fits.
Whether you use the bassinet more than the crib.
Which baby product was completely unnecessary.
And which simple little thing you suddenly cannot imagine living without.
So prepare for the first few days, not every possible day of your baby’s first year.
Buy the things you know you need.
Wait on the things you are unsure about.
And let your baby teach you the rest.
Because, Mom, despite what that enormous baby aisle may suggest, newborns really do need much less stuff than they need you.
