Newborn essentials for first time mums - what do you actually need?

[Charlieislovely]

Starting to get organised with bits for baby and getting confused at what is essential and whats not.

For example, do I need to buy a crib AND a cot right now? Is it worth getting a wardrobe? What even are swaddle blankets?

Help!!! X

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This thread is a little old now so some of the suggestions may be out of date, but if you’ve landed here looking for the ultimate baby essentials checklist, we’ve recently updated our newborn essentials article with the must-haves Mumsnetters think you can't live without when your baby arrives. We hope you find it useful.
MNHQ

I bought everything under the sun with DD1. In actual fact she hated the moses basket, hated the swinging seat, wouldn't be swaddled and I ended up co sleeping instead of using the cot!
I'm expecting DD2 and this time I'm literally just going to be using the cot (side car'ed next to my bed) and a poddlepod for daytime naps. And the rest I'm going to follow baby's lead.

One thing that is absolutely invaluable IMO is a Snuza nappy monitor as it clips to baby's nappy and beeps if no breathing for 5 seconds. This was as godsend when I was trying to sleep when she slept but was anxious she was ok.

And Muslin cloths, buy more than you think you'd ever use!!!

For me, it was essential to have somewhere safe to put baby on both floors, so a crib in the bedroom next to my bed, and I had a travel cot in the living room (with the baby bassinet insert) for during the day, that way I could have them close by. Moses basket would be fine, and with my first I just used the carrycot for the pram downstairs and wheeled him around with me. Didn't get a cot until he went in his own room.

I found swaddle blankets absolutely amazing, but have a try. Some babies HATE being swaddled, other's seem to absolutely love it.

I needed a change table, because my back is screwed. If you're happy to change on the floor then you don't need one.

You really don't need special baby furniture though, normal furniture is fine.

Warm dressing gown for night feeds.

Will have a think.. it's been a while :)

Oh and personally I bought another chest of drawers and under bed storage tubs as nothing of baby's is hung or ironed in my case!
I didn't see the need for a crib and cot, went straight for cot.
And a swaddle blanket can be used to wrap baby so he or she is snug and swaddled as it soothes some baby's. It didn't soothe mine.

Essentials are really bare if you think about it.

Something to feed them with, including some kind of bib or cloth.
somewhere safe for them to sleep.
somewhere to put them down during the day.
somewhere to put them when you go out (pram/sling/pushchair).
Car seat if you plan to travel in a car.
Nappies of some kind and facilities to change them.
something for them to wear - enough to keep up with a few changes a day - and somewhere to store them.
Something to keep them warm at night and out and about.
Some way to wash them safely

That's it really. Everything else is nice to have but not necessary. Some of these things you may not need to buy. Eg. If you already have some drawers, you don't need a wardrobe. You can wash them in the kitchen sink to avoid buying a baby bath. Things like a crib vs cot is really up to you, obviously make sure whatever you get to start with is suitable for a newborn.

If you're being swayed into buying something and you're not sure if you need it, try asking yourself what purpose the item serves and whether that could be achieved easier with something else or whether it's worth buying that particular gadget for.

All the muslin cloths you can get your hands on! My partner didn't really get why we bought so many until DD was here and they are a godsend! A mobile for the cot/and or glow worm are a good addition, they really helped get DD to sleep when she was younger. We have always used baby sleeping bags/pods as I didn't worry about anything going over her face. In regards to putting her down in the daytime. We bought a breastfeeding pillow and we always lay her on that, she loves it! It was only about £10! Best of luck!

* as I didn't end up having to worry about anything going over her face.

We've got a SnuzPod (bedside crib) because you can have it attached to your bed for co-sleeping, but also use it as a standalone crib and also take the crib off the stand and move it downstairs (although it's heavy so I doubt we'll do that much if at all).

We also have a cot bed which baby will sleep in when he gets too big for the crib. It converts into a toddler bed so we should get plenty of use out of it.

The other option, if you have a big bedroom, is just to get a cot and put it next to your bed with one side down, but we don't have room for that.

We've got a pushchair with a carrycot attachment so planning to let baby sleep in that downstairs.

We also bought a wardrobe with lots of drawers for the baby's room - it's a regular "adult" piece of furniture (don't see the point in baby/child furniture?!) and we will use the wardrobe section as a storage cupboard for now. Our thinking is that it will be useful for storing clothes, toys etc as baby grows.

Also got a car seat which you need for taking baby home from the hospital.

Strictly speaking I guess a pushchair/pram isn't necessary if you use a sling, but most people get one.

When DD was born I had the whole kit and caboodle, most of which stayed unused for the first few months.
We had a moses basked for DD but she was so tiny she sort of got lost in it and couldn't settle. She much preferred being put in the pram which was narrower and smaller generally and she slept much better in it for the first month or so. So for the first month, the pram never went outside and we wheeled it around the ground floor (open plan with wooden floor!) and used it as her mobile bed
DD from birth has been a rubbish sleeper so things that could soothe her have been an enormous help. I bought a mobile (off Amazon I think) which is a yellow plastic star and plays three different tunes and projects a moving picture onto the ceiling. She loved it and still loves it now that she is 6.
Other than that, nappies, wipes, muslins (to put under babies head in cot so that when they sick up you can just whip dirty muslin out and put new one under their head rather than changing the sheets), a couple of packs of babygros and vests. You will obviously need a car seat for bringing baby home and something warm to put the baby in if it is winter (padded suit). Don't buy all the paraphanelia right now.

No, you do not need a cot right now. Mine did not go in a cot for ages! No, you do not need a wardrobe, just a few drawers to but babies clothes in. I did get a changing table although plenty of people I know changed on the floor. The table was quite good for storage though as it had shelves underneath.

we didn't buy a lot when we had both of ours. we had quite a big pram and they both slept in that most of the time, no need for a moses basket.

we bought a cot after about 3 months and they slept in it after 4 months because they were sleeping right through the night by then. the cot converts to a small bed so suitable until they are about 5ish.

lots of muslin cloths as they are handy, baby wipes are handy too.

we didn't buy a changing table, changed on the floor or the bed.

we didn't buy a high chair, just used a little chair which strapped to a normal chair when the time came.

we bought a wardrobe at the same time as the cot because we had no furniture in the bedroom so it made sense for us to buy one.

Boobs + nappies + water wipes + sudocrem

That's it!

Oh and breast pads if you're splashing out

Oh and a sling. We had an ergobaby and it was great.

Then you can buy what you need as you go.

What on earth is the point of water wipes? Surely cotton wool dipped in water will do the same job? Or washable wipes...

I couldn't be doing with cotton wool and water. Wipes were easier when changing a pooey bum.

Moses basket was ace, as you can carry around the house (I.e feed in front of the TV, pop in basket, take up to bed when you go. They are in them for 4 months or so, I wouldn't spend more than £100 including stand. Those cribs that are £300 are frankly a huge waste of money if you only plan on using them for the first few months, once.

I bought sleeping bags and DS hated them. We had cellular blankets instead. Hated being swaddled too.

Loads of muslins. They don't need to be larger or fancy or expensive.

This time around I'd really like a dimmer switch on our bedside light. I draped a muzy over it when Night feeding with DS, woke up too many times with DS asleep on my lap and light on with muzy still over it. Fire hazard and not great for DS's safety either but you're knackered so falling asleep sitting up in bed feeding for hours is kinda inevitable.

Second hand sales are great for things you like to try (like sleeping bags or swaddle or slings). You can always order more once you know that it suits you.

Good luck!

Oh you know what? Once they get to the 8 week mark, (or whatever the safe age is) it's ok to use a dummy. Really. It's fine. Saved my sanity and my nipples.

Buy the absolute bare minimums. You can get anything you need in either a 24hour supermarket or on Amazon prime next day delivery. People will buy you lots of things too. You need somewhere for the baby to sleep, a car seat, babygrows, vests, muslins, nappies and feeding stuff if you're not planning to BF. Honestly don't waste your money until you know what your baby is like!

Co sleeper!!!
Muslins
Nappies
Wipes
BISCUITS (for you not baby)
Fab PJs (for you again)
Depending on how you want to feed bottles etc
Or breastpads and I lived in soft stretchy bra things (easy to wap baps out of!)

Netflix

Good point welshweasel, you don't realise that your baby is not going to be exactly like everyone else's baby in their behaviour from the beginning.

Your baby may be able to sleep anywhere or in anything. Yours may be anxious and need to be up against you in a sling all the time. Or they might need constant stimulation, so lots of mobiles and bright colours or whatever.

I had a dreadful sleeper and spent much money on sleep books, sleeping bags and swaddling blankets etc. It was all a waste of money. She still woke up multiple times in the night until she was nearly four years old.

I am still getting over it...

Buy stuff second hand - it's a lot less annoying to waste a fiver than fifty quid on something that never gets used!

Loads of cheap H&M vests. Buy them slightly tighter than normal and they're a bit of support without having to wear nursing bras all the time. Plus, you can pull them down to feed.

DS is 12 weeks.
My essentials for the first few weeks were:

If you're breastfeeding, Barratts nipple cream, I hated lansinoh. Think I got it from asda. Stretchy soft sports bra style crop tops, faaar easier to whack a boob out of than fiddling with poppers and clips.
Water wipes (for early days, but get some reusable cheeky wipes type set up for at home) nappies and weleda calendula nappy rash cream.
Moses basket, grosnug then grobag. Sheepskin.
Terry towelling nappies, bought from amazon, I prefer them to muzy's as burp rags, also to put under baby's bum when changing. Multifunctional and if I ever run out of nappies, I've got them as back up.
MAM dummies, they come in a microwavable sterilising packet.

But my absolute best buy has to be... www.amazon.co.uk/Idealeben-Upgraded-Children-Dimmable-Soothers/dp/B01DDCUPTC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1487792813&sr=8-7&keywords=night+light&tag=mumsnetforum-21
I keep it on all night, it's dim enough to not be a bother but you can see baby to check on them, and goes bright enough to change bums or read a book.

Bodum travel mug for you. Prevents spills and you can actually have a hot drink hours after you first made it! Invest in a long charger lead, babies fall asleep at funny angles, and being on 6% at the beginning of a nap is no joke.

Angel care nappy bin! It's brilliant. Keeps the smell in and you change it once a week :)