What do I actually need for a newborn?

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Feeling slightly overwhelmed and under prepared! What are the essentials I actually need? There’s just so much stuff!

Babygros, vests, hat, nappies, cotton wool, somewhere for it to sleep, blanket.
Car seat if you plan on putting it in a car
Bottles + formula if you are bottle feeding

Something to wear
Something to eat
Somewhere to sleep

Everything else is just extras!

www.babycentre.co.uk/a559809/buying-for-baby-what-you-really-need

My top list is
Cot
Pram
Few sleepsuits and vests in each size
Bottles and sterilizer if your bottle feeding
Baby first aid kit
Everything else is just additional extras i haven't even bought a bouncer or playmat or anything yet as its the sort of thing you can order for next day delivery if and when they need it

Pram!
Some clothes
Nappies + wipes
Bouncer

• New car seat (obviously only if you are planning to travel anywhere by car!)
• Something for baby to sleep in, could be a moses basket to start or a cot- plenty available second hand but make sure you get a new mattress whatever you buy.
• A pram. Lots of people say just to get a sling now, but I found a pram so useful! Plenty available second hand to be honest, and a travel system with both a bassinet as well will last even longer.
• Clothes- vests, sleepsuits, hats, mittens, pram suit if due in winter are all you really need in the beginning. I bought lots of trousers and tops, but sleepsuits were just so much easier in the early days! Supermarkets are reasonably priced, or again, plenty available second hand. I would just get enough sets so that you aren't washing all of the time, maybe 6?
• Muslin cloths. Lots of them, and they don't need to be the pricey ones to be good.
• Other bits- a baby bath (but no rush, they recommend washing with water and cotton wool to start with), newborn nappies and wipes, a bouncer is worthwhile so you can put them down safely, milk and bottles if you're planning on formula feeding- probably a steriliser too and maybe a PP machine, blanket or sleeping bag.

It sounds a lot, but I bought most second hand and it wasnt too bad. With things like prime and next day deliveries you can get stuff as you need it as well.

Also nail clippers or scissors! It's surprising how quickly they grow, and we cut them for the first time when he was a few days old as he wouldn't keep his mittens on.

Thank you! I’ve just been staring at endless websites in utter panic!
Does anyone recommend any good muslins?

Are you overthinking this? I don’t recall any muslins being bad. They’re just cloths to throw over your shoulder and wipe up a bit of sick. My kids are big now but I’m sure I had supermarket muslins and John Lewis ones over the years and there was no big difference.

Amazon do packs of muslins - branded muslinz.
They are brilliant. My nearly 4 year old still uses his as a comforter and we’ve bought more for the baby.

Cheap ones! I bought them from Asda and they have washed absolutely fine. I have since cut them into smaller pieces and use them to take my make up off and rewash, so they have lasted well

There’s very little you can’t buy from a 24 hour supermarket or get delivered next day from amazon.

Car seat
Somewhere to sleep
Babygrows, vests, hat
Blankets
Nappies
Wet wipes
Bottles/formula/steriliser if not breastfeeding
Muslins

I can’t think of any other essentials. You can get everything else as required once baby here.

Dont forget some bum cream. Makes it easier to clean to poop off too.

Dont forget some bum cream. Makes it easier to clean to poop off too.

I'd add a thermometer (in ear is best) and a sling to your list.

Nappies, a milion vests and babygros, muslins, car seat snd boobd.

Plus

A supportive partner.

That's all.

Boobs, not boobd!

Best muslins I've had have been from Aldi.

My babies had cast iron stomachs. I used the muslins in the kitchen.

Cot
Pram
Car seat
Wipes
Nappies
Babygros
Vests
Nipple cream
Blankets
Cot sheets
Hat
Changing mat
Sudocream
Cotton wool
Hand cream (you will never have washed your hands as much)
Good feeding bras
Love in spades

Lots available 2nd hand and pillowcases make the perfect sheets for prams/moses baskets.

Most people disagree with this but I had a changing table and found it bloody marvellous. £40 2nd hand. Now a handy thing with three shelves and used for potting on bedding plants in the shed!

I think others have mainly covered it. Don't bother with outfits, they just ride up and get in the way in my experience - babygros all the way! I don't think anyone has mentioned a feeding cushion - I'm glad I got mine.

Also, either kitchen roll or those absorbent pads for changing - my DD had a propensity for weeing EVERYWHERE as soon as her nappy came off until she was 3/4 months old, and a few precautionary layers of kitchen roll under the bum avoided an absolute pee flood on many an occasion.

Yes, don't worry about playmat, bouncer, nail clippers, dummies, posh changing bags (old rucksack will do), sling, white noise machines, outfits, teething toys, new clothes for youetc for the first few weeks. Ditto a pump, or bottles and formula of you'd like to try breastfeeding. People buy you things and you can buy anything in a big 24 hour supermarket that you'll need desperately. Amazon prime for next day delivery can be a lifesaver if you have it (or ask a friend or family member for their log in for a bit!)

If you have a:
Pram
Someone for him or her to sleep
Babygros
Vest
Hat
Blanket
Muslins (I only had a few, didn't have a sicky baby)
Nappies and wipes

You'll survive the first few weeks. Then you can start thinking about what you need, or want to make your life easier.

I did the opposite. Bought a load of stuff that was a complete waste and cringe now about it!

Baby due in the spring here. Heres my current list if helpful. We are trying to buy items that last ie going straight to cot, pram suitable newborn to toddler etc.

Travel

• Car seat
• Pram
• Blanket
• Sling

Sleep

• Cot
• swaddles 120 x120 - x2
• cot sheets x2 + mattress protector

Clothes

• Baby grows and vests x5 - newborn and 0-3
• Cardigan x2 - 0-3
• hat x2
• Chest of drawers

Changing

• Changing mat
• Reusable Nappies x15
• Reusable wipes

Feeding (hoping to breastfeed)

• Small Bottles x2
• Dummies -2
• Muslin cloths

Extra

• Bouncer

If baby is extra pukey or extra large/small we will buy extra after once we know. We haven't started buying anything from the list yet, just seeing types we like and will probably get most in any xmas sales.

Ah the old pram vs sling debate. We didn’t use the pushchair very much at all until DS was 5 months or so. It’s only since he hit 10kg that we’ve used it semi-frequently. We definitely could have coped without for the first weeks/months. A good soft structured sling (Ergo, Tula Etc) is a godsend IMO and easy enough that partners, grandparents etc. Can use it. My dad still takes DS (14mo) out for dog walks in the Tula several times per week.

Muslinz or Bright Bots are really absorbent. We used them as nappies for the first few weeks, until our one size cloth nappies fitted so they can definitely cope with sick.

Would you consider cloth wipes? Cotton wool gets stuck to poo, leaves bits all over the place and is generally a ballache. Cloth wipes (basically small flannels) are much better at cleaning poo and can be chucked into a normal baby wash at 40/60.

Definitely just buy a couple of packs of sleepsuits and vests. You can order more once baby is here and you have a better idea of what size you’ll need. DS pretty much went straight into 0-3. I wish I hadn’t bothered buying too many newborn bits in advance.

You won’t need as many hats as you think you will. They don’t need a hat indoors after the first 24 hours so you’ll only use them on trips out. We had about 10 and probably only needed 2.

I'd also go for cloth wipes, so much more absorbent and easy than disposable wipes which only smear poo around until youve gone through 40 of the things

Unlike a pp, I think you do need a pram and a sling if you want to eat out - and you may do a lot in the first few weeks if you have a partner on pat leave. Trying to eat a hot meal over a baby in a sling is not a good idea!