Newborn - must haves

[Bunny2021]

Hi everyone - I'm sure this has been asked so many times but I'm a first time mum and feeling slightly overwhelmed by everything we supposedly 'need' to purchase.

My husband and I have a shopping appointment at Mamas & Papas and I don't want to feel pushed into buying stuff we don't need.

It would be great if everone could share their must buy items for their babies - particularly summer babies (due July).

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This thread is a little old now so some of the suggestions may be out of date, but if you’ve landed here looking for the ultimate baby essentials checklist, we’ve recently updated our newborn essentials article with the must-haves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

Not much.

Somewhere to sleep
Pushchair/pram
Sling
Baby clothes
Blankets
Nappies
Wipes
Somewhere to put their clothes but this doesn't need to be baby specific

If FF bottles and milk

Perfect prep machine if formula feeding. Breastfeeding didn’t happen for us despite best efforts and I wish I’d bought this earlier.

I wish someone had told me I didn’t need clothes in every size, just alternate sizes as there’s so little different in sizing.

Car seat, if you have a car. This should be bought new but most of the other stuff can be got second hand, don't feel you have to buy it all new (and m&p is quite pricey)

I'd add muslins, nappy cream and baby lotion to Herc's excellent list - but yeah, not much.

We had a shopping appointment at John Lewis and it was bloody awful - I came away convinced we needed tonnes of stuff and then started worrying about it.

You don't- they basically just need you.

So take it all with a pinch of salt and remember they're there to make you spend money.

Travel:
Group 0+ or I-size car seat
Lie flat pushchair and/or sling

Sleep:
Moses basket/crib/cot/cotbed
Mattress
3x sheets
3x blankets (I like cellular blankets personally)

Clothing:
10x vests
10x babygrows
3x cardigans
Hat

Feeding:
(Breast) - breast pads, 3x nursing bras, Lansinoh
(Bottle) - 6x bottles, sterilising unit, formula of choice
8x muslin squares

Bathing/changing:
Bath support (optional but my absolute must have!)
Change mat
Newborn nappies
Wipes

Everything else is optional really and tbh you could probably pull it in some more if you really wanted too! Don't forget the shops will still be there afterwards so don't feel like you have to get everything in one go - I learnt with my second to buy as we needed otherwise so much would have gone to waste. She would not be put down so the bouncer and play gym we already had were never used by her, total bottle refusing breastfed baby and we used the sling WAY more than the pushchair for the first year or so 🙄

You don’t need a change table, I had a mat which I put on the bed or floor. Obviously if you want one that’s different but don’t be pushed into buying one.

Also you don’t need nursery furniture. You just need furniture. I got a lovely chest of drawers from IKEA.

Vests and babygros
More maternity pads and knickers then you think.
Don’t buy 100s of nappies as your baby may not get on with one particular brand. Although Aldi nappies are good.

Think about where you are going to store a pram and what you need it for/size of car. If you are just doing city walks or live in a flat you may want something smaller and more foldable than if you live in the middle of nowhere and are walking over rough ground every day.

Buy a sling, I had a close caboo which I really liked.

I asked a friend for some recommendations... the list I got was:

Apparatus:

• Pram
• Car seat
• Somewhere safe for baby to sleep (crib next to bed, baby box, whatever)
• One of those baby pod things (for resting, changing, tummy time, etc)
• a Baby Bath

Supplies tips:

• Baby clothes / bibs
• As many Muslin cloths as you can buy
• Nappies
• Bepanthen nappy cream
• Vaseline / E45
• Lansinoh breast pads & cream
• "Water Wipes" or large cotton wool pads you can soak in water to clean bum

NHS also have a good link I had a read through... much less sales pitchy than what shops / the internet would have you believe!

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/caring-for-a-newborn/what-you-will-need-for-your-baby/

I would add a couple things to what others have already said:

Baby bath support
Dummies
A sling
Baby sleeping bag (we found much better than swaddling after about a month) we just bought the supermarket ones and they’re ideal.

None of these are really essential for a new baby but they became essential and invaluable to us for our baby!

People will probably buy you a lot of things, especially clothes so really don’t buy too many. And don’t bother with fancy outfits for tiny babies. My DD is 4 months and probably 4 days out of 7 just wears a sleep suit!

This is my list-apologies I can't remove the ticks as I have copied and pasted and I haven't listed clothes or nursery furniture as we are just using hand me downs and furniture we already own :)

◦	Next to me Cot 
◦	Cot mattress + sheets
✓	Baby sleeping bags 
✓	High chair 
✓	Baby monitor 
✓	Seatbelt extender 
✓	Bottles 
✓	Baby bath
✓	Clothes
✓	muslin cloths 
✓	Swinging chair
✓	Pram
✓	Steriliser
✓	Perfect prep
✓	Sling
✓	Moses basket
✓	Cot 
✓	Car seat
✓	Prep filters
✓	Milk pots

◦	Nappies
◦	Wipes
◦	Infacol 
◦	Calpol 
◦	Nail clippers/brush etc 
◦	Baby toiletries 
✓	Changing bag 

✓	Activity mat/baby gym 

For me.
◦ Maternity pads
✓ New PJs/nighty
✓ Big knickers

Cheeky wipes are a good alternative to baby wipes if you're environmentally conscious. There are other brands too. We've used them with both and love them.

I'm a very lone voice on these threads but I used muslins approx twice with 2 kids. If you have a sicky baby they are brilliant though.

Nappy cream we found the yellow metanium best. We were advised to use nothing until a rash appeared and not use barrier cream.

A bath is useful. If you have a bath in your house one of those stands that goes in the bath is good.

Thanks everyone - so useful to have this list. Definitely feel more prepared to be able to say we can think about things rather than we definitely need something!

I’d buy a basic amount of everything and then see how you go. I would say muslins as a must have because I had two very sicky babies but others would say they didn’t use them. I couldn’t live without an isofix base but others would say not because you can just use the seatbelt. Don’t feel like you have to have a house full of stuff on day one! X

I would add a baby chair of some sort (some bounce and some swing) for baby to chill in when you have things to do like hoover or shower. I found it really useful for the first few months and she'd happily sit in it and watch me cook etc

My baby is a week old now. If you’re breastfeeding you must buy Lansinoh nipple cream, one for every room in the house, it’s amazing.

Also lots of crib sheets, muslins, and basic vests and babygrows so you’re not doing washing constantly if you have a sicky baby. I wouldn’t get these from mammas and papas though - George at Asda at M&S do really good basics.

The only thing I would add, it isn’t really essential but I found having a couple so useful. Giant muslin/large swaddle, never used it for swaddling but was so versatile. Rarely used the smaller muslin squares, covers a larger area on you if baby spits, I would use it to cover myself when breastfeeding and it could be used as a blanket if too hot for an actual blanket/too cold for nothing - perfect.

These lists are brilliant! I’ve just joined mumsnet and so pleased I did! Thanks for the advice

I agree with @DramaBanana1, giant swaddle muslins are amazing!

We used ours as a blanket in the cooler months, as a mat to put them down on, as a comforter, for a quick cover up (they make good energency coveralls for weaning) - now my 8 year old uses them to make dens and for all the same stuff with her doll 😁

Very little is essential

Car Seat
Pram
Sling (not for everyone but I liked them)
Moses basket, crib or cot
Bedding
Mattress protector for babies bed and yours
Muslin clothes
Feeding equipment
Steriliser
Breast pump if BF
A dozen sleep suits and vests
Jacket
Blanket for the pram weather depending
Nappies
Wipes
Sponge bath support used in normal bath rather than a baby bath
Body wash and shampoo
Nappy cream
Changing mat (we changed them on the floor, mine could roll from birth and you can't fall off the floor!)

In a few months
Bumbo seat (these are very marmite)
High chair (we had one without a tray that was used at the table)
Lightweight buggy

@EvilOnion what a great idea, I know what I’ll be doing this weekend with my 4 year old.

I have a made a very thorough spreadsheet with all of our 'to buys' on there. You certainly don't need everything but we started buying early and in sales etc to allow us to get most of it:

Sleeping :

Next2Me Crib
Next2Me fitted sheet
Cellular blankets
Sleeping bag x1
Nightlight
Thermometer
Cot bed mattress
Cot bed waterproof cover/sheets/blankets
Baby monitor
Mobile

Feeding (i plan on combi feeding)

Bottles
Steriliser
Milton tablets
Breast pump – manual
Milk storage bags
Collection Shells/Hakaa
Bottle Brush
Perfect Prep
Bibs
Milton wipes
Ready-made formula (for hospital)
Bottle warmer (thermos)
Dummy steriliser
Muslins
Dummy & dummy clip

Changing/Bath:

Changing mat
Nappies
Nappy cream
Baby bath
Hooded towel
Baby wipes
Nappy bags
Change bag
Bath thermometer
Sponges
Baby bubble bath
Nappy bin
Cotton Wool
Washcloths
Brush
Thermometer
Nail Clippers
infacol
Newborn medicine - calpol etc
Nasal aspirator
Baby lotion

Playtime :

Bouncer
Play mat
Spiral toy
Ewan sheep
Baby nest
Comforters
Sophie the giraffe

Clothing

Sleepsuits (5-7 of each size up to 3-6months)
Vests (5-7 of each size up to 3-6months)
Scratch mitts
Socks
Cardigan x 2
Hats (sun hats and baby hat)
Rompers (summer baby)

Travel

Car seat
Pram
Car seat blanket
Sheet for carrycot (moses basket)
Car sun blinds
Baby carrier

Postpartum/Hospital Bag

Fybogel
Maternity pads
High cotton briefs (c-section)
Bio oil / vitamin e cream
Long charger cable
Comfy bottoms/soft waistband
Nighties - long/strappy
Nursing bras/pads
Painkillers

Nursery :

Cotbed
Wardrobe
Chest of drawers

Hope this helps :)

Some good lists here. Essentially I would say that newborns don't need very much! You can get many items second hand for very good quality- some stuff will hardly be used as baby might not like it etc. We got moses (bought new mattress and bedding) and pram second hand. Things like baby gym, rocker chair and carrier (Eg. Baby Bjorn,) are very good but we didn't use until 6 wks plus.

Another vote for cheeky wipes and sleeping bags.

Our baby is due in May. (FTM)
So far we have:
Moses basket,
car seat,
Baby carrier,
Nappies (cloth and disposable for first two weeks)
Nappy cream
Nappy sacks
Sleepsuits newborn = 4 (built in scratch mitts) all clothes from basics at this stage nothing frilly or tricky to do up.
Sleepsuits 0-3 months = 6 (built in scratch mitts)
Vests newborn = 2
Vests 0-3 months = 10
Babygrows 0-3 months = 3
Summer thin rompers 0-3 months = 2
Socks and booties
Hats two warm and two summer bonnets
Cardigan 0-3 months = 3
Swaddles (giant swaddle muslins Aden and Anais) = 5
Baby blanket for car seat
Change mat
Change bag
Fabric wipes and disposable wipes
Baby nail file
Euan sheep (white noise machine)
Baby lotion and shampoo
Nasal aspirator
Saline nasal spray
Breast pump
Baby bjorn chair second hand from eBay

Still to get: bottles and steriliser

Later/after birth we will get a stroller and a cot

Think about what you will need to make you comfortable when your baby is here, as well as all the other things above.
What do you need to look after you?

Freezer meals are always handy - the first couple of weeks are a bit mad, so anything to make things easier.
A support network.
Get big housework and DIY jobs out of the way (big jobs that you don't want to be doing when baby is here).
Netflix/online streaming services up to date!
Bins in every loo in your house - extra pads
Comfy clothes!
Things that make you feel better.

As above, very few things are actually essential. The rest you can buy later. Family and friends, if you have them, will want to buy you things.

Amazon prime - anything you don't have can be ordered quickly.

Newborns really don't need much, I wasted so much money buying things in advance.

What I found I didn't need:

Don't bother buying hats, they shouldn't wear them at home. just get one for the hosp and maybe a clean one for travelling home.

Teddies etc a waste as they can't be in the cot and no doubt you will be gifted A LOT of them as well as comforters.

Baby monitor, sleeps in with you for the first 6 months so unless you are putting in a different room for naps there's not much point getting this straight away.

Clothes in lots of sizes, just buy as you need.

Bubble bath and things, best to use just water for a while.

Breast pumps and bottles etc - I'd wait until you see how breastfeeding goes if that's the route you want to go down. Feeding things can be ordered and delivered quickly. But have an idea of what you might want so you don't have to research with a newborn and get panicked.

My must-haves are:

Nappies, changing mat, baby wipes and nappy cream.
Bath support (I had the Angelcare one - made bathing much easier)
Pram, car seat, sling
Muslin cloths, baby thermometer, baby bouncer, cellular blankets, bedside crib
Clothes - hats, babygrows, bodysuits, cardigans
If bottle feeding at all - bottles, steriliser and bottle brush

You might find the website www.getgetgot.com useful. It's got everything you might need for a baby in order of popularity so you can see really easily what you actually need. There is so much stuff out there that you really can do without!!