Newborn essentials list

[Amyjay19]

First time mum looking for things that made the first few weeks/months of babies life a lot easier I'm not sure what I need and what is a waste of money.. currently 28 weeks and stressing that I haven't got everything I need yet!! What big items are essential (already have the pram/car seat changing table and cot)
And what little things made life easier for mum and baby.. thanks in advance🙏🏼

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This thread is a little old now so some of the suggestions may be out of date, but if you’ve landed here looking for the ultimate baby essentials checklist, we’ve recently updated our newborn essentials article with the must-haves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

Tons of muslins
Downstairs changing mat and caddy with nappies etc in
Lavender oil and milk baths for healing
Maternity pads - several packets
Breast pads

Adaptors for car seat to fix into buggy for quick and short hops in and out the car
Feeding cushion
Baby swing/bouncer

This nappy caddy was - and still is - a lifesaver! I got one for upstairs and then one for downstairs. Put nappies, nappy bags, sudocrem, muslins, change of outfit for the day, anything else you need like Calpol and you are all set up for the day and have everything to hand!

Yueshop Grey Felt Baby Diaper Caddy Nursery Storage Wipes Bag Nappy Organizer Container (Grey) amzn.eu/d/hWSglVA

DD is 3 now and one of them holds all her pants and socks, and the other is full of all her asthma inhalers, nail clippers, hair bands and brush etc to get her ready in the morning for nursery. So useful!

Also this nappy backpack:

Nappy Changing Backpack, RUVALINO Multifunction Baby Diaper Bag Travel Back Pack with Changing Mat for Mom and Dad (Grey) amzn.eu/d/gffiJjY

By far the most useful nappy bag we had!

I also absolutely SWEAR by Cheeky Wipes. They are cloth wipes that you wash at home and WAY more effective at cleaning baby up than the piddly little baby wipes you can buy.

Reusable Baby Wipe Kit - 25 WHITE COTTON PREMIUM Cloth Wipes, 15x15cm with Fresh soaking box, Mucky soaking box & Fresh and Mucky essential oil soaking solutions, 10ml (Lav & Cham, Teatree & Teatree Lemon) amzn.eu/d/4unyUUV

Cheeky Wipes seem expensive but you'll end up buying 2-4 packs of baby wipes a week for years and years, so it will save money in the long run.

Netflix subscription 😂
Cloth wipes 100% - I’ve never bought a pack of wipes and she’s nearly 2.
Sling/carrier.
Gentle sleep book by Sarah ockwell smith.

I'd recommend a baby sleeping pod instead of a moses basket. Both my babies hated the moses basket. With the first bany, I ended up spending £130 on a sleepyhead but with my new back I got a clevamama one from Aldi for £30 and he loves it so you don't need to spend a fortune. It's a good safe place to put them down, we have one upstairs and one downstairs.

• baby!!!!

I used a Moses basket a lot. A cot didn't get used for 6 months with us but even then,I ended up cosleeping.
If you intend on breastfeeding I would also have a hand pump or haaka bottle in case you want your partner to do a feed or two whilst you are recovering or getting some sleep. Or to help because when my milk came in my breast was absolutely rock solid and my breast was absolutely ginormous for my baby to feed and so I expressed for a little while either to feed milk from bottle or to reduce the pressure in my boob before letting baby latch.

Cellular blankets for swaddling.

A baby bouncer seat. My granny bought it from Lidl and was absolutely basic as they come, no mechanical element etc and I thought it'd be crap but actually it was fantastic. They don't need to be all singing and dancing to do the job.

Pram with carrycot

Oh and more sanitary pads thank you think you'll need. You bleed for a while.

For you:

1. Maternity pads and lots of them (Got mine Abena from Amazon but lil-ets from supermarket are also good)
2. Bath salts (to help with healing, I used expert midwife)
3. Thermal cup for bedside (overnight feeds are soooo much easier with a hot cup of tea!)
4. Snacks for your bedside again for overnight feeds to help keep your energy levels up (dried fruits, nuts, sweets, chocolate)
5. Nipple cream and Breast pads (essentials if you're BF)
6. Loose comfortable pjs or lounge wear

For Baby:

1. Moses basket/Next to me crib
2. Cellular blankets
3. Baby bath
4. White noise
5. Sleep bag/swaddle bag
6. Muslin cloths
7. A good baby flannel for the bath and super soft hooded towel
8. If you formula feed a perfect prep machine makes life so much easier
9. Lots of plain vests and baby grows that you're happy to throw away if needs be! Be prepared for lots of baby sick! (and poop)
10. Anti-colic bottles/ mixture of teet sizes if formula feeding
11. If BF.- nipple shields/electric Breast pumps are worth the money!

Things I got but think were a waste of money:

1. Tommy Tippee Special nappy bin - never used it
2. Scratch mitts - they never stay on (baby grows with fold over hands are better)
3. Lots of expensive bubble baths and baby toiletries, honestly aveeno calm bath and talc are only things I've used none of the hundreds of Johnson's bedtime this and that etc.
4. Sudacrem, thick, sticks like shit and can't clean out of all the crevices, Epaderm is so much better and you can get it online or from boots.

Saline spray and nose frieda.

I had a baby chair of some sort in almost every room! Particularly loved the Joie Wish bouncer. The Baby Bjorn bouncer is amazing once baby is a couple of months old although ridiculously expensive. Worth every penny imo but see if you can find one on Facebook marketplace or vinted.

Would also highly recommend the Dripex extra large playpen if you’ve got the space for it. We got ours when baby was about 6 months old and still use it every day now he’s 16 months. Not a newborn essential by any means but a great investment for when they get a bit more mobile!

Also loved the Love To Dream Swaddle Up

Congratulations!

Fridamom do cooling pads for your vulva. You snap them then stick them in your pants. They are amazing!

If breastfeeding a haakaa was good

I gave away my small muslins and bought big 120cm square ones as they were more versatile.

Jumping on the bandwagon with cheeky wipes but I wished I had just cut up an old towel and bought the box and essential oil as the wipes are quite expensive. They are effective though. They are good with cloth nappies as well. I think baba and boo are the best cloth nappies I have tried.

I bought a second hand baby swing (joie serina swivel) which is great as it rocks, swings and plays music. Absolute godsend.

Zippy babygrows are the best by the way. So much quicker and easier than poppers.