A few soon-to-be mums have asked this question recently in some forums I am in, so I thought I would post about what I think are essential items for a newborn. Other than clothing, nappies and wipes, these are the items that I found were most used in the first few months after Little E’s arrival. I would suggest to start with the basics, and if need be, you could always get some more things as you go.
- A cot with mattress, a mattress protector and a fitted sheet. Depending on the season (and so, temperature) you will also need a blanket.
- A vibrating bouncer chair – this was a godsend for us, as Little E suffered a little bit of gas. Just the way he was lying down on it, he got relief and he would fall asleep comfortably on this. When he was a little fussy at night and wouldn’t sleep, we would just put the vibrate on, and that soothed him.
- As I have mentioned in my post about this. we didn’t use a bassinet for when we’re downstairs. Instead, we tucked Little E on one of these.
- A baby bath – more comfortable than bathing your little one in the sink or big people’s bath 🙂
- A glider chair – I love my glider chair, I still use it now, as it allows me to sit comfortably while breastfeeding. It is important, as it used to take Little E almost 1 hour to feed!
- Muslim swaddling wraps – I love using thin muslim wraps as I found they’re easier to use (not as stiff and bulky). Since they’re thin, they also don’t take long to dry after I wash them. This is important if you don’t want to buy too many and you have a blurpy baby 🙂
- A towel and a washcloth – this is pretty self-explanatory?
- A change table – I didn’t actually like to use this for the first few months, I prefer to do all nappy/clothes changing on the floor, as I didn’t need to then be confined to one spot (wherever the table is) to change him
- A pram/stroller – another self-explanatory item?
- A carseat – make sure that it is fitted correctly. If you’re in Australia, you can actually get the store you buy it from to fit them, or ring Kidsafe to help for a small fee
- A nappy bag – most standard nappy bags comes with a changing mat. I still use the mat that came with my nappy bag, even though I don’t use the bag as often
- Sudocream or any other anti nappy rash solution
Financially, I suggest not to buy everything new nor buy the items marketed specifically for babies. Like towels, for example, I personally have no qualms just using one of our normal towels. Little E wouldn’t care if his towels have cute patterns or if it’s pink 😛 I do prefer to buy bedding and the car seat new, however, most other items, if weren’t already gifted by family and friends, I bought second-hand.
In regards to clothes, it all depends on the season that your newborn arrives. Mine came in summer, so he either just had nappies on then swaddled, or he would have a singlet. I was given about 2 dozens of them, plus loads of onesies. If yours is coming in winter, I would also suggest warmer clothes plus some mittens, socks and beanies.
If you know of any expecting parents, please do refer them to this post. I hope that it is helpful to them in preparing for the little one’s arrival 🙂 I also wouldn’t mind if you would comment on what things were essential for you when you first brought home your newborn.
The Unicorn Mum 