Newborn essentials. What you really need.
It can be so overwhelming when you have a baby to not think you need a wipe warmer and every singing and dancing toy going to pacify your baby all hours of the day.
The truth is shops wanna sell, but do you actually need it? I found we didn’t need a lot, I learnt that from doing without but also from having things that went unused or made the house feel cluttered. So, I hope this helps.
In many areas we need to re-train our brain because we are told that our baby needs a specific baby towel, or you need a baby backpack or a breastfeeding pillow, those things are often no more useful because they have ‘baby’ in front of them than the towel in your closet, the backpack you may already use of the pillow on your bed.
Just to say this is our/my opinion, of course, it won’t be the same for everyone!
Things we definitely needed and have LOVED
Co-sleeping crib
If you’d asked me one thing I would definitely need before I had Heppy, our first, I would have said a Moses’ basket- and so we got one; a beautiful vintage bargain from gumtree only to be used a handful of times and still in our attic collecting dust. The Moses basket just didn’t work for us, I was in a lot of pain post-birth with my stitches and so sitting up every hour of the night to feed-resettle- reach in-lift out, was becoming more and more impossible. Some friends had given us a co-sleeping crib they’d used and so we gave it a go.. game over….I was sold on it. The ease of just reaching across in the night and latching them on, or reaching across to give them a gentle pat was far simpler, far less painful and far more ticking my post-birth maternal instincts of wanting to be as close as possible to my babies. I have no idea which one we have, and while co-sleeping is not for everyone, FB marketplace is full of great second-hand ones to take a look at!
Sling/ Ergo Baby
We started with a solly baby wrap I found secondhand on gumtree when both the babies were tiny and it served us perfectly to keep them as womblike as possible! When they were about two months we moved them into an ergo carrier which I found far quicker and easier to put on. Heppy still sometimes goes in the ergo, its versatile and durable and made well. There are lots up for grabs on FB and ebay, so you don’t even need to buy this new but we were gifted ours new and they make a perfect gift for a first time family! I love the ergo because they can be worn so many ways depending on needs and there is a newborn insert too.
Reusable nappies/nappies
Starting with cloth nappies can feel overwhelming but honestly, I wish I’d gone for it sooner. We had a bad experience when I’d had Heppy in that I’d bought a job lot of secondhand cloth nappies from FB marketplace and was excited to go for it but what I didn’t realise was that I’d been sold them with all the elastic gone. I assumed cloth didn’t work for us and I moved on to Naty nappies. These worked for us but I knew I was just creating so so much waste and our taking ALOT of our money. It wasn’t until a few conversations with friends that I gave it another go about 6 months before Heppy potty trained, but, it wasn’t until we had Moses that we really got into the swing of things. Our favourites are the Tots bots bamboozle stretch nappies with wraps- tots bots are made in the UK, and we find these best for fit too, as well as bumgenius elementals. My favourite disposable nappy brands are: Naty and Pingo
If you are new to cloth nappying, The nappy lady is great to find out what might be a good fit for you, especially before you invest.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is used for just about everything in our home! Why buy multiple products when you can buy one that does everything? We use this for head to toe moisturisation, a little snack if they need it (aka when they delve their hands into it post-bath) and it’s good for nappy rash and cradle cap, plus….cooking, baking and a ton of other things! Babies don’t necessarily need anything on their skin post-birth but with both of ours we have decided to put this on their skin early on!
Car seat
We got given a car seat- I know some people have issues around sharing car seats regarding safety. I am blessed to have use of the car in the daytime with the kids which means we can explore and meet friends which was key for my mental health in those early newborn days so for us having a car seat was super necessary. If I was choosing now and buying new I would be looking for something that is free of flame retardant and waterproofing chemicals. Products from Nuna are a good option.
Clothes
I was so blessed to be handed on a ton of beautiful baby clothes when I had Heppy. There were a few other basics I needed- mainly babygrows which I bought secondhand from ebay, and a handful of things we needed new which I bought from some of our favourite brands at the time and because I was excited to be able to choose a few special things that I knew I would be able to keep and pass on to future babies!
I have saved searches on eBay for my favourite brands if I am looking for something in particular. Eg. I know the basic organic cotton baby grows from Marks and spencers are good, so I will look for those and save a search to get notified if anyone lists them in the size I am looking for. This saves time scrolling through to find what I need. Take a look at this post I wrote about shopping secondhand to find some other tips!
Some things we really valued having were 8 or so plain baby grows/vests and a number of plain of sleepsuits (we lived in these the first few months), a few hats/bonnets, 2-3 cardigans/jumpers and a sleepsack.
Some brands I absolutely LOVE for baby clothes when buying new are (I am mainly looking for clothes that are organic and ethically made): Dilling, The Simple Folk, Frugi, Pigeon Organics, Organic Zoo
Somewhere to place them
This may come under the optional list for many, especially if you have a baby carrier but I found that with a second baby in particular I was always looking for somewhere to put them down! We bought this baby bjorn bouncer second hand when we had Heppy and we recommend it to everyone we know! It is so lightweight, non-bulky, can be folded down and has three levels it can go on! Ultimately a blanket or a cushion on a floor works great but this was an even better solution for us!
White noise app
We have accrued hundreds of hours on this app. White noise for us means we can carry on as life as usual without having to worry if someone will wake the baby. There is many variations to white noise and the free app we have on our phone works great and we can use anything from ocean waves to brown noise (yes brown noise)! It also works as a great signal that it’s sleep time when we put it on. We use this one.
They’re optional but we have used/use:
Dummies-
Dummies are one of the things I said we’d never use before we had babies but then have definitely gone on to use and have been a blessing to us! Hevea dummies are my top choice (they are all rubber and made without phtalates or heavy metals) , but neither Heppy or Moses would ever take them so instead we ended up using Bibs dummies and have given them to both our kids for sleep times post 4 weeks old.
Breast pump-
If you’ve read any of my breastfeeding story you may know that I exclusively pumped for Heppy and am all too familiar with the breast pump (you can read about that here). I tried SO many- you can read my review of the Elvie pump here (I didn’t get on with it and judging by the comments on that particular post I’m not sure anyone else got on with it either!) I would recommend the medela pump, single probably if you’re not planning to pump a lot, and double if you are! I got mine secondhand in New Zealand whilst travelling when all three of my pumps broke on me…you can buy them here, borrow or buy secondhand. Of course whether a pump is a necessity or not depends completely on your situation, your supply, and the needs of your baby. For Heppy it was a necessity for Moses I’ve not had to use one!
Baby soap-
We didn’t use soap on Moses for the first few months, but now we use a little bit of Dr Bronners Castille soap- this is the only soap we have used on the kids and Joseph and I use this one too- it is unscented and has a ton of uses!
Baby monitor
We actually decided not to use a monitor with Heppy- but our house at the time was relatively small and so we didn’t need to. We have the BT audio monitor this time around and I would recommend it as it means I’m not always second-guessing whether he’s crying or not and helps when I’m playing with Heppy or outside to know if he’s woken up! There are lots available on FB marketplace or why not ask a friend to borrow one?
Baby toys
Here are a few of our favourites toy brands but remember, kids, are as easily impressed with the things you can already find around your house.
Bottles:
I exclusively pumped for Heppy so bottles did end up being essential whereas they haven’t been for Moses so it totally depends on how you plan to feed your baby/how they get on with feeding. We tried SO many including these ones from hevea that would of been my top choice again because they were in glass and the teat was all natural rubber, but Heppy wouldn’t take from them. We ended up with the glass bottles from Lansinoh. After 100’s of pounds spent they were the only bottles we could get Heppy to take. There have been many great natural bottles released since I was feeding Heppy too so do some research!
Nappy Cream:
It’s easy to make your own- some babies get nappy rash- others don’t hence why it’s in the not completely necessary list. I remember being given so many pots of Sudocrem when I had Heppy- and they all sat there unopened. There’s a ton of great recipes via google, but we always have this Calendula one from Weleda to hand.
Blanket/swaddle-
Use one you already have, or may have been passed on. If buying new, Little Beacon blankets are my favourite and make a perfect newborn gift.
Bath seat:
A sink or an empty tub work great for a bath so these aren’t a necessity. We did get one of these angelcare seats for £5 off FB marketplace in the early days because Heppy loved being able to bath with him! We also love this hevea no-slip bath mat for when they’re a little older.
Buggy:
If I lived in London this would probably be on the ‘definitely need’ list but, I feel like a mix of living in the middle of nowhere and it being lockdown I have used the buggy only a handful of times with Moses. Buggies are a very personal choice and massively depend on your needs eg. are you going off road or do you need one for the city. We were given an uppababy vista used by four families before us and served it’s purpose so well- we LOVED it for durability but it was definitely on the bulkier side. For Moses we got a secondhand uppbaby (I can’t remember what brand) we’re not wild about it- but we use it very rarely. If I was buying new I’d be looking into what materials the buggy is made from and where, which can easily end up being pricey- so secondhand was the best route for us!