When you’re pregnant and trying to decide what you need to get ready for the baby, it can be very overwhelming.  There’s a lot (a LOT) of baby gear out there.  Some things are important, some things are nice, and some things will just be a waste of your money and space.  We have a tiny house and a not much bigger budget, so I really tried to keep the gear to a minimum.  I was going to make a fancy collage with a bunch of links for you, but it felt like a lie because I didn’t do a ton of fun shopping.  I was given things, I borrowed things, and I bought a lot of items secondhand.  A newborn has very simple needs: they want to be warm, dry, and fed.  Mostly, they need you.

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This is what we used for the first month or so.  Our girls were both born in the winter and were exclusively breastfed.

Necessities:

A car seat – because you physically can’t leave the hospital with your baby without a carseat.

A bassinet –  your baby needs a place to sleep, and a bassinet is the simplest.  We borrowed one with Toddler Girl and I bought and recovered a moses basket on a rocking stand for Wonder Baby.  The stand was handy as it put her at bed height.  You can use a rock and play, a crib, a cosleeper or whatever, but the baby has to sleep somewhere.  Although for the first week they might only sleep while lying on top of you!

A change pad – With Toddler Girl, we had a lovely change pad that my mom made that fits on her dresser.  As we didn’t want to wake her up whenever we needed to change Wonder Baby, we got a second change pad for our bedroom.  It’s just a vinyl thing I picked up at the thrift store, to be honest, and I cover it with a little blanket.  My cousin uses a similar pad with a pillowcase over it.

Diapers – and whatever you need to go with the diapers (wipes, wet bags if you use cloth).  I used disposables for the first 5 days and then switched to cloth.

5 Sleepers – if it’s summer, you will also want some short sleeved onesies.  Newborn sized or smallish 0-3 (the sizes vary; it’s annoying).  More is nice, but we only had 5 and we all survived.

A lot of blankets – we had some flannel blankets my mom made and a mish mash of receiving blankets that we had been given.  You don’t need anything big or thick at this point.  The more the merrier. A newborn can go through blankets like nobody’s business.

A nursing pillow:  Maybe not considered necessary by everyone, but you spend a whole lot of time nursing in the first month and it’s nice to be comfortable, especially the first time around when you’re learning how it works. I like the boomerang style best.

A baby carrier:  Which one you choose is a personal decision, but we liked the Ergo best with the infant insert.

Health and Hygiene

Infant Tylenol

Humidifier –in case they get congested, especially in the winter

Thermometer – we got an armpit digital thermometer

Baby Shampoo – if your baby has hair

Luxuries

Baby Swing – Toddler Girl slept in a swing sometimes, Wonder Baby slept in it a lot.  It depends on your baby.  It’s nice to try out  if you have room for it.

Cute Clothes – Really, you won’t be going out much in that first month, but it’s nice to have a cute outfit or two on hand.

Carseat Bunting Bag – Nice for winter, because you don’t need to worry about blankets staying on.

A Decent Camera – Now’s the time to get that digital SLR you’ve had your eye one!  And then try to remember to use it. That fist month goes by in a hazy flash.

A Diaper Bag – You can just use a tote bag.  But it’s nice to have a good diaper bag.  Or in my case a good camera bag.

A hooded baby towel and baby washcloths

Things you can buy later

Remember, just because you will eventually need it, doesn’t mean you need it right away!  If space is limited and the budget is tight, pick these things up once you’re at that stage.

Stroller – take a look at your town and your lifestyle.  We didn’t get a stroller until Toddler Girl was a year old.

Toys – Newborns don’t play.  They just eat and sleep and sometimes wiggle a bit.  True story.

Bouncy Seat – We didn’t use ours until they were around a month old.  Same with the play gym.

Bottle/pacifiers – We waited until a month before introducing fake nipples, to help with breastfeeding success.  This is a personal thing, but we got away with it just fine.

Crib – Our nursery wasn’t even set up until Toddler Girl was three months old because she slept in our room

Things we never used

Baby nail clippers – I used these until I sliced the top of Toddler Girl’s finger off.  Then I switched to biting her nails off.

A baby bathtub – We just used the sink, or I would take a bath with the baby (in a swim diaper, for safety).

Hats/mitts/socks – I couldn’t get them to stay on.

So that’s our list!  Did we miss anything that you couldn’t live without? (and for what I think the mommy needs, check out my Postpartum Survival Kit)