Minimal Newborn Baby Essentials: A Complete List

During my pregnancy I put together my baby essentials list based on the recommendations of friends, family and some of my own research. Now that we’ve been through the newborn phase and tried and tested everything I wanted to re-do my list. I’ve made some little changes here and there based on what we used all the time, what we didn’t really need and what I wished we’d had.

I’m calling this list minimal, but as you’ll see it’s not the shortest list in the world. It’s minimal in terms of only having things that will truly make your life easier and support your baby’s development. Of course if you want to be super minimal all you would need would be 8 onesies, diapers, a bed and a carrier or pram. Something to wear, somewhere to sleep and something to get from A to B in.

I also want to take a moment to say that if there’s something that can make your life a little easier during this time don’t feel guilty for using it. I don’t believe we were ever meant to be so alone and isolated during the first months of our babies lives. We take on this huge task often as a solo person most of the time. When what we really need is to be surrounded and supported by our communities, family and friends, this just doesn’t go hand in hand with the lifestyle we currently live.

If a pacifier helps you put your baby to sleep then embrace it, if a baby nest gives you a moment of rest then enjoy that moment. No matter what the device or tool is there will be someone out there saying it’s not the perfect thing for your baby’s development. But keep in mind you are doing a job that could easily be shared by three or four people, and in fact in the past it would have been. Give yourself some grace.

I’ve also recommended my favourite brands for each different product because of there longevity or their eco friendliness.

So here it is, my tried and tested list of minimal newborn baby essentials!

Newborn Baby Clothes Essentials List

For the sizing, I would get most things in 0-3 months, the first month they will be a bit too big, but otherwise the NB size only fits for a few weeks. When things are a bit big you can roll the sleeves or legs. If you prefer NB size I would only get the 4 kimono bodysuits in NB and the rest in 0-3 months. 

• 4 short sleeve bodysuits – perfect alone or for the bottom layer if wearing a top and pants (the Lovely Little Basics short sleeve onesies are the best and fit Ollie from NB to 5 months)
• 4 kimono bodysuits – great because you don’t need to pull over head, babies usually don’t like this (we love the Quincy Mae and Konges Slodj bodysuits)
• 4 pairs of leggings (we love the Quincy Mae, Repose AMS and Lovely Little Basics leggings)
• 6 zip-up or button-up PJs with feet – zips make night time changes much easier
• 2 soft rompers – That don’t need to be pulled over heads and that button up along the legs for quick diaper changes (this Gray Label suit is amazing and fit Ollie from NB to 5 months)
• 2 long sleeve tops (we love Quincy Mae tops)
• 2 sweaters
• 1 warm overall/onesie – for cooler weather
• 2 beanies – thin for spring and autumn, thick for winter
• 6 pairs of socks (we love GoBabyGo socks)
• 2 Scratch mittens – we only used these for a few weeks, they are a bit annoying but they do stop baby from scratching their face

Newborn Baby Gear Essentials List

• Change Table (we love the Leander Matty)
• Bath – we used our sink and big bath (fill the bath up around 8cm and lie baby in it, no need for anything special, they love splashing around with freedom)
• Bassinet – I would now choose something that rocks, this is really helpful at night to rock bub back to sleep
• Bassinet sheets
• Bassinet mattress protector
• Cribb
• Cribb sheets
• Cribb mattress protector
• Cribb mattress – we chose natural  (Kadolis Coco + Latex)
• Stroller
• Mobile – use the same one for the stroller, car, Tripp trapp baby seat (Ollie absolutely loves his cloud mobile from Etsy)
• Car Seat / Cosi Maxi
• Car Mirror (we love Reer)
• Highchair (we love Tripp Trapp with Newborn Seat – we have used this all the time, it’s great for before baby can sit up themselves)
• Rocker – In hindsight I would have skipped this and just got the bouncer which lasts a lot longer (we used the Charlie Crane Levo Rocker)
• Bouncer (I would have chosen Baby Bjorn instead of the Charlie Crane Rocker)
• Baby Nest (I wish we’d gotten the Snuggle Me Organic or Dockatot)
• Soft Wrap Carrier (Solly Baby)
• Ergonomic Carrier (we’ve tried so many and the Baby Bjorn Mini is the simplest and Ollie’s favourite)
• Nappy Bag (we love Fawn Design)
• 3 small toys (Grech & Co Rattle, Skwish, Oli & Carol Teether)
• First teddy or comforter 
• Sound machine (we love the Hushh)
• Travel change pad (Elodie, Gathre)
• Monitor (we love the Lollipop)
• Waterproof Play mat (Henlee Co, Gathre)
• Simple wooden baby gym – choose one that folds flat for easy storage

Newborn Baby Care Essentials List

• Baby Nail Clippers (we love the Nail Snail)
• Nose Suction
• Thermometer
• 4 Large Muslins (we love Petit Stellou, Snuggle Hunny Kids, Garbo & Friends)
• 2 Blankets (we love the Aden & Anais Dream Blanket)
• 2 Swaddles (I wish we’d used Love to Dream)
• 20 Burp cloths (we love Konges Slodj)
• 20 cloth nappies – or disposables if you prefer (we love Thirsties all in ones and EcoNaps)
• 50 reusable cloth wipes – or disposable wipes if you prefer
• Nappy bucket – only if you’re doing cloth nappies
• 8-10 bibs – Go for bibs with clips closures not velcro, the velcro doesn’t last
• Nursing Pillow (Snuggle Me Organic doubles as sitting support for baby)
• 2 Pacifiers (I love Hevea because they are all natural rubber, however Ollie prefers the Bibs because he had trouble with sucking because of a tongue tie in the beginning)
• Pacifier clip – Soft fabric is better than hard wooden beads (Madeline’s Box – I love that this can also be used to clip to toys)
• 2 Washcloths (we love Liewood)
• 2 Towels (we love Liewood)
• Baby brush (we love Petit Stellou)

Tick List Downloads

I’d love to hear if there’s anything else you’d put on an essentials list in the comments below! And of course if you have any questions please let me know. I know preparing for a new baby can feel really overwhelming at times. My biggest advice would be slowly start collecting things from around 20 weeks so you have plenty of time to think things through and do your research.

Big love,