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Expecting a baby for the very first time can be quite overwhelming! Especially when it comes to making a list of what you may need for your little one. Here’s why this ultimate newborn shopping list was created!

 

 

We all want what’s best, but how to make sure not to either go overboard or miss something out?

Well, here’s how. Sit back, relax and let’s get to it!

To make things easier and more organised, let’s pinpoint the main categories in the ultimate newborn shopping list first. Then we’ll get into more detail for each one.

Here’s the list of the essentials you would need for baby:

• Clothes
• Toiletries
• Bath time
• Feeding
• Sleeping
• Furniture for baby
• Pram / Car seat
• Playtime

First things first!

BABY CLOTHES

 

 

Every momma-to-be dreams of the day when she will shop those tiny little outfits for the future love of her life.

BUT – with variety comes confusion! Especially since this whole ‘mom’ thing is so so new.

So, start small! 

 

Remember – baby is here to stay. No need to go overboard with anything. You can always buy more if needed.

The first absolute MUST HAVE (if not the only type of clothes your baby will wear for the first three months of their life) is onesies!  

This world and everything in it are so very new for the sweet soul that was just born! Every sensation, smell, light, noise. Even the lack of noise could feel scary and overwhelming!

That’s why some babies absolutely HATE being changed (meaning any type of changing – clothes, diapers, etc.), so it’s always best to buy ONLY ONESIES WITH ZIPPER. Game changer and an absolute essential for less tears (both from you and baby).

You will probably ask – okay, but how many of these will I need?!

Well, 4-5 of the newborn size would be more than enough, so you can be on the safe side (if there is not enough time some days to do the washing/drying).

You could also get 3-4 in size 0-3 months, just in case if baby is bigger or you’re after that ‘oversized fit’. Plus, they grow suuper quickly anyways!

Make sure they have built-in mittens too, as these little nails are as sharp as a razor LOL!

Depending on the season, you could buy some short and long-sleeved tops. Again, 3-4 of each will be sufficient.

The same goes for the pants (dresses too if you’re having a little girl).If the pants you buy are not footed, you’d need 4-5 sets of tiny little socks too.

If your ray of sunshine will be a winter baby, you would want to prepare an all-in-one snowsuit/pramsuit too, so they could feel warm and cosy in there.

And that’s about if for our first set of baby essentials!

Let’s move on to our second point from the list above –

THE TOILETRIES

 

 

This list surely won’t be the ultimate newborn shopping list without them! First, no surprise here, are the diapers. Again, don’t go overboard with the smallest size, as (especially if baby is on the bigger end), he\she will move to the next size pretty quickly.

Diapers go hand in hand with wet wipes – make sure to get water-based ones for sensitive skin. And the diaper cream, which you should apply at every nappy change to avoid a rash.

Then, make sure to choose a good clean brand for baby’s shower gel / shampoo. Usually, they are 2 in 1 anyways, suitable for both body and hair.

A nice cream for hydration and massages as well. Or baby oil during the winter period as the skin tends to be drier then.

*P.S. Nurses and health visitors usually advice not to apply any creams on baby’s skin up until 6-8 weeks of age (unless it is needed for any reason) as it is still very thin and sensitive.  

You will also need some cotton pads to clean you’re little one’s face.

A washing detergent and a softener, suitable for the gentle baby skin. Also, a little laundry basket for the used clothes awaiting their turn to be washed.

Lastly (not exactly a toiletry, but it just needs to be mentioned) is the baby electric nail file! Do yourself a favour and get one! These tiny nails are really soft-looking in the beginning and it is hard to clip them, but they scratch like crazy!

So, it is one of the greatest little investments to own a file like this!

Usually if there aren’t any in the package already, it runs with two AA batteries.

 

BATH TIME

 

 Here the list is not long at all!

Make sure you have a nice little baby bath (like the one linked here for example). The key word here really is little, as if you own a huge one, it will be quite hard in the beginning, especially if you don’t have any help to bathe your little munchkin.

Also, a baby towel will be needed to pad dry baby after the bath and keep them nice and warm.

If you do not intend to bathe baby every day – 1 or 2 towels will be more than enough.

The last two things on the Bath time list will be a digital room thermometer, suitable for water as well (as the water in which you bathe baby must be no hotter than 39°C) and a healthcare kit – it usually contains a soft brush, a digital body thermometer, a nail clipper, etc.

 

FEEDING

 

 

Depending on the way you choose to and can feed your newborn, you might need baby bottles. You will also need them if you breastfeed and use a breast pump.

If you are determined to breastfeed though, do not rush to stock up on bottles in advance, as some breastfed babies totally refuse bottles, and you might end up not needing them.

A steriliser will be handy too, if you don’t want to go the old fashion way and boil water to sterilise everything feeding related. There are nice bundles available that combine everything needed feeding-related like this Tommee Tippee Anti Colic one.

No matter what you choose regarding baby’s feeding, one thing is for sure – you better stock up on bibs and muslin cloths (known as burp cloths too)!

You can never have too many of these, especially if baby has a reflux! The dirty laundry will pile up really quickly. Let’s say 10 of each sounds good.

 

SLEEPING

 

 

Even though sleep might be a mirage for some time for you mama, you still need to prepare for baby’s sleep.

As you may or may not be aware, newborn babies have a really strong startle reflex (known as the Moro reflex too). This means they often have this falling sensation and might be really hard to be put down to sleep in their cot. That’s the main reason people swaddle their babies – to mimic mommy’s womb and help them feel safe and secure.

So, your new best friend will be the sleeping bag /sleep sack.

You would want to buy a few of those (2 being the minimum), so you can have spare ones in case baby spits up etc. Make sure to choose a brand which has buttons on the arm openings, so you can swaddle baby in it and transition to arms out when the time comes.

Depending on the season, you will have to choose a suitable TOG – every brand has explanation on which TOG is suitable for which temperature.

It’s fair to mention that unfortunately some babies hate being swaddled though, so you should prepare for a lot of snuggles and contact naps.

As ‘contact naps’ were mentioned here anyways – a baby carrier is super useful to have too! The Ergobaby Embrace is just perfect as it’s suitable from birth, as long as baby weights at least 3.2kg and the material it’s made of is really soft and comfortable.

Do not stock up on blankets, buy just one or maximum two, so you can have if needed, but the safe sleep recommendations are NO blankets in the cot, especially for newborn babies. You might want to keep that in mind.

Next on our bedtime list comes the white noise machine! A life saver for some families!

As you might have heard, it’s very noisy in mommy’s tummy and babies look for the same or similar conditions in the life after the womb! So, a good white noise machine is a must! Make sure it can go on for as much as you need it to, as some are limited to work only for 20-30 minutes and stop after that, which will probably wake your baby up!

Lastly here come the bedsheets – pick a suitable size for the crib / cot you have chosen and 2 or 3 of them would be more than enough.

 

FURNITURE FOR BABY

 

 

It’s up to you (and the space you have at home) if baby will have their own nursery, but it is recommended that the little one sleeps in your room for the first six months anyway.

So, if you choose to follow the guidance, you won’t need a lot of stuff. What you will need is just a cot, a changing table with some built in drawers to store baby’s clothes, some organisers inside and that’s about it!

For the cot it would be most comfortable for those multiple night awakenings if it is the ‘next-to-me’ type.

There are a lot of options on the market, so do your research and choose one depending on your budget.

If it is on the mid-range, you might want to consider one that can rock baby like the Snuzpod4, as it can be a helper to put your little love back to sleep sometimes.

Please have in mind that this type of baby bed is to be used only by six months of age and then it needs to be replaced with a crib or a larger bed.

Some extra perks worth mentioning, (as this is the ultimate newborn shopping list after all) are a baby nest if you have more rooms and want to take baby there with you, or a Moses basket, but these are not essentials, and it is advisable not to leave baby unattended in those.

 

PRAM \ CAR SEAT

 

 

The pram you will choose depends on where you live and what is your day-to-day life.

To help you out here – ask yourself the following questions:

• Are the roads / pedestrian paths/areas where I live in a good condition? – if not, you surely need a pram with big wheels that can manoeuvre easily and go through obstacles;
• Am I going to travel a lot? – If so, you might want to pick a very light and collapsible pram, suitable from birth;

There are thousands of options and 3 in 1 strollers too that include a car seat as well (which you surely need in order to be cleared to leave the hospital and some babies prefer it over the pram as it is tighter).

 

PLAYTIME

 

 

A newborn pretty much just eats, sleeps and well… cries. But there are a few things you can get to play with baby when they are a few weeks old.

The number one being a black and white little book or cards. In the first weeks of their life, babies only see on a short distance, not very clearly yet and mainly spot high-contrast images.  

You can get a rattle as well, but they will probably start showing interest in that a lot later. 

Or you can sort playtime out nice and easy with the Lovevery playkits, where the best and most suitable for your baby’s development toys get sent to you.

If you can include it in your budget, a baby swing like the 4moms MamaRoo, is money well spent, as you will have your hands free at least for a while.

This is a good idea for a present for baby from your family, so don’t be shy to ask!

Here comes the end of our cute little ‘not-so-little’ baby shopping list.

Now that you’ve got in writing everything you will need from this ultimate newborn shopping list, it’s time to switch to a baby-shopping mode!

 

Enjoy!