The MOMENT you find out that you’re pregnant you’ll feel like you’re being inundated with online recommendations, emails filled with lists, and perfect Instagram pictures telling you about all the products you need. What will be essential for your future child to survive.
Initially, I was overwhelmed. By halfway through the first trimester, I was suspicious. By the end of the first trimester, I was annoyed.
I vowed to ignore the advice and just start with the basics. In the age of Amazon, if I needed something later on, I could have it arrive within 24 hours anyway, so why drive myself crazy and go on a buying spree before I even knew what was necessary?
My plan was to ask my three best friends, all mothers of two, what their most essential products and gadgets were. Once I had a full list, I sat down with le hubs and decided what we actually needed, what made sense to wait to get, and how we wanted to handle the nursery set up.
So here’s my minimal-ish approach to baby “essentials” for a new mom.
Clothes: Since little ones grow out of clothes so quickly and we had no idea what size baby we’d be taking home, I wanted to approach clothes in a very minimal manner. Only one or two newborn pieces and just the basics for the first 6 months – Sleepers, rompers, onesies, some separates, and a few layering pieces. Since I was due in mid-September and temps start to decrease in mid-October, I did about 25% warm weather pieces, 25% separates and layering pieces, 25% sleeping gowns, sacks, and swaddles, and 25% cold weather pieces for once it got chillier. My go-to brands were Hanna Andersson and Kyte.
Supplies: Similar to the clothes, I wanted to focus on the first 6 months for supplies.
- Diapers – I ordered a few different brands to try in newborn and size 1. I also looked for brands that were biodegradable, eco-friendly, and/or used recycled materials.
- Bamboo Nature (chlorine free, recycled packaging, sustainable manufacturing)
- Thrive Market (if you don’t use Thrive Market – It’s amazing!! It’s an online marketplace for pantry and home goods, and they carry their own brand as well. Their diapers are BPA free, cruelty free, chlorine free, non-toxic, recycled packaging etc.)
- Honest (chlorine, latex & fragrance free)
- Seventh Generation (chlorine & fragrance free + sustainably harvested materials)
- Pampers Pure (chlorine, fragrance, paraben free + 100% certified renewable electricity & sustainably sourced wood pulp)
- Wipes – Water Wipes + Honest
- Burp Clothes – Green Sprouts Stay Dry Burp Pads
- Swaddles – Aden by Aden Organic muslin Swaddles and Love To Dream Swaddle
- Wash Clothes – Muslin Bamboo Baby Washclothes
- Towels – Lilyseed Premium Organic Bamboo Hooded Baby Towel
Large Investment Pieces: Rather than try to buy a ton of products without knowing what kind of baby we’d have, we wanted to just get the essentials ahead of time. After talking to my parents, the inlaws, and my friends, this was the first list of investment pieces.
- Chicco KeyFit 30 – I did a ton of research and talked to many moms, and opted for this infant carseat with a base that stays in the car.
- Graco Pack ‘n Play Newborn Seat DLX Playard – Rather than getting a stand alone bassinet that would be grown out of and discarded quickly, we decided to use this Pack ‘n Play system that included a changing table. We could use it in our bedroom for the first little bit, use it around the apartment while we’re home, and travel with it.
- Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1 Convertible Crib – This is a crib to toddle bed to day bed. Sustainable wood, super safe. Was a big fan!
- Infant Optics DXR-8 – This gizmo was actually my husband’s only request. I had no interest in a camera, but he was adamant.
As you can tell, I’m a big fan of multi-use products. The amount of kids junk that ends up in landfills is horrifying and I didn’t want to over-shop and end up contributing to that problem. Another reason to skip a baby shower or just have a celebration sans-gifts!