What does a newborn need?
The short answer is actually quite simple: less than you think.
At the same time, it often feels the opposite when you're a first-time parent. You want to be prepared for everything, and it's easy to get caught up in the idea that you need to have "all the right gear" before the baby arrives.
This is not a definitive guide, but our experience after having our own baby. We bought too much of some things, too little of others, and realized how little is actually necessary at the beginning.
The most important thing we learned pretty quickly is that you get into the swing of things. Needs become clear, and it's perfectly fine to adjust along the way.
Before you buy everything at once
One thing we wish we had taken more to heart is that it's not necessary to have everything ready from day one.
It's easy to think you need to cover all scenarios before the baby arrives, but in practice, it's much simpler to take things as they come. You get to know your baby, what works, and what you actually use in your daily life.
It also brings a completely different peace of mind to know that you can buy more as needed, instead of being left with a lot of things that never get used.
With our first child, we had EVERYTHING ready, and we had bought all clothes for 1-2 years in advance. So imagine two type-A moms who plan together and love predictability. It was both expensive and totally unnecessary.
Clothes - it's easy to waste money here
Clothes are perhaps the area where we made the biggest mistake.
It's tempting to buy a lot in the very smallest sizes, but babies grow faster than you think. For us, several size 50 garments were barely used at all.
If we were to do it again, we would mainly buy size 56, and only have a couple of size 50 garments just in case. When we lent out clothes, we lent out all the clothes to 3 different babies, which says a lot about how much we had bought.
We could also have saved a lot by skipping every other size, at least up to around size 86. It might sound a bit drastic, but in practice, it works fine. The baby often doesn't get to use everything as much anyway, and it's quickly a lot of money to save.
In everyday life, a fairly small number of garments has also been more than enough. We washed frequently, and then you don't need so much in rotation. Buy 5-7 thin bodysuits, 3-4 pairs of pants, 3-4 pajamas, and 2 hats. Preferably thin wool.
Food and feeding - find your solution
When it comes to feeding, it's difficult to plan everything in advance.
Even if you plan to breastfeed, it can be nice to have a couple of bottles available. It provides security if you need it, either right away or later.
Burp cloths, on the other hand, are something we never had enough of. They are everywhere and used for everything. The same applies to bibs eventually.
The most important thing here is perhaps not to buy too much of one type in advance. You quickly notice what works for you, and then it's easier to supplement as needed.
Sleep - simple is often best
Sleep is a chapter in itself, but when it comes to equipment, you don't really need that much (says us who had a bedside crib, floor bed, two cribs, travel cot, and stroller but ended up co-sleeping).
A safe sleeping place, whether it's a bed, cradle, or mattress on the floor, is sufficient. In addition, we used a duvet or sleeping bag, depending on what suited best.
We found that simple worked best. It's easy to think you need many solutions, but at the beginning, it's mostly about closeness and security.
Changing and hygiene - keep it simple
It's easy to overthink here too.
In practice, you need diapers, something to wash with, and a simple changing setup. We used both wet wipes and cloths, and quickly found out what we liked best. We preferred dry wipes with baby oil and a changing mat on the floor.
There's a lot of extra equipment, but our experience is that you manage perfectly fine without most of it. The simpler it is, the easier daily life becomes.
The small things that suddenly become important
Some products you might not think much about at first, but which quickly become part of everyday life.
For many, this includes pacifiers and pacifier clips, and later teething rings when teeth started to emerge. These are typical things you might not need right away, but it's good to know about them.
This is also where we noticed the big difference between products - some are used all the time, while others are left lying around. What we always had in the diaper bag besides the usual items like bottles, diapers, changes of clothes, wipes, etc., were: nursing pads, thermometer, teething rings, poop bags, saline drops, diaper rash cream, and plasters.
What we are left with
If we are to summarize the most important things we have learned, it is this:
You don't need as much as you think.
You don't need to have everything ready from the start.
And you'll figure it out along the way.
It's easy to get overwhelmed, but daily life settles into place quite quickly. You get to know your baby, and it becomes clear what you actually need.
See everything we have for newborns HERE