My husband and I welcomed our third baby into the world last year, and brought her home to our tiny house (five people in less than 500 square feet). I had to be very particular about the baby items that we purchased due to our limited amount of space, and decided along the way to create what I call my top ten newborn essentials for minimalists! Let me know down in the comments if you use any of these items or if there are some other items you consider essential when bringing home your new baby!
I didn’t discover the magic of the SnuggleMe Organic until my second baby, but after seeing how effective it was in helping him and and lounge safely, I consider it a necessity for those newborn days. I used mine to lay him in my Moses basket, on my bed, on the floor…basically everywhere and he loved it! And the added bonus? It’s made using all organic materials because we all want the very best for our newborns.
A Moses basket made my necessities list again after having one for my second baby. It was so convenient to be able to move his “bed” around in those newborn days. I could take him outside with me when my older son was playing; I could bring it to my mom’s house with me so I would have a safe place to let him nap or hang out; I could move it next to the couch so I could keep an eye on him while reading or watching TV. Basically, I just loved the convenience of it! And the stand was great for having next to my bed for easy access at night when he woke up hungry!
Ah the newborn days… filled with endless nursing, poopy diapers, lack of sleep, and of course LAUNDRY. Kimono onesies are a lifesaver when my babies had those stinky blowouts because instead of having to pull the poopy onesie over their head to get it off, I could simply unwrap it and easily get them out of the dirty clothes and into something clean without risking a poop catastrophe!
I know…I know…disposable diapers are very wasteful, but hear me out. I don’t have my own washing machine and we live 45 minutes away from the closest laundromat, so trying to use reusable diapers would be a catastrophe.
I have tried pretty much every disposable diaper brand at some point and landed on Pampers as my absolute favorite! Not only did my boys have the least amount of diaper blowouts while using them, but they are also gentle on my boys’ super sensitive skin. Latex allergies run in my family and my oldest was unlucky enough to inherit that wonderful allergy from me. Other brands caused him to break out in awful rashes, but I never had a problem with pampers! There must be a reason they always advertise themselves as Hospitals #1 choice!
Wipes can make or break a diaper change. When I had my first baby, I didn’t realize what a big difference a good wipe made when it came to getting everything clean! But I soon learned that I needed a good thick wipe that wouldn’t burn my baby if he had a little diaper rash AND it had to have some texture on it to help get everything nice and clean! Again, after trying numerous brands of wipes, I decided that Huggies Natural Care wipes were absolutely worth the price because I needed less of them to get the job done and they always did the job better!
- White Noise Machine or Fan
This one is especially true if you are expecting your second, or third, or…well you get it! Having some noise cancelation readily available makes it sooooo much easier to get your little one (and older ones) down for their naps + bedtime and helps them sleep longer!
Forget those tiny little flannel swaddles! Muslin Swaddles are the bomb! Not only are they actually big enough to really swaddle your baby, but they are super soft and breathable at the same time! You can also score organic ones for your newborn’s sensitive skin! An added bonus is that you can also use them as a nursing cover, car seat cover, burp cloth, towel, ect. The uses for these blankets are endless and perfect for people like me who need to be able to quickly get my diaper bag together and have everything I need!
I love having a swing for my baby! And both my boys have loved it too! It keeps them entertained and happy while I get chores done around the house and sometimes they even fall asleep in it!
Although it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing option, I love this portable one from Fisher Price because not only does it fold up so you can easily take it on the go (to friends houses, outside to hang up laundry, ect.) it is also battery powered so I don’t even have to worry about finding an outlet to plug it in.
This is my absolute FAVORITE baby shampoo/body wash! It smells heavenly, it has a pump lid that allows you to easily get more in your one free hand while bathing baby, and I never had a problem with it on my boys’ very sensitive skin! Added bonus: I love to use it on myself too because it smells that good!
- Baby Carrier
A baby carrier also makes my top 12 necessities for my babies because it allows me to carry my baby around while also freeing up my hands to get things done! My boys both loved being close to me and would often fall asleep as I was doing chores, making meals, going for a nice relaxing walk to burn off some of that pregnancy weight. Point of the story…get one! I personally had two different kinds of carriers for my babies:
1. A Moby Wrap or a Wild Bird Ring Sling (for being around the house)
2. An Ergo (for walking, hiking, grocery shopping, ect.)
I found having both to be extremely useful in different situations and would highly encourage any mom to invest in these! They are life changers!
I hope this list was helpful to you no matter what number baby you are on. I know how difficult it is to be bombarded by all the things you can buy for your baby and how quickly the expenses can rack up. So let me encourage you to take a minimalist approach, and only buy what you really need and what will truly make those first few months as easy on you as possible!
If you have any other necessities, I would LOVE to hear about them down below in the comments section!
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