Baby essentials – what you need, and what you don’t

[AD] If you’re about to become a new mum, or you are a new mum, you may be feeling overwhelmed about all the newborn advice, and baby essentials you’re being told about.

However, not all advice will work for you, and you don’t need to buy every baby product you’re told about.

This post will detail some of the dos and don’ts when it comes to buying baby essentials, that I hope helps you to decide what will work and not work for you when it comes to your baby, and that will help to minimise any overwhelm you feel as a mum, especially in the early days.

Baby sleep

There are many sleep options for babies, from a carrier attached to you, in your arms, on your chest, in their stroller, or anywhere else that works for you.

However, for their nighttime sleep, you need somewhere for them to sleep in all the time, so they know it’s their bed.

This could be something that attaches to your bed so you can be close to your baby, or a Moses basket next to your bed for the first few months before transferring your baby to a crib.

Some new mums decide to start out with cradles and go from there, depending on how well they’re baby is sleeping.

There are a lot of options when it comes to baby sleep, the best sleep option is one that suits the needs of you and your baby.

Warm blankets

You’re going to need a lot of warm blankets, even if your baby is born in the summer.

Your baby still needs to be wrapped up when you’re out and about, and needs your help with temperature control as they’re unable to regulate their own temperature until about the age of 6 months.

Even after 6 months, babies don’t have the ability to tell you if they’re too hot or too cold, so you need to monitor this closely.

The general rule when it comes to warmth, is that babies are colder than you by a layer or two, so keep this in mind when using blankets, and only use blankets when you can see your baby, don’t cover them in blankets when they’re asleep in their bed.

You may also want to keep a few blankets on hand in case accidents happen, such as when your baby vomits, poops or wees on them, so you have another one you can use.

Diapers and wipes

Other items to add to your baby essentials list before your baby is born are stocks of diapers and wipes.

You’ll use a lot of these when you’ve got a newborn, so having a stock of them at home will save the stress of going out to buy them when you already feel overwhelmed.

Babies need changing every couple of hours at least, so you’ll use a lot of diapers and wipes, it’s best to have a lot in stock at home.

Diaper bins

A diaper bin is a baby essential that you don’t really need, they’re handy to have next to your bed for the middle of the night, but other than that, you can just put dirty diapers in a diaper sack to contain the smell, and then place it in your bin when you’re ready.

One of the downsides of using diaper bins is that they smell because they’re holding so much waste for a long period of time, which means it’s easier and cleaner to just throw your diapers in the bin outside.

Wipe warmers

Another baby essential that’s not necessary are wipe warmers, which ensures your baby wipe is a warm temperature, however, using a warm wipe doesn’t make any difference to the overall clean, so it’s not a baby essential you need to worry about unless you want to.

Another advantage of not using wipe warmers is that they can be expensive, and as you don’t use them often, it’s an expense you don’t need.

Baby shoes

Finally, baby shoes are another baby essential that you don’t need.

Of course, you can buy them if you want to, but there’s a lot of discussion saying baby shoes are a huge no as babies should be barefoot or have socks on their feet, because their feet are always growing and changing shape.

When it comes to baby shoes, it’s best that they start wearing them when they start walking, but if you’re ever unsure, speak to an expert.

Baby essentials – a recap

When it comes to baby essentials there are some dos and don’ts when it comes to what you actually need.

However, with most things baby related, purchase anything that makes life easier for you and your baby, and it may take a lot of trial and error to decide what works, and what doesn’t.

What baby essentials are on your to buy list?