New Parent Supplies: Just the Necessities

Newborn babies do not need much. All a newborn baby wants is to be held 24 hours a day, fed when he's hungry and to be clean. Okay, he also wants to be swayed or rocked occasionally. That isn't much!

Newborn Must-Haves

Diapers:

You can go home with a package of size N disposables and figure out your diaper plan later. You'll also need wipes (or I suggest using baby wash-rags instead of wipes. If you keep them in a wipe warmer with some water and Cetaphil it will help keep diaper rashes away, feel nice on the baby's behind, and will be less expensive and better for the environment than wipes) and either a changing pad, changing table or some soft towels.

Diapers are the most expensive must-have for your baby. If you get disposables or a diaper service (often about the same cost) the cost will be spread out over the next few years. If you purchase cloth diapers the cost will be in a few large installments but may be much less or slightly less than the cost of disposables, depending on how fancy the diapers are and how many sizes you go through (if you get sized diapers).

Keep in mind that for cloth diapers there is often an option to try before you buy and to get demonstrations or training before you buy.

Car seat:

An infant car seat will be outgrown by the time your baby is roughly 8-10 months old, so consider that when pricing seats. A convertible car seat will last much longer but will be quite large for your infant. This item must be purchased by the time you leave the hospital with your baby, so plan to spend several hours researching and trying out car seats well before your baby is due.

Toiletries:

You will need baby nail clippers, a nasal aspirator and nasal spray and a 3-in-1 thermometer.

A sink to wash your newborn in or a tub to sit in with your newborn and some towels (adult towels work fine) and some non-soap like Cetaphil or the generic version are all you need. An infant tub is a convenience, not a necessity. By the time your baby is about 4 or 5 months old, he'll start moving around in the tub quite a bit, so if you purchase an infant tub you will want a tub with soft sides, or a tub with a good headrests.

Clothes:

Purchase some shirts or night dresses that cover the baby's hands in advance and keep them in your hospital bag. Otherwise your baby will scratch his face up in the hospital. You will also need a few outfits. Night-dresses made of cotton material are very useful, as are shirts that snap across the front. Tiny babies do not need a lot of clothes, just one outfit per day for as many days as you go between washes.

Sleep:

Receiving blankets are useful for swaddling the baby for sleep.

If you are afraid of sleeping with your baby (and there are a lot of conflicting opinions about co-sleep out there), there are co-sleepers that help prevent you from rolling onto your baby, bassinets that attach to the side of your bed, bassinets that will sit in your bedroom or cribs.

Nursing tools:

I highly recommend reading Breastfeeding Made Simple, even if you don't think you'll have any breastfeeding problems. Some of the common practices in hospitals make breastfeeding much more difficult (yes, even in 2008). If you have any breastfeeding issues, check the La Leche web site. If you are undecided about whether you will breastfeed, research the benefits before your baby comes, so that you have the opportunity to make that choice yourself.

Soothing:

A rocking chair and / or exercise ball to rock or bounce with your baby is a great soother for both parent and baby.

There are a number of other things that you will want a few months down the road (a baby carrier, a swing or bouncer, a stroller, a breast pump if you are returning to work, a play mat and toys and baby books, then more clothes and a jumper and high-chair), but those are all fun things to take your baby shopping for, and they are not necessary for newborns.

Congratulations, and have fun!

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