Minimalist Baby Shopping List

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As a mom of 4, it’s safe to say I’ve been around the block a few times. A pregnant friend recently asked my advice on which items she absolutely needed for a baby…the bare minimum. That got me thinking as to which baby items are truly truly needed, and which we just buy because we think babies need them!

It can be easy to get lost in all the cool baby products…but if you’re pressed for space, or on a budget, you just want the basics!

So here it is, my minimalist baby shopping list to get you through the first few months:

• A place for your baby to sleep

Your baby will need somewhere safe to sleep. Personally I prefer to bedshare…tried a crib with my first and got way too little sleep…but each family can make their own informed decisions. So whether they’re sleeping with you (see here for safe bedsharing guidelines) or in a crib, you need to prepare your baby’s little sleeping space. Since this post is all about minimalism, we’ll stick with bassinets, small sleep spaces best suited to newborns and young infants (before they can sit up).

Bassinet suggestions (all links lead to Amazon where you can conveniently purchase the item):

Halo bedside sleeper

Graco DreamMore 2-in-1 portable bassinet

Dream on Me Karley bassinet (this comes in lots of color choices!)

Arm’s Reach Clear Vue co-sleeper

• Car seat

Of course, you’ll also need a car seat for getting places by car with your baby. You have two options for your newborn: an infant car seat, or a convertible car seat. Infant car seats are used up until 9-18 months (depending on your baby’s weight and height, but most average sized babies get about at least 12 months of use out of it.) Convertible car seats can be used for newborns up till 5 years old or longer. They include a newborn insert to make the car seat more snug for tiny babies.

Personally I prefer to start my babies off in an infant seat. They just seem more comfy, and allow for more of a reclining position than a convertible car seat. They also are removable for an easy way to carry around the baby. The con is that you still need a convertible seat eventually. The biggest benefit of a convertible car seat, on the other hand, is saving on the costs of buying an infant seat.

Some car seat suggestions:

Infant seats:

Britax B Safe I have this one and love it

Chicco KeyFit 30 I had this one with my first and loved how light it is

Convertible seats:

Britax Emblem

Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 (I’ve heard a lot of great stuff about this one!)

Or buy a travel system if you know you’ll want a stroller. I’ve found that buying the stroller and car seat together often ends up being cheaper than buying the two seperately. This is called a “travel system”. Here’s a higher-end option from Britax and another budget option (yet still great quality) from Graco.

• Somewhere to set baby down

Ok this one isn’t truly essential so technically you can skip it, but having a place to put the baby safely down so you can go cook, use the bathroom, etc. is a must for me. See, the crib or bassinet doesn’t quite cut it as it’s not portable and I can’t easily set my baby down and keep an eye on her at the same time. I like bouncy seats for this purpose. Swings also work but aren’t as easily portable.

Some bouncy seat suggestions:

I love the Baby Bjorn bouncy seat!

Fisher Price bouncy seat with toy bar (budget option)

Ingenuity soothing bouncy with calming vibration and music (mid-range)

Baby Bjorn bouncer balance (high end)

• Diapers and wipes

MUST have lots of these! You’ll soon learn you almost can’t have too many. The thing is, though, that different babies are born at different weights and grow at different rates, so it’s hard to say how much of each diaper size you’ll need. So before you have your baby, you can stock up on diapers, sure, but not too many of one size.

The good news is, some stores, like Walmart and Target, will let you exchange diapers in one size for another size if your baby outgrows a size while you still have more of it.

Here are some diaper suggestions:

Huggies Special Delivery: Huggies’ newest offering, these are super soft and contain plant-based materials. I love these and grab a box whenever they’re on sale!

Pampers Swaddlers: another great option, these classic diapers are a favorite of many parents

Seventh Generation: great natural option. No bleach, fragrances, or lotions, excellent for babies with sensitive skin and better for the environment!

Mama Bear (Amazon brand): I tried one case of these in size 1 and was pleasantly surprised at how well they work for the price!

I would be remiss if I didn’t include a couple cloth options. I cloth diaper this baby part time and cloth diapered my second child full time! Two of my favorite brands are Smart Bottoms (organic cotton!) and Thirsties. Hopefully soon I’ll publish a whole article on cloth diapering!

As for wipes, a few choices (all links lead to Amazon where you can conveniently purchase the item):

Huggies Fragrance Free

The Honest Company baby wipes

• Baby toiletries and other odds and ends

You’ll need a few things to keep baby lookin’ good 😉 I’ll just link my favorite products for each (all links lead to Amazon where you can conveniently purchase the item):

Baby shampoo (doubles as body wash too), I like Burt’s Bees

Baby brush, I like this natural bamboo set from Green Sprouts

Diaper rash cream (Weleda plant based diaper cream)

Baby nail clipper or nail file

• Baby clothes

Baby clothes! Ahh! So many cute thing to choose from! How many of each thing you need largely depends on weather, how often you do laundry, and even how often your baby spits up or has blowout diapers 😅 For the newborn phase, plan on about:

-7 footie sleepers

-7 onesies

-3-4 hats

-3-5 rompers

-5 or so pairs of baby socks

-A few pairs of baby mittens

-light blanket sleeper/sleep sack (it's not safe to use actual blankets on babies)

And for winter babies:

-Light baby coat (you can always cover baby with blankets as needed, and never use a coat in the car seat)

-1-2 thicker baby hats

-Fleece or thick blanket sleeper/sleep sack (look for 1.0 or 1.5 tog, learn more OBs checking out my blog on sleep sacks here!)

Again, these aren’t hard and fast numbers. Just buy a few of each clothing type that you like (I tend to stay away from anything that looks too fancy, my newborns hang out in comfy pajamas all day). You can always buy more if needed!

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