Baby Needs: Newborn Essential Items List Before Baby Arrives

Caring fro a newborn is a big and difficult job. Recovering from giving makes this stage even more difficult. That is why it pays to be prepared and get everything the baby needs before he arrives.

While pregnant with Koa, I started shopping online for baby items at around 7 months. It was in the middle of the pandemic and having a high-risk pregnancy limited me from going out of the house to shop for our baby essential items. Being a first-time mom, I was excited and bought what I thought I needed not realizing it was being excessive of me to do so.

I am sharing a very basic list with realistic quantities of newborn items you should have before the baby will arrive. This list will cover the first 3 months of your baby. A newborn baby, 0-3 months old, will grow very fast. So when people say to not buy too many newborn clothes because the outgrow them in a few weeks to few months – it is true.

Tips on baby clothes

You can prepare 1 or 2 sets that are pretty and nice to use for going home from the hospital or for you to take photos of the baby with. But realistically, the baby will just need basic clothes at this age. This number will get you around 4-5 days of clean clothes before you need to do the laundry.

Take note of the month or season you are giving birth. I gave birth in October, so the temperature started to drop. I mostly used Koa’s short and long sleeves clothes and rarely his sleeveless ones.

Prepare at least 3 sets clothes and sleepwear in a 3-6 month old size. This is for when your baby outgrows the newborn set around 2-3months old and you need to size up. You might still be very tired and busy to shop so it is always best to have several baby clothes in bigger size.

About newborn diapers

A newborn baby will consume 8-10 diapers a day. This is a lot but do not buy a lot of newborn diaper packs without knowing if the diaper you bought is okay with your baby. It is best if you buy and try different diaper brands. Your baby’s skin is sensitive and may not always agree with the diaper you buy for him. It is best to get different brands for when your baby develops a rash, you will have back-up diapers. I would also say, buy around 4-6 packs of diapers to get by the until the 2nd or 3rd week and until you know which diaper brand you like and your baby’s skin is okay with.

I also recommend getting a diaper with wetness indicator. At this age, you need to be mindful if the baby pooped or peed. It is the indication that your baby is getting milk. But sometimes it is hard to tell if the baby peed, so it is best to have wetness indicator in diapers to help you.

If you give birth near or over the Expected Date of Delivery, you might need to hold off buying a lot of newborn diaper packs. I would say you can buy tiesides to use in the first 3 months and onesies to start at 3-6months already. Babies grow dramatically quick, and you do not want to be stuck with a lot of diapers that your baby have outgrown.

Nursery needs

Every first time parents wants the best for their baby, this includes setting up the nursery. A tip from a (fairly) simple first-time mom, babies do not need a lot for their nursery. What they do need is a safe space for them to sleep. My husband & I earlier on decided that we will not co-sleep with our baby. I tend to move around the bed when I am sleeping – which is not safe for a baby sharing a bed space with me. We opted with a bassinet which is small and fit in our small condo unit but we eventually upgraded it to a full-sized co-sleeper crib when we moved to a bigger apartment. Both the bassinet and crib only had mattress in it. We did not use pillows, bolster or blankets which can be suffocation hazards.

On baby or activity toys

Newborns basically sleep, eat poop and eventually have longer wake time around 3 months. They do not have a lot of activities and they need care every 2-3 hours. Since baby’s eyesight have not developed yet, The best way to engage them is to bring your face close to their face. bringing your face near them will allow then to see and study your face shape.