Actual baby essentials?

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bbfantastic

New member
I am pregnant with our fifth baby. Almost halfway done! But, we were not trying or wanting to try for #5. Actually we were done and actively trying NOT to get pregnant but it only takes one slip and boom. Pregnant.

Anyway. We got rid of everything. I mean, every last piece of clothing (we have four girls so everything was passed down, and then passed to a friend for her first girl) every baby gadget, seat, side sleeper, pack n play. You name it! All except one little bouncy seat I couldn’t bear to part with cause it held all my babies. And my Moby.
Now I’m sitting here thinking what do I REALLY need. What should I really invest in? Besides the obvious clothes, diapers, car seat, (which my aunts baby gift is always a car seat so that’s taken care of hallelujah) and maybe a binky.

What do you really need need to take care of a baby? I don’t know why I feel so lost with this and honestly a little silly but man oh man. It’s hard to know when you don’t see all the things you ended up keeping, and you only see the 50,000 new and improved items on the baby lists.
 
@bbfantastic Just had baby #10 after I was very much done after baby number 9. Less is more honestly. I have no space in my house so he has a Rubbermaid drawer thing and that’s all the clothes he has, I do laundry every day anyway. We had a newer stroller because the old one broke and I got a deal on a new one on warranty and we had barely used it. We skipped the crib and he has a new pack and play that has a fold over change table and a bassinet. We had to buy a car seat. I did get a nice but cheap diaper bag and the stuff to stock that. Other than a couple outfits, receiving blankets and a baby bathtub (because my sink is not a shape suitable for bathing a baby) that’s it. We’ve gotten a few presents but not a lot and if someone asked what we needed I gave ideas like a piggy bank or something that is just his that he doesn’t have to share with another kid. Oh, and baby nail clippers, I had some still but I guess the big kids have been using them and they were trashed lol
 
@bbfantastic
  1. 3 month onsies
  2. Pacifier
  3. Bottles
  4. Formula
  5. Diapers / Wipes
  6. Aquaphor, Destin, Baby Shampoo, baby Tylenol
  7. Cradle Cap Comb
  8. Swaddle Blankets
  9. Burp cloth (I use face cloths because it’s more cost friendly)
  10. Love
  11. Baby bathtub
  12. Baby car seat
  13. Breast pump and milk storage
 
@bbfantastic I have a 4 month old (first timer) and these are our essentials! I’ve included the brands we use and that I would recommend:

Bassinet (Snoo)

Sound machine (Hatch)

Night light, dimmable and soft (Phillips Wake Up)

Changing pad (Peanut-wipeable)

Diaper cream (Penatin)

Nursing breast pads

Nursing tanks (H&M x 4 or more)

Manual pump (Madela Harmony)

Electric pump, closed system (Madela Freestyle Flex or Spectra)

Bottles (Dr Brown’s, 120ml)

Madela microwave sanitizing bags

Bottle drying rack (Oxo vertical rack)

Baby shampoo

Body lotion (Eucerin)

Baby Bath (Stokke foldable, XL)

Hooded Towel

Burp clothes

Nasal aspirator with saline (Frida Baby)

Thermometer (Braun, ear reading)

Electric Nail file (BB Luv)

Baby Tylenol

Vitamin D Drops with Probiotics

Play Gym (Lovevery)

Carrier

Video monitor (Eufy)

Play mat

Diaper bag (Lululemon gym bag)
 
@bbfantastic Thanks! Yes he loves it. The quality of the sound is really good (unlike some which are kind of fuzzy sounding). We really only use it for the sound and clock and not for the light which we always keep off. I do really like it now - I didn’t at the beginning because I thought the touch didn’t work very well. You just need to have it plugged in or fully charged otherwise the touch ring at the top doesn’t respond well. I find the buttons to be slightly annoying but not a huge deal. There are many complaints from people who have defective units (weird noises coming from it) but I haven’t experienced that. Overall, I like it!
 
@bbfantastic Your main baby essentials would be a crib, a stockpile of diapers, a baby blanket, newborn or size 1 onesies and hats, first aid and medical supplies for when the baby is sick, a car seat, an infant carrier, and a stroller. Also buy baby bottles and formula. Advertisers want you to think that you need all the fancy baby gear but it isn't true.
 
@bbfantastic Get most of the stuff off of market place or a consignment shop :)

I also found kimono style onesies and nightgowns were absolutely brilliant, and those Finnish baby boxes had clothes that actually grow with the baby, so you need about half of what you’d normally buy, and it’s all gender neutral, and it had a place to let them sleep. I found I was so inundated by clothes at that age that it’s overwhelming, and they grow so fast that having the grow with you clothes is a godsend.

I didn’t and don’t use wipes, but I have cloths for diapers until they’re older . I found the wipes gave them diaper rash and burned their rear ends.

Two of those 4 season wool sleepsacks is also amazing, because then you don’t need to switch for seasons - it is good year round.

A bouncy chair, swing, and pack and play. Everything else is just bonus.
 
@bbfantastic As a mom a larger family ( 4 kids) I can say that we were really really glad that we bought a good baby swing.

She sleeps there on days I just can't get her to nap becasue of all the noise in the house, and she's usually happy to be in it. Many mornings I get to sleep in for another 45 min simply becasue she's happy to chill in her swing and look at the mobile, or she goes back to sleep with me.
 
@creepted Do you guys have a swing recommendation? For my first and my twins we had a basic back and forth swing and everyone hated the movement and the racket it made when it swung!
 
@bbfantastic I really like the fisher price cradle and swing. It's quiet so long as the legs are properly spaced out and I can swivel it to do side to side or forward and back. It has several music settings or just white noise and my daughter loves the built in mobile that also has a mirror like surface so she can look at herself.

It was a little pricy at $170, but we just used our stimulus. It has been worth every penny
 
@bbfantastic The actual bare minimum is very very little. Clothes, diapers/wipes, safe place to sleep, a few bottles if you are nursing and need to be away/a few more if you are using formula and a car seat if you drive.

A few things that I think make a big impact on quality of life with an infant are a My Breast Friend nursing pillow, bum spatula, changing pad on a dresser, zip swaddles, sleep sacks, pacifier, white noise machine, unscented gentle soap and lotion and the carrier you have.

Babies are just as happy with stuff you already have in the kitchen as they are with any kind of toy. A good backpack or bag you can wear with the wrap might be useful, especially with more little ones. My hospital sent us home with a few blankets, which are swaddles, burp cloths and a nice spot to put baby down.
 
@bbfantastic Other than the obvious basics, one item I would recommend for convenience and frugality would be a butt spatula. They did not exist when I had my first, but I learned about them when my second was born and they are one of my favorite mommy tools ever.

I really hate getting diaper cream under my nails and the amount of wasted cream is frustrating for me. With a silicone butt spatula, I use the large containers of desitin or beaudroux, and those large containers will last me a year or more because there's so much less wasted.

You can find them on Amazon but I got mine on clearance for $5 at Walmart.
 
@bbfantastic I only have one kid but I love this sub for it’s frugal tips so I hope y’all will forgive me lol.

Anyways, I kept it bare bones with my kiddo:

1) Full size crib with wheels (nice to move between rooms so I didn’t need a pack n play)

2) Diapers/wipes, I picked up a few second hand cloth diapers just in case

3) Ergobaby 360 baby carrier (I got a great deal on used, check FB marketplace)

4) High chair

5) Nose Frida (worth its weight in gold)

6) 3-5 Fleece sleep sacks (I liked Halo brand)

7) 5pk Gerber long sleeves in 3-6mos (I found they run small, this size fit my newborn)

I just used regular towels and chuck towels for burping, and got pretty much all of his clothes from FB marketplace bulk lots or Buy Nothing for cheap or free. I ended up with a few “baby” blankets that were homemade or gifts, but for the most part just used regular household blankets for tummy time and such.

I would say that my total cost was around $250, but I chose to buy things like the crib and mattress new so YMMV.

Good luck and congrats on your new baby!!
 
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