Third time round say what?! It seems like not that long ago that I was sitting at my laptop writing my first edition of this post. Time. Flies.
With all things baby, you can go super simple or super boujee. I tend to sit more on the simple/minimal side of things but go for quality over quantity. Because this is my third baby and I have all the essentials already, I do have the luxury of of getting a few nicer items. In this blog post I’ll go over items for about the first 6 months.
Click here to download my baby checklist. or if you’re looking for my postpartum essentials, see this blog post.
The Clothing
You definitely do NOT need much clothing to begin with, unless you have a particularly spilly baby. I think I aimed for 3-5 outfits (leggings, short sleeved bodysuit, and long sleeved bodysuit), 3 PJs and a cardigan. I got given a lot which make up the rest of baby’s wardrobe. My babies were around 8lb and fitted Newborn size (0000) for roughly 6 weeks before moving to size 0-3 (000). We never found out the gender of our babes so opted for mainly plain clothing in neutral colours. Even if you know what you’re having I’d highly recommend shopping as neutral as possible so you can reuse for future babes.
Things I Love:
The Stroller
Some people are more into baby wearing and others are big stroller fans. For me, I’m a stroller gal! I started with a Mutsy i2 but upgraded to a double with baby number two. I have an Uppababy Vista now which can be used as a single or a double. I liked that it was super versatile with lots of configurations. I use it with the capsule clicked into it a LOT. I found the carrycot handy for when we were staying other places for the whole day or overnight. I also ended up getting a cheap second hand mountain buggy for the farm and a smaller travel stroller later on. I would recommend thinking about your lifestyle and picking something that ticks the boxes for you.
The Bag
For my first baby I had a shoulder bag, but with more than one child I for sure needed a backpack. I have a Vanchi backpack that I used last time and will use again. It’s a great size and a really lovely bag. I’ve recently purchased their pram caddy too! You can use the code EVERSOBRITTY10 for 10% off (ad-affiliate link).
The Swaddles
Most babies like to be swaddled in some way. Our first baby was pretty fussy so we used Mum 2 Mum velcro swaddles. They were great but sometimes I found it hard to get her to sleep without it, or in the carseat or pram. Second time I decided to just use muslin and stretchy cotton swaddles. They were a lot easier to tuck into the carseat and pram. I loved having muslins on hand to use as burp cloths, shade on a sunny day or a light blanket too.
Somewhere to Put Baby Down
At some stage you’re probably going to want to put the baby down somewhere. A basic bouncinette is perfect! Its lightweight, easy on the eye and super affordable! I love using it in the bathroom for when I’m having a shower. It’s good to have a nice blanket or padded play mat for them to lie on on the floor too.
The Toys
You really don’t need much at the beginning. A wooden play gym like this is handy and you can literally tie anything to it.
Carriers and Wraps
In the early days I find a soft wrap nicer to use! We have this one. Once babe is a bit bigger I like to use a structured carrier that can go on the front or back. We have a Beco Gemini and can’t fault it!
Somewhere to Sleep
Obviously essential. We’ve used a moses basket for the first few months until they’ve needed a cot.
Other things I love:
- Bibs dummies- these stayed in really well and the glow in the dark ones were great to find in the night too!
- White noise- I didn’t have white noise for my first babe but definitely found it beneficial for my second. I have this one.
- Padded change mat – We don’t have room for a change table/station so we use this mat and keep it under the couch
- Rock it – I for sure thought this was a random luxury but did find it helpful with my second babe when I needed to be helping my toddler
- Portable nappy caddy – I have a Bunnie Caddy for this baby which I know is going to be super helpful to cart things around the house as needed. Here’s a more affordable version.
- We had a traditional style baby bath first time but I really struggled to lift it. Next time I used a sink then a bath support in the main bath. If I was going to buy a bath I’d go for the Shnuggle bath.
The Checklist
Here you go babes! Download my no-BS checklist of all the baby items I consider essentials for the first few months. Note that I exclusively breastfeed so bottles and accessories haven’t been included.
