The ONLY 6 Things You Need For A Baby

As a first time mom, my first child had EVERYTHING! A swing for upstairs, a swing for down stairs, walker, crib, bassinet, pack n’ play, bouncy seat, bumbo, bath seat, stroller, and more. Just so many things he didn’t need. Thankfully most things I had for my son were given to us, but still. He didn’t need all of that. Then I had my daughter and she had some things that were left over from my son, but I got rid of everything after she grew too old for it. Now I am pregnant with baby #3 and I know that he doesn’t need all these things that just take up room. So here is a true list of what you need for your new babe.

Clothes
Obviously, babies need clothes. If you’re worried about all of the money it’s going to cost clothing your rapidly growing little human, hit up your local second hand store! I have no shame at all buying my children second hand clothes. You could even ask if anyone has any baby clothes they’re willing to give away for free or sell for a decent price on your local buy/sell/trade Facebook groups. There are some moms that love helping out other moms who need things for their littles!

Swaddlers
I did not know that babies needed to be swaddled until I had my second child. My first didn’t have arms or legs, so I didn’t know that babies flinging their arms and legs unexpectedly would send them into automatic freakout mode! If you want to save yourself a couple minutes of sleep during the night, swaddle that newborn babe!

Diapers
Well, something has to catch that runny newborn poop, and I’m sure you don’t want it to be your lap or the furniture! Diapering a baby can get expensive. Especially if you have an every 30 minute breastfed pooper like I did. There was so much money spent on newborn disposables with my first two, that I honestly don’t even want to think about it. This time around we will be using cloth diapers and cloth wipes from the beginning! With cloth diapering you spend money one time (or two times if you start off at newborn cloth like I am) and never have to spend a dime again, unless you get addicted to buying all the diapers. Newborn cloth diapers typically fit until around 12 pounds, then you need to buy the next size up or one-size diapers. Since newborn cloth can be just as pricey as one-size cloth and they don’t stay in it for all of their diapering years, I recommend buying pre-loved diapers from your local cloth diaper store or from one of the MANY cloth b/s/t groups on Facebook. Moms are ALWAYS selling cloth diapers and you better keep an eye out and not wait too long deciding or the good stuff will be gone before you know it!

Boobs
Literally yall. Boobs. Baby hungry? Stick a boob in it. Baby crying? Stick a boob in it. Baby sick? Stick a boob in it. Baby overstimulated? Stick a boob in it. Don’t want anyone holding your baby? Whip it out and stick a boob in it. I mean, you wouldn’t do this if you bottle fed, but I’m the type of mom that doesn’t like to take all these extra steps and just likes to stick a boob in it. Also, if you cannot or do not want to breastfeed or pump and can’t really get on board with the price of formula, you can always give your baby donated breastmilk. There are places you can buy breastmilk from and there are pages and groups on Facebook FILLED with mothers who want to help your baby and donate their milk to them with nothing in return, besides storage bags to replace the ones they’ve given you. Look it up! Some of the stories are so very touching.

Car seat
To leave the hospital or even go anywhere, you have to have a car seat. And it doesn’t have to be a top of the line $300 seat. Walmart has some great prices for infant seats! Another way to save money is buying a convertible car seat that’ll fit your baby from birth to two, or more, years old rear facing and up to 65 pounds forward facing OR you could set up a donation fund so your friends and family can help get your baby a seat! But please please please never get a used seat! You do not know what that seat has been through and there is always a possibility the seat could not properly protect your child in an accident.

Baby carrier
This right here, y’all. A baby carrier, wrap, or ring sling will save your life! Your newborn baby has just spent the first 9 months of their life inside of your warm comforting belly. Where they want and need to be after that is against your warm comforting chest where they can hear the heartbeat that they’ve heard all of their life. But let get real. You cannot hold a baby all day. You have things you need to get done that you can’t do while holding a baby. That’s where the carrier comes in! You can have your baby right where they need to be with no need of using your arms or hands! With my second child, I had her in the ring sling as soon as we got home and that’s where she stayed most times I had to do something, until she was aware enough to explore her surroundings.

So that’s all you need. Literally.