Newborn Checklist

This week I will finally sort everything I need to have ready for the baby’s arrival.

Yes, it’s still a little early but I’m a planner (*cough* and something of an organisational control freak) at heart, so I think I’ll feel more settled once I know everything is sorted and in order. That way whenever he or she arrives, I won’t need to panic or wonder if I’ve forgotten something (which naturally I will do anyway).

I wasn’t really planning to write a blog post on this, but I’ve gotten so many questions about it that I thought I may as well share our checklist. Just a quick mini-post for all the other expectant mums out there.

So here we go…

[UPDATE: Have slightly updated the list now we’re past the newborn phase!] 

Clothing

• Several natural fibre onesies and body suits – (These are some of the best quality ones I’ve found, these multipacks are also wonderfully soft and get better with every wash! But supermarkets also do great budget friendly options) Buttons are cute, zips are easier. 
• A few elasticated night gowns (like this) – Great for changing nappies in the night so you don’t need to wriggle them out of a onesie!
• A few pairs of socks
• A pair scratch mittens – we actually didn’t use these, babies learn so much from touch, they’re better off with the occasional scratch! 
• A cotton hat
• A kitted hat (winter babies)
• A couple of jumpers/cardigans (I must admit to particularly enjoying knitwear shopping!)A snowsuit – for winter babies, obviously
• Blankets (one for home, one for pram, one for luck!)
• Swaddle cloths – These muslins were my favourite and we also used and loved these. So much easier in the middle of the night! 

Feeding

• Lots of bibs – Update, not needed! 
• Lots of muslin cloths (also good for swaddling and I’ve found so many pretty ones it’s hard to stop buying them!) These turned out to be my favourites.
• Nursing pillow (my pregnancy pillow doubles up as this) Update, literally any pillow will do! Bolsters are great, choose one to match your decor.)
• Nursing bras (I liked these nursing pieces best, the soft bras and camis. If you need more support try these. NB: You do not need to buy special nursing clothes, anything you can unbutton or unzip or pull down/up will work! Bras however are worth it.) 
• Nipple pads (You will leak like crazy in the beginning! But don’t worry it’ll settle down after a month or so, when your supply levels out.)
• Nipple balm (This is the best, use it on your lips too! Treat yourself to some of this while you’re there. Oh and this, and this, and this!) 
• Breast pump (rent from hospital, don’t buy) – Medela symphony is the one I rented.
• Bottles & milk storage bags
• Haakaa manual pump (great for collecting milk from other boob while baby feeds, rather than wasting it! Yet to meet a mum who doesn’t swear by this.) Update – I bought two! BEST things ever. Wear them in the shower for a free bottle for bebé, that would otherwise run down the drain. 

Changing 

• Changing mat – We loved our changing basket, with a folded towel inside and one of these on top
• Couple packs of newborn nappies (again don’t go crazy and buy hundreds until you know how big baby is and see how fast they grow, you can always get more!)
• Nappy bin – I hear this one is brilliant (Update: it’s great!)
• Nappy cream
• Baby wipes
• Cotton pads (In the beginning we used cotton and warm water, then went on to water wipes)

Bathing

• Bath support or mini tub (I’m yet to find a non-hideous option, I bought this)
• Water thermometer (Not really needed unless you’re nervous, you just want lukewarm bath water which you can feel with your hand/elbow. You’ll want to avoid bathing them for first couple of week anyway)
• Few soft washcloths
• Baby cleanser (We like this one, but in the beginning I would just use warm water) 
• Baby towels (If you want but yours will do!)
• Hooded baby towel
• Baby moisturiser (We use a few drops of organic jojoba oil in the bath)
• Soft baby hairbrush
• Nail clippers (we loved this set)
• Digital thermometer (in ear is what we find best, some people prefer rectal)

Travel

• Pram – (I could write a whole post on this! I’ve gone through all of the prams! For the first 6 months you want a lay-flat bassinet, after that they will move to a sit-up pram. Which you choose really depends on your lifestyle. Travel a lot? Go for the YOYO2. Country girl? You’ll want an off-roader. We loved the iCandy for a long time, so much storage space and comfy for baby. If I did it all again I would probably just have gone for the yoyo to begin with.)
• Car seat – From my research this seems to be the safest on the market
• Car seat dock (This is purely useful if you’re going to be in and out of the car a lot and don’t want to fiddle around with belts every time) 
• Car seat rain cover
• Soft baby carrier – Make sure it’s ergonomic and suitable for newborns (I liked the Tula explore one, but the Artipoppe is like the designer handbag of baby carriers, a luxury but one I loved every second of using!) 
• Baby sling is a much better option if you’re on a budget!
• Nappy bag (I used a tote with an organiser insert, and later a backpack. You don’t need a special nappy bag)
• Portable changing mat
• Moses basket + sheets (We swore by this rocking stand for the moses basket!)
• Sheepskin liner (We used these in the pram, in the moses basket and later in the cot. Pros – Regulates body temp, keeping baby warm in winter and cool in summer. Lanolin helps sooth and encourage sleep, lessens likelihood of allergies. Cons – Some consider them a sleeping hazard and believe baby should only be on a cotton sheet. As with everything in parenthood, do you own research and decide what you think is best!)