Baby Items You Actually Need, and 14 Things to Skip

Search “newborn essentials” and within five minutes you’ll be convinced your baby needs more equipment than a small army. Including a machine that warms wipes, because apparently a room-temperature wipe is cruelty now.

A newborn needs five things: a safe place to sleep, a car seat, food, diapers and clothes. Everything else is there to make your life easier. Some of it does. A lot of it just takes up the hallway.

What baby items do you actually need? Newborn essentials checklist

The real must-haves, before the birth:

• Infant car seat, rear-facing. You can’t leave the hospital without one. Here’s how to install it.
• A safe place to sleep: a bassinet, play yard or crib with a firm, flat mattress and a fitted sheet. Nothing else in it.
• Two sleep sacks and three swaddles. They replace blankets, which don’t belong in the crib.
• Diapers and wipes. Expect 8 to 12 diapers a day. Start with one pack of newborn size and one of size 1.
• Diaper rash cream and a changing pad.
• Clothes: 7 to 10 short-sleeve bodysuits, 5 to 7 zip-up sleepers and a hat. Zippers beat snaps at 3 a.m.
• Feeding gear: bottles and a brush, burp cloths, plus a pump or formula depending on how she plans to feed.
• Basic health kit: infant thermometer, nail clippers or a file, and a snot sucker. You’ll be amazed how much snot fits in such a small person.
• A stroller or a carrier. One way to get around. Not necessarily both, not on day one.
• Her recovery kit: overnight pads, a peri bottle and a big water bottle. Most lists forget the person who just gave birth.

Our free newborn gear essentials list has the full version: every item marked must-have or nice-to-have, with a note on why.

What not to buy for a newborn: 14 things to skip

Some of these are a waste of money. The first four are actually unsafe.

1. Crib bumpers. Banned in the US since 2022 under the Safe Sleep for Babies Act, because of suffocation risk.
2. Inclined sleepers. Banned under the same law. Babies should sleep flat on their back.
3. Sleep positioners and nests. Same problem. The AAP’s safe sleep advice is simple: firm, flat and empty.
4. Pillows, quilts and stuffed animals in the crib. Cute, but not for sleeping.
5. A baby walker. The AAP calls them a dangerous choice. Mostly a fast route down the stairs.
6. A wipe warmer. Your baby will survive a room-temperature wipe.
7. Baby shoes. They can’t walk. They’ll kick them off anyway.
8. Piles of newborn-size clothes. Some babies skip that size entirely. Buy a few and wait.
9. Bulk newborn diapers. Same reason. They’ll grow out of them before you finish the box.
10. A dedicated changing table. A sturdy dresser with a changing pad on top does the job and stays useful for years.
11. Babyproofing gear, for now. A newborn can’t crawl, open cupboards or reorganize your cleaning supplies. That comes later.
12. A mountain of toys. For the first months, your face is the best toy they have.
13. Matching nursery furniture sets that only work for one stage. Buy furniture for your home, not furniture with a six-month expiration date.
14. A designer diaper bag. Any backpack with enough pockets works, and it’s kinder to your shoulders.

Where to spend and where to save on baby gear

Spend on:

• The car seat. Safety, and you’ll use it every single drive.
• The mattress. Firm, flat and new.
• The things you’ll use every day: a stroller that fits your life, and a carrier that’s comfortable for you, not just for her.

Save on:

• Clothes. Second-hand or hand-me-downs. Babies outgrow them before they’re worn out.
• Diapers and wipes. Store brands often work just as well.
• Anything you’re not sure you’ll use. Wait and see what your baby likes.

Before you buy anything, ask: does it make the baby safer, will we use it every week, and does it solve a problem we actually have? If you can’t say what problem it solves, leave it on the maybe list. Our baby cost guide shows how fast the gear adds up.

Should you borrow, buy or rent baby gear?

Borrow or buy used for most things: clothes, a bouncer, a play mat, a baby bath. Babies use them for months, not years, and they come out barely worn.

Buy new for safety gear:

• Car seat: only buy used if you know its full history. Seats expire, and one that’s been in a crash may need replacing.
• Crib: check it meets the 2011 federal crib standard. Older drop-side cribs can’t be sold anymore, for good reason.
• Mattress: new, firm and the right size for the crib.

Rental shops exist too, for things like a fancy swing or a travel crib, if you want to try before you commit. And accept every hand-me-down offered. You can always pass it on.

Baby registry checklist printable, with purchase tracker

Turn your maybe list into a registry and let family and friends help. It saves you money, and it saves everyone from gifting you a fourth baby bathtub.

Our free newborn gear checklist covers feeding, sleep, bath time, clothes, getting around and her recovery, with a budget tips page at the end. Research first, buy in stages and adjust once your baby shows up with opinions of their own.

Build and test the big stuff before week 30. Nobody wants to find out during labor that the crib came with seventeen screws and sixteen holes.

---

General information, not safety certification. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and check for recalls at cpsc.gov.

Sources: CPSC: Safe Sleep for Babies Act, AAP: A Parent’s Guide to Safe Sleep, AAP: New Crib Standards, AAP: Baby Walkers.