What You Actually Need for Your Baby’s First Year, and What You Don't

When you’re getting ready to have a baby, the list of things to get feels never-ending. 

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As first-time parents living in a small apartment, we wanted to avoid buying as much as we could — at least until we needed it. Financial savings were definitely top of mind – we were careful about budgeting and wanted to avoid spending on things we didn’t need. Space saving was also a priority for us. We live in a small apartment in a city, and don’t have a lot of extra storage space. And finally, sustainability is important to us. I wanted to be able to prioritize spending our money on fewer, higher-quality things made of safe, sustainable materials from companies we believe in.

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The truth is, not all baby items are equally necessary. Here’s what I’ve found useful in my baby’s first year, and what I’d skip. 

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The Stuff I’d Skip

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Diaper cream

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We tried various diaper creams, but they were thick, pasty, and didn’t work any better for our child than coconut oil. Since the first week, we’ve stuck with coconut oil for everything - diaper rash, baby massage - and it’s worked great. If your child ends up having extreme diaper rash or eczema, you can always supplement with a specific additional lotion or cream for that purpose.

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Bottle warmer

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Bottle warmers can be useful to warm up frozen breast milk or heat a bottle of formula. We borrowed one from a friend at first. But after a few weeks, we found warm water to be just as easy as a warmer for defrosting milk. Eventually, we shifted to using room temperature water for preparing formula and giving our daughter cold milk from the fridge when needed. It was actually helpful. Plus, bottle warmers are consistently among the worst-rated baby items from parents.

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Bottle sterilizer and brush

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In those early months, it feels like all you’re doing is washing bottles. But if you have a dishwasher, the good news is that bottles can go in the top rack of a dishwasher, where they’re cleaned and sterilized. If you do need to wash bottles between dishwasher cycles, you can wash them in a bowl of warm, soapy water. I’d recommend having a few sterilizer bags on hand (can go in the microwave) and enough bottles (e.g., at least 8-12) so that you have enough to go through a day of feeds without running a load of dishes.

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Breastfeeding Pillow

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I’ve had many friends who swore by their breastfeeding pillows. Based on multiple recommendations, I bought the My Brest Friend pillow. Now, of course, every child and breastfeeding journey is different. I did end up breastfeeding, but my daughter only fed lying down and hated using the pillow. When I did feed her sitting up, I found it easier to use a combination of small and large pillows from my couch and bed to prop her up. If I could do it again, this would be something I’d borrow before buying.

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Diaper bag

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We got a diaper bag as a gift, and we do use it. But it’s bulky and isn’t actually organized in a way that’s more useful for us. If I could do it all over again, I wish we’d just gotten a backpack or shoulder bag that would have been usable for a long time, looked good, had good storage, and also doubled as a good diaper bag.

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Playpen / Playard

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We went back and forth and ultimately didn’t buy a dedicated playpen or playard. I’m really glad we didn’t. We found it wasn’t necessary to buy a dedicated playpen because our travel crib doubled as the perfect playpen. I would recommend either the  Graco Pack ‘n Play or Baby Bjorn Travel Crib, depending on what you’re looking for. If you’re curious for recommendations on a crib or bassinet, you can read more here.

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Blankets and Towels

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To be clear – we do use baby blankets and towels. But it’s on my “skip” list because I wish we hadn’t bought any. These were some of the most commonly gifted and handed-down items, so we ended up with way more than we needed over the first few months! Plus, even if you don’t receive many as gifts, they’re not necessary right away. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping blankets out of a child’s sleeping area for the first year of life. If you deliver at a hospital, they’ll give you swaddles that are the right size and weight to keep your baby warm for the first few weeks. Towels won’t be necessary for 1-3 weeks, until the umbilical cord falls off and you can bathe your baby. And when it does, we found regular, soft towels to work just fine for our baby instead of baby-specific towels. 

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Toys

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Infants don’t really need toys at first – and by the time they do, you’ll probably have received several of them as gifts. We found small things like a clip-on mobile and high-contrast books to be our most-used items in the early days.

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Shoes

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Shoes aren’t really necessary until your child can walk. Plus, they always fall off! Socks and booties are great for keeping their toes warm until then.

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Toothbrush

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Toothbrushing doesn’t begin until around the time your child gets their first teeth in, usually after 6 months. Also, even then, brushing a baby’s teeth is almost impossible. I try periodically and give up. 

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The Stuff I Used Most

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Pant extender

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This one’s for the pregnant people! One thing I was surprised by is how long I could keep wearing my regular pants for – with a pant extender. It cost a few bucks to buy a couple of elastic bands that attached to the buttons on my pants. It was really nice to keep wearing my regular pants until my third trimester! Plus, maybe I’ll use the extender again at Thanksgiving.

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Milk catcher

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I would have never known I’d need this before having a baby, but I am grateful a friend gave it to me. If you’re breastfeeding, a milk catcher (like this one from Hakaa) helps you save any extra drops of milk and avoid getting your shirt wet. I used this little device multiple times a day for months, and couldn’t recommend it more.

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Hands-free breast pump

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Like most people, I got a free breast pump covered by my health insurance and expected that to be all I’d need. But I didn’t realize just how difficult and frustrating it would be to have to be attached to a wall for 20 minutes multiple times a day to pump. I finally bit the bullet and got a hands-free breastpump (I got the MomCozy M6) and could not have been happier. Being able to walk, drive, go out to lunch, take work calls, and more while pumping allowed me to breastfeed for much longer. These kinds of purchases are usually FSA-eligible, which can be useful to factor into your planning ahead of time, too. 

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Coconut oil

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Coconut oil has been our go-to all-in-one balm for everything. It’s our diaper balm, lotion, baby oil, all in one. We always have a couple of small jars filled around the house, plus one in the diaper bag.

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Sound machine(s)

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We bought a Hatch sound machine for our daughter’s room, and a travel version to attach to our stroller on the go. We were able to find both open box – unused but for much cheaper – on eBay. Both have been incredibly useful. The fact that the Hatch has a night light too is really helpful.

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Sleep sacks and swaddles

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Swaddles and sleep sacks have truly been so helpful in this first year, before it’s safe to use blankets for bedtime. Our favorites have been Sleepea swaddles from Happiest Baby (easy velcro is great when you’re sleep deprived) and Woolino sleep sacks (made from 100% natural fibers).

Touchless thermometer

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This was something I held off buying for a while – but I wish we’d bought earlier. If your baby is sick, it’s not always easy to get them to sit still so you can take their temperature. The touchless thermometer cost $20 at our local pharmacy and has been so much easier. 

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Travel mobile

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This funny little clip-on travel mobile has been one of the single most useful things we’ve received as a gift. It keeps our daughter occupied on car rides, in the stroller, and even at home. Since it clips on and off, you can take it with you wherever you go.

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Booties

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I think of booties as the more useful version of shoes for babies. The little snaps keep them from falling off, and the soft material is comfortable and warm. These were perfect for when we left the house or were on trips and needed to keep her feet protected.

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Bassinet

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Since we live in a small apartment and wanted our baby to sleep in the same room as us for the first few months, we found a bassinet to be a really useful space saver. However, we didn’t love the idea of buying something we wouldn’t need for more than a few months. We decided to rent the Snoo for 6 months instead of buying. If you’re curious, I did a full review of what I thought of the Snoo rental here.

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Bouncer

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Someone I know likened an infant in the first few months to a potted plant. You put her somewhere, and she stays there. The bouncer acted as a perfect pot for our plant while we were doing things in the kitchen, hanging out with friends or family, or doing chores around the apartment. We borrowed a bouncer from a friend, and it was one of our most-used items. 

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Travel stroller

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We’ve traveled a decent amount to see friends and family in our child’s first year of life – 5 round-trip flights and a couple of 4+ hour train and car rides. Especially for plane travel, the Doona travel stroller has been incredibly useful. It’s lightweight, really easy to carry, and converts from a car seat into a stroller with one hand. It’s been super helpful to have a single item that acts as both a car seat and stroller on the go. I know folks who have used this as their primary stroller, too – especially if you live in a big city and/or take rideshare or public transit with your baby often, I think this could be a great option. 

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Carrier

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The carrier is a game-changer for being able to be hands-free with your baby. We used it around the house when we needed to do chores, on walks and hikes, or out and about at restaurants or other people’s houses. It was a great way to have our daughter nap while we were out doing things. We got the ErgoBaby carrier as a hand-me-down, but have had lots of friends swear by the Baby Bjorn. 

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Low-fi baby monitor

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When we are at home, we use a super low-fi, 10+ year old Bluetooth baby monitor we got for $5 on Facebook Marketplace. It has video, but it’s not super high-quality. We actually love that it’s not connected to wifi because it means that we can’t check it (even if we really want to!) when our baby is at home and we’re at work. Plus, the battery seems to last forever. When we travel, we do use a portable, Wi-Fi-enabled security camera instead, so we can have a bit more range on the baby feed.

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Pro tips from parents

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• Get as much as you can borrowed, shared, or secondhand. Chances are, you aren’t going to be able to predict what you need perfectly in advance. And every child is different, and has different needs and preferences. Getting things pre-loved reduces the financial and environmental risk of inevitably needing to make a change. 
• Don’t be afraid to ask for hand-me-downs of consumable items. Formula, shampoo, lotions, milk storage bags – these are all items people tend to over-order. Ask around for things you need before buying new. You might be surprised what you can get for free.
• Join your local buy-nothing group(s). It’ll go a long way – not only for what you need to get, but also for things you need to give away (to get back space in your home!). 
• Essentials come first; you can hold off on high chairs, lots of toys, or big gear until later.
• Outlet covers, baby gates, and other childproofing items will only become relevant as your baby becomes independently mobile.