You know that I love to save money where I can, but I also want to acknowledge that some supplies simply make taking care of your little one easier. So, I’ve compiled a list of supplies for the first year. These go beyond the Must Haves and the Luxuries. My goal is to really bite into the day to day and balance ease and care against development and entertainment. I have written broader reviews for each of these categories, I’m just picking my favorites for each category and giving you the why behind them. Because simply put, I don’t want you to waste money on items you won’t ever use.
Also, because I don’t think we talk about what to avoid often enough, I’ve also included a section at the end for items to use only with caution and the ones I advise you outright avoid. You can click here to jump to the bottom.
Basic Care Supplies
When I think of basic care, I think of a lot of the items that naturally fall into our must have category. These are the bottles, the car seats, and the strollers. The types of items that you really are going to use every day in some form or another. I start with these because I consider them my baby essential supplies.
I know, how many times have I written about car seats already. And honestly, if you don’t have one by now, you’re probably in trouble since this article is meant for after you have had your tiny human. But I’ll never stop harping about it because car seats are so important. Seriously, whether you go with an infant carrier first or jump right into an all-in-one, if you are getting in a vehicle, you need this seat in place.
I personally really fell in love with the Graco series. Truth be told, I didn’t get a whole fancy clip into your stroller option (I swore I wasn’t going to use a stroller). We did the infant carrier because it was easiest at the time for us. Also, the weight requirement for the infant carrier is actually lower than the all-in-one, which can be a huge deal if you have a baby in the NICU. I’m not big for dragging the physical car seat around, but it was nice for me and their dad to be able to swap back and forth between our cars with a simple car seat base.
To be fully transparent, if money is an issue and you are confident your baby will be more than 5 pounds at birth, go with the all-in-one simply because it will save money in the long run. But if you really need that carrier and can afford to use the infant seat for around a year before transitioning to the larger seat, I really did think it was nice to have.
Like I said, I was convinced I didn’t need a stroller so I didn’t invest in one of those fancy ‘travel sets’ that your infant car seat can clip into. Also, they are expensive (and I am… let’s say thrifty). For full infants, you are going to want a full blown cushy stroller though. Until they can sit up, this is the most appropriate and safest option for them. Monster really didn’t go into a stroller until they were around 6 months though, so an umbrella stroller became a choice at that point.
So how did I haul my small human around, if not in a car seat or a stroller? Well, I admit I actually carried them a lot. Yeah, no fancy items or equipment. Just my two arms. And you know what? I really loved carrying them. Holding them close to me and giving them my affection as often as possible was awesome. And no, you cannot spoil a baby. And even if you could, I don’t care because my children have incredibly secure attachments with me and very rarely cried as infants. Even years later, their attachment is still strong and I believe part of that was because I carried and held them so often when young.
Now of course, you can’t always carry your tiny human. So what else can you do? I seriously cannot recommend the Boba Wrap enough. This wrap fits multiple body sizes and has multiple holds. Have a teeny tiny who can’t hold their head up yet? There is a tie for that. Need to nurse on demand but don’t want to pull you human out of the snug? There is a tie for that. Have a 6-month-old who wants to be snuggled but has head control? There is a tie for that. Have a 2-year-old that isn’t feeling well and just needs to be snugged to you for a few hours? There is a tie for that. You get my point here. These wraps are incredibly versatile, easy to use, and keep your baby close. I seriously cannot recommend them enough.
Breastfeeding or formula feeding, you will probably need bottles. Now my children never used pacifiers and never suffered from nipple confusion, so I want to start with that disclaimer. But I love the Evenflo Glass Bottles. They were compatible with my Medala breast pump, so I could pump straight into the bottles. I think I broke maybe 2 bottles in a good few years of breastfeeding, and I’m pretty sure both times were in my basement as I was putting them into storage. The glass was very easy to clean and sanitize, and honestly, I felt good withholding plastic where I could.
To be clear, you will need supplies as baby gets older and starts to eat solids. Things like spoons, bowls, and more. However, for the sake of this blog post, I am not getting into that here. If you want to know more details about supplies and introducing your baby to solids, you can read about Introducing Your Baby to Solids here. Or even the popular Baby Led Weaning.
What goes in, must come out. In this case, we are talking about how to wrap that cute little baby butt. I get requests all the time for opinions on what the best baby diapers are. And I honestly cannot answer. If I buy disposable diapers, which I’ve done maybe 4 times in 4 years, I buy either the Costco giant boxes or whatever random brand is going to give me the most bang for my buck at the store (yeah, I do the 33 cents vs 32 cents comparisons, like I said, thrifty).
I didn’t have to buy disposable diapers because I went with cloth. If you have never considered cloth diapers, I urge you to revisit now. Especially if we are doing baby on a budget. The few times I bought disposable diapers, I nearly fell over. Those things are stupid expensive. Additionally, cloth diapers are much better for the environment. And I’m pretty sure they played a part in both of my children being fully potty trained before 2 (Monster started using the potty at 12 months and Sprinkle first showed interest around 16 months). I have tips on how to maintain your diapers as well, in case that is your primary concern.
Apparel
I don’t have any strong recommendations for clothing to put here. Yes, there are other places in my blog where I talk about different adorable outfits, but style is to each their own. Just know that your baby will probably need clothes. I would not buy a ton of newborn or even 0-3 month clothes in advance. Some babies are born and never go through the newborn stage. Others outgrow it rather quickly. Again, if you want to be thrifty, there is nothing wrong with buying clothes secondhand either.
I will say though, if you are looking for something adorable, homemade, and unique, my Little Riding Hoods are perfect for 6-12 months. They are the lightweight apparel your kiddo needs for Spring or Fall weather. Plus they are dangerously cute!
Entertainment
Okay, we got the essentials out of the way. Check! We have everything we absolutely need just to baseline take care of your new little bean. Now you have them at home. So what do you do with them all day?
I actually really like the play mats that are out there these days. So much so that I ended up with two, one for my basement and one for upstairs. The play mats are versatile, often have hanging bits you can switch out, and are enticing both for tummy time and laying on the back. They are often educational with a lot of cause and effect toys. And did I mention they are super easy to throw in the wash? That one is often a big sell for me. While I have a few that I love, my highest recommendation is this green one (pictured). Other than simply liking the aesthetic better, the top crisscross felt easier to manage and the mirror built into the mat encouraged early head lifting without causing baby to unnecessarily strain their neck.
Mobiles can be cute, or they can be incredibly annoying. I suppose it depends on which way you look at it. The entertainment and gentle music can be enough to sooth your little one to sleep, or at least engage them for a few minutes. And by a few minutes I mean 30-45 seconds because the wind up mobiles are exhausting. That’s why I specifically recommend the battery powered animal mobile. It easily clips onto multiple surfaces, but nicest is that it is battery powered, so you flip a switch and it will run until you turn it off. It also has two settings, one with music, and one without.
Now I have a whole blog about toys you can invest in for the 0-6-month range and for more specifics, I encourage you to check it out here. However, generally speaking, remember that at this age, your child really lives in the world of sensory experiences. They are near sighted and curious. They want soft things, things they can put in their mouths, patterns, and they absolutely love faces. Mirrors are always a big one at this age, as you will watch them go from wondering who that other baby is to finally realizing they are looking at themselves.
Again, I have a more in depth blog for this age of toys as well and you can view that here. Around this age your human is starting to sit up, maybe even moving towards crawling. They still are going to love sensory experiences, and something as simple as a box of stuffed animals or even your basket of laundry as you put it away is going to be a blast for them. Providing more open ended materials at this age starts looking really fun. Think items like music, blocks, sand, cars, and paint for this age as they start to explore what effect they have on the world.
Books
Books get their own section because I simply love them. I probably read too many books, and eventually I will stop collecting them (that’s probably a lie). But seriously, I cannot stress enough how valuable books are and what a gift it is to pass on the joy of reading. And don’t underestimate the gift that is your local library. It’s a great place to get suggestions and a little reading variety. Here are just a few of my top favorite books.
Need more book suggestions? Check out these book blogs that cover it all!
Curricula
If you are still searching for fun things to do with your child, check out my monthly curriculum. I create a new curriculum every month for infants through 5 years. These curriculum offer a month’s worth of fun, simple activities that you can do with your child to take their experience and learning to the next level.
Supplies to Use with Caution
As I had mentioned, there are some items on the market that I really suggest parents use with caution. These are the items that come with safety risks or really aren’t developmentally appropriate for our children, despite the best efforts of the marketing team.
I have a love/hate relationship with baby swings. I see how they can be incredibly helpful, but I’ve also helped dozens of families break the sleeping only in the swing habit. Swings should be used sparingly, and if baby falls asleep in them, they should be turned off and the child should be transferred to a safe sleep space. Don’t let the swing take your place of bonding with and soothing baby.
Items to Avoid
I don’t care what marketing says, there are some things out there that you should simply stay away from. Don’t buy them, don’t let your relatives buy them, and get rid of them if you have acquired them. Just because you can buy something, doesn’t mean you should. This is especially true when taking development and safety into consideration.
Exersaucer
These things are full of fun items for baby to play with but are actually really bad for physical development. Other than that many children are far too young to get placed in them, it can also mess with the way their legs develop if your child is left in them for too long.
I cannot stress the importance of crawling enough. Stop pushing your kids to walk by sticking them in little cars or giving them those push walkers. Even if they are ready to walk, you want all of that strength and practice that they have to come from themselves, not a propped up noise machine. The best way to learn to walk is independently when they are ready. Also, crawling babies have a really cool defense built into their brains that will discourage them from crawling over a ledge. That defense mechanism isn’t in place when they are upright and have a tray in their way. So they can easily tumble down stairs in these things.
Cars and Push Walkers
Bumbos
Similar to not pushing your baby to walk before they are ready, you don’t want to pressure them to sit up before they are ready. That is exactly what a bumbo does. It provides abdominal support where there is none. Except that sitting in a bumbo further discourages building that vital abdominal muscle that leads to sitting up, crawling, and even walking. And again, these were recalled at one point because people were putting them on tables or counters. Don’t do this. If your baby can’t sit up on their own, they can still tip this item over and we don’t need them falling on the kitchen floor.
If it is loud, screeches, plays music on its own, or is generally electronic based at all, I say skip it. This cute, mildly annoying toy for you is incredibly over stimulating and actually a huge sensory overload for your child. Plus, I find the simplest toys to be the most educational. I’m not saying every single toy you invest in has to be educational… but why not? Why get the 1 button push noise machine when blocks will last longer and grow with them?
Dr. Brown's Bottles
Okay, I almost didn’t add this one in its own category, but I’m sorry, these things leak. Like crazy. So many parents have asked what they are doing wrong and often have to purchase all new bottles. Seriously, for such a popular brand, they really suck. I would avoid them. Even if you don’t like the Evenflo bottles, go with Aveno or Medala or literally anything other than Dr Brown’s.
