The Baby Essentials (0-3m)
This is the list I wish I’d had when preparing for my baby’s arrival.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of what’s really needed in those first weeks, especially with endless Instagram ads pushing all the “must-have” gadgets. My goal was to keep things simple, be conscious of space (we live in a two bedroom apartment), stay mindful of overconsumption and choose products with longevity in mind for future children.
I’m no expert, just a mum of three months (still blows my mind!) figuring things out as I go and discovering what works best for our family. These are the baby items we’ve genuinely used and loved in the first three months (and counting).
Just so you know, a few of the links below are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) and I only recommend products I have personally used and found helpful.
Big ticket
Carrier – The Chekoh clip carrier is probably our most used baby item. Not only does it look good, you can use it from when they’re newborn and it is still Archer’s preferred place for a day nap. We also purchased the Chekoh wrap carrier and their ring sling! The wrap carrier is great when they’re really small and I purchased the ring sling as a friend swore by hers, I am still searching for the time to figure it out.
Pram - We chose the Babybee Duo as we’d like to have more children in the future. We’ve used the carrier a lot more than the pram so far.
Bassinet - Okay, we haven’t actually used the bassinet but I can’t have a baby list blog without listing basinet, Archer has spent maybe a whole 5 minutes in the basinet so far but I am persisting! We got the BabyBee Co Sleeper from Facebook Marketplace.
Chest of drawers - IKEA Hauga 6 drawers purchased off Facebook Marketplace - this is discontinued now but there are many similar ones.
Car seat – We chose the Maxi Cosi Nova XL based on car compatibility, safety, cost and longevity (it is suitable for children 0 – 4 years).
Travel
Window shade - There are many available on Amazon, though I’m not thrilled with ours and will likely switch to Snap Shades. Don’t forget to cover the small side window as well as the main one.
Travel mirror - Again, you can find various ones on amazon, we got the Maxi Cosi one simply because it’s the same brand as our car seat but there are plenty of options.
Changing
Nappies - I really wanted the most organic/low-tox option but unfortunately we had a lot of leakage with some brands. Huggies newborn ended up being the most reliable and a better fit. We’ve since switched to Rascals (from Coles) mostly due to accessibility, which also work well for us.
Nappy cream - I like the MooGoo Nappy Balm as it’s free from nut and seed oils (potential allergens). Most allergies are triggered by nut proteins, not oils, but I like the extra peace of mind.
Wipes - Love the Tooshie’s pure water wipes. We buy in bulk from Amazon which reduces the cost though they’re also easily found at Coles.
Change mat - A simple padded change mat from Kmart, plus two covers so there’s always a clean one. Far more affordable than silicone options (though yes, it is a bit more laundry).
Portable change mat - Our nappy bag came with a travel change mat and a friend gifted a roll out one too. If I was purchasing, I’d get this Phile one, mostly cause it’s cute.
Nappy bag - My grandparents gifted us this one. It’s spacious, it has a wide opening and loads of compartments. It’s also not too feminine for when my husband enviably ends up carrying it.
Towels - The least sexy, most practical item, these towels are used for everything - pee, poo, vomit, the cat, you name it they are absolutely essential.
Clothing
The main answer I got when asking friends about newborn clothes was “don’t buy too many as they grow out of them so fast” followed by “you can go through 2-3 onesies a day” confusing right? So I am most pleased to share my insights on the number of clothes that we found useful! This list is based on doing laundry about 2x a week.
0000 Outfits x7 - 10 - Include onesies and pants/body suits. My favourite brands are Bilbi Organics, Nature Baby, Pure Baby, Bonds and Target organic. Target sizes run small, Bonds sizes run big and the others are true to size.
0000 Singlets x7 - 10 - Singlets, short sleeves or long sleeves based on the season. Archer is a winter baby and we used a combo of all three though I imagine for a summer bub you wouldn’t need the long sleeve option. Bonds are the best!
000 Outfits & singlets x5 - Choose a couple so you have the next size up ready to go but leave room to purchase more as you get a feel for the variation in brand sizes, bubs preferences, seasons and how much you do laundry.
Socks x3 - They don’t need such regular washing. I like the Bilbi, Bonds or Big W ones.
Jumper - I splurged on a custom knit from Hiild (love!). The brands above also have great options.
Outwear - We spent the first few weeks of postpartum in the Blue Mountains in winter. We purchased this Quilted Growsuit from Purebaby in size 000 so it was a tad big for the first few weeks but lasted all of winter and some.
Beanie - Couldn’t resist a matching Hiild knit beanie.
Bathing
Bath - We use the Skip Hop one, it has three settings: newborn, infant & sitting to grow with bub. Some people like to have a bath thermometer, we just use the elbow method.
Cloths - These little face towels are great for the bath, wiping little messes and spot cleaning bub.
Hooded towels - We were gifted one from a family member, it’s very cute though you could totally use a regular towel to dry them.
Products - We just use plain water for now and don’t add any soaps or bubbles.
Play
Books - Totally personal, but we’ve loved building a little library with classics like Peter Rabbit, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Kissed by the Moon, We’re going on a Bear Hunt, Guess how much I love you and more. We were gifted this tummy time contrast book at our baby shower which just happened to match our play gym.
Play mat - This Munchkin & Bear play mat is the best. It is SO soft and I love that it is wipeable. We put it on top of our rug which is comfier for baby and also protects our rug, we then put the play gym on top of it for extra comfort there.
Play gym - I underestimated how much the play gym would be used, Archer has loved his. Many are either too beige (even for me) or just really awful looking. I’m grateful for my MIL who purchased us this one for Christmas, it’s engaging for him without overwhelming for me.
Bouncer - We were leant both the Maxi Cosi one and the Baby Bjorn one. The Baby Bjorn one is much better as it springs rather than rocks. Totally essential.
Toys - This rainstick has been fantastic for calming Archer (and myself) down, especially good for the car when there’s not much more you can do. He is now getting to the stage where we need to level up the toys.
Health
Baby Panadol - I learnt this the hard way. We got caught out without baby Panadol while we were in the Blue Mountains and it took us 90 minutes at midnight to get some (a very hard 90 minutes for all). I will always have baby Panadol on hand now.
Thermometer - Still don’t have one but need one!
Hair brush - We got the Haaka one, mostly because we purchased other Haaka items.
Nail clippers – Baby nails grow surprisingly fast, we’re clipping every 3ish days, it is less scary than I thought it would be. My husband clips his nails while I feed. We got the Frida Baby ones.
Snot sucker – Thankfully we haven’t had to use this yet but it’s ready to go if/when we do. Again, we got the Frida baby one.
Sleep & bedding
We co-sleep so while we purchased items required for the sleep set up they weren’t all essential to us.
Bassinet - Mentioned above under Big Ticket. We got the Babybee one, Archer rarely uses it, but it’s worth noting.
Blanket - As a winter bub, Archer was either by the fire or wrapped in his Purebaby blanket. Cosy, cute, and perfect for pram, bouncer, and car.
White noise/red light machine - We live in the city so find the noise machine helpful and the red light is perfect for night feeds (also supports melatonin production).
Swaddles - You likely won’t need to purchase any as they’ll be gifted. We use the swaddles for breastfeeding privacy, blocking the sun in the pram (though not considered sun protection) while he sleeps and light coverage where a blanket is too much. I got this Juni one as it’s super cute. Swaddling is not recommended when co-sleeping.
Sleep suits - Our preference is the ErgoPouch with arms out (co-sleeping safe). Early on we tried the Love to Dream suits but Archer wasn’t keen on his arms being up. If you can, borrow a few different kinds to test what works.
Bassinet sheets & mattress protectors - Our BabyBee bassinet came with a sheet and mattress protector. You can purchase more from Baby Bunting.
That is all! There is so much to consider and plan for, I hope this list helps cut through the noise. You can download my checklist here which is a simple version with just the item names, no product recs so you can choose your own brands.
Next up, I’ll be writing about the postpartum must-haves for mum.