New Parents Essentials List / Kit List
The internet is full of ‘essentials lists’ for babies. We wanted to put something together that is informed by real parents rather than by marketers. The list below will hopefully help you decide, using the advice of real parents, between what is essential, what is useful, and what is probably a waste. Some of the answers were definitely eye-brow raising!
I will update this periodically as new responses to the form come in.
If you’re a parent in your first two years of parenthood, we’d love it if you wanted to fill out the form with your answers. Head to our Google Form to do that - it takes 5-10 minutes.
Last thing - we’ve written a separate article on 15 ways to save money as a new parent so please do check that our for some extra tips too!
The Essentials List
Average Scores Out of 10 when asked how useful these items are to buy before you have a baby, ranked from most useful to least useful.
NOTE: Scroll down for further essential items (like clothes), where we’ve asked parents to tell you how many of each item you should buy.
Car seat 9.5
Buggy/Pram/Travel system 9.2
Nursing bra and breast pads 9.2
Nappy rash cream / barrier cream 9.2
Maternity Sanitary towels 9.2
Baby carrier/sling 8.9
Changing mat 8.9
High chair 8.9
Cot 8.8
Nipple cream 8.8
Calpol / children's Tylenol 8.7
Baby wipes 7.9
Muslin squares 7.9
Blackout curtains 7.8
Fitted cot/crib sheets 7.7
Gentle/non-bio detergent 7.5
Bouncy chair 7.3
Baby monitor 7.1
Nappy sacks 7
Baby bag/changing bag 6.9
Baby sleeping bags 6.9
Play Mat 6.8
Baby blankets 6.8
Re-usable wipes/flannels 6.7
Non-slip bath mat 6.7
Bottles/teats/bottle brush (bottle feeders only!) 6.6
Steam steriliser - microwave or separate 6.4
Baby toothbrush 6.4
Child view mirror for car seat 6.3
Baby toys 6.1
Baby bath 6
Sunshade for car windows 6
Moses basket / bassinet / carrycot 5.9
Baby feeding pillow 5.9
Travel cot 5.8
Breast pump (electric) 5.7
Bottle warmer 5.7
Sleep bra 5.6
Baby nail scissors 5.5
Milk storage bags 5.5
Snot sucker! (Official name: nasal aspirator) 5.3
Baby towel5.3
Hooded baby towel 5.2
Cotton wool pads/balls 5.1
Night light 5.1
Toy basket / toybox 5.1
First aid kit 4.9
Swaddle blanket/sheet 4.9
Breast pump (manual) 4.7
Baby bath soap 4.4
Bottle prep machine (bottle feeders only) 4.4
Formula milk 4
Changing table 4
Cot Mobile 3.9
Room thermometer for baby's room 3.8
Newborn bath support 3.8
Breastfeeding cover 3.8
Baby hair brush 3.4
Parasol 3.4
Rocking chair / armchair / feeding chair 3.3
Baby sponge 3.1
White noise machine 3.1
Pram organiser 2.9
Baby lotion and/or baby oil 2.8
Nappy bin 2.7
Cradle cap brush or shampoo 2.7
Dummies 2.6
Bath thermometer 2.4
Pushchair mosquito net 2.4
Playpen 2.2
Humidifier 1.9
Dishwasher basket for smaller items 1.7
Nappy wrapper machine thing 1.5
Top n Tail Bowl 1.4
The Essentials List Part Two
For this section we asked other questions to parents, to help you make decisions on things that you are almost certainly going to end up buying.
How many ‘sleepsuits / babygrows / long sleeve suits with poppers in the middle’ should people buy?
5 or less - 14%
6 to 8 - 60%
9-11 - 20%
12 or more - 6%
How many ‘Vests / short-sleeved suits’ should people buy?
5 or less - 20%
6 to 8 - 54%
9-11 - 20%
12 or more - 6%
How many ‘Cardigans / jumpers / sweaters’ should people buy?
2 or less - 20%
3 or 4 - 60%
5 or 6 - 0%
7 or more - 20%
How many ‘hats for cold weather’ should people buy?
None - 0%
1 - 40%
2 - 47%
3 or more - 13%
How many ‘sun hats’ should people buy?
None - 0%
1 - 53%
2 - 40%
3 or more - 7%
How many ‘pairs of scratch mittens’ should people buy?
None - 33.3%
1 - 20%
2- 33.3%
3 or more - 13.3%
How many ‘pram suits/super warm all in one things’ should people buy?
None - 0%
1 - 73%
2 - 13%
3 or more - 14%
How many ‘socks and/or booties’ should people buy?
None - 0%
1-3 - 27%
4-6 - 20%
7-9 - 33%
10 or more - 20%
How many ‘bibs’ should people buy?
None - 7%
1-3 - 27%
4-6 - 13%
7-9 - 33%
10 or more - 20%
If you used disposable nappies, how many do you think a parent to be should buy?
30 or less - 7%
30-60 - 43%
60-100 - 43%
More than 100 - 7%
If you used re-usable nappies, how many re-usable nappies do you suggest parents-to-be should buy?
10 or more - 100% (we’ve re-jigged this question going forwards!)
How much do you suggest is optimal to spend on a pram/buggy/travel system?
Doesn’t matter. Any will do - 33%
£0-200 - 20%
£201-400 - 33%
£401-600 - 14%
£601 or more - 0%
Is an Isofix car seat worth the extra money?
Yes - 64%
No - 7%
Not sure/what on earth is Isofix/Totally Up To You - 29%
Which of the following features do you suggest parents-to-be should buy in their baby monitor? Tick all that apply - we've taken sound as a given!
No extra function needed - 80%
Two-way audio (for talking back) - 7%
Video - 7%
Room temperature function - 7%
Sound/motion notification - 0%
Heart-rate monitor - 0%
Smartphone integration - 0%
And finally…
We asked people filling out the form if they had any other advise around buying stuff and how to do it well. This was totally optional, but here are the best bits of what they came back with:
Start small and buy things as you discover you need them. Ask friends or buy secondhand.
It can depend on your child. We needed a swaddling blanket as our son had colic but never needed that for our daughter.
Buy buggies second hand off Facebook.
Nappies subscriptions save a lot hassle.
Don’t buy things until you realise you need them.
Your baby will grow really quickly, so don't buy too many newborn-sized things.
You can save ££ (& environment) by buying second hand - eBay is your friend!
Your baby just wants to be warm, dry, fed & loved, so try not to caught up with all the "stuff' that other parents might have. Make your own choices for you & your baby.
Foil blanket is such a good sensory toy that totally distracts them if they are upset and there isn’t anything “wrong”
Everyone that's had a baby is an expert and will readily tell you what to do - listen but remember that it's up to you what to do.
Nipple cream (lanolin) is amazing for nappy rash too! Also can be used on baby’s cheeks and nose in cold weather to protect. Expensive, but worth it! I bought one tube, breastfed for 14 months, and still have a bit left in the tube 18months in, so worth every penny. Another person suggested using this early to prevent cracked and bloody nipples.
Really hope this was useful, and if so please do share it with other parents-to-be!
Image credit: "Nappies" by Becky E is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.