Plenty of moms will agree that copious amounts of money is spent on things that you just don’t get much use out of! Things that seem super necessary at the time, but that you end up realising just really aren’t needed. The lists below were made with the top 8 items that I believe to be must have’s and unnecessary in terms of what you pay verses how much use you’ll get out of it. (Note that babies are considered newborn up until 12 weeks old.)
Newborn Non Essentials
1. Wipe warmer. We never bought one of these. Reason being that once you take it out of the warmer its already half cooled by the time it reaches your baby’s rear end. I could achieve the same outcome by holding the wet wipe in my hand for 3 seconds. Also, space on a changing table is sacred! It can get so crowded so quickly so this would just be another thing that would make it feel cramped.
2. Baby shoes. Are these super cute? YES. Is it nice to have 1 or 2 pairs for special occasions? YES. Will you your tiny baby be wearing them every other day? NO. They aren’t on the list of necessities, so my advice would be let your friends and family buy things like this for you. People don’t always think practically for gifts so you’re bound to et things like this.
3. Bath thermometer. SO NOT NECCESSARY! If I’m unsure I splash some of the water on my wrist. It’s one of the most sensitive areas of skin on our bodies. You really don’t need a thermometer for the bath, that R90 could go towards some more bum cream in my opinion.
4. Baby food processor. This one would require serious planning ahead because you are not recommended to give your baby solids until 4 months old, but if you’re like me you try to have a lot sorted out wayyyyy earlier than is neccessary. This is something I never bought personally, as I have a normal nutribullet and food blender at home. But I saw 2 moms on Instagram that bought a fancy baby food processor only to use it once or twice and then sell it. It doesn’t allow you to make large batches of food, which you really will want to do (trust me) so the cleanup every time just isn’t worth the hassle. Once your baby does start on solids its so easy to just use the old school method of steaming veggies in a big ass pot. Blend them and then just use a ziplock bag, cut the corner and squeeze the puree into ice cube trays to store in the freezer.
5. Bedding sets. These you will need at some point, but not straight away. I thought I’d use them from the get go but you are constantly swaddling your newborn and the duvet sets are just too tricky to navigate at night with such a tiny baby. We started using Tayo’s duvets at around 4/5 months old, so its not something you have to be spending money on right away. If there is one you see that you really like, make a note of its that if anyone asks you what you still need you can then request items like the duvet set.
6. Scented baby lotion. Newborn babies have incredibly sensitive skin. Be very careful with scented anything! Keep anything that touches his/her skin as simple and natural as possible. I would recommend the Epoch Baby Foam wash or Epimax A & E combo.
7. Baby powder. This was used a lot and you will find that the older generations may still be encouraging you to use it. It can be harmful to your baby if it is inhaled and t can also irritate their skin, so it not necessary. If your baby gets a rash you can use Maizena (Corn Flour). That onto of bum cream works like a bomb for diaper rashes!
8. Sun hat. Like the shoes, leave this for other people to spend their money on. The below info about sun exposure is a guideline from the NHS website.
Babies less than 6 months old should be kept out of direct sunlight. Their skin contains too little melanin, which is the pigment that gives skin, hair and eyes their colour, and provides some protection from the sun.
https://www.nhs.uk
Newborn Essentials
1. Wet Wipes (lots of them). I mean enough said for this one I think. Wet wipes are life. Buy them, stockpile them.
2. Nappies (lots of them). Same goes for nappies as with the wipes. Particularly size 0 and 1. Huggies size 0 are the best. But we only used about 5 packs before Tayo grew too big for them and moved up to a size 1. So don’t but too many of the size 0. Plus most hospitals give you a pack to leave with.
3. Bum cream. Like they say in The Greatest Showman, “Never enough!!!! Never! Never!”
(Pro tip: you have to sing it for the fun effect).
4. 0-3 month vests. Most people focus on the newborn clothes. This largely depends on the weight of your baby when he/she is born obviously, but in our case we started using the 0-3 clothing when he was almost 1 month old.
5. Aqueous body cream. Once again, I recommend Epizone A Cream or Epoch Baobab Body Butter.
6. Full length rompers. Your baby will live in these! Remember that a newborn baby cannot regulate their own body temperature like we can, so the rule of thumb is usually one extra layer on them than what you may need.
7. Burp cloths. Not just for burps but oopsies, leaking milk, saliva, spilled medicine. Wonderful little creations really. Have them everywhere!
8. Natural washing detergent. Coming back to sensitive skin, I had to try a few detergents. The Sunlight Baby and Ariel Baby both caused rashes for Tayo so I switched to a completely clean and natural kind from Checkers.
I can identify with first time moms, you want your baby to have everything! Just think carefully about what you are spending your money on and wether it’s something that you’ll definitely need straight away, or if you can maybe wait a few weeks after baby is born. Just to see if you will in fact get substantial use from whatever it is you are wanting to buy. Every scent counts and they really do grow SO quickly out of everything from toys to nappies to clothing.
Feel free to add a comment if there's anything I missed!
More momsplaining next week,
Important note: I am not a qualified doctor, nor am I a professional in any of the topics discussed on this blog. The topics above are purely opinions based on my own real life experiences.
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