What do you ACTUALLY need if you're having a baby?

A question about : What do you ACTUALLY need if you're having a baby?

I hope this is the right place to post but I am finding the sheer amount of products on the market for a new baby overwhelming and am wondering what things I will need immediately when I bring baby home.

Somethings I realise are essential like a car seat however, a cot isn't essential in the first few months.

From your experience, what is completely necessary and what can wait and what is completely useless?

Best answers:

• I have had 3 babies and with each one the stuff I bought got less and less.
  Cot - didn't get one til they had outgrown their moses basket, many don't bother with a moses basket but I wanted it for downstairs too.
  Baby bath -cumbersome, only lasts till you get fed up with lugging it out, oh or you accidentally pull out the plug and flood the , living room. I had a fabric seat that sat in the bath, miles easier.
  Moses basket sheets - a pillowcase fits perfectly and is easily replaced.
  Big pram - mine were only in it for a while, soon switched to a lay flat buggy, so much easier for buses and shops.
  Baby shoes - will fall off constantly, don't bother.
  Bouncy chair - invaluable for a safe place to put baby.
  Breast pads - at night I would use squares of towelling inside my bra, much more absorbent, stay put and easily washed.
  Baby clothes - 3rd baby lived in babygroes for the first 3 months, so much comfier for them nd easy to deal with.
  Sling/baby carrier - brill for shopping no pram to push and husbands are always fond of wearing them, mainly I think for the adoring looks from female's!
• P.s basically I would just get absolute essentials for the first few weeks and work from there, essentials being, stuff to wear, stuff to clean, something for travel in oh and nappies.
  They really don't need much else.
• In general buy very little in advance, and then decide what you really need after the baby has arrived home. The key items are somewhere for the baby to sleep, a car seat if necessary, and a buggy that will lie flat. Most other things, even the majority of the baby's clothes, can be bought once baby is home.
  Moses basket vs. cot is a personal preference. I never bothered with the basket and bought a cot-bed which my 4-year-old is still using now.
• I'm torn between buying everything and pretty much buying nothing xxx
• Not much really.
  I always got the mulitpacks of plain white babygros and vests, no worries about mixed colour washing just bung them all in together, you can put them in a good hot wash if they get stained, and babies look so cute in all white.
  I agree with PM, a bouncy chair is a must, it's your extra pair of hands when you need to put baby down safely and for rocking to sleep. Nothing too fancy needed though, just one that you can easily wash the cover of and isn't going to take an age to dry.
  I had a travel system with a carry cot, nnot everyone does, but I'm a bit of a stickler for babies lying flat as much as possible, I got loads of use out of it because I used it for daytime naps downstairs.
  Things you don't need;
  Changing station - mat on the floor will do fine
  Designer pram - Baby won't care as long as he/she is comfy
  Separate nursery
  Loads of tiny clothes that he/she will grow out of in the blink of an eye
  Baby bath
  Top n tail bowl
  And loads more stuff they try to tell you is essential
• I love my changing table! No bending, everything in baskets where I can find it easily but is out of baby's reach. I will be gutted when my son is too heavy for it, I may just keep it for storage!
• Why did this get moved? Doesn't it apply to dads too?
• This question has been done to death on here, and usually results in a slanging match. OP, try the search function.
• Will do, thank you
• For me essentials were:
  Cot - we had a moses basket only because we were given it, without it baby could of slept in pushchair downstairs
  Car seat - obviously a legal need if you'll be travelling by car
  Pushchair - doesn't need to be really expensive. Choose lightweight, easily foldable, fits in boot of car.
  Bouncy chair - just a cheap one will do, it doesn't need to rock/vibrate/play music
  Changing mat - If you get a travel one it will do for at home and out and about
  Clothes - only vests, babygrows, hats, scratch mitt and cardigans and snowsuit for winter babies are needed
  Bibs - if you have a spewy baby they will save you loads of washing
  Useful but not essential:
  Bath seat - especially if you are new to bathing babies, it frees up your hands a bit
  Steriliser and some bottles - Even if you are planning on breast feeding they are there just in case. If you need them, you need them quickly, and my hubby wouldn't of had a clue what to buy
  Sleeping bags - old fashioned blanket works just as well till baby gets active
  Useful but not straight away:
  Baby monitor - baby is in the same room as you at first
  Waste of money:
  Changing unit - what's the difference between that and a table with a box of nappies and wipes on it?
  Nappy bin - unless your dustbin is miles away just take the pooey ones straight out and wet ones don't smell.
  Baby bath - have you ever tried to carry a bath full of water without spilling it?
  Toys - For at least the first 3 months baby isn't going to be interested in them
  Check out your local freecycle, and facebook selling groups, as there are always loads of baby things on them, and if it's hard it can be cleaned with antibac spray and if it's soft it can be shoved in the washing machine. Only things second hand aren't reccomended for are car seats unless you know it hasn't been in a crash, and mattresses
• We got a cotbed as a gift from my mum and dad, with bedding bundles that we bought three of, from Argos, lasted both of mine till littlest one was 4. Had a pramette that lay flat that went into a pushchair from Kiddicare, that was on deal for I think Ј100?? And a cold water steriliser for Ј10 from Savers. Baby changing mat as well bought with my Boots points
  Bottles from Asda in the baby event, and babygrows and mitts socks, etc from Asda Primark and ebay as i bought bundles of newborn stuff in white as I knew it wouldnt be needed for long. Car seat to leave hospital is standard now. Think that is the minimum basics to get you through the first few weeks. Cant think of anything else, but sure I have missed some bits
• I have to say one of the most useful things I got was a cosatto changing unit. Who wants to be bending down on the floor all the time? It is brill for storing nappies and other essentials in the baskets underneath and we still use ours with our son now who is 2 and a half and not yet potty trained. Sure you can survive without it but it certainly made life a lot easier.
  The other thing that I recommend is a good baby bouncer seat - I got the babybjorn babysitter but there are other cheaper ones. Just make sure you get one which is weighted down some of the very cheap ones can easily topple over once the baby reaches a certain weight.
  Moses baskets are two a penny on ebay, I got one for Ј15 and just replaced the mattress for Ј10. In the shops they can be Ј70 plus for some brands which is a complete waste of money. also get the biggest one you can find as it will last longer - toys r us ones are huge.
  The one thing I wasted my money on was lots of clothes - they are so expensive considering how quickly they grow out of them. I'm now pregnant again and was determined at first to only use babygros for the first 6 months - but want my baby to look stylish so have restricted myself to a couple of outfits in each age category for best, and then babygros the rest of the time.
  Loads of things can be bought 2ndhand off ebay and sold again a few months later.
  Obv not car seats/ mattresses
• Clothes - don't bother with outfits - they're so cute but a few exploders will see you wrestling them off several times a day. If you get white stuff you can soak it in Milton to get out the poo stains
  Coats - I got given several but only ever used snowsuits
  If you're breastfeeding then you neeeed Lansinoh. It allows you to feed through cracked nipples and make a very good lip balm afterwards! I did use breast pads (and still do). Johnsons and Avent are good, Tesco are bobbins. Get sleep bras too.
  Muslin squares - DS was quite pukey so went through these like mad..they double up as lots of other things too. Cheap on ebay.
  A changing table of some sort - when you're changing 15 times a day and you're still tender it's much easier than getting down on the floor.
  Bouncy chair - very useful. However, don't bother with the ones with a million functions. They look fab but I know people who've spent Ј100 on one only to discover baby hates it.
  Don't go mad buying different nappy creams - sign up for all the clubs - you'll get free samples. Bepatham does nothing for DS's nappy rash but I didn't spend Ј4 a tube finding out.
  Sling - I used mine a lot (bought off ebay). When he was very whingy I could strap him to me around the house to get things done.
  Baby toiletries - they don't need them.
  Toys - they won't care for months
  HTH
• Wow thanks everyone. Still a minefield though xxx
• Don't buy everything new. If you are trying to save money go to local charity shops for clothes, they are worn for such a short time that they are usually in really good condition. Try local facebook selling pages for equipment and later for toys. I have seen lots of things at really good prices and you can pick them up so no expensive postage.
• While actually having the baby, I'm very pro having a husband about...
  (Never seemed right swearing at the midwives - hardly their fault!)
  Roof over head, running water, loaded freezer, these little practicalities that sometimes we forget?
  Set up a "baby stuff" gmail account & sign up for every mother & baby club going - some freebies are brilliant, others helpful & when your baby is big enough to eye your post with curiosity, it's all chewable...
• Don't bother with many clothes, when u have the baby that's what everyone buys, i got enough gifts to kit the baby out for the first year! Just took loads back to the shop for bigger sizes as everyone tends to buy you 0-3months.
  I would say a Moses basket is a waste of money, i had one plus a crib plus a cot bed and my little one was in his cot bed by 8 weeks.