Minimalist Baby Essentials

After 4 babies and giving away most of my baby gear, I’m prepared to welcome Baby #5 with this list of minimalist baby essentials.

After waiting a long 5 years, I just cannot believe we are preparing to welcome our next little bundle into the world.

Over the past few years, I’ve slowly given away most of my baby things. God had chosen to wait to bless us with a child and, I figured, those things could be a blessing to someone else instead of gathering dust in my attic.

This means we are starting with a (nearly) clean slate with Baby #5. And this time around, I have a much better idea of what I need and what is fluff.

Thankfully, we haven’t had to buy everything new. I sure do love hand-me-downs!

So today I’m sharing with you my minimalist baby essentials.

Minimalist Baby Essentials

Baby Toiletries and Bath time

Diapers – We use disposable exclusively for the first few weeks and then use a mix of cloth and disposable from there. I have been happiest with our Bumgenius One Sizes for 4 babies, but hope to mix in a few of the more economical Econobum covers and prefolds.

Wipes – Again, I use a mix of reusable and disposable. If I’m going to be using cloth diapers, I might as well be washing some wipes too! When using disposable, I always go for an unscented version.

Diaper cream – A tube of Burt’s Bees has lasted me through several babies, so I don’t bother to make my own!

Baby wash – Again, you can totally make your own with a bit of Castille Soap, but I try to push the “easy button” a bit more when I have a newborn. I love the lavendar scented Aveeno baby wash. But don’t wash baby with soap every day, as it can dry out their sensitive skin.

Baby lotion – Again, I love the thick, creamy richness of Aveeno!

Washcloths – You can get away with using adult sized washcloths, but I prefer to have just a few of the smaller baby washcloths around. I find them to be a bit softer, gentler, and better at getting into all of baby’s cracks and crevices

Foam support – Skip the big baby bath tub. It takes up so much space in your bathroom and storing it for the next baby (we got rid of ours!). My mom told me about these foam supports, which are inexpensive and perfect for helping baby feel safe in the water. There are fancy versions, but the inexpensive kind will do!

Baby Clothes

The important thing here is to go for simple and comfort. I love all the adorable clothes made for babies, but they are not practical and I find myself sticking my baby in the basics.

Look for footed sleepers with zipper closures so you aren’t messing with baby socks or confusing snaps during night time diaper changes.

• 7-10 zip close sleepers

Minimalist Baby Essentials for Sleeping

Pack and Play

Our babies have slept in a portable pack and play for the first couple months of their lives. This way, they can be in our room or downstairs during school time. These are also a wonderful investment to have for future travel.

Here are a few extra things to grab with your pack and play:

• Mattress – I like to give baby a bit of extra cushion on a pack and play mattress.
• Fitted Sheets – Don’t forget to grab a few sheets!

Crib

Even if you baby doesn’t start out in a crib, you while likely eventually move him to one. Our crib is still going strong (though a bit worse for wear) and is one item we didn’t get rid of!

Also pick up:

• Mattress
• Waterproof Mattress Pad Cover
• Fitted Sheets

Baby Monitor – We’ve always just used the cheap noise monitors like this model.

White Noise Machine – I do think a white noise machine can really help baby get to sleep and stay asleep! This is the model we went with this time around.

Washable underpads – These washable underpads are invaluable and so useful. They prevent complete bed changes in the middle of the night (for baby and the postpartum mom) and make a great portable changing mat.

Muslin swaddling blankets – I wish I had these muslin swaddlers for my first 3 babies but they didn’t come out until my fourth. They are life changing! Baby loves to be swaddled and these blankets are big enough to actually do a solid swaddle but not too hot and stifling. They also double as a burp rag and nursing cover.

Minimalist Baby Wearing Essentials

Wrap – I love, love, love my Moby wrap and so does baby. I’ve used it many times to soothe a fussy baby while still getting supper on the table. And it is fabulous for family walks. Baby is so safe and snug and is kept warm in the winter.

Ergo- This is the carrier we’ve used for the past 3 kids and it is still wonderful! It is great for when baby outgrows the wrap but still wants to be held.

Carseat

Car seat – A car seat is an obvious essential. Ours was so outdated (14 years old!) it needed to be replaced for this baby After lots of research, we went with the Chico Key Fit.

Carseat cover – During the summer, we just throw a swaddle blanket over the carseat to protect baby from the sun. BUT our Iowa winters are real, folks, so we use this nice cozy cover then.

Stroller

Jogging stroller – Even if you aren’t a runner, these jogging strollers are great for walking on uneven surfaces. I also find them to be WAY easier on my back than others. We’ve used the same Baby Trend stroller for all 4 of our kids (now 5).

Umbrella stroller – This isn’t “essential” but I love to have a compact folding umbrella stroller when baby can support himself. It takes up much less space in the trunk when traveling than the jogger.

Feeding

This is really personal preference here and pretty basic stuff, so I’ll keep this part simple.

• Breast Pump – Since I don’t pump often, I can get away with the inexpensive manual model.
• Nursing Bras – Grab a couple sleep bras and a couple regular bras.
• Nursing Pads – After having the cheap pads, I invested last time and got the Bamboobies. They were worth the investment.
• Bottles – Get one to start and figure out what baby likes before investing!
• Nursing cover – Or just use a swaddle blanket. I made my own (can’t find the tutorial anymore!). I like the flowy fabric and don’t think it is as “obvious” as the bib type.
• Breast milk freezer bags – It is always good to store some….just in case!
• Bottle brush – Handy for cleaning bottles and other things!
• Burp rags – Just the cheap prefold diapers are the BEST for this!
• Pacifier – These can be handy for holding off baby a bit until their next feeding. Often times I find baby isn’t always hungry but does have the need to suck.

What did I miss that you consider a minimalist baby essential?

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