Newborn essentials: what you really need

In the first weeks, a newborn needs very little: sleep, feeding, a fresh diaper, closeness. Everything you buy should make one of those moments easier or safer. Three questions help before every purchase:

1. 1

   Do we need this in the first eight weeks? If not, it goes on the list for later, like a high chair, toys and clothes in 6–9 months and up.

2. 2

   Does it depend on what our baby likes? A carrier, pacifier, bouncer or nursing pillow is hit or miss. Borrow, buy used or decide after the birth.

3. 3

   Is it about safety? Then don’t cut corners.

With a second baby, go through storage and boxes first; check the mattress and infant car seat as described below. If you’re short on space, keep in mind that your baby sleeps in your bedroom for the first year anyway, so the nursery doesn’t have to be finished. A bedside sleeper, a changing spot on a dresser you already own and a carrier save a lot of room.

In the US, baby clothes are sized by age and weight, not by body length. Buy mostly 0–3 months, plus a second round in 3–6 months—newborn size (NB) fits many babies for only a few weeks, usually up to about 21.5 inches (55 cm). According to WHO growth data, the average baby is born just under 20 inches (50 cm) long and is already a good 0.4 inch (1 cm) longer a week later. For your shopping, that means:

• Newborn (NB): Two or three pieces are enough, or skip straight to 0–3 months.

• 0–3 and 3–6 months: Buy the basics twice. The smaller size often gets snug while you’re still in the fourth trimester, when you won’t feel like shopping.

• 6–9 months doesn’t belong in the first set yet—it makes a great gift for later.

Better a little too big than too small: you can simply roll up sleeves that are too long. If the last ultrasound suggests a smaller baby, or you’re expecting twins, get four or five pieces in newborn size; for preemies, there are special, even smaller sizes. If a big baby is expected, skip newborn size. If you’re unsure, buy only 0–3 months at first and get 3–6 months in the first weeks, online if need be. By the way, brands fit very differently: hold gifted pieces up next to each other instead of just checking the label.

The basics are the same for every baby, no matter which month they arrive. The amounts are per size—once for 0–3 months and once for 3–6 months—if you run the washing machine every two or three days:

• 5–7 onesies, including two or three side-snap onesies for the first weeks

• 4–6 footed pants or pants with a soft, wide waistband

• 2–3 tops if you go with pants instead of footed pants

• 2–3 pajamas or sleepers, ideally with a zipper—or simply footed pants at night

• 1–2 little jackets made of cotton or wool

• 2–4 pairs of socks for footless pants, usually not needed in a sleep sack

• 1 thin hat for outside

Add burp cloths, which work as bib, shoulder protector and pad all in one. Eight to ten are enough if you wash every two or three days; if your baby spits up a lot, go for 12 to 15. In that case, or if you wash less often, eight to ten onesies per size make life easier too.

Side-snap or pullover onesie? At first, side-snap onesies are comfortable because nothing has to go over the head—and that’s exactly what many newborns dislike. Later, envelope-neck onesies are quicker, since the neckline stretches wide. Footed pants or regular pants? Footed pants don’t slip down; regular pants can be changed on their own if only the bottom half gets wet.

Cotton is soft, durable and can be washed hot; wool-silk evens out temperatures but needs the wool cycle. Drawstrings and ties at the neck have no place on baby clothes—check for them especially on gifted and secondhand pieces. Indoors, your baby doesn’t wear a hat, because they release extra heat through the head. The only exception is when the hospital specifically sends you home with one, for example for a preemie—and even then, never for sleep.

Before the birth, wash the newborn and 0–3 months clothes once. Keep the 3–6 months pieces in the closet with the tags on until you need them, and exchange anything that stays unworn with the receipt. How hot and with what to wash is covered in the questions below.

You can skip scratch mittens and baby shoes. You usually don’t need to trim the nails in the first four to six weeks. If you notice scratch marks, shorten them with rounded baby scissors.

If you live somewhere with cold winters and your baby arrives between November and February, layering is the rule: several thin layers instead of one thick one, so you can simply take one off indoors. Add these to the basics:

• Long-sleeved onesies, ideally a few in wool-silk as the base layer

• 2 pairs of tights and 2–3 warm little jackets made of wool or fleece

• 2 pairs of wool socks and 1 pair of mittens without thumbs

• 1 warm hat that covers the ears, plus a balaclava or a short neck warmer instead of a scarf

• 1 bunting for the stroller—inside it, your baby doesn’t need a thick snowsuit

• 1 thin wool or fleece suit in 3–6 months if you babywear a lot

• 1 blanket for the infant car seat

• 2 sleep sacks with 2 to 2.5 TOG for a bedroom around 64 °F (18 °C)

• 1 rich, greasy cream for the cheeks in freezing weather

In the car, the thick, puffy snowsuit comes off—a thin fleece or wool suit can stay on. In a crash, bulky clothing gets compressed, and then the harness is too loose. So: thin layers, buckle up, pull the harness snug and do the pinch test—if you can still pinch the strap into a fold at your baby’s shoulder, it’s too loose.

Only then does the blanket go over the harness. Use a bunting or wrap with harness slots only if it’s thin and the maker of your car seat approves it; then do the pinch test again. Once the car is warm, take off the blanket and hat.

Hot-water bottles, heat packs and electric blankets don’t belong in the stroller, and because wind and wet weather chill babies quickly even above freezing, feel the back of their neck more often. How to dress your baby for the stroller and carrier and how to spot cold injuries is covered in “How to dress your baby for any weather.”

A summer baby, born between June and August, mainly needs breezy cotton and shade:

• Short-sleeved onesies, plus two or three long-sleeved ones for cool evenings

• Thin, long footed pants or pants that protect arms and legs from the sun outdoors

• 1–2 sun hats with a brim or neck flap

• 1–2 thin sleep sacks with 0.5 to 1 TOG

• 1 stroller umbrella or sunshade and a sunshade for the car’s side window

• Not needed: snowsuit, tights, wool hat and bunting

In the first year, your baby doesn’t belong in direct sunlight, and between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. you avoid the blazing sun altogether, even with an umbrella or canopy. In Germany, health authorities advise avoiding sunscreen in the first year if possible (US pediatricians recommend it from 6 months), and baby oil actually makes skin more sensitive to light. Don’t drape a cloth over the stroller: in one measurement, it was almost 7 °F (4 °C) warmer underneath than outside after about 20 minutes. Don’t cover the infant car seat while driving, either.

On hot nights, a short-sleeved onesie is enough, and on very warm nights even just a diaper—a sleep sack then only with 0.5 TOG, never a loose blanket. The bedroom shouldn’t get warmer than 79 °F (26 °C). Your baby doesn’t need water or tea, even in the heat: breastfeed more often or offer the bottle more often. And never leave your baby alone in the car, not even for a few minutes.

A spring or fall baby, born between March and May or in September and October, needs a bit of everything, because mornings are chilly and afternoons warm:

• Half short-sleeved, half long-sleeved onesies

• 1 pair of tights and 2–3 little jackets

• 1 light outdoor suit, or a jacket and pants made of fleece or wool

• 1 thin and 1 warmer hat

• 2 sleep sacks, one around 1 TOG and one around 2.5 TOG

The room thermometer decides which sleep sack fits. If the warm one is in the wash, use the lighter one with an extra layer underneath—but never two sleep sacks on top of each other. For a spring baby, summer brings 3–6 months size, so plan for short-sleeved onesies in 3–6 months. An October baby usually wears 3–6 months in January, so their outdoor suit can be 3–6 or 6–9 months.

Both are safe, as long as it’s a separate, flat bed with a firm mattress in your bedroom. That’s where your baby sleeps in the first year—on their back, in a sleep sack:

• Bedside sleeper: It attaches to your bed with no gap, both mattresses are at the same height, and your blankets and pillows can’t slide over. You barely have to get up to breastfeed. If you have a tall bed, check beforehand that it can be raised high enough. How long it fits is covered in the questions below.

• Crib: A standard full-size crib, about 28 × 52 inches (71 × 133 cm), lasts for years. The slats are 1¾ to no more than 2⅜ inches (4.5 to 6 cm) apart, as US safety standards require, so that neither little heads nor little arms get stuck.

• Bassinet or cradle: pretty, but only usable for a short time, and next to a bedside sleeper often just a place to put things down.

The mattress is no more than 4 inches (10 cm) thick, on the firm side, and fits the frame with no gap. Don’t take a used one from someone else’s home, because some studies found a higher risk of sudden infant death with them. The one from an older sibling can stay if it passes this check:

• firm and flat, with no dip—your baby’s head sinks in by a few millimeters at most

• no tears, no water damage, a well-fitting, waterproof cover

• it fits the bed with no gap

Add two fitted sheets and two waterproof mattress pads. For wet nights, double up—fitted sheet, pad, fitted sheet—using only pieces that fit exactly and sit snug. Then at night you only strip off the top layer. If you stay overnight with family, your baby needs the same safe spot there, such as a play yard with its own mattress and no extra padding.

Instead of a blanket and pillow, your baby sleeps in a sleep sack. Two are enough, so one can go in the wash. The neck opening is no bigger than your baby’s head, the armholes are snug enough that your baby can’t slip inside, and there’s no hood. For length, go by body length minus the head, plus 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) for kicking. If the manufacturer gives sizes by weight or length, follow their chart.

The TOG rating tells you how warm a sleep sack is. As a rough guide—more detail in “The right temperature for your baby’s room”:

• Below 61 °F (16 °C): 3 to 3.5 TOG or turn up the heat a little, never a blanket

• 61–68 °F (16–20 °C): 2 to 2.5 TOG, with a long-sleeved onesie underneath, thin pajamas if needed

• 68–75 °F (20–24 °C): around 1 TOG, with a short- or long-sleeved onesie underneath

• 75 °F (24 °C) and up: 0.5 TOG or just a short-sleeved onesie

To check whether it’s right, feel the back of your baby’s neck or between the shoulder blades: warm and dry is right. Damp or hot means one layer less or a lighter sleep sack; cool means one layer more. Cool hands are normal. A room thermometer—around 64 °F (18 °C) is ideal—and a dimmable night-light help you at night.

Bumpers, pillows, blankets, sheepskins, baby nests and stuffed animals have no place in the crib—and neither do bed snakes or fabric liners on a bedside sleeper, wedges and positioners, a nursing pillow as a nest or a burp cloth under the head. A canopy should hang no lower than the top of the crib rails. Soft objects can lead to overheating or dangerous rebreathing of exhaled air.

You don’t need a swaddle sack, because German medical guidelines advise against wrapping babies tightly for sleep. If you already swaddle, do it only on the back, with the legs loosely bent and two to three fingers of room at the chest, not too warm and with nothing weighted. Stop right away as soon as your baby tries to roll over—that usually starts at three to four months, and some babies try as early as two.

At first, you’ll go through a lot of diapers: usually eight to twelve a day, about 70 a week. Still, don’t stockpile mountains, because you’ll only know after the birth how quickly your baby outgrows the smallest size. A supply for one or two weeks is enough—about 70 to 140 diapers in newborn or size 1. For very small babies, go by the weight on the package. With cloth diapers, plan on about 20 diapers plus inserts.

The safest place to change your baby is on a pad on the floor. A changing table or a changing topper on a dresser you already own is easier on your back. Here’s how to make it safe:

• 33 to 36 inches (85 to 92 cm) high, depending on your height, ideally in a corner of the room

• edges that are still at least 8 inches (20 cm) high above the changing pad

• the topper firmly attached to the dresser according to the instructions, and the dresser anchored to the wall

• everything within reach—one hand always stays on your baby

• if the doorbell rings, take your baby with you or put them on the floor—don’t hand off supervision to older siblings

Falls from the changing table are among the most common causes of head injuries in babies. What to do afterward is in the “Watch for this” box at the very end. At the changing spot, you’ll need:

• 1 changing pad with 2–3 covers

• 6–10 washcloths and lukewarm water, for example from a thermos—test a few drops on your wrist first

• Fragrance-free wipes for on the go

• 1 diaper cream with zinc oxide

• 1 pair of nail scissors with rounded tips and 1 trash can with a lid

Above all, keep the umbilical cord stump clean and dry: once a day, and whenever pee or poop gets on it, dab it with boiled, lukewarm water and then pat it dry. Fold the diaper down below it. It usually falls off within two weeks. If the skin around it turns red, or it oozes, swells or smells, have it checked at the pediatrician’s office that same day. You don’t need baby powder, cotton swabs or grooming kits, and a heat lamp only in a cool room—then firmly mounted and at the distance the manufacturer specifies.

For bath time, you need less than the baby aisle would have you believe. A baby bathtub is handy but not a must: you can also bathe your baby in the big tub with just a few inches of water while you kneel beside it, or in a bath bucket on the floor. What you really need is a bath thermometer for 97–99 °F (36–37 °C), plus a check with your forearm or elbow, two towels and two or three washcloths.

Warm the bathroom to at least 73 °F (23 °C). Take any space heater out of the room before you run the water. While your baby is in the tub, don’t add hot water, and never leave your baby alone for a moment, because just a few inches of water are enough to drown in. You don’t need bath products in the first month. “The first bath at home” walks you through it step by step.

If you want to breastfeed, you need almost nothing extra. A nursing pillow is comfortable and keeps pressure off the scar after a C-section, but a firm pillow works too. It never goes in the crib, not even as a nest.

Don’t buy a breast pump just in case. If you end up needing one—say, because your baby arrives early or sucks weakly, or because of mastitis or low milk supply—there’s a plus in the US: your health insurance has to cover a breast pump, either as a rental or one to keep. Ask your plan which one you can get and when.

If you bottle-feed or supplement, you’ll need:

• 4–6 bottles with newborn nipples; for supplementing, two or three are enough

• 1 bottle brush

• 1–2 containers of infant formula, which works for the whole first year

• 1 electric kettle and a thermos

Wash bottles, nipples and measuring scoops after every feeding in hot water with dish soap and a brush, or in the dishwasher. To be on the safe side, in the first months you can also boil them at a rolling boil for at least two minutes, as health authorities in Germany advise. A regular pot is all it takes. A sterilizer, steamer, bottle warmer and formula maker aren’t must-haves.

For nighttime, portion the powder into dry bottles ahead of time and keep boiled water ready in the thermos. Mix only right before feeding. Never keep prepared formula warm, never make it ahead, and never warm it in the microwave, because it heats unevenly there. You don’t need bottles and formula “just in case”: grocery stores and pharmacies carry both.

When it comes to pacifiers, your baby gets a say: buy two or three in newborn size. If you’re breastfeeding, wait until breastfeeding is well established, usually after three to four weeks: your baby is back to birth weight, has at least six heavy wet diapers a day, and latching no longer hurts. A pacifier clip, even one with a name on it, is only okay during the day, and as short as possible.

Your own essentials are quick to pack, and they matter just as much. For your postpartum recovery at home, you’ll need:

• Postpartum pads—tampons and menstrual cups are off-limits while you’re still bleeding after the birth, usually four to six weeks

• Nursing pads and two or three soft nursing bras or bralettes; buy structured ones once your size has settled after your milk comes in

• after a C-section, high-waisted underwear

• Water, snacks and a small light at the spot where you feed at night

If your eyes start to close there, lay your baby on their back in their bed, because falling asleep with them on a couch or armchair is especially dangerous. More on this in “Fell asleep while breastfeeding?”

If your family lives far away, order most things online. Ask friends for concrete help, such as meals, laundry or an hour so you can sleep. In the US, some communities offer free home visiting programs for new parents—your pediatrician or local health department can tell you what’s available—and calling 211 connects you with local help, such as diapers or food. How to find support and what helps if you’re on your own is covered in “Before Baby Arrives: What to Do and When.”

If you’re going home by car, taxi or rideshare, you’ll need a rear-facing infant car seat for the very first ride home from the hospital: every state requires a car seat for babies, and you can’t count on a taxi or rideshare having an infant car seat, so bring your own. Without a car, use a stroller with a bassinet or a carrier that’s suitable from birth. Here’s what matters:

• Standard: Choose a car seat that meets US federal safety standards.

• Direction: rear-facing, ideally in the back seat; in the front passenger seat only if the airbag is turned off—never in front of an active airbag.

• Fit: Try the car seat in your own car. A base that locks into your car’s LATCH anchors cuts down on installation mistakes—ideally, buy both together.

• Insert: Use the newborn insert that comes with the seat for as long as the manual says. Head supports, strap covers or inserts sold separately haven’t been crash-tested with your car seat.

• Too small only when your baby reaches the height or weight limit in the manual. Feet touching the vehicle seat back is no reason to switch.

• In cold weather, store it indoors so it isn’t ice-cold when you get in.

The infant car seat is for riding in the car, not a place to sleep: take your baby out as soon as you arrive, and during breaks on long trips. Use it on the stroller frame only for short outings. How long your baby can stay in it at a stretch is covered in the questions below. Installation is explained in “Packing Your Hospital Bag: What You Really Need,” in the section “Going home with your baby.”

A stroller and a carrier often complement each other: the stroller for long walks and errands, the carrier for stairs, the bus or subway and fussy evenings. If money is tight, buy a used stroller and borrow the carrier.

With a stroller, what counts is that your newborn lies flat: in the bassinet of a stroller system or in a stroller that’s approved from birth and reclines fully flat. Your baby shouldn’t sit up until they can do it on their own. On a test drive, check that the bassinet is long enough, the brake works on two wheels and the folded stroller fits in your trunk.

Day to day, don’t hang toy strings across the stroller, put your shopping in the basket instead of a bag on the handlebar so nothing tips over, and on sunny days park it in the shade.

A carrier or wrap gives you free hands and your baby closeness. Not every carrier labeled “from birth” really fits a newborn, so check for yourself:

• The knees are bent at about belly-button height and higher than the bottom, with the legs spread apart.

• The carrier fits snugly, and the back and head are supported.

• You can see your baby’s face, the chin isn’t resting on the chest, and the head is close enough to kiss.

Don’t breastfeed or bottle-feed in the carrier. Whether your baby likes being carried, you’ll only find out after the birth. So borrow a carrier at first, for example through a babywearing consultant. Wrap or carrier? That’s covered in the questions below. You don’t need a dedicated diaper bag: any larger bag will do, with a waterproof pouch, diapers, wipes, a changing pad, a burp cloth and a change of clothes.

A digital thermometer with a flexible tip is a basic item. In babies, a rectal reading is the most accurate; ear thermometers are suitable from six months at the earliest, and forehead thermometers are less accurate. Here’s how to take the temperature:

1. 1

   Put a little cream or petroleum jelly on the tip.

2. 2

   Lay your baby on their back, on their side or tummy-down across your lap, and hold them gently.

3. 3

   Carefully insert the thermometer about ½ inch (1 cm), no more than ¾ inch (2 cm).

4. 4

   After one to one and a half minutes, or when it beeps, slowly pull it out.

At what temperature you need to act is in the “Watch for this” box. Your medicine cabinet should include:

• bandages, sterile gauze pads, a gauze roll, scissors, tweezers and disposable gloves

• saline for the nose; decongestant drops only after checking with your pediatrician, and only in the strength they recommend for babies

• a fever and pain reliever for babies: at your baby’s next checkup—such as the 1-month or 4-month checkup—ask which one and what dose, and write it down with your baby’s current weight

• a note with 911 (or your local emergency number), your pediatrician’s after-hours line, Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, your pediatrician’s office and the address of the nearest children’s hospital with an ER

If your baby has a fever in the first three months, have a doctor examine them first—a fever reducer doesn’t replace that. Medicines for adults are off-limits, as are aspirin and, in the first year, honey or cough remedies that contain honey. Keep everything locked away. Buy a nasal aspirator when your baby gets their first cold.

From the second week of life, your baby gets 400 to 500 IU of vitamin D a day as drops, whether breastfed or bottle-fed. Fall and winter babies get it for about 18 months, all others for 12 months. Talk with your pediatrician about which product is right—for example, at the 3-to-5-day checkup—and ask your pediatrician or dentist about fluoride.

Order big items like the crib and stroller from about week 20 of pregnancy, because delivery times can get in the way. Clothes, diapers and small stuff come after that. About six weeks before your due date, or four weeks at the latest, the essentials should be ready: a place to sleep, two sleep sacks, the infant car seat and a thermometer—babies don’t always arrive on time. No later than four weeks before your due date, do a test installation of the car seat. If superstition says the stroller shouldn’t be in the house until after the birth, order it ahead of time and have it delivered afterward.

Almost everything can be secondhand; only the mattress and infant car seat should be new or have a known history. Baby things are often barely worn, so buying used saves you a lot of money. Here’s how to check:

• Clothes: no drawstrings at the neck, secure snaps

• Stroller: the brake and frame work, and the model hasn’t been recalled—search online for the model name and the word “recall”

• Crib and bedside sleeper: screws and instructions are there, the slats are 1¾ to no more than 2⅜ inches (4.5 to 6 cm) apart, nothing is splintering

• Carrier: seams and buckles are intact, and the model is suitable for newborns

• Sleep sack: neck opening no bigger than the head, the zipper works

• Infant car seat: never in a crash, never dropped, no cracks, straps intact, manual and newborn insert included, not past the manufacturer’s expiration date, and it meets US federal safety standards

Also buy new: nipples, pacifiers, the waterproof mattress pad and breast pump parts. You’ll find good deals at consignment sales, secondhand stores, on online marketplaces and among friends. Buying a complete set of baby gear new adds up quickly, while used often costs just a fraction—prices vary a lot. What help is available if money is tight is covered in the questions below.

If your baby is already a few weeks old, the question is more likely: what’s getting too small right now?

• Clothes, when the crotch snaps only close with a tug, cuffs leave red marks or the feet push against the end. Your pediatrician’s office records your baby’s current length at each checkup, and after 0–3 months, 3–6 months usually comes next at around three or four months.

• Diapers, when they leave red marks, the tabs barely reach the middle or there are blowouts up the back. The weight on the package is your guide.

• The sleep sack, when your baby can no longer move their legs stretched out. Buy the next one in the TOG rating for the coming season.

• The infant car seat only when your baby reaches the height or weight limit in the manual.

• Bedside sleeper and bassinet, when the limit in the manual is reached or your baby tries to pull up or sit up. Then it’s time to move to the crib, and in the stroller you use the seat only fully reclined until your baby can sit on their own.

Friends and family asking what you’d like? A baby registry you share helps make sure nothing arrives twice. Things you can really use: clothes in 6–9 months and up, a sleep sack in the next size, a gift card for a babywearing consultation, money toward a stroller or a new infant car seat, diapers in size 2 or 3, muslin cloths and fitted sheets. And for you: a home-cooked meal, a full fridge, someone to do the laundry.

Better not to accept as gifts: bumpers, pillows, blankets and sheepskins for the crib, baby nests, bed snakes, long crib canopies, swaddle sacks, weighted sleep sacks, spring cradles and hammocks for sleep, stroller toy strings, amber and teething necklaces, clothes with drawstrings at the neck and used infant car seats of unknown origin. Breathing and sensor mats haven’t been shown to protect against sudden infant death either.

To save or print: bold marks the minimalist set of essentials; the rest is for comfort.

Clothes, each in 0–3 and 3–6 months

• 5–7 onesies, including 2–3 side-snap onesies

• 4–6 footed pants or pants, plus 2–3 tops if you choose pants

• 2–3 pajamas, 1–2 little jackets, 2–4 pairs of socks

• 1 thin hat for outside

• plus 2–3 pieces in newborn size and 8–10 burp cloths

Winter extras: tights, warm little jackets, wool socks, warm hat, mittens, bunting, blanket for the car, rich cream

Summer extras: sun hat, thin long clothes, stroller umbrella or sunshade, sunshade for the car window

Sleep

• Bedside sleeper or crib with a new, firm mattress

• 2 fitted sheets and 2 waterproof mattress pads

• 2 sleep sacks for the season

• room thermometer, dimmable night-light, smoke alarm in the bedroom

Diapering and bath time

• Changing pad with 2–3 covers, 6–10 washcloths, thermos

• Newborn or size 1 diapers for one or two weeks, diaper cream

• fragrance-free wipes, nail scissors, trash can with a lid

• bath thermometer, 2 towels

Feeding

• Breastfeeding: nursing pads, 2–3 soft nursing bras, a firm pillow

• Bottle: 4–6 bottles with nipples, bottle brush, 1–2 containers of infant formula, electric kettle

On the go

• Infant car seat if you travel by car, taxi or rideshare

• Stroller with bassinet or carrier

• any bag, plus a wet bag

Health and for you

• digital thermometer, a basic first-aid and medicine kit, note with emergency numbers

• postpartum pads, high-waisted underwear after a C-section

Can wait: baby monitor, nursing pillow, breast pump, nasal aspirator, baby brush (only if cradle cap shows up), clothes in 6–9 months and up, toys and a play mat—for tummy time, a large bath towel on the floor is enough.

You don’t need: a bassinet in addition to the bedside sleeper, a baby bathtub with a stand, a diaper pail with refill cartridges, a bottle warmer, a sterilizer, grooming kits, five-packs of hooded towels, scratch mittens, baby shoes or a dedicated diaper bag.

And if something is missing after all: you can get most things within a day. Your baby gear doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to get you through the first weeks—the rest you’ll figure out together.