Essential Baby Gear: What to Buy Before Baby Arrives

Get Everything You Need Before the Big Day 

Already know what to expect when you’re expecting? Maybe you’ve read everything and then some about labor and delivery. But what happens after you bring baby home? While you can get books that help with the adjustment to parenthood, no one tells you how to choose from the myriad of products aimed at new parents. So what do you need to buy before the big day? Get the lowdown on essential baby gear.

Car Seat: If you have a car, and plan to give birth at a hospital or birthing center (or anywhere besides home), you’ll need a car seat that fits newborns as soon as you get discharged. With all the options out there, you don’t want to wait until the last minute to figure out which one fits your vehicle and family. Choose from an infant seat, which will last anywhere from six to twelve months. Or go with a convertible car seat, which can last three years or more.

Crib: Once you get home, your baby will need somewhere to sleep. Pediatricians recommend all infants be put to sleep on their backs in their own bed. Cribs will last your child longer than other sleeping arrangements. If you decide to go with a crib, assembly can be tricky, especially in the later months of pregnancy. Be aware that older cribs may pose safety hazards, as standards for bar spacing and sides that lower have changed.

Diapers: You will also need some diapers to put on that tiny rump. Whether you go with cloth diapers or the disposable type, don’t get too ambitious before the baby arrives. Some infants arrive early, and won’t fit into the size you’ve stockpiled. (If you’re lucky, you bought a size too big and can use them once your infant grows.) Or once you start using your chosen diapers, you discover they don’t work well for your baby or lifestyle. We recommend having a few of each brand and size on hand. Once your baby arrives, you can order bulk quantities.

Bottles: If you’re breastfeeding exclusively, you don’t need any bottles. But if you don’t like the idea of being an all-you-can-eat buffet every two hours (or more often), it pays to have a couple of bottles on hand. Much like diapers, instead of wasting money and space on something they might never use, buy only a few before birth. Once your baby arrives, you’ll learn which types they prefer, or if they will even accept a bottle at all..

Clothes: Unless you want your baby to go naked all the time, you’ll need baby clothes. Infants go through a lot of clothes in the first few months. Between accidents and spit up and rapid growth, you may need more than you think. On the plus side, people love to buy baby clothes, so you will likely end up with a full wardrobe without spending too much. But if you don’t want to be shelling out for more clothes constantly, be sure to ask for some larger sizes, including three and six months. If you end up with a big baby, you still have something on hand that they can wear.

Hat: You see loads of adorable pictures of babies in hats for a reason. It helps them regulate their body temperature, and it looks irresistible, too. Our favorite brand offers tons of colorful patterns for both summer and winter and everything in between. As an added bonus, they stay put, so you spend less time hunting for them after the fall off, making these hats one of our top picks for essential baby gear.

Pacifier: You may not want to consider a pacifier. But once you have an infant screaming for hours on end, what you want may not matter. Having just one or two available in the home is a small price to pay for some peace and quiet – assuming your baby will accept one.

While there are plenty of other baby products you can buy, from bouncy seats to toys and blankets, this essential baby gear should get you through the first few weeks after your baby makes their debut.