For the fabulous boxes here at Green Baby Gift Box, I’ve focused on baby gifts that are lovely as well as practical. But there are also some basic items not quite exciting enough for a gift that everyone needs on hand when their first baby arrives. And that brings me to THE LIST–the basic checklist of what you need on hand when baby comes home.

Now I’ve seen about a zillion of these “what you need” lists in books and online, but they’re usually tied to some sort of marketing or gift registration list. And as you may have suspected, you really don’t need a special monogrammed cloth widget to hold diapers that hangs off your $1,000 diaper changing table (you remember, the changing table that your baby will be too wriggly to use in a few scant months).

So here you have it. The actual, yes-you-need-it List. Now I have to hedge a little bit by pointing out that the personality of both parents and the new baby will determine whether some items end up in the “can not survive without” or “totally useless” bins, but here’s a good start. Quantities may seem low–it’s generally better to buy just a few things and then wait and see what works best for you before stocking up. Enjoy!

Needed immediately:

• Car seat, baby sized. Check if your model fits in your particular car & if there’s an adapter so it can click into your stroller.
• Diapers (some newborn sized, some next size up–newborns go through them FAST, but this does taper off after the first month or so. Honest.) For info on cloth diapers, check out Mothering magazine, which has a great reprint on the issue. For disposables, Costco’s in-house Kirkland brand is the best deal, while the chlorine-free diapers from Seventh Generation are well liked.
• Burb cloths (aka spit-up rags–cloth diapers or old t-shirts can sub for this—and some babies spit-up more than others).
• Baby wipes (either a stack of baby washcloths to use as wipes or disposables)
• Diaper cream (we like Earth Mama Angel Baby or Burt’s Bees).
• Nail clippers, baby-sized (Some people insist on buying a nasal suction thingy–but many of us never needed to use one of these even when the baby had a cold. Wait and see if the hospital gives you one in any case.)
• 3 Receiving Blankets
• 3 Onesies or undershirts (might need fewer if you live in a cold climate, or more if you live somewhere toasty–see sleepers below)
• 1 Blanket Sleeper (aka sleep sack). We love CeeWee Baby! Sleep sacks are a wonderful, safe alternative to blankets, especially in the winter–you zip in the baby and they can’t kick off the blanket because they are wearing it-!
• 3+ Sleepers/coveralls/rompers/nightgowns. The sleepers with feet are great–babies can wear them all day & night and they can’t kick off the footies (socks are pretty useless when your baby’s a kicker, though some babies do well with rompers & booties).
• 1 Hat for newborn warmth (The hospital might give you one. A sunhat might come in handy, but usually your carseat or stroller is shading the baby so you may not need one until baby is mobile.)
• 1 Crib / bassinet / or co-sleeper (Even if you plan on co-sleeping, you will want some place to put baby down for napping.)
• 1 Crib mattress
• 1 Crib mattress pad
• 3 Crib / bassinet sheets & bumper (yes, you really need the bumper)
• 1 Baby shampoo/body wash combo. We love Earth Mama Angel Baby and California Baby.
• 1 Baby moisturizer (see Earth Mama Angel Baby & California Baby again for this & all other body care products!)
• 1 Infant Tylenol
• 1 Adult Tylenol extra strength (haha)
• Maternity menstrual pads (regular overnight pads work fine. snag some disposal underwear from the hospital if you like–very handy for the first couple of weeks!)
• 1 Diaper changing pad & covers
• 1 Diaper bag/backpack (or a portable changing pad to tuck into a bag you already own)
• 1 Baby thermometer (digital, or one of the new Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometers–these are great, you just scan across baby’s forehead, which is snazzy when you don’t want to wake them. Costco usually has a good deal on these.
• If you are planning on any bottle-feeding, a few bottles & nipples (look for Born Free, Adiri, or one of the other BPA-free brands). If you are planning on pumping, check and see if there’s an adapter so you can pump straight into the bottles (Born Free has these). You may also want a sterilizer, especially if you pump at work.
• 1 Small basket for dishwasher (for washing bottle parts, pump parts, teething toys and all sorts of small items)

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