What do babies need?
In the past, expectant first-time mothers would use the months of pregnancy to prepare a Layette. This might involve hand-sewing, knitting and crocheting every garment their baby would wear. Hand-me-down items like nappies, bassinets, cots and high chairs would be gathered from family and neighbours and grandparents would splash out to purchase a pram to demonstrate to those family and friends how affluent they were. Those not so affluent would refurbish pre-loved prams with a good scrub, repairs and replacement wheels foraged from the local tip! Things were made to last, simple to repair and passed around between families across generations.
These days, the market for baby “needs” is beyond anything my grandparents could imagine. Women no longer withdraw from paid work upon marriage or at the first hint of pregnancy but continue to earn up to and beyond the birth of their baby, with paid maternity leave available in many countries. Our culture has switched from a frugal society of make-do-and-mend 100 years ago to a consumption model influenced by trends and fashion. And the products considered essential for pregnancy, newborns and new mothers is marketing-led, not need-based.
Fed by the globalisation of American traditions of gift registries and baby showers, the industry of products marketed as “must-haves” for baby-care has exploded in the past fifty years. Dedicated expos, websites and bricks-and-mortar stores exist to fill the demand created through marketing. Smaller families and larger houses allow for dedicated nurseries, which traditionally existed only in the homes of wealthy aristocracy in Europe. The growing understanding of child development and the importance of early learning in the 20th century has seen the growth of “educational toys” nestled alongside the care paraphernalia.
Family homes with young children are bursting at the seams with “stuff” and parents are overwhelmed by choice and confused understanding the essential from the unnecessary.
Back to Basics
The most simple of human infant needs have been complicated by marketing and promotion. Let’s pare it right back down to the foundations.
Food. Warmth. Shelter. Security.
A newborn needs their mother’s body, which meets all their basic needs. Her breasts provide nutrition and hydration, warmth, comfort and security. Her arms and body are a sleep space, keeping her baby warm and safe from predators.
Feeding: uncomplicated breastfeeding requires nothing more than nature provided. Some people need additional tools in the short or long term to achieve their breastfeeding goals. Most of these are easily accessed and do not need to be purchased “just in case” before baby is born. Many are specialised enough to need advice on purchase when need arises. These can include nipple shields, breast pumps, breastfeeding pillows. Comfortable nursing bras are an investment which can be worn from the second trimester through the fourth trimester and those mothers who leak breastmilk in pregnancy might choose to use nursing pads for that reason. Otherwise, the most valuable investment you can make in breastfeeding is to attend a breastfeeding class and budget for expenses like breast pumps, IBCLC lactation consultant which might arise in the postnatal period. Burp cloths and nursing pads can be purchased if the need arises once your baby arrives. If formula feeding becomes part of your journey, you will be given advice about equipment you need to purchase for your circumstances. It is unnecessary for breastfeeding mothers to have formula on hand “just in case”.
Sleeping: breastsleeping and contact napping require no specialised equipment. If the parental sleep space meets guidelines for safe bed-sharing and risk factors like smoking are not present, your baby can sleep with you from the start. Daytime sleep should be on you, beside you or near you: babywearing, co-napping and contact napping are ideal. You might choose to have bassinets or other safe infant sleep spaces in your nighttime and/or daytime spaces. You can purchase pre-loved beds for babies inexpensively and because they are used for such short periods, they are often in near-new condition. These will usually suit your needs through the fourth trimester and you have time to consider cots and cribs after your baby arrives. Safe sleep guidelines recommend you do not use bumpers, liners and decorative trimmings on infant beds. Keep bedding simple and easy to launder. Bed-sharing babies should not be swaddled or wrapped.
Transport: your arms are your baby’s most common transport mode but a baby carrier will allow you to keep your baby close while keeping your hands free. Families who mostly walk or use public transport can rely on babywearing alone but all babies travelling in cars need a safe car restraint in place. Prams and strollers can be practical if you need to transport shopping or supplies for a day out, even if your baby still ends up in the baby carrier! A bag to carry your nappy changing supplies is useful, however it doesn’t need to be a dedicated nappy bag and you’ll probably find affordable options away from the baby section which don’t carry the infant premium in pricing!
Clothing: baby clothes generally fall into two categories - clothes adults like to look at and clothes adults like to use! Realistically, most of what you are likely to be gifted before your baby arrives will be from the first category! Choosing baby clothes is fun and racks hanging instore are set up to catch your eye. However, dressing a small baby can feel a lot like stuffing an octopus into a string bag, so you need function over form in these early days. Easy on, easy off. There is a reason both boys and girls were dressed in simple nightgowns around the clock back in the day! Stretch fabrics saw the invention of one piece garments with snaps or zips allowing access from top to toe and these are generally the garment of choice in the newborn period. When it comes to sizing, a lot has changed in recent decades. The addition of sizes previously just for premature babies has allowed parents to dress their babies to size from birth without allowing for growth. Cheaper production and use of stretch fabrics made this possible. Now babies don’t have to be overwhelmed by larger sizes they need to grow into. However, babies grow most rapidly in these first weeks so over-buying 00000 and 0000 clothing can seem wasteful. Buying pre-loved is the way to go as these garments are often passed on in bundles either through networks of family and friends or via online marketplaces. 000 will generally fit most babies in the newborn period, however that is a range of three months and length of legs and torso can vary greatly even among babies of similar weights. It can be several weeks before some babies fit this size without getting lost!
If you have access to efficient washing and drying in your home, you can have a smaller inventory of individual garments. Chucky babies, those with frequent nappy explosions and heavy wetters will need more frequent changing of outfits and a larger supply removes some laundry pressure. Mothers without practical support in the home, those dealing with breastfeeding challenges, postnatal depression or babies who cry a lot have less capacity for regular systems and washing can pile up. Therefore its hard to give a guideline for how much of wardrobe is typically needed. A minimum of three full top-to-toe outfit changes per day is a starting point, with six a day being worst-case scenario! The timeframe of your laundry cycle is the deciding factor. A basic full outfit would be a nappy layer, undergarment layer (singlet or bodysuit), a base layer (onesie or two piece outfit) and a top layer (eg: muslin wrap at home or jacket for warmth when out).
Hygiene: unless you are practicing elimination communication from birth, your baby will wear nappies to contain body waste. You can choose either reusable cloth nappies or single-use products. The bare minimum would be 6-8 wet nappies in 24 hours or 5 heavy single-use nappies, plus at least three bowel motions per day in the early months. You will need wipes to clean waste from your baby’s skin, either washable cloths or single-use products. Washable nappies and wipes can be batch washed every 2-3 days, so you will need enough to cover your baby’s needs between laundering. You will need a holding zone for used items between washing - eg: a wet-bag or hamper. Single-use products will need to be stored before and after use and disposed according to your local government regulations. Babies need full bathing on an occasional basis - daily bathing is no longer considered necessary. You can simply clean your baby’s face and hands with water each day between bathing. Baby baths were popular in the days before central heating, when bathrooms tended to be cold. These days many parents skip the baby bath and use existing sinks/tubs or pop the baby into the shower with their parent. If you choose to use a baby bath, this can be any suitably sized container which holds water. Infant skin is best left to simple cleaning with water. If you choose to add products, look for minimal, natural ingredients and use sparingly. You can use one product for hair and skin. Healthy skin needs no creams but a barrier cream may help prevent nappy rash in babies who are prone to it. Check if your product is compatible with your nappies before use and apply sparingly. Look for products which contain natural ingredients and only use medicated products if recommended by your doctor or nurse. You are unlikely to need any skincare products immediately after your baby arrives so don’t stock up in advance. It is unnecessary to keep infant medications on hand just in case. A dedicated changing surface is useful but you can use any convenient piece of furniture. A pad or mat which can be easily wiped or laundered can be useful. Always keep one hand on your baby if they are on any surface higher than the floor. A basket or other container is handy to contain products you use often.
These are the very basics you might prepare before your baby arrives. Once you meet and get to know the new family member, you can add extras you might consider useful. Newborns don’t need toys and show no interest in them for some time.
