Updated: April 2026
Hey mamas.
Let’s talk about baby registry items you do not need. Many families are in the pool of having a baby on a budget. I know I was. It seemed nearly impossible when there are so many mom and baby products being thrown at you as soon as you sign up to register. The thing is… newborns need very little. Contrary to what all these marketing companies are saying, you don’t need to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
Consider this list the ultimate guide to minimalist baby essentials. There’s baby items you actually need and many baby items that you don’t!
Jump to what you need:
- Newborn Essentials for Minimalist Mamas
- Baby Registry Items You Don’t Need
- Baby Items I Reused for Baby #2 (or 3, or 4!)
- Best Products for New Moms (Simple & Essential Must-Haves for You!)
When I was thrown into motherhood and my first born arrived, I found out very quickly what worked and what didn’t, what was useful and what was useless. Products that I thought for SURE I needed and couldn’t wait to use were left sitting there to take up space.
I know that every single mom/situation is unique… so you may or may not agree with all of the below. You’ll find what works best for you. But from my own personal experience, these are items that were essential and items that didn’t make much of a difference (or there was a cheaper way!)
NOTE: This post contains affiliate links, which means that I’ll receive a commission if you purchase from this link. This will not change or increase the cost of your purchase. This extra income provides for my family and keeps The Friendly Fig running strong.
Newborn Essentials for Minimalist Mamas
These are the products that I would prioritize on my baby registry if I were to do it all again. In the first few months, these items were really all I needed. I know every mom’s needs are different, so this may not be the case for everyone. But for now, here’s a list for minimalist mamas who need some insight and perspective.
Bassinet. A safe place for baby to sleep. We chose to start with a bassinet in our room (we used the Halo, but if I had to do it over, I would go with something like this), but this can also be swapped for a crib if that is what you’d prefer.
Zip-up sleepers. Zip-up sleepers all day, everyday. Do yourself a favor and forget about buttons – just stock up on these. They are so cozy, easy, and adorable. We loved the Burt’s Bees sleepers and Carter’s Simple Joys (great packs).
Bottles. Nursing or exclusively pumping or formula feeding, whatever the situation may be, you may need bottles. We love theAvent brand or Dr. Browns. Do yourself a favor and only buy the 9 oz (so you always have enough room if they need more).
Burp cloths. And lots of them. I still used these well past the baby years as rags in the kitchen. These were so so worth it.
Swaddle blankets. There’s nothing like Aden + Anais. So soft and versatile – from actually swaddling, using as a nursing cover, cuddling, tummy time, and beyond.
A safe place to put the baby down. Swing, table bouncer, pack ‘n play… pick what works for you.
Carseat. Take your pick and have it loaded in the car before you head to the hospital.
Diapers – disposable or cloth. Self explanatory.
Wipes – disposable or cloth. Again, self explanatory. We love these.
Diaper rash cream. Find one you love and keep it close. We like this brand – clears her up immediately.
Baby carrier. Wrap or ergo, take your pick. We personally love the Ergobaby. Very comfortable, easy to use, and so convenient.
Bath tub. Little one’s only bathe once every few days (or even once a week within the first month) but having a tub that cradles them is important.
Gentle shampoo. Your choice for a gentle shampoo. We love this brand.
Book. I loved reading to my girls since day one, so books (or at least a book!) are necessary in my opinion. This is our favorite.
Bibs. Lots of dribbling, especially in the early days. I like bandana bibs, because they grow with baby.
White noise machine. This was our savior from the very beginning, and we still use it to this day. Every single day.
Baby monitor. To keep an eye on baby if you don’t plan on sleeping in the same room.
There’s a few other items that we loved, but we didn’t use right away in the first initial months (more like after 3-6 months). I know that every mama is different, so including some of these below for reference.
- Open-ended toys
- Jumper
- High chair
- Stuffed animals
- Humidifier
- Pacifier
- Sippy cups
- Catch-all bibs
- Teethers / teething clips
When it comes to toys, babies need very little, if any. A few that we had around: stacking rings, soft books, soft blocks, nesting cups, rings/links, chunky puzzles… but truly, this is for maybe 8-9 months and on.
Baby’s don’t need fancy products… they need a lot of milk/formula, cuddles, and love. Honestly!
Baby Registry Items You Do Not Need
Here are the items I could do without and I’ll offer what we did instead for some, too.
Shoes. Newborns don’t walk, so there is really no need for shoes. Cozy socks, yes!
Nose Frida. I have the good ‘ol nose suction bulb that the hospital gave me for free and it worked fine for what it does. I was gifted this, so I use it more as she gets older, but definitely not necessary for a newborn.
Crib blanket/comforter. It’s not safe to put blankets/comforters in their crib, so this one is a no-brainer.
Changing table / changing pad. We have one and it wasn’t bad, but definitely not necessary. As soon as Willow started turning over, we resorted to the floor. It’s easy and free. Just use a towel underneath. With my second, we skip completely and use blankets/towels.
Tummy time mat. They have mats with all bells and whistles but you honestly just need a soft blanket.
Boppy. Use a comfortable pillow from your bed.
Wipe warmer. Why get your baby used to warm wipes? I don’t understand this? Maybe if you live in a frigid climate… but wasn’t necessary for us.
Bottle warmer. Again, I don’t understand. It is just as quick to boil some water on the stove and let the bottle sit for 5 minutes. It just takes up space on the counter.
Changing pad liners. Use a towel.
Velcro swaddles. Personally, my daughter hated these. We just used a regular swaddle blanket and then moved to sleep sacks.
Diaper bag. Just find a really cute, large bag. I love my non-diaper bag. Here are a few others, too.
Baby care kits. The ones that have all random things for “safety and care” like clippers, snot sucker, etc. Half of the things were poor quality or unnecessary. Just get what you need separately.
Mittens. They honestly just fall off. Instead, find long-sleeve onesies with the fold-over mittens.
Nursing cover. Use one of your swaddle blankets (swaddle blankets are so versatile and worth every penny).
Diaper pail. Why have a separate trash for diapers, right? They are going to stink no matter what, trust me. I just take dirty diapers directly out into the main trash or outdoor can.
Any clothing but comfortable onesies/footed pajamas. Dresses, ties, tutus, whatever the case. It is just not practical to dress a newborn up in anything fancy. Onesies and footed-pajamas are the way to go. Especially zip-ups!
Bath toys. They are just in the way and the ones with the holes can grow mold. I stay clear. Instead, I’ll toss a plastic cup or bowl in… maybe one of her rings or stacking cups.
Baby lotion. No need for product on a baby’s perfect skin. If anything, use coconut oil.
Baby food bullet/blender. Just use a regular blender…
Sophie the giraffe. Shocking, right? My kids weren’t too crazy about her. Maybe your baby will be? Not sure! But she sure is an expensive teething toy.
Parenting books. Unless you have your heart dead set on a book by an author you really love, the baby books are not going to tell you anything you can’t find for free on the internet.
Bumbo seat. Your babe will eventually sit up, don’t worry. We used pillows to prop her up if necessary.
Bowls/forks/spoons. We didn’t start using these until waaaay later in the first year. Skip for now.
Bottle sterilizer. I feel like these are not only pricey, but take up so much counter space. We boiled bottles to sterilize in a huge pot we already had at home and it worked just fine. Less clutter and save money.
Rocking/nursing chair. You don’t need a designated chair to nurse or put to sleep. I always found myself on the living room couch.
Spout cover. The one we have (it’s a whale) always falls off, anyways. It is very annoying! Cover the spot with a small towel.
Hair rinser. We also have the whale hair rinser which is just a glorified cup. Just use a cup!
Baby wash cloths. Soft regular wash cloths also do the trick.
Baby towels. Hooded towels are cute but not really practical. They are thin and are grown out of quickly.
Stroller organizer. Most strollers have a spot on the bottom for your things… just place underneath.
Stroller hooks. Again, use the bottom portion of the stroller to place your belongings.
Gripe water/gas relief. I honestly could never tell if this stuff worked. Babies are just fussy in the beginning… especially at night… period.
Bath robe. I never used the bath robe we were gifted because there just isn’t time. It’s straight to towel and then pajamas!
Drying rack. The racks or the grass drying areas… they just take up counter space. Dry on a clean dish towel.
Diaper rash cream applicator. Who has time or money for a diaper cream wand? Just use your finger.
Baby-specific laundry detergent. Any gentle and natural laundry detergent will do.
Baby-specific dish soap. Again, use a gentle and natural soap and you’ll be fine.
Crib mobile. It looked cute, but that was about it. We used the white noise machine for naps and sleep.
Baby oil. Coconut oil works just fine if necessary, but we used nothing most of the time. And her skin is soft and beautiful.
Baby Items I Reused with More Babies
I thought it might be helpful to also share the baby items I reused with my other babies. Every little bit to save helps, right? I’ll also share a small list of things I plan on buying new for safety or hygiene reasons. I hope it is helpful in seeing what you truly don’t need to repurchase.
Items to Re-Use
Clothes – if you are as lucky as us and are having the same gender or already used gender neutral clothes before. I keep telling everyone: DO NOT BUY CLOTHES! We have soooo much.
Bibs – as long as they aren’t crusty or horribly stained, bibs should be reused.
Bottles – the actual bottle, not the nipples.
Swaddle blankets – two are my oldest daughter’s “bankies” so she’ll keep those, but we have a few others that can be used for our second.
Carriers – Both my ring sling and Ergobaby are in great condition.
Linens and such – burp cloths, sheets, blankets, bath towels, mattress protectors, etc. As long as they are still in good condition!
Bassinet, crib, + mattress – we transitioned my oldest to a big girl bed to reuse the crib.
Books and toys – we kept a small selection of books and toys that my oldest loved as a baby to share with her sibling.
Infant car seat – ours is still safe to use – check expiration date always.
Breast pump – you may have to buy some new parts to replace old, but the actual pump itself is good to go.
High chair – we grabbed a booster seat for oldest.
Pack and play – it still works and is clean.
Swing/bouncers/walkers/etc. – these products are used in a such a small window of time that it only makes sense to reuse what you have. No need to upgrade unless what you have is damaged or a safety risk.
Items to Buy New
Pacifiers – I grabbed baby girl her own Wubbanub (Willow loved hers). You may want to grab a few new ones to have on hand. But here’s a tip: If you register on Target, Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc. the Welcome bags/boxes that they give you usually include a pacifier or two. We scored 5 for free!
Bottle nipples – they are worn and should definitely be replaced for a new baby.
Diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream – all the diapering essentials.
Baby monitor – this will depend on the age of your first kid, but we will still be using a monitor for Willow’s room, so we’ll be grabbing a second camera for what we already use as a monitor. Keeping it simple.
Double stroller – not a necessity, but we take enough
Best Products for New Moms (Simple & Essential Must-Haves for You!)
Let’s not forget about you! As a new mom – whether this is your first or fourth baby – there are products that just seem to make this transitional period easier. It will vary from mama to mama based on lifestyle, but I thought I’d share some of the things that I have been a godsend as we welcomed our second daughter. These are some of the products that I believe made a difference in our new normal.
Nursing tanks. I grabbed a 3-pack on Amazon. These tanks made me feel a bit more “together” – your postpartum belly is so soft and definitely feels strange after the first few weeks. But something like this helps me to feel tighter. Plus, obviously easy to nurse on demand. Lots of cluster-feedings!
SnuggleMe. I love love love having this the second time around. We used the Rock ‘n Play to put Willow down around the house and for daytime naps next to me, but obviously that was recalled. So I turned to the SnuggleMe. What I love about this is that I can place it in the pack ‘n play while she naps sometimes to make sure Willow doesn’t keep rocking or trying to play with her, lol! Plus, just nice to be able to toss it down wherever around the house and know she is cuddled up and safe.
Baby carrier. I loved carrying Willow and I love carrying Fiona just as much, and possibly more, because my hands are really full with two kiddos. It’s so easy to get things done around the house or just wear her while I tend to/play with Willow. A MUST FOR ALL MAMAS! I have this cloth carrier and also the Ergobaby.
Backpack. I love my diaper backpack with two babies because now I have two free arms/hands. I loved my bag before, but it just kept sliding off my arm and got in the way. A backpack makes it much easier to manage two kids and it holds a lot more. I have this vegan-friendly one.
Reusable water bottle. I’m thirsty all day long as a breastfeeding mama, so I keep my water right by my side at all times. It’s easy to forget simple things like hydrating yourself when you have two babes.
Crock-Pot. Lifesaver. Absolute lifesaver. Fiona was born at the end of fall and into winter, so it is amazing to just throw whatever in the crock pot and make all kinds of comfort food, warm soups, stews, etc.
Larabars. A healthy and filling snack that I can easily grab if there’s just nothing else at the moment. Any kind of bar will do, but these are my favorite – especially the chocolate chip peanut butter ones.
Deep v-neck shirt. I love these babies because it makes breastfeeding easier and they are just very comfy lounge shirts while I soak up the first few months of that newborn/infant laziness.
Swaddle blankets. Used beyond swaddling – for tummy time, an actual blanket, to clean up spit up/milk, nursing cover, whatever it is. I have swaddle blankets draped all over my house. I love this brand.
Amazon Prime. Free shipping on nearly everything… I can’t tell you how much I have been ordering online now that we have two kids because getting out of the house is quite a hassle and it is dead of winter here. We are good being cozy and having diapers, wipes, and everything else under the sun delivered right to our front door.
If you are interested in seeing more of what I love and use, check out my Amazon storefront. Lots of great newborn items, toddler toys, mealtime essentials, etc.
