Minimalist Mommas- what are the things that you HAVE to have?

[elonwy]

So I have seen many of my friends over buy for their first babies like nobodies business. We're going to lose my income once the baby gets here, and there is likely to be a gap between then and when my husband gets a "real" job. He's in grad school right now. So I want to get an idea of things I have to have no matter what (my mom was 17 and on welfare, we had nothing at all, and I came out just fine). I want to do cloth diapers, I want to co sleep, and want to carry my baby, but I don't want to to buy 8 kinds of everything, KWIM? I've already decided against things like a changing table, but I know there are things I'm not thinking of that you HAVE to have to survive. There is also a couple consignment stores near me that I am going to check out for cheaper things. Ideas?

[natty529]

well... you could get by w/ a dozen prefolds and a couple of covers, depending on how often you want/are able to do the laundry. additionally, a nice carrier that will work for a long while- other than clothes and a car seat, i feel like thats it.

[Chamomile Girl]

Cloth diapers, a carrier, carseat as mentioned...and this may not be a popular view on this site but I needed a stroller. My LO couldn't stand to be in the carrier for too long (still can't) but loves the stroller. Oh and babylegs. Those were great to have for easy diaper changes.

[EllisH]

So nice to hear from someone also planning to go minimalist. I am so unpleasantly struck by the attack on my consumerist impulses. And, you're right, having a child is a costly (and space-consuming) enough affair as it is.

I am trying to avoid the stroller, but will still get a moses basket (or a basic crib that's equally portable), as stroller-owning mothers keep telling me the stroller is great for putting the baby down / to sleep when you are somewhere else. So I hope the basket will do that trick just as well.

To keep going, I heard the cheapest IKEA crib is really good and (if installed properly) can do a job as a cosleeper too (even with cosleeping in your bed, at some point you will need to get your baby its own bed, as it can roll out of yours).

Only thing I am stocking up on (a bit) is children's books... I just cannot resist. Best I can do is not get any books for when he's five, but limit myself to toddler books.

Keen to hear what else pops up as unmissable here!

[MaerynPearl]

Things I absolutely MUST have -

• Car seat
• Diapers
• A few outfits/socks/hats (not a lot of anything but at least a couple of each because babies can get messy!)
• Somewhere for baby to sleep (because a sidecar crib is still something... and our bed isn't even big enough for the two of us comfortably let alone the two of us and a baby)
• Somewhere to put baby when not asleep (bouncy seat or swing. I have one of each now because I realized they each have their times when they are helpful to me for my kids but every baby and every mommy is different)
• Blankets (swaddling is awesome)
• Nail scissors or file (biting them is unsanitary and unsafe, using clippers runs the risk of cutting fingers more than the tiny scissors do)
• Baby carrier (I have a moby and a sling) for baby wearing

That is all of my must-haves. Anything beyond that (such as my boppy) can be awesome but are not 100% necessary.

Of course this is just my list and it can be different for everyone

[47chromosomes]

I think being minimalist has huge advantages. We can afford to buy some better stuff since we are not buying huge amounts of junk.

For a minimalist my recommendations would be:
Diapers--prefolds or flats. They are easiest to launder, least expensive, you can buy them organic. I'm loving flats right now because even in the moist climate I live in I can still line dry them. The learning curb to use them is a little more, but it becomes a fun hobby. A couple dozen is good.

You may want something to put baby down in/on. We co-sleep a lot as well, but also have a baby hammock to set out baby in if he dozes off while I cannot be near the bed with him, or just if he wants to kick around and play for a bit. (But we are going on three children, so keeping the little guy off the floor and out of the way of my toddlers is going to be important when he is young. My others I think I just put on a blanket on the floor.)

Get a nice carrier, like ergo (well, that one is my all around favorite) with an infant insert. The ergo is good for long periods of wear, plus it is simple to use and will not wear out. (Mine is going on baby number three, and still my all time favorite thing for baby wearing.)

Car seat, of course. If you plan to wear your babe a lot, get a convertible car seat that is for infants and older babies/toddlers and skip the infant one that snaps into a base (they only go up to 20lbs usually, and for some babies that mean only 6 months of use).

Start saving now for a really nice stroller, like a jogger with a swivel wheel.

That's it besides clothes and stuff like nail clippers and what not. I love being simple about things. I also love getting things used as much as possible, and it is pretty easy to find used baby stuff because as you mentioned, people go wild buying stuff, and then it only gets used a little bit before they are done.

[mckittre]

Clothes - if this is your first kid, people will almost certainly give you more than you can use. Hold off on buying any. Making extensive use of hand-me-downs, I've yet to buy more than 5 or so pieces of clothing in my 19 month old son's life.

Diapers - need some of these

Carrier - all I had was a moby wrap until he was 7 or so months old and I got a woven wrap. Make sure you have something, but don't need more than one at first - you can figure out what you want when you have more experience.

Carseat - I skipped the infant one and just got a convertible

Putting baby down - What's wrong with a blanket on the floor? And a little one can be in a big bed alone for naps too, if it's not super high off the floor.

[lillymonster]

-diapers
-sling
I just put my baby on the floor with toys and a thick blanket.
-car seat of course.

For along time DD was just in onsies or t-shirts and blankets since she was born in April. My January Baby probably needs a little more in the way of clothes, like socks, and outwear.

I did have a "bouncy" seat - nothing fancy, it didn't even bounce - it was a vibrating seat but she didn't like the vibrator, but it was a place I could put the baby down on and away from the cat if the cat was being annoying.

a place for the baby to sleep - when we weren't co sleeping, we had her in a portable crib.

Some kids love strollers and some kids, like mine, wanted to push it as soon as she could walk, so we have basically ditched the stroller. I could probably count on one hand the amount I used it. Although I did have a snap and go stroller for the infant car seat, yes I did use that a lot. It was just a frame, for like $50 (much cheaper used) you can snap the car seat in.

Sometimes though, you'll spend money on something and your kid won't like it all, like we had to go through a lot of carriers before we found one DD liked being in.

[dakotablue]

The only 'extra' when you get past clothing & diapers that I found I needed was a carrier (I have a moby) and an exercise ball.

Seriously I didn't use a swing, just sit on the ball and lightly bounce, baby would calm and fall asleep. It is the #1 baby item I recommend to everyone. If you haven't tried it, do. Also, it helps get you back into shape...but really not on my reasons.

its nice to have a few other things, car seat if you ever go anywhere is car, place to sleep, but for me it was moby wrap or our bed. Oh and nail clippers, I could survive without, but they are very useful.

otherwise blankets and I read poem books, but I will admit we have TONS of children's books (library and yard sales) but we have tons of book anyway...

[chicoandthemama]

The one item I still use almost daily, since birth with 2.5 yo ds, is an exercise ball. DS was a poor sleeper and wouldn't sleep on his own for a long time. I'd put him in the wrap and bounce. I know it doesn't work for all mamas, but we never got a rocker or glider. The ball is cheap and deflatable. DS is so used to being comforted on the ball that it now works to end tantrums.
Simul-post, dakotablue!

[babyjelly]

This is my fourth baby, and so I know what I need and don't At this point, my needs are...
-a carseat. My last two went straight to the convertible, but this one will go in a bucket from a friend, in order to put off the expense a minute longer.
-diapers. I super-heart flats. A lot. And prefolds are pretty rad too. Everyone else who changes my babies prefers fitted dipes, so I have sme of those.
-carrier. My favorite with my last was my meitai; with my second it was my woven wrap. My first I just held...I didn't know about good carriers yet.
-blankets. Thin ones for swaddling, thick ones for putting Baby on the floor.
-clothes. My oldest kid is eight, and we still ge enough handed down and gifted that I rarely have to buy kid clothes (my family can be awesome!)
That's it. If I'm not near enough to make leaving Baby in the bed for naps, I am That Mom, who puts her baby in a drawer or a laundry basket and it works for us
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[mizznicole]

For me, I lived with my boppy. I could never master nursing out of a carrier.

I think a stroller is necessary for shopping at places where they don't have carts! Mainly, if you are going shopping for clothes and need to try something on. Who wants to put a little baby on those icky floors?! I absolutely love my Maclaren umbrella stroller, even though it's one of those dangerous recalled items.

The good news is that there is so much baby gear floating around on craigslist etc. you almost never have to buy new (except for car seat).

[MamaChef]

- Convertible carseat
- Moby - loved the Moby during the colic weeks, great for wearing while bouncing on the ball
- Onbu - I prefer onbus to Meitais. They are so much easier for me and seem to fit my body better.
- Ergo - for DH
- Ring sling - DD is 2.5 and until a couple months ago, we still used this alot
Bought all of my carriers used..
- Bouncy chair - our only baby holding device, but was glad I had a place to put her down sometimes and she really liked the lights. You can usually find these cheap at second hand shops.
- Miracle Blankets
- Waterproof flannel sheets, the ones that are bassinet sized
- nose frida
- homeopathic chamomilia by borion
- Lap Tees (amazon usually sells the american apparel ones pretty cheap)
- Lots of socks (the baby gap ones are my favorite cause they actually stay on)
- Atleast 3 midweight blankets, unless you live somewhere with no cool nights..
- 3-6 flannel blankets for spills
- A couple sleepers (kimono style shirts, sleep sacks) with the little hand fold overs to help the idiots that insist upon touching my baby's hands with their germs
- 3 dozen infant prefolds (the go alot) and 2 dozen premium
- for the first 4 months 2 x/s thirsties and 2 s. Then.. 2 luxe baby covers, 2 wild child woolie covers, 1 lana care cover for overnights -
-3 Snappis
-Wet bag
- 2 dozen wipes - My favorite are bamboo velour on both sides, or one side bamboo velour, the other a cute flannel.
- Diaper cream
- thermometer
- Video monitor ( This was bought after baby scooted off the bed - worth EVERY penny)
- white noise machine or cd player with repeat
- night lights so you can see during nursing those first few days.. or a salt lamp..
- breast pads - washable or lansinoh (those are the only disposable thing I used and will totally do it again)
- Glamour moms (the tank kind, I think, with the more bra like built in.. for those early weeks of engorgement)
- white noise CD for the car and one of those mylar mirrors so she could see me.

That's all we used. We never used the stroller or swing, 3/4 of the clothes people gave us are brand new still. She could care less about most of the toys.. She did love her wooden rainstick rattle, but you can have fun taking baby to the store and seeing what seems to attract their attention once they get here.

[WifeofAnt]

I have:

• Pack N Play with bassinet and changing table
• Swing
• Cloth diapers (Osocozy on Amazon is cheap and DSQ)
• Clothes! Mostly hand-me-downs
• Car Seat - some people say not to get the infant seat and go straight to convertable but I'm not
• Blankets & towels
• Baby Bathbucket (not 100% necessary)
• Boppy
• Small infant bouncer (so I can put him on the bathroom floor when I shower)
• I also have a stroller but it came with the car seat. Couldn't get that pattern without it and I doubt my parents will want to wear/carry him if they go somewhere.

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I'll play.

My list is similar:

*Some clothes
*A ring sling #1 baby item for me! DC's is in tatters.
*Diapers (haven't worked that out yet, myself, because I used a service last time - bliss!)
*Blankets, cloths, rags, wipes
*Car seat
*Bouncy seat
*I also remember using the boppy in the early months so I'd probably get one at a thrift store

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Oh, yea, breast pads for sure!

[sewingsparklz]

I'm super surprised no one has said they need a rocking chair - that's one of the items I can not live without! (though some mommas mentioned the bouncing ball thing, so I guess that counts. )

We have always been pretty minimalist - though with 4 kids I think I've tried one of each kind of baby sitting or holding device. The things I stayed away from were the play mats with things hanging over the baby, the light up aquarium things for the crib, etc.

I have to have:

a rocking chair
swaddle blankets
white noise
baby swing
baby bed of some kind
sling of some kind
stroller
nursing pads
waterproof cover for my bed, in case baby leaks (or I leak!)

Everything else I assume I don't need to mention, like diapers and clothes, etc.

Then I think as baby gets older you can decide about a bumbo (which I love!) or a johnny jump up, or an excersaucer, and things like that. They have all had their day in my house. But again, we never had a wipe warmer, or a baby gym, or a learn-spanish-from-Dora toy or anything! Ha!

[Lauren82]

Clothes
Baby Carrier (I still have a BabyHawk Mei tai from my last baby)
Car Seat
Dipes and Wipes
Bouncy Seat (so I can put the baby there while I bathe or do some cleaning)
Lansinoh

That's it besides something that may be on an as needed basis such as diaper rash cream.

[Just1More]

Very basic list?

diapers (flat folds and one-size covers will get you the whole way through)
clothes (14 outfits, plus 3 or 4 if you are church goers, plus 14 pajamas is plenty. That's roughly a 2 week supply...but it's possible to go through all that in about 3 days...)
burp cloths (one a day or so...my first would let go and milk would go everywhere, my second was a horrible spitter until we got the wheat thing worked out.)
blankets (one a day or so...again...spit, milk, or poo, and you need a new one.)
carrier (sling or wrap...I really like the option of both) and carseat
basic grooming/bathing supplies

And I think that's it. There are a few extras that are nice to have, but it's pretty easy to make due without...

a mirror to see baby in car
things for baby to look at, touch
etc

[Tresa]

My list is similar to the shorter lists above, but I wanted to point out that infants don't live comfortably in clothes, mine haven't, thus far, anyway. They lived in t-shirts and diapers, wrapped in blankets or snuggled up in the sling close to me for warmth if they needed it. So don't feel like you *have* to have a clothes stash for baby right away when s/he comes out.

Cotton (or hemp or absorbable, breathable fabric) blankets (fleece ones are so abundant, but they're not good for a lot around the house, imo, only good for keeping baby warm and dry as an outer insulating layer when you leave the house) are good doubles for breastmilk spray cleanups, spitup cleanups, and wrapping baby. I plan for at least one per day, two keeps things less smelly.

You can make cloth breast pads out of old towels or prefolds or flannel sheets or shirts (multiple layers sewn together). You're planning on cloth wipes, I imagine?

I'd have more than a dozen diapers on hand unless you're cool with doing laundry every other day, at best. I settled on modified (contoured, cutting and sewing alterations I did to diapers I bought) prefolds after trying out several kinds...for my buck, prefolds are the best because they're the cheapest and most versatile. My friend who's on baby number five swears by motherese diapers, though, because they're truly adaptable in size...her infant shares a stash with her 2.5y/o. Seriously. If you're going to have more than one child, buying specialty diapers can be just as affordable and some designs are more convenient to use than prefolds and covers.