Newborn Essentials Checklist: What to Buy Before Baby Arrives (and What to Skip)

Most newborn shopping lists you’ll find online are basically "buy everything in the catalogue". Ours isn’t. After two of our team’s kids and a small mountain of returns, here’s what we’d actually unpack on day one of bringing baby home, and what can absolutely wait.

The essentials (buy these before baby arrives)

Sleep

• One AS/NZS 8005 compliant bassinet with a firm, well-fitting mattress and breathable mesh sides. (See our bassinet buyer’s guide.)
• Three to four fitted bassinet sheets. You’ll change them more often than you think.
• Two sleeping bags or swaddles in size 0–3 months. No loose blankets. No cot bumpers. Ever.

Feeding (newborn weeks)

• Six muslin cloths. Burp cloth, wipe, sun shade, light blanket — you’ll use them constantly. Don’t bother with anything "designer".
• If formula feeding: two bottles, an electric steam steriliser, one tin of newborn-stage formula, a kettle dedicated to bottle prep.
• If breastfeeding: a couple of soft nursing bras, lanolin nipple cream, washable breast pads. A pump is optional and usually worth waiting until feeding is established to choose.

Nappies and bath

• One pack of newborn-size nappies (don’t buy in bulk — some babies size up within a week).
• Wipes in a refillable dispenser.
• A change mat. A wipeable foam one is fine. The full padded change-table set is a luxury, not an essential.
• One bath thermometer. Not strictly necessary, but cheap insurance until you’ve trained your wrist.

Going outside

• One AS/NZS 1754 compliant infant capsule or rear-facing convertible car seat. Professionally fitted — not DIY. Many councils and Bunnings stores have free fitting checks.
• One pram or stroller you’ve test-folded into your actual car. (See our pram buyer’s guide.)
• One soft baby carrier or wrap. Hands-free unsettled-baby management is genuinely life-changing in week three.

Clothing

• Six bodysuits (size 0000 if your baby is small; 000 otherwise).
• Six footed sleep suits.
• Two cotton hats.
• Two pairs of socks or booties.
• Stop there for the first month. Don’t buy a wardrobe in advance — babies grow erratically and you’ll end up donating tags-on outfits in three sizes.

Things you can probably wait on

• Baby monitor. If your home is small enough that you can hear baby breathing from the next room, a monitor is optional. Buy after a couple of weeks if you genuinely need one.
• Bottle warmer. A jug of warm water from the kettle works fine.
• Activity centre / baby gym. Newborns can’t use them. Wait until 3–4 months, then ask other parents to lend you one.
• High chair. Solids start around 6 months — you have time.
• Designer change table. The top of a chest of drawers with a change mat works perfectly.

Things you should never buy

• Cot bumpers (any kind, including "breathable" ones).
• Sleep positioners or wedges. Babies sleep flat on their back, on a firm surface, full stop.
• Loose blankets, doonas or pillows in the sleep space.
• Second-hand car seats without a verifiable history. If the seat was in any crash, it should be retired — you can’t tell from inspection.
• Baby walkers with wheels. Linked to delayed walking and falls. Stationary activity centres are the safer alternative.

One last bit of advice

Don’t buy everything in advance. Australian baby gear depreciates fast on Marketplace, and you’ll find out within two weeks of bringing baby home which products you genuinely need more of and which ones can wait. Ask other parents in your life what they’d buy a second time and what they regret — that conversation is the single best research you can do.

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More buying guides from Baby Domain

• Best Baby Bassinets in Australia
• Best Baby Prams & Strollers
• Best Breast Pumps (AU & US)
• Best Smart Baby Monitors
• Best Baby Carriers
• Best Anti-Colic Baby Bottles
• Best Baby Play Gyms
• Best Baby Walkers, Centres & Jumpers
• Best Non-Slip Baby Grip Socks
• Best Bottle Warmers
• Best Bottle Sterilisers
• Best Baby High Chairs
• Best Baby Bath Tubs
• Best White Noise Machines
• Best Baby Thermometers