I honestly WISH I had this list of minimalist baby items before I had my son. When you see traditional baby registries they seem overwhelming. And no you don’t need a baby wipes warmer.
I originally listed all of the items that I did not buy into during the first six months of my son’s life when I shared our nursery tour. I wanted to create a new list of all of the items that we actually needed and used during my son’s first year. We actually haven’t bought much outside of this list. By the way our son isn’t one year old just yet, but he will be next month.
Some of the best advice that I was given before my son was born was to only buy things as we needed them versus stocking up ahead of time with things we would never use.
With the convenience of online shopping, you can have anything you truly need in a hurry at your front door within a day or so. Definitely look for a children’s consignment shop near where you live. This is the BEST way to save tons of money and be environmentally friendly. So many of the items we really needed were at our local children’s consignment shop, or was given to us second hand by friends or family. You will be surprised how often others don’t mind getting some things off their hands to create more space for what they do need.
I will say that it has been a serious STRUGGLE to be zero waste with a baby.
I have bought so many things second hand, yet also my share of plastic baby items from a popsicle tray for breastmilk pops as a teething solution to a needed potty chair doing elimination communication. I haven’t found any truly zero waste models to be a helpful guide. Many became zero waste after their children had grown up, or don’t have children yet. For starters, using organic cloth diapers has been the biggest way our family has created less waste as well as keeping our baby bath care items simple and to a minimum.
The list I’m sharing today has worked for our family specifically for me as a work-from-home mother who chose baby wearing over a stroller, and to go with a family bed over a crib.
Hopefully this list can be a guide to creating your own minimalist baby necessities or baby registry list for the first year of your child’s life. I’m sure there are many ways to live simply with a child. This is just how we’ve done it so far.
25 Minimalist Baby Necessities
Months 1-6
1. Rocking Chair
I mentioned in our nursery tour that having a simple rocking chair saved my back when I was learning how to breastfeed. Now that my son is older it is our favorite chair for reading together.
2. Organizer & Bins
You will definitely need a piece of furniture to organize your baby’s clothing and other items in. Instead of a dresser, we chose a white four cube organizer with super cute 3 Sprouts Storage Bins. This organizer can be used for a long time since it isn’t actual baby furniture.
3. Baby Carrier
I chose baby wearing over a stroller. I only wish I knew from the beginning what my absolute favorite baby carrier would have been. I could have saved myself some money.
I started out loving woven wraps as they are much sturdier than the jersey variety and they look absolutely beautiful. As my son got bigger I wanted the option of back carrying without the wrapping hassle, so I turned to the LILLEbaby 4-in-1 Complete Essentials Baby Carrier. This carrier is not only cute, easy to use, and comfortable, but more affordable than other popular brands.
4. Diaper Bag
I never purchased an official diaper bag, but I started using a fabric backpack. I later switched to a simple canvas tote bag to carrier my mini clutch, cloth diapers, travel wet bag, and a few other small items. I definitely prefer a tote as it is lightweight with less bulk than having a backpack on while also baby wearing.
5. Diapering System & Changing Pad
I shared the most cost effective cloth diapering already, yet you will need to figure out what diapering system will work best for you. We never spent a lot on cloth diapers, but I think the few to many baby carriers I purchased may have made up for it.
6. Clothing
You honestly don’t need a ton of baby clothes. My son has never worn more than two outfits a day, and most of the time he only wears one. I believe the reason I was able to get away with this is because we have been doing elimination communication since he was a newborn. Since he has been eliminating in a mini “potty” for most of his life already, I have experienced very few blowouts therefore less clothing changes. On a side note, tees and pants can be worn a lot longer than onesies which are outgrown quickly.
7. Blankets
Baby blankets are great for home, in the car, and traveling long distances. I think using blankets frequently eliminated the need for shoes the first six months.
8. Books
I’ve done my best to read to my son daily from the moment he was born. He absolutely loves this time together. I truly enjoy it too! Some of our favorite books so far have been The Snowy Day, All The World, You Are My I Love You, Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?, Goodnight Moon, and My First Bible Stories.
9. Toys
My son has minimal toys, yet he already has his favorites which we rotate. In my opinion there is no need to have a huge toy bin during the first year of a child’s life.
10. Miscellaneous Cloths
You will need baby wash cloths, bibs, burping cloths etc. I never thought of having baby wash cloths, yet they have been one of the most used gifts.
11. Baby Bath Kit
Aside from wash cloths and a few multipurpose natural bath products, our baby bath kit includes nail clippers, hair comb, thermometer, and a nose aspirator (preferably the Nose Frida since it actually works).
12. Multipurpose Natural Cosmetics
My son has never experienced diaper rash or any rashes for that matter with the simple skin care that I shared here. In terms of hair care, he has been basically water only with a bit of oil. Colloidal oatmeal makes a gentle cleansing conditioner too by the way.
13. Breast Pump, Storage System & Bottles
I’ve been using the Medela Freestyle Breast Pump and storage system. As for bottles we’ve been able to get away with only having three. You can start with 3-5 and get more as needed.
14. Bouncer Chair
We lucked up on a BabyBjorn Bouncer Chair at our local children’s consignment shop. This was the perfect baby chair for so many reasons.
15. Car Seat
If you can purchase a convertible car seat to take you from newborn to toddler and beyond then you won’t have to constantly get a new car seat with each major growth stage. I love Graco products and they have two all in one car seats. The Milestone All-in-1 ranges from 5-100 lbs and the 4ever All-in-1 Convertible ranges from 4-120 lbs.
16. Teething Solutions
Rubber teething toys like Gertie the Goose has been a life savior. Also making breast milk popscicles has been a winner in the Nuby Garden Fruitsicle Pop Tray.
Months 7-12
17. Play Pen
We found a Graco Pack ‘n Play at our local children’s consignment store which has been a game changer once my son started moving nonstop. I was waiting as long as I possibly could before getting one, yet this has allowed me to get work done for my organic skin care line. Because the Pack ‘n Play has so many variations, this is also an incredible alternative instead of a crib.
18. High Chair
Instead of a bulky and expensive high chair, we also found a Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat second hand which can be strapped onto any dining chair securely. It conveniently can be packed away and is very easy to travel with when it is needed.
19. Potty
When doing elimination communication there is a time when your child will be too big to hold in position comfortably. The BabyBjorn Potty Chair is more narrow than other brands therefore very convenient for younger babies.
20. Training Pants
If you are doing elimination communication you will want to consider training pants when you feel your child is ready versus continuing with cloth diapers. The training pants by Tiny Undies are a great solution for younger babies who are doing elimination communication since most training pant start with size 2T. These come as small as size 6 months.
21. More Clothing
See if you know someone whose baby is older than yours, and ask if you can have some of the clothing that they have outgrown. I am pretty sure they wouldn’t mind one bit since the tendency is often to have too much anyway. We have been lucky to purchase 90% of our son’s clothing secondhand and the rest has been gifts.
22. Shoes
I was able to get through the first six+ months without needing baby shoes, yet now having a pair is necessary. Soft sole shoes allow your child’s body to develop in it’s optimal alignment. Check Etsy for handmade soft sole baby shoes or Sayoyo soft sole baby shoes. There are tons of cute options from both sources. I actually started wearing only soft/zero sole shoes during my pregnancy.
23. Hand Blender
I had no idea how much I would use my Kitchen Aid 2 Speed Hand Blender until my son started eating solid foods. Although I have bought a few jars of organic baby food from the store, they don’t even come close to making him food at home and puréeing it myself. What I like about using a hand blender over my Vitamix is that I can purée small amounts of food very easily.
24. Baby Dishes/Utensils
Bamboo or wood baby dishes are most likely the most eco friendly dishes and utensils, yet I have really been kind of crazy over the Squeasy Snacker. This has made giving my son smoothies, apple sauce, yogurt, and other homemade puréed meals so much easier on the go. Otherwise a small tea cup or jar with a baby spoon has worked perfectly.
25. Lots & Lots of Love
You can never have too much.
What has been essential for you during the 1st year of your child’s life?
(Image by Dawn Michelle)
Sandy says
Dawn I’d like to congratulate on how you’re raising your baby and love the emphasis on reading.
You get it!! Reading is a bonding experience and it stimulates your child’s brain. They’re learning how to listen, pick up cues, use words and socialize. They’re learning how to filter what’s going on in their surroundings.
They can pick up so much from sounds and the energy in your expressions. Consistency with experience, like reading, helps them to trust their care taker and surroundings.
My heart aches when I see people treat their children like inanimate objects with little regard for their cognitive development.
There are so many stories I could tell you about babies who have been damaged by neglect beginning in infancy.
I just wanted to let you know I love what you’re doing.
Keep trusting your mother’s wit.
P.S Your post triggered a fun memory. My parents ventured into the loud experience of letting me play with safe kitchen objects and even pots and pans. LOL.
As always, I enjoy your posts.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Sandy,
Reading your comment made my day! Thank you. My friend who is an actress and I were recently talking about the difference with the children she has auditioned with whose parents were reading to them in the waiting room versus the parents who had given their child an iPad. She said that the disposition of the children who were read to followed directions better from the casting director and were more focused than those who were not.
I just enjoy the activity of reading to my son. I also love to see his eyes light up when we pick out a book together. The pots and pans play time sounds pretty awesome too actually. I will definitely be keeping that one in mind. Have a beautiful and blessed holiday season and Merry Christmas!
Salma says
I love this post!
Yes you can never have too much love to hive your little one. Everything else is just stuff.
6 babies later and I have never used a registry. Babies grow so fast, it’s not worth the cost or accumulation of things that rarely or never get used.
Blessings to you and your family Dawn.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Salma,
Thank you so much!!! I admire you for bringing so much beauty into the world with six little ones. Blessings to you and your family as well, and have an incredible holiday season! <3
Francesca says
You have made some great choices for your adorable baby. Enjoy these precious years of watching him grow into a beautiful, kind and conscious human being. I miss those baby years…before all the toys and clutter pile up. We still keep our simple routines though and thanks to your blog, I have learned much. My son is now 8….a regular kid full of joy with a deep respect for nature and the world around us.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Francesca,
This is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing. I appreciate the kind words too. This first year has flown by and I am doing my best not to miss a thing. Happy new year!
Ki says
Hi Dawn,
How did you handle sleeping? Did you use a crib and bassinet? Did the baby sleep in your room?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Ki,
We chose to go with the “family bed” over using a crib or bassinet. This has worked well for our family and has been very helpful for me while breastfeeding and doing elimination communication. We did have an in bed cosleeper when my son was a newborn, but we only use it in the very beginning.
Stephanie L says
Dawn I’ve been following you for years now and when I found out I was having twins I thought of you. Like you I was surprised at how little clothing was needed even with twins. I regret not purchasing wooden teething toys but the silicone ones I purchased are durable enough to be sanitized and passed down to other children. The biggest thing I insisted on was all purchases for my children from well meaning family members were gender neutral so we could pass them down through many more grandkids or be resold easier since some things we did need doubles for. And we were blessed with so many second hand baby gear clothes and toys that I really truly did not need many new things. I tell everyone never be afraid to accept hand me downs because they can all be washed and reused. And because of people’s generosity with 2nd hand gear I was able to help 3 more mothers with single babies by giving them the boy themed clothes since I had 2 girls.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Stephanie,
Congratulation on your baby girls! Accepting second hand baby clothes saves so much money and time. Because I shopped secondhand for myself, I didn’t think twice about doing it for my son. Most children’s consignment shops are pretty pristine. I hope all is well with you and your family.