Living Simple and Minimal with a Baby

If you are a new Mama to be then you are probably scouring the Internet for lists of items that you will need in the up and coming months. I remember the exciting days of picking products and researching to my heart’s content about safety, toxins and most importantly, if I really needed them.

Whaaaat??? You might ask!! Of course you will need ALL of those products. Wipe warmers and pacifier sterilizers are a must!!

Well if that was you asking that I hate to say it but I disagree.

I grew up in a house with a pack rat parent (ahem….you know who you are Dad!!). Fortunately so did my husband. Why is that fortunate for me? Well because my husband shares my philosophy on all things stuff and clutter.

When we (ah who am I kidding), when I was planning the nursery it was very important that it was clean and clutter free. I remember the days when all of my friends had babies and their house was packed full of baby stuff from one end to another. I felt cramped and to be honest I wonderd if they really needed half of the stuff they had.

So along came registering time. THANK THE LORD for my BFF Erica. Not only have I had the amazing pleasure of being pregnant with her both times (yes we planned our pregnancies together…..go ahead….make fun), but we headed out to Target and did our registries together as well.

Now Erica already had a 5-year-old at this time so she knew the ropes. She also is an anti-clutter freak just like me!! We went up and down the isles and she confirmed my suspicions. I didn’t need 3/4 of what was on the list of things that Target and everyone else told me I needed.

I’m so grateful I had her. Believe me when it’s your first baby, it still looks like a gigantic pile of stuff but when it’s all put away in its place it feels lovely.

Our nursery has remained cramped and clutter free over the last 3 years and we’ve even added another baby to it!!

So here is my simple list of must have baby items. Yours may be different I’m sure but if you’re a new Mama and also a minimalist this will help you out.

Keep in mind that I had summer babies. Obviously you will have to alter this a bit if your baby is born in winter. Also keep in mind that I breastfeed/practice baby led weaning/co-sleep/baby wear my babies. If you are against any of this then you will also have to fill in the gaps. We received a crib for a gift and its a beautiful addition to the nursery but rarely gets used so I won’t be adding that to the list as “Needed” items.

 

1. Boppy pillow – I feel as though the Boppy pillow is only needed for first-time moms. I never used it with my second however it is amazing at helping you figure out breast-feeding positions. It also helps baby when they’re learning to sit up so they don’t topple over easily.

2. Bouncy Seat – there are many kinds of bouncy seats out there. I recommend anything that bounces and can strap them down for a second if you need to step away.

3. Recieving blankets – my favorite are Aden and Anias. They are lightweight cool cotton that hugs your baby tightly but doesn’t overheat them. This was a must for having two summer babies.

4. Stainless steel sippy cups and snack containers – I try to avoid plastic in every aspect of our life and stainless steel containers are amazing!! I am also searching for glass containers as we speak. I have found a few lids that fit pint size mason jars. I will let you know what I think!!

5. Cloth diapers – We use Bum Genius Freetimes  – Read my posts on cloth diapering – https://thehawthornehomestead.wordpress.com/?s=Crazy+for+cloth+diapers&submit=Search

6. Sophie the Giraffe – my poor husband searched high and low for Sophie the giraffe. For some reason in our city they were always out. He finally broke down and bought the mini Sophie which has done is just fine for our boys.

7. Amber teething necklaces – my boys seem have the worst teething experiences so in our case I don’t really know how well Teething necklaces have worked. I have countless friends who swear by them. I still purchase them, they still wear them and they still look adorable in them!!

8. Coconut Oil – this is a win win for us because we already have coconut oil and use it for just about everything!! Have your ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? When her dad uses Windex on everything including zits? That’s us with coconut oil, well and Basic H. Coconut oil can be used for nipple cream, diaper rash, cradle cap, newborn dry scaly skin and the list goes on. Hmmmmm maybe I should make a list and post it!!

9. Breast pads – I know that I’m probably going to get a lot of flack for not doing naturale and using the reusable pads but I had a lot of bad luck with reusable pads so I stick to disposable ones

10. The Rock N’ Play Sleeper – and this is only a must-have for parents with reflux babies. If my little guys didn’t have reflux I would have omitted the rock and play sleeper, however it was a lifesaver for us and keeping them upright.

11. Shaklee laundry soap

12. Basic H – for bathing

13. car seat

14. onesies

U15. Ergo Carrier

16. Natural Teethers

17. 2 heavier baby blankets

18. Get Clean Kit – for safe non-toxic cleaning (basic h and laundry soap are included).

19. A high chair that attaches to your kitchen table or chairs – this isn’t the model that we have but I wanted to show you and example. I LOVE that we don’t have a giant ass bulky high chair that takes up half of our kitchen. We hold our babies while we eat for some time and then they use this for a short time before moving to a booster. My oldest didn’t last long in it because he wanted to just sit in the chair and we were fine with that.

So there ya go. Of course there are other little things like baby toys, books and family herlooms. I just wasted to give you a minimal and simple list that can get you through the baby stage. To be honest my babies were not fond of baby toys in general and played with their Sophie and wooden spoons and stuff like that.

Hey experienced mamas!! What were your simple must haves that you couldn’t live without for your baby?