We recently ran my post entitled: 10 Things You DON’T Need to Buy for Your New Baby, listing the non-essential baby gear you may want to avoid purchasing for baby’s homecoming. In this post, I’m sharing the top ten things you should buy for your new baby, to help you plow through the countless options in the baby market so you end up with what your new little one really needs to get life off to a great start!
1. Diapers and Diaper Cream
Yes, we all wish that Elimination Communication would jive by day one, but the fact remains that newborns need diapers. There are plenty of ways to green your diapering regime. Check out our comprehensive offering of posts on the topic: Getting Started with Cloth Diapers, 9 Cloth Diapering Must- Haves, Home Laundering Cloth Diapers, Finding the Right Cloth Diaper for You, 5 Eco-friendly Reasons to Choose Cloth Diapers, and gDiapers: We Review the Planet’s First Flushable Diaper. Hopefully, your baby’s bottom will never succumb to diaper rash, but here are our top picks of all natural diaper creams to have on hand just in case.
2. Infant Car seat
Buying an infant car seat for your baby is not a should, it’s a must. You will not be permitted to leave the hospital in a vehicle without having an infant car seat properly installed. HealthyChildren.org offers an up to date and informative article on car safety seats that will help you navigate this vital purchase.
3. Babywearing Carrier
Whether you subscribe to the attachment parenting philosophy or not, you’ll want to have the ability to practice babywearing while on the go (or even at home) at one point or another. Visit our previous post featuring the favorite baby carriers of the Inhabitots team. Since the recall and severe warnings issued with regard to baby slings, my new personal favorite is the ERGObaby organic carrier. We’ve written about a slew of baby carriers, so you can read all of our babywearing posts before you choose one.
4. Infant tub
Although you may think the kitchen sink will work just fine, your newborn really will be more comfortable, supported and safer in his own infant tub. Whether you opt for a tub which is shaped like a bucket and mimics the womb environment, or a rectangular shaped tub that folds away after use, make sure the tub you choose is BPA free.
