Minimalist Baby Essentials List: Budget Friendly Must Haves in 2023
Are you a minimalist at heart and want to find quality items for your baby without overspending? These baby items are all things that we use in our home that I would recommend to my best friend. I will cover the subjects of pregnancy, breastfeeding, sleeping, diapering, travel gear, clothing accessories, bathing and care, and some very helpful books for new parents. This article contains links to these items on Amazon for your reference. This is a great way to research and look at feedback from others.
Budget Friendly Ways to Shop for Baby Items
Whether you are looking to add baby items to your registry, or buy them yourself, saving money is always helpful. Though this article has links to Amazon, there are other great ways to find products that are like-new or gently used for a fraction of the price. Some items are obviously things you would want to purchase new, but for many others items, you can find great used gear close to home. Here are my favorite resources for used baby items when you search in your locality:
- Facebook Marketplace
- Nextdoor App
- Baby Consignment Shops
- Thrift Stores
- Yard Sales
- Borrowing items from friends
- Buy Buy Baby: usually has a 20% off coupon and also accepts gift cards from Bed, Bath & Beyond if you happen to have any left over gift cards from wedding gifts or other occasions
- Target offers 2 coupons (one for online and one for in-store) for 15% off anything from your registry that you still need to purchase. Make sure to group as many items as possible so that the coupon applies to your whole purchase.
Helpful Items for Pregnancy
This article contains Amazon affiliate links, I may earn a commission on purchases through these links at no additional cost to you.
Prenatal Vitamins
As with any medication, when choosing your prenatal vitamin regimen, always check in with your doctor or nurse midwife to make sure that you are choosing what is best for your situation.
I’ve had a great experience with these prenatal vitamins. I chose them because they are Kosher and Vegan. (Many other prenatals and gummies contain porquine gelatin made from pigs. ) These are also easy to swallow, and you only need one capsule a day. They are also a great price.
I also took these capsules for DHA which is thought to be helpful for brain development in babies. They are made from plant-life rather than fish oil which can contain contaminants like mercury or pollutants.
The other supplement I took and still take is calcium citrate since there is not as much in the prenatal vitamins alone.
Essentials for Breastfeeding
My Favorite Breast Pump
Most insurance companies cover all or most of the cost of a breastmilk pump.
I highly recommend the Spectra Baby S1 Plus Premier Rechargeable Breast Pump.
There are many companies you can purchase these from directly that will bill your insurance company for you after entering some information from your card. The Spectra S2 would have been covered completely, but we opted to pay some extra for the rechargeable feature in the S1. It is wonderful to be able to charge this unit and use it anywhere in your home or in the car and not be tied to an electrical outlet. I also love that it is a closed system. You don’t have to worry about milk getting sucked into the motor by accident which happens with some pumps.
The Haakaa Pump: I wish I had Known About This!
When I was breastfeeding, I had never heard of the Haakaa Pump. I recently saw a video that I will include below and was amazed by what I heard. This mama shared how she uses this simple silicone pump to collect milk from the opposite breast she is feeding from when her supply is the highest. This is an easy way to collect milk to store or freeze without extra pumping. What a great idea, and it’s super affordable too! This video is from “My Jewish Mommy Life”. She has some wonderful advice and I would recommend subscribing to her channel 🙂
Wonderful Affordable Nursing Bras
My favorite nursing bras are these by Hofish.
They come in a 3 pack and are so comfortable. You can choose a variety of color combinations. I purchased the black, beige and white pack. These are made of stretchy lycra and have a soft cup for shape. I love these because there is no clip or clasp that can be cumbersome to do with one hand when you are holding your baby. You simply fold down the side you would like to use and it returns to its shape when you are done. They are so comfortable, you can use them for any time, sleep or daytime. If you are pregnant, they also would be very comfortable for you and worth getting early.
When measuring, the size is more based on the circumference of your upper torso than cup size. If you measure correctly according to the direction, the fit will be great.
These bras had so much use by the time I was done nursing my daughter after 15 months. They were ready to retire as they had stretched out some. But I turned around and ordered the same ones when I had our second daughter because I liked them so much and they were affordable. My second set has lasted over 2 years.
Minimalist Nursing Accessories
- Nipple Cream: I used the Lansinoh which is made from lanolin. It is very thick but it really helped me in my early nursing days. After an initial period, I no longer needed it for nursing. I kept the cream which came in very handy when my baby or I had chapped lips. It really helped! There are so many choices available, and some don’t contain lanolin if you have a sensitivity to it.
- Bottle/Breast Pump Parts Sterilizer : This is such a handy invention! This munchkin microwave sterilizer is affordable and works so well. It holds so many items that you can run it once a day and take care of your pump parts, bottles, pacifiers and anything else you would like to sterilize.
- Breastmilk Bags: I used these by Medela, but there are also many other great ones on the market.
- Boppy Nursing Pillow: This nursing pillow was very helpful especially when our little ones were so tiny. When they grow older and need some help sitting up, these are very helpful as a prop for them. Once they can hold their head up, they can also do tummy time on the pillow with supervision. I purchased one without a cover and then purchased a set of 2 covers separately. You can choose from a variety of designs.
- Bottle Brushes: These brushes are very handy for cleaning bottles and nipples. You can also throw them right in the sterilizer to clean them as well.
- Baby Bottles: These bottles have so many great features. I found that with mainly breastfeeding I didn’t need more than 3 bottles. But you can always start with one set and purchase more if needed.
- Pacifiers: These Dr. Brown HappyPacis are the best! My daughter showed no interest in the other pacifiers I had until a fried gave me a set of these. It was amazing how calm and soothed she would be when I gave her the HappyPaci. I like that they are formed from a single piece of silicone and are very easy to clean. They also have a nice handle on them that your baby can grasp.
Baby Feeding Essentials
Budget Friendly High Chair and Booster Seat
Having the right equipment is so helpful when your baby starts eating solid foods. We purchased the Graco-Swivi Seat 3 in 1 Booster Chair and really love it. Unfortunately, it seems to be out of stock everywhere. The next closest seat I have found is the Fisher Price Space Saver Super Clean High Chair. Our table is a counter-height table and it is helpful to be able to attach a baby seat to our dining room chair. It makes it the right height and is also portable and doesn’t take up extra floor space since you use it with an existing chair. These kinds of chairs also convert to a booster seat when your baby becomes a toddler.
We also purchased this Prince Lionheart booster seat for our older daughter since our youngest is still using the high chair seat. It is comfortable and very portable as well. It has safety straps and is easy to clean with soap and water.
Baby Mealtime Essentials
There are so many cute plates and silverware and plastic utensils for babies and toddlers. Since we don’t put most of our plasticware and baby dishes in the dishwasher, we hand wash them after each meal. In this way, we eliminate the need to have too many sets of things as we use the same ones over and over.
You’ll want to have lots of cloth bibs that are easy to wash. Having 2-3 silicone bibs with a curved bottom to catch spills is so helpful!
These full smock bibs have been a life-saver, especially with spaghetti dinners! They wash up so well and now that my girls are older and don’t need them as much, they make great smocks for arts and crafts. We used a cloth bib underneath these when our girls were smaller since the neck opening is larger and still left the top of their clothing exposed.
When your baby starts eating purees and solid foods, I highly recommend this gadget. This pull chord chopper was a lifesaver when making our own baby food. There is no need for electric or battery power. You simply place the amount of food in the chopper, add a little milk, sauce or water, and pull the chord until it is the right texture which usually takes less than 30 seconds. It is easy to take with you in your bag for eating on the go. I love this chopper because you can convert whatever you are normally cooking into food you baby can eat. We didn’t have to make baby food ahead and freeze it which can be time consuming and change the texture of the food. We simply put in fresh food as we are having it for a meal and our babies loved it!
We purchased ours for around $10 at the time and I like to give them as gifts to new moms too. There are a few things to consider, we had to buy a couple because the container plastic tends to crack if under stress or if it falls on the floor. There are some more costly but still affordable models you can research to see if they might be more durable.
If you are trying to grind certain tough things like steak or firm veggies, I recommend precutting them into smaller pieces. Also, take caution when washing the blade because it is very sharp. To be safe, hold onto it when washing rather than letting it get lost under the soap bubbles in your dishwater, so you don’t accidently cut yourself. Occasionally it is a good idea to disassemble the top mechanism and soak the parts in a bowl of bleach water and rinse well. All in all, the convenience of this chopper far outweighs the cons.
Budget Friendly Baby Sleep Essentials
For both of our daughters, we used the bassinet level of our Pack-N-Play in our room for their first 3-4 months. Then when they started to sit up and we were concerned about them crawling out, we took out the bassinet feature and used the lower play-pen setting.
When our first daughter was about 6 months old, we found a crib on Facebook Marketplace from a family a few minutes from our home!
Baby Monitors:
I only registered for the audio monitor to put in my baby’s bedroom. My coworkers blessed me with a video monitor set and I am so thankful. It is helpful to have both options in case one runs out of charge or if you want to observe your baby visually. This was very handy when my baby girl was starting to try to climb out of her crib! For the audio version, the V-Tech DM221 works well and I like that I can clip it onto my belt-loop or pocket. It lets you know if you are out of range, but the range is more than ample. For a video monitor, this one by IFamily works great and is a great price. Both of these monitors have a talk button that you can press and talk to your baby like a walkie talkie. This is a handy feature!
Bedding Essentials:
Muslin blankets that are ample size are so nice to have. They offer the security of a blanket but are not too hot for summer and warm times. They work great as a light blanket for night time, a nursing cover, a shade for over your stroller and to play “Peek-a Boo” with : )
If you are using a pack-n-play for sleeping, these organic cotton fitted sheets by Cambria Baby are wonderful. They come in a set of 2 and have been very durable for both of our babies. The design fits pack-n-plays and also mini-cribs because there is room for variation in the gathered corners. They are very soft as well. At first I was hesitant to spend a little extra for these, but was so glad I did. Microfiber sheets are less expensive, but in my experience they can be hotter to sleep on because they tend to bounce back body-heat.
It is also important to have a waterproof mattress pad. Having 2 is ideal so that you have one to put on when the other one is in the wash. This set of 2 is affordable and great quality as well! These recommendations are for a pack-n-play size, but you can look for the size of your bassinet or crib that you are using.
Must Have Budget Friendly Diapering Essentials
With both of our daughters we have used a hybrid approach of cloth diapers, disposables at night and when traveling, and when they were in the newborn stage, and we introduced them to a tiny potty when they were able to hold their head up and sit on it with assistance.
For their first 3 months, I used disposable diapers because my cloth diapers were too large and newborn cloth diapers were quite an investment for such a short period of time. I tried newborn prefolds, but they seemed to cause diaper rash for our daughter so I switched back to disposables until she was big enough for our cloth diapers. Some families use cloth from the beginning and I applaud that too!
Here are the products that I have had the best experience with:
Disposable Diapers: Aldi brand Little Journeys are so affordable and work great. They are also hypoallergenic and made without extra chemical additives or scents. The best place to purchase them is in person at the store. You can also purchase them on Instacart and pick them up at the store for a slightly higher price.
Baby Wipes: Aldi’s Little Journeys baby wipes are also my favorite brand. They are much less than the leading brand and still a high quality. I use 90% cloth wipes and just use these for messy cleanups and when on the go.
Here is my post about how to make homemade cloth reusable wipes with what you already have at home. And here is my article about why water makes the best solution for cloth wipes.
Cloth Diapers by Simple Being: I would recommend at least 3 sets of 6 of these diapers. They are made so well and stain free after 2 babies because they wash up so well. No need to use a dryer at all, they air dry over night. We do have some leaks from time to time and dampness from around the leg gathers. When shopping for cloth diapers and reading reviews, it is hard to find any brand that is totally leak free.
Since these are the only ones I have experience with, I would encourage you to do some research too and talk with others and you might find a brand that is more leak proof. I just try to change them often and always take a backup of pants or clothing in case any wetness comes through. Despite some leakage, I am still a huge fan of cloth diapering.
We have 18 diapers and I wash them all every 3rd day. Having 4 sets (total of 24) would probably be ideal. You can start with one or two different brands and see which ones you like best and add a set of your preferred brand as you’re able.
Changing Station: We bought a cleanable cushioned changing pad that sat on top of a desk we already had at home. We really liked this one by Munchkin. It is very easy to clean and comfortable for baby. You don’t need to buy covers. When anything gets on the pad, I have a spray bottle of cleaner and a clean rag to wipe it off. This way you aren’t doing unnecessary laundry to wash covers. As long as you are standing right with baby, this solution for a changing station works great. Desks also have drawers to put all your diapering materials in as well : )
Dekor Classic: This diaper pail is a budget friendly work horse! I love the compact sleek design and it is very easy to use. My favorite feature is that you don’t have to buy refill bags! They do have a neat refill bag system, but tall kitchen bags work perfectly as well. Most other diaper pails are a lot more costly and you are committed to buying expensive refills that really add up over time.
Changing Pads: These soft waterproof pads by Blue Snail have been so helpful. I use them in my diaper bag and they wash up well (I don’t put them in the dryer to help them last longer). They are also really handy for potty training down the road as you can read about in this article.
My go to diaper creams:
- Dollar Store Petroleum Jelly (unscented or cocoa butter)
- Aquaphor
- Bordeaux Butt Paste (only when diaper rash is developing or present and at nighttime when baby is little and skin is more sensitive)
There is an ongoing debate on which is better, Aquaphor vs. Vaseline. I recommend trying both and seeing which works best for your baby. Even though the Aquaphor is more costly, if you get the larger tub, it can last up to a year.
Essential Baby Gear for On the Go
Here are my go-to choices for car seats, strollers and baby wearing.
Carseat: We have had a great experience with the Chicco Key Fit 30. The price has gone up some since our youngest was born. You can always check with Buy Buy Baby as well and look for their 20% off coupon. Its recommended that you buy a new car seat. However there are many gently used ones listed on Facebook Marketplace and the Nextdoor App, or you may know someone who has taken good care of theirs that you trust. All the fabric can be removed and washed.
Stroller: I love this universal stroller by Baby Trend It is really light weight and easy to throw in your trunk. It fits all the main brands of infant car seats and is a great price. I like the cup holders and the large storage compartment underneath to fit your diaper bag and other items. You may also find a great deal on a second hand one locally too!
Next Step Up Car Seat: We have had a great experience with the Graco Extend-to-Fit car seat. It is 20% off at Buy Buy Baby. We purchased a 2nd one for our younger daughter because it works so well. As they grow, the extendable leg rest is helpful-we just put a little padding/rolled blanket on the leg rest and they are very comfortable.
Baby Wearing Pack: We have walked so many miles with this wonderful pack by Infantino. It is really the only pack you need and grows with your baby. I found it was easiest for us to strap the pack on all the way and then sit down and put our baby in while seated.
Must Have Baby Accessories
Baby clothes are so fun! I think in the beginning, between showers and friends and family that pass along clothes, babies end up with plenty to wear. Thrift shops, yard sales and consignment shops are great places to pick up like-new clothes for pennies on the dollar.
Here are a few wearable items that are definitely worth purchasing.
Baby Anti-Scratch Mittens We purchased a set of 6 pairs of mittens because our daughter was scratching her face with her nails. Thankfully they outgrow this phase in a little while! I wasn’t able to find the mittens we purchased a few years ago, but there are many great choices available. The ones we have also work great for putting their hands in when its cold in the winter. We have ones with no separate thumb and they are so easy to put on. I double them up for extra warmth when our girls play in the snow and my 3 year old still uses them because gloves and traditional mittens are hard for her to put on.
Baby Sunglasses: These sunglasses are very helpful when you want to protect your precious one’s eyes! They have a strap to help them stay on. It is hard to find some that aren’t a little big for infants but they can definitely grow into these and use them for quite awhile!
Sun-Blocking Hat: These hats are so helpful to protect your baby’s face and neck from sunburn. They may be a little big for an infant, but you can still use them to keep them from getting too much sun.
Baby Care and Bathing Essentials
There are so many great baby care products that can be purchased at any local store. The dollar store has some great deals too! Here is a list of some items to have on hand:
- Baby Nail Clippers
- Silicone toothbrush (Dollar Tree)
- Wash Cloths
- Bath Towel
- Hair Brush (Dollar Tree)
- Coconut Oil (Dollar Tree-Food Aisle) for skin moisturizer after baths and diaper changes
- Castille Soap: (I use this for washing their hair) It is all-natural and the small sizes lasts for several months. It is concentrated so you only need a very small amount. It doesn’t make a lot of suds like many soaps, but that is a sign that it is more natural.
- Bar Soap: I try to reduce the amount of suds in our daughters’ baths. Bar soap works well without making too many bubbles that can be an irritant. I like to use olive oil based soaps that are unscented or Ivory also is very mild.
Prevention for Flat Spots on Baby's Head
Our first daughter had developed a pronounced flat spot on the right side of her head. This is called positional plagiocephaly. Here is a great resource to read more about this. This condition is primarily caused by the baby resting their head on the same spot whenever they are on their back (which is quite often before the can hold their heads up).
Through learning a lot about its causes, we found some products to help with this very common condition. We purchased a Noggin Nest and a memory foam head support . These are never to be used at night or naps when baby is unattended, but can be used when they are being supervised. We kept one on the changing pad and also used one when she was lying on her back when we were in the room. At night, it is also helpful to reposition their head when they are sleeping, and alternating the direction you lay them down. This helps them not to lay on the same spot all of the time.
Must Read Books for New Parents
It is so helpful to have some reference books that you can go to for advice. Google is a great resource, but it is almost too extensive. When you need some tried and true information, looking online can be overwhelming when you’re flooded with so many different answers! Here are some great books to have on your shelf at home. There are great prices for used books, I always look for the most recent edition they have. My favorite budget-friendly ways to get used books are:
- The library: Your local library probably has many of these books listed. My library allows up to 5 renewals which is up to 10 weeks, if no one else has reserved a book!
- https://www.abebooks.com/
- thriftbooks.com
- betterworldbooks.com
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting: by Heidi Murkoff
- What to Expect the First Year: Heidi Murkoff
- Pregnancy Day by Day: An Illustrated Daily Countdown from Conception to Childbirth and the First 2 Weeks of Your Newborn’s Life: by Maggie Blott
- Baby Cues: Prevent and Remedy Colic, Reflux, Lactose and Dairy Overload Naturally: By Philippa Murphy (This book is only available in E-book form currently, but it was extremely helpful when trying to discover how to calm my babies from gas and reflux) An alternative to purchasing the book is to check out her blog which also has a wealth of information!
- Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, 7th Edition: Birth to Age 5: by the American Academy of Pediatrics
- A Baby Book: choose a book in the style that you like best to document special milestones and memories of your baby. They usually cover the first 1 to 2 years.
I Hope This List of Minimalist Baby Must Haves Has Been Helpful
I know any list of items for a baby can be pretty overwhelming. Try to remember that people will want to help, and many of these items may be taken care of by your friends and family who want to bless you and your baby.
The other thing to remember is you don’t need all of these items all at once. Focus first on a safe place for baby to sleep, nursing and diapering supplies and car seat, and the rest you can add as you need to. Feel free to share this article with your friends and family that are making decisions about what to buy for their baby.
For more tips on babies and toddlers, and money saving tips, feel free to browse this site!
Comments
Good post
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your time in reading this post, I hope it is helpful 🙂
Howdy! This blog post couldn’t be written much better! Looking at this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I most certainly will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a great read. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for your encouraging comment! I hope this article is helpful to you and others and I really appreciate you sharing it with your friend!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I was feeling overwhelmed & lost trying to prepare for my first baby & sifting through the multitude of recommendations on the registry websites. This really helps me to know what is actually useful & important! 🙂
Thank you so much for your encouraging comment! I am so happy this was helpful and many blessings to you and your little one on the way!!!