7 Newborn Essentials For The Minimalist Mama

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If you look at most of the newborn essentials lists online, you could eliminate many of the recommended items on those lists. At least that was my experience. In this guide, you’ll get the most basic list of 7 newborn essentials for the minimalist mama. With all the money you’re going to save, you’ll be able to buy lots of coffee. Believe me, you’re going to need it.

Here’s what you’ll find in this guide:

Newborn Essentials

Newborn Essentials

Zippy Onesies

I can think of nothing more traumatizing than frantically trying to get a baby into an outfit that has 5,000 buttons.

Why, oh WHY do baby clothing companies still use buttons? If anyone has some connections to the baby clothing people, do us all a favor, and make a call to them. Obviously, none of them have babies.

Before Isaiah was born, I bought a few onesies and sleepers, all with buttons, of course. Silly me. I didn’t know any better.

After about a week of dealing with the buttons, I realized just what a horrific idea they were. Thankfully, I had been gifted two zip suits, so I quickly ditched the buttons and went full-on zip-mode as much as possible. Here’s an example of a great brand here.

Although I did and still do continue to use baby clothing that has buttons, it is 100% certain that I will not buy some clothes simply because they’ve got way too buttons.

As Isaiah has gotten older, buttons are even MORE annoying since he’s so squirmy, so I choose my button outfits very carefully. If it’s got buttons, it better be dang cute for me to even consider buying it. The zipper in king in our home.

Diapers And Wipes

Duh. Of course you need diapers and wipes.

However, you could be going the cloth diaper route. In that case, you’ll have to let Google tell you what you need, because that is a world I have no experience in. I’ve heard it’s easy once you get set up, but that whole cloth diaper world felt too overwhelming for me to dive into. If you’re a cloth diapering mama, I salute you!

But back to the diaper. Just like anything else in the baby world, there were about 800 different types of diapers. Some of my seasoned mama friends warned me that it was difficult to find a diaper and wipe that worked well with their baby’s skin. Therefore, it’s important to note that your baby may have sensitive skin, and I would advise against buying diapers in bulk before your baby is born.

The same goes for the wipes. We started off with water wipes, and that seemed to work well for Isaiah, but every baby is different. Just like diapers, I also wouldn’t stock pile the wipes because you just don’t know.

I was actually really anxious about the possibility of Isaiah having skin sensitivities, so I kept an eye on his perfect skin very closely for a long time. It was a great relief when he didn’t have any reactions to anything. I have many friends who had a different experience, so I know how difficult it can be to find the right products for your little one.

Diaper Cream

Diaper cream is definitely a newborn essential for the minimalist mama. Throughout the first year of Isaiah’s life, he’s had a few diaper rashes, and I was so thankful I had preemptively bought tubes of diaper cream.

The number of diaper creams on the market is super overwhelming. Since I lean toward the holistic side of things, I looked for natural brands. There are a ton. Just like the diapers and wipes, you might have to try a couple of different ones to find one that you like. However, I hadn’t heard so much about babies having negative reactions to diaper creams so I was not really anxious about trying them on Isaiah.

If you go with a good, natural type of cream, you should be A-ok.

Thermometer

Please, please, please have a baby thermometer before your bub is born. For the sake of your nerves, do it. IMO, the baby thermometer might just be the most important newborn essential for the minimalist mama.

You don’t want to ever think about what it’s like for your baby to be sick for the first time, but I guarantee, at some point, they are going to get sick. And, if you’re like me, you’ll want to check their temperature 5,000 times per hour. You think I’m exaggerating. You don’t know me. And I promise you’ll do the same.

There have been nights when I’ve slept with the thermometer beside my hand. At one point, we all got covid, and by the time we were all well, Isaiah was practically taking his own temperature. He loved the beeping sound.

Pro tip: get a point-and-shoot thermometer. We had an electric one that you had to put inside the ear, and it was pretty annoying. There are some really good ones that you can tap on the forehead and get an accurate reading. It’s much easier.

Baby Nail Scissors

The final newborn essential that you’ll actually spend money on (at least on my list) is baby nail scissors.

Why is it that baby’s nails grow as quickly as you can cut them? Maybe it’s because they are so small? But seriously, I feel like I was cutting Isaiah’s nails every day.

And talk about sharp! They are sharp as knives, and tiny babes really seem to love to go at it on their poor little faces and eyes.

I was obsessed with cutting Isaiah’s nails. I still am. When he was tiny, he didn’t mind the manicures, but as he’s gotten older, it has become increasingly difficult to keep his nails well trimmed.

Pro tip: if your baby resists having their nails cut (like mine does), do it while they are sleeping. Cutting Isaiah’s nails while he sleeps is actually one of my favorite things to do now. Obviously, I don’t have a lot going on in my life if I get a thrill from cutting nails. #momlife

Pro tip #2: get an electric nail filer thingy. I’ve seen these online and on social media. They’ve got great reviews. We were gifted a really nice Korean baby manicure set, though, so I didn’t bother getting an electric nail file, but you should have a look. I’ve heard they are great.

Mama’s Arms

My arms were Isaiah’s favorite place in his entire little world. I can’t be upset about that, right? He was safe in my arms, and that’s really all he needed.

I held him so much in the first year. It was exhausting, but I have no regrets. I didn’t have any family around to help, and my husband worked a lot, so it was all me. To be honest, I miss those sweet days. I was everything he needed.

There was no swing, bouncer, or weird contraption that could take my place. If you have the capacity to do it, embrace the neediness of the newborn phase. I felt like society was telling me from day one that I had to create independence in my newborn. It’s just not true. They need to feel safe more than they need to immediately develop independence.

While the neediness of my newborns was demanding and often absolutely exhausting, it did not last forever and was over before I even realized what was happening. I thought it would never end, and I cried some days because the neediness was just too much.

But here I am. I’m having a coffee by myself at a cafe while I type away. Baby is at home with daddy. That phase really didn’t last as long as it felt it would. And now I miss it.

Mama’s Boobies

If Isaiah wasn’t asleep in my arms, he was on the boob while being in my arms. If I had nothing else in the world to offer him, he’d still be completely content with just my milkies and my love.

Don’t overcomplicate the newborn phase. We are told they need so many thousands of different things. Toys. Play mats. Black and white cards. So many things.

Are those items bad? Of course not. I had baby toys for Isaiah. He just didn’t care about them, but I had some.

The point of all of this is that your baby is way less complicated than you’ve probably imagined. They are simple beings with simple needs. Milk. Love. Snuggles. Kisses. Those things can’t be bought on Amazon, so they aren’t profitable. But to your baby, they carry more value than any gadget or toy.

You are more than enough for your baby. Relax. You’ll figure out what you need along the way. Enjoy the simplicity of the newborn stage because it only gets crazier from there.