A Minimalist's Guide to Baby Things to Start Out With

35.5 weeks! Where has the time gone?! Although, I have to say that July was a little slow. It was the same routine with just a few things to look forward to. Nothing new was happening at my prenatal visits, which is good since that's what you want. No surprises or problems is most definitely a good thing. Sure I had the baby shower, concert and Harry Potter night, but the rest of my days were pretty uneventful. And there wasn't really much baby stuff to do.

August is looking to be more exciting because that is when everything is happening (besides baby coming). We have our baby classes to look forward to and other events that we are going to on the weekends. And since it's coming closer to baby arrival time, prenatal visits are going to be more interesting since we will be talking about the delivery process and having last minute tests done.

I did want to share my list of baby things that I decided on getting. Not only because every mommy puts up this list, but I feel there aren't enough lists for people like me, the minimalist. We decided from the beginning that we didn't want a lot of crap for the baby so when I created Baby Lyons' registry, I made sure it only had items that we absolutely wanted. And it was items that we would need right away or soon after Baby Lyons was born. I'm not going to lie, resisting the urge to buy all the cute clothes, blankets and toys for Baby Lyons has been hard but my will power prevailed.

Sure it's pretty, but you don't need half that crap

Definitely don't want this

So here it is, baby things for the minimalist:


Baby Items to Start out with for the Minimalist

• Clothes: This is obviously a given. On average, it was recommended that baby have at least 20 onesies/outfits depending how often you do your laundry. It was also recommended to have different sizes since you have no idea how big your baby will be. So instead of buying 20 random outfits, I have a little of everything in different sizes and once I know how big she is, I will then buy more clothes. (Thank goodness for friends and family!)
• Hats: Babies need to have their head covered to help keep them warm. I have 2.
• Baby Sling: I bought 2 in different styles. I wasn't sure which one would be better or if Baby Lyons would prefer one over the other. There are several reasons I went for a baby sling for the first few months. There is a lot of research out there about the benefits of carrying your baby, Benefits Of Baby Wearing, from having baby's emotional needs being met to unnecessary physical concerns that can occur. I want to try and avoid using a stroller for at least the first 6 months because I just think they are a pain. I feel like my movement won't be as restricted if the baby was in a sling and not 2 feet in front of me. Also, I did not want to spend money on, essentially, 2 car seats.

• Car Seat: So we went with a convertible car seat where it is rear facing for your infant and then faces forward when they are older. Since we decided to use a sling having an infant car seat seemed redundant. And honestly, I didn't want to spend the money for an infant car seat with attaching stroller and then buy another car seat when they are several months older.
• Burp Cloths: At least 10 depending on how often you do your laundry.
• Swaddle Blankets: I discovered this while doing baby research and it's brilliant! It is recommended that your baby is swaddled for about 5-6 months. Well, it can be tricky to swaddle a baby with a rectangular piece of cloth. And I kept reading that the baby would be prone to kicking off the blanket. So swaddle blankets were created to make it easier for the parent and keeps baby swaddled which they are sleeping. I bought several in different styles just in case.

• Blankets: Good for covering baby while in the car seat or spread on the ground.
• Wipes: I am trying out the natural wipes
• Towels/wash cloths: You only need a few. Babies don't need to be cleaned as often as you think.
• Pack N Play: It's another place for baby to sleep in. But it's a more permanent piece of furniture that will stay exclusively in our living room. (Our house is basically 3 floors)
• Baby Bed: Notice I didn't say bassinet. Instead I got this awesome Rock 'N Play sleeper. Not only is it great for baby to sleep in next to you but it's portable! So I can bring the sleeper down from the bedroom if I need to do some cooking in the kitchen or work in the office.

• Activity Mat: A place for baby to play and have tummy time.

• Bottles/Breast Pump: I plan on trying out exclusive breastfeeding but I know there will be times where it is really convenient for her to be on a bottle. And that way others can feed her too.
• Baby Grooming Kit: Things like aspirator, nail clippers, and thermometer are important.
• Changing Pads: Changing tables are dumb. Every time baby needs changing, I am not going to go the only room with a changing table to change her. Instead I have 3 changing pads where 2 are for changing stations and one travel.
• Diapers: We are using a cloth diaper service.

So that's my list. It only seems long since I had to put in my two cents, but there's less than 20 bullet points. I think this is a great way to start out because you won't know what you really need until baby actually arrives. Once baby arrives, then you can make necessary adjustments. And this way you won't end up with items that you never end up using.