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What is worth buying, what can wait, and what you can skip.
General information, not medical advice. Every baby is different — if anything worries you, speak to your midwife, health visitor or GP rather than waiting.
How we choose
Baby product lists tend to be long because long lists earn more. We would rather tell you the truth, which is that a newborn needs far less than the internet suggests.
So this page is organised by when you need something, not by category — and includes an explicit “skip this” section, which is usually the most useful part.
Before you buy anything: secondhand is fine for most baby items and saves a great deal. The exceptions are car seats — which should be bought new unless you know the full history, because an unseen crash can compromise one — and mattresses, where current guidance favours a new, firm, flat mattress for each baby.
The list
Where the money goes
Some links here earn a small commission at no cost to you. It does not change what makes the list — the “skip these” section exists precisely because we are not trying to maximise the basket.
Get the checklists that actually helped
The hospital bag list, the 0–3 month essentials, and the 6–12 month feeding chart — as printable PDFs. No spam, unsubscribe any time.