How much does a baby really need?

A pregnant friend asked me this on Facebook. Her friends keep telling her that she should be busy-busy-busy buying-buying-buying.

I beg to differ.

Here’s a short list of what a baby needs:

• A safe place to sleep
• A safe place to nurse
• A safe place to — occasionally — kick up its heels.

Babies also need: lots of love, lots of care, lots of attention, lots of cuddling, lots of bouncing, lots of burping, lots of calming,  lots of cleaning, lots of singing and lots and lots of milk.

Of course, there’s a list of what the mum (dad, caretaker) needs for the baby and that’s different. That list is long:

• Swaddle cloths x 20 (literally) since they come in handy for all sorts of unexpected purposes
• A sturdy crib which won’t break mum’s (dad’s, caretaker’s) back
• A good changing table with multiple covers that can be washed on stain cycle triple hot
• Extra cloths to cover the changing table cover. Mine have seen more action than an airplane lavatory and are worth their weight in gold. (Thank you Auntie Ashley. I’m sure I gave you crazy-eye when you lovingly bestowed those cloths on me, but you were right.)
• A closet/shelves in/on which to stow all the lovely figurines and piggy banks baby can’t touch until he’s 3.
• Baby shirts that cross over the chest rather than go over the head. It’s hard enough to dress a wiggly, wobbly baby without having to yank things across his face.
• Pacifiers, dummies, dibby-dops, choo-chos, call them what you will, but they are the crutch that has saved me countless times. Need.
• The blessed sterilizer by Avent. Admittedly a luxury, but anything, frankly to get out of boiling bottles and dibby-dops (see above).
• Some form of tub in which baby can be bathed
• A Baby Bjorn/Ergo carrier/sling in which to transport the baby to a restaurant for mum and dad’s “date night”
• A good stroller
• Nappies. Lots.

What have I forgotten? In the comments below, share your baby must-haves, like-to-haves and unnecessaries.

Tags: Baby Clothes, Nursery