Newborn Essentials: What You Need and What Can Wait

Sort out before you come home

A car seat that meets your country's standard, fitted correctly
A cot or bassinet with a firm, flat mattress
A pram, for most families
A small supply of nappies

Wait and see

A breast pump or nipple shield
A carrier or sling
A dummy
A sleeping bag or wrap
A baby monitor

Delay, or skip

A portable cot, until you travel
A high chair, until solids
A change table
A newborn-only car seat capsule, if the cost isn't worth it

Item	What it's for	Who needs it	Need it now?
Car seat (infant restraint)	Safe travel in a vehicle, including the trip home.	Anyone travelling by car. It must meet your country's standard and be fitted correctly.	Essential
Cot or bassinet with a firm, flat mattress	A safe, bare place to sleep.	Every baby. Keep pillows, bumpers, loose blankets and soft toys out of it.	Essential
Nappies	Everyday care.	Everyone. Start with small packs, because babies differ.	Essential, in small amounts
Pram or stroller	Outings, walks and errands.	Most families. Try it out (fold it, lift it, push it) before you buy.	Needed by most
Bottles and teats	Feeding formula or expressed milk.	If you formula-feed or express. A few are enough to start.	Depends on how you feed
Sterilising equipment	Cleaning bottles, teats and pump parts.	Anyone using bottles, teats or a pump.	Needed if you use bottles
Breast pump	Expressing milk.	Not everyone. Useful if you are apart from your baby, engorged, or your baby can't latch. Can be hired.	Can wait. Ask first
Nipple shield	A soft silicone cover that can help a baby attach.	Only after a midwife, nurse or lactation consultant has assessed you and advised on size.	Only if advised
Baby carrier or sling	Hands-free carrying and settling.	Optional. Follow the T.I.C.K.S. safety checks.	Depends on you
Sleeping bag or lightweight wrap	Warmth without loose bedding.	Optional. Follow safe-wrapping rules and stop wrapping when your baby starts to roll.	Depends on you
Dummy	Settling and sleep.	A personal choice. If breastfeeding, wait until it is well established.	Depends on you
Baby monitor	Hearing your baby from another room.	Depends on your home. It doesn't replace safe sleep practices.	Can wait
Portable cot, high chair, change table, car seat capsule	Travel sleep, solids, nappy changes, a newborn-only car seat.	Later, or never. Buy when you know you need them.	Can wait

The same list as a table. It is a starting point, not a shopping list. Your own needs, and your midwife's or doctor's advice, come first.

Newborn safety essentials: car seat and safe sleep

Almost everything on a baby registry is convenience. Two things are not: a car seat and a safe place to sleep. CHOICE, a consumer group, also names a cot with a mattress, a pram and nappies as the real must-haves.

Car seat. It needs to meet the standard where you live (in Australia, an Australian standard) and be fitted correctly. When you arrive, lift your baby out, even if they are asleep.

Sleep space. Red Nose advises a firm, flat mattress in a cot that meets your country's safety standard, your baby on their back with their face uncovered, and nothing soft in the cot. Keep the cot in your room for at least the first six months. Our guide to prams, carriers, safe sleep and soothing has the full list of what to include and leave out.

Newborn feeding, travel and sleep guides

Newborn feeding gear: bottles, sterilising, formula, pumps, storing milk and nipple shields, including where official advice differs between countries.
Prams, carriers, safe sleep and soothing: car seat and sling safety, wraps and sleeping bags, dummies, monitors, and the warning signs that need urgent care.

Things you can't buy

No gadget replaces rest and support. Say yes when someone offers help, and save your questions for your midwife, child health nurse or doctor:

Which feeding set-up suits us, and do I need a pump or a nipple shield?
Is our car seat fitted correctly?
What should our baby's sleep space look like?
When should I call about crying, feeding or nappies?

In the early weeks it helps to have a record to look at when you are tired. The BabyQuil app lets you log feeds, nappy changes and sleep, see the patterns over days and weeks, and share a report with your doctor if you need to.

At minimum, a car seat that meets the standard where you live, a safe place to sleep with a firm, flat mattress, a pram for most families, and some nappies. Feeding gear depends on how you plan to feed. CHOICE names the cot and mattress, pram, nappies and car seat as must-haves, and treats most other products as nice to have.

You can buy a few bottles and teats if you expect to use them, but a pump and a nipple shield are usually better left until you know you need them. If you are breastfeeding, a midwife or lactation consultant can advise on both, and an electric pump can often be hired.

It depends on your budget and routine. CHOICE notes that a capsule can be used for only about six months, so it suggests weighing the cost against the benefit. Whichever type you choose, it must meet the standard that applies where you live and be fitted correctly.

Many families wait on a portable cot until they travel, a high chair until their baby starts solids, and a change table, which is optional. A baby monitor depends on your home, and a bassinet is often outgrown within months.

Sources & methodology

This overview draws on consumer guidance from CHOICE and on safe sleep guidance from Red Nose and the National Health Service (NHS). The two detailed guides list their own sources and show where recommendations differ between countries. We don't recommend specific brands.

This page provides general information and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Talk to your doctor, midwife or child health nurse about anything that concerns you or your baby.

Newborn Essentials: What You Actually Need (and What Can Wait)

Newborn checklist: what to buy, wait on or skip