Minimalism - The Only 5 Items Needed for a New Baby

When I was pregnant, I spent a lot of time researching what I would need for a new baby. As you can imagine, every blog or article I read had different items listed as a must-have. This post will be what I consider to be essentials and I hope this will help any new moms or moms to be out there.

Keeping up with the minimalistic way of life that I have been trying to adhere to, I decided when I was pregnant that I would not be getting tons and tons of things for my baby. A lot of the things out there that have been hailed as being all important for babies just wasn't to me. I also did not want our house to be overtaken by baby things. Alright, let's get started on what I think is necessary for a new mom in no order of importance.

1. A Bouncer

BabyBjorn Balance Bouncer Black $199

A bouncer is a life saver for those times when you need your hands free to do something - be it shower, housework or to just sit down for a while. Baby E loved his bouncer from BabyBjorn - he would go to sleep as soon as he was placed in it and I could relax knowing that he was safe and happy. We have the BabyBjorn, but any bouncer would do the trick.

2. A Co-Sleeper

First Years Close and Secure Sleeper $79.95

After reading everything saying that co-sleeping should not be done, that it posed to big a risk to babies, I had decided not to co-sleep. Baby E had his bassinet in our room and that worked at well the first couple weeks. However, after that E decided that he did not want to sleep in his bassinet alone and would cry for hours on end at night and nothing would console him. That is when I decided to give co-sleeping a go. I didn't really want one of those co-sleepers that are like a bassinet but attach to the side of the bed. First of all, the design of these wouldn't work with our bed, second, I wanted E to be between both myself and my husband and third, I wanted something that we could take travelling.  That way, we could both tend to him easily. This is where the Close and Secure Sleeper comes in. I didn't feel confident enough to put E directly in the bed between us, fearing that one of us would roll on him in our sleep but this item helped dispel any fears I had. It goes in the middle bed and has a strip of fabric at the top that you place underneath the mattress to stop the co-sleeper from moving. The sides are rigid, keeping us out and him in. I could then sleep next to E and seeing me next to him helped him calm down and eventually go to sleep. Unfortunately, this co-sleeper only works on beds that are a queen size or above. We have a king size bed and that worked perfectly for us. We all had enough room. We also took this when we went away and while it worked fine in a queen bed, I wouldn't want to do this for too long.

3. A High Chair

Peg Perego Siesta $449

Most high chairs aren't suitable for newborns. In fact, I only know of two that are - the Stokke Tripp Trapp and the Peg Perego Siesta. We purchased the Peg Perego Siesta as even though it is more expensive that the Tripp Trapp ($329) initially, you don't need to buy any additional pieces as you would with the Tripp Trapp. That is to say, once you purchase the Peg Perego, you are good to go. Your newborn can be placed in there, with the correct settings. To use the Trip Trap with a newborn, the Newborn set ($229.96) would need to be purchased. I think the tray table is also sold separately. Having this high chair has been wonderful as we have been able to include Baby E in our nightly dinner rituals and this has also given us a safe place to put him down when needed.

4. A Play Mat

Bright Starts Kaleidoscope Safari Activity Gym $79.95

Every parent knows that tummy time is important. Although a play mat is not necessarily essential for tummy time if you have carpet, we needed one as we have floorboards. It's a bit softer for Baby E to lie on and the hanging toys can entertain him for a while, giving me some much needed time to do things.

5. A Breast Pump

Spectra 9 Plus Portable Double Electric Breast Pump $249

When I was pregnant, I had already planned on breastfeeding and didn't think a breast pump would be necessary. Just in case though, I went out and bought a cheap manual one thinking that I'd, at the most, use it once or twice. Of course, things didn't go to plan. When baby E arrived, he had to stay in the Special Care Unit which made breastfeeding a bit iffy. I hadn't taken my breast pump to the hospital so I had to manually express. Let me tell you that this was no fun and quite painful! On the third day, when E was finally back with me, the lactation consultant came to see me. She helped me get E latched on properly and all that jazz, but the most important thing she did was hook me up with an electric breast pump! Fast forward a couple of weeks and E and I were both back home. Breastfeeding was quite painful as it's supposed to be in the beginning, but I have to admit that it hurt so much I was really close to giving up. However, my husband reminded me of the breast pump I'd used at the hospital that didn't hurt and offered to get me one so that I could try expressing before giving up. The lactation consultant had recommended the Spectra pump if we were in the market for one as it is a hospital grade one, or quite close to one at least. We returned the manual one as that wasn't going to work and got the Spectra. I have to say that this was a wonderful idea! For a week or so, I exclusively pumped and that gave my breasts a chance to heal and get used to the constant sucking motion. Of course, breastfeeding is not the same, but this pump is what allowed me to breastfeed my baby. Everyone will tell you that breastfeeding is quite hard, and that it will take a while for your breasts to get used to things. I found that the pump made it that bit easier for me to keep going until that point. I eventually stopped using the pump and had E feed directly from me. Any time that I would get a bit too sore, I would use the pump again. And now, 7 months in, no pump is required. So let me just say this, if you are breastfeeding and finding it very painful, give an electric breastpump a go. You never know, it might just help you like it helped me.

I hope new mommies out there will find this post helpful. I know I read up on as many as these posts as I could to get ready for baby E's arrival!