Newborn Essentials: A Minimal, Evidence-Based List for the First Month

Baby registries can run to hundreds of items, but a newborn’s real needs in the first month are short: a safe place to sleep, a safe way to travel, food, diapers, clothes and a little care. Everything else is optional, and a few popular products are unsafe.

This list sticks to what the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommend. We don’t name brands: what matters is that a product meets the safety standard and suits your home.

The short list

Need	Essential	Optional
Sleep	Crib, bassinet or play yard that meets CPSC standards, firm flat mattress, 2–3 fitted sheets	Wearable blankets (sleep sacks)
Travel	Rear-facing car seat	Stroller, baby carrier
Feeding	You and your baby	Nursing bras, breast pads, nursing pillow, footstool
Diapering	Diapers, wipes or soft cloths and water	Changing pad, diaper caddy
Clothes	Bodysuits, sleepers, socks, a few hats for the hospital	Going-out outfits
Health	Digital thermometer	Nasal bulb, nail file
Bath	Soft washcloths, towel, mild soap	Infant bathtub

A safe sleep space

This is the one item worth getting exactly right. The AAP recommends placing your baby on their back for every sleep on a firm, flat surface: a crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard that meets CPSC safety standards. The mattress should be designed for that product and fit tightly, with a fitted sheet only. The CPSC sums it up as “Bare is Best.”

The AAP also recommends:

• Room sharing without bed sharing for at least the first 6 months, with your baby’s sleep space close to your bed.
• No soft objects or loose bedding: no pillows, blankets, bumper pads, stuffed toys or mattress toppers in the sleep space.
• A wearable blanket or an extra layer of clothing if you worry about cold. Dress your baby in only one layer more than you are wearing.
• Checking for recalls on the CPSC website, especially for a crib that isn’t new.

The AAP says other sleep products (including in-bed sleepers, travel bassinets and baby nests) are only an option if they comply with the CPSC rule that infant sleep products meet federal safety standards. If a product doesn’t meet those standards, don’t use it. Our guide to side-lying breastfeeding covers how to feed at night and move your baby back to their own space.

A rear-facing car seat

The AAP says all infants should ride rear-facing, starting with their first ride home from the hospital, and should keep riding rear-facing as long as possible, until they reach the seat maker’s highest weight or height limit. NHTSA says a child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing seat, and advises following the seat instructions and your vehicle manual when installing it.

Install the seat before your due date, have it checked by a certified child passenger safety technician if you can, and register it with the maker so you hear about recalls. Our hospital bag checklist covers what else to have ready for the trip home.

Feeding: what breastfeeding actually needs

HealthyChildren.org, the AAP’s parent site, says special equipment and furnishings are extras, and that all you really need to nurse are your breasts and a hungry baby. Helpful but optional:

• One or two nursing bras. The AAP says they should never be tight or constricting. See our nursing bra guide.
• Breast pads if you leak. The AAP advises avoiding pads with plastic liners and notes a folded cloth works almost as well. See our nursing pads guide.
• A nursing pillow if it helps you position your baby. Never let your baby sleep on one. Our breastfeeding pillow guide has more.
• Burp cloths for spit-up.

A breast pump and bottles can wait unless you need them early (for example, if your baby is in the NICU or you return to work soon). When the time comes, our pumping essentials checklist helps you plan.

Diapers and changing

Newborns go through a lot of diapers, so buy one or two packs in newborn size and more in size 1 rather than a huge stock of a size your baby may soon outgrow. You also need wipes or soft cloths and warm water.

A changing table is optional. HealthyChildren.org says that if your baby is on a surface above the floor, always use a safety strap or keep one hand on them. A diaper caddy keeps supplies within reach, so you never have to step away.

Your baby’s diapers change a lot in the first weeks. Our baby poop color chart shows what is typical and which colors to call the pediatrician about.

Clothes

Simple is best: bodysuits, footed sleepers, socks and a couple of hats. Choose outfits that open easily for diaper changes. The AAP says not to put a hat on your baby indoors once you’re home from the hospital, because overheating raises the risk of SIDS. Watch for sweating, a hot chest or flushed skin.

For the car seat, the AAP advises thin layers rather than bulky coats or snowsuits, with a blanket tucked over the buckled harness if it’s cold.

Bath basics

HealthyChildren.org says to give sponge baths until the umbilical cord stump falls off, and that three baths a week during the first year may be enough. For bath time:

• A safe infant tub if you want one. HealthyChildren.org says the CPSC recommends a hard plastic infant tub with a sloped, textured surface or sling, and that you should only use one made on or after October 2, 2017, so it meets current safety standards. A towel-lined plastic tub or a sink can also work.
• About 2 inches (5 cm) of water that feels warm, not hot, on the inside of your wrist or elbow. The AAP says the hottest water at the tap should be no more than 120°F (49°C).
• Mild, neutral-pH soap without additives, used sparingly.
• Touch supervision. Never leave your baby alone in the bath, even for an instant. Skip bath seats, which can tip over.

A digital thermometer

The AAP advises a digital thermometer, never a mercury one. Rectal temperatures are the most accurate. If you use one thermometer for more than one method, label it “rectal” or “oral” so it isn’t used in both places.

What not to buy

These are banned, unsafe for sleep or simply not needed, according to the AAP and CPSC:

• Crib bumpers and inclined sleepers. The Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2022 bans padded crib bumpers and inclined sleepers that raise a baby’s head more than 10 degrees. They still turn up secondhand and online.
• Sleep positioners, wedges and nests. The AAP says these have been linked with multiple deaths, with no evidence they prevent SIDS or flat head.
• Weighted blankets, sleepers and swaddles. The AAP says not to use any of them, and the CPSC warns against weighted blankets and swaddles.
• Infant loungers and nursing pillows for sleep. Use them only while your baby is awake and watched.
• Extra-plush mattresses sold separately from the crib, and mesh crib liners.
• Baby walkers, which the AAP has called on to be banned.
• Products that claim to reduce SIDS. The AAP says there’s no evidence for these claims.

When to call your pediatrician

The AAP says to call your pediatrician right away if your baby is 2 months old or younger and has a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher. Also call if your baby looks very ill, is unusually drowsy or very fussy, or if you have any questions about their sleep space or car seat.

For more on feeding in the early weeks, visit our breastfeeding basics hub.