Baby Essentials?

I’m trying to figure out what we will absolutely need for our baby (we’re living in a veeery small apartment currently, so I’m trying to go only with essentials!). There are so many products and brands out there, so I thought I’d ask you ladies what items you will be using or have used, and what brands/items to stay away from. I also want to use cloth diapers, so any advice there would be appreciated! Thanks for the help!

Hey!
-Instead of a crib, I’ve read that you can use a pack n play. They have pack n plays that have the bassinet on top that detaches when you want to put baby in the pen to play. It has a removable changing table too. Made by Greco. On Amazon for like $130.
-You’ll need a car seat too.
-Baby sling / carrier.
-Burp cloths.
-Stroller (I’d just go with the jogging stroller so you can take it anywhere. We are skipping the tiny baby stroller).
-I’d suggest a boppy for you. It’s like $40 but soooo helpful for when you’re tired and can barely hold baby up to feed anymore.
-Bottles

We’re planning on using cloth diapers too. This is the link for our area. http://www.idiaperservice.com/Getting_Started.html The pricing info is at the bottom. They say to let them know 4 weeks in advance from when you need your first batch.

Hi! We just moved from a one room studio to a bigger apartment, but we are still limited in space. So we have just gotten together all the “essentials” and we are waiting on non-essentials. This is our first kid – so I can’t offer much in terms of advice, but just tell what we are doing.

Here’s what I had down for what we needed before the baby’s birth:

  • something for the baby to sleep in next to our bed (bassinet, bedside sleeper, pack and play with bassinet top – we are actually just going to put our crib mattress of two pieces of a sectional couch for the first weeks, then we’ll use a crib – we bought the crib already because we got a really good deal)
  • crib sheets
  • somewhere to change the baby (we saw a foldable changing table at IKEA or you can just set up something on the couch with a changing pad)
  • flexible sling (we bought a cheaper version of the Moby wrap)
  • glider/ rocker (this was important to me, though not essential – a birthing ball could also serve a similar role)
  • stroller
  • car seat
  • cloth diapers (we are also using cloth, but not a diaper service, which isn’t available here)
  • diaper pail and liner
  • washing detergent for diapers and baby clothes
  • sponge insert for the bath
  • clothes ( I can’t really tell how much we will need yet)

Oh, I’m glad you posted this question, Christina. I’ve been wondering the same thing. I came across a book at my library called Parenting Magazine’s Baby Must-Haves, which is FAR from being all must-have items, but I have found it helpful just in terms of thinking about what categories of things we need to think about, and also in terms of seeing what’s out there.

Speaking of cloth diapers, has anyone had any experience (or know someone who has had experience) with g diapers? They have a waterproof cover and then for the inside you can either buy washable or disposable/compostable (not so sure this is a great idea) inserts. So it’s not as much to wash/throw away. I think they’re intriguing, but I don’t know much about them.