Car seat purchased and installed. A few super basic items (onesies, diapers, wipes, burp cloths, nipple cream if you plan to nurse, cotton socks) to get you through the first days.

Everything else can be gotten later. You can load up your carts now, but same- or next-day delivery and curbside pickup can be your new BFF.

I was shocked how little we actually needed and wanted vs what everyone told us we'd need and want.

After I learned of my aunt's stillborn child at 41 weeks, I was very leery of buying anything in advance, but my first was born at 32 weeks. We had nothing. So for my second I bought the bare minimum right before 32 weeks, as a kind of psychological safeguard. Second was born at 38 weeks, held there by shots of progesterone.

So I would buy the minimum (bassinet, car seat, a few onesies), a couple of months in advance. You might also need a hospital-grade pump.

Carseat needs to be purchased at least a month in advance so you have time for it to be checked by your police dept.

If you have space, I was happy I had the crib before the birth even though we used a bassinet. It was good to have another safe place to stash the baby for a minute and I was happy to not have to put it together later with an infant. But not necessary for sure.

Anonymous wrote:I agree that you have to get the car seat early.

My tradition is to not have anything in the house before the birth. So after I delivered, friend set up the bassinet I was borrowing from her, mom bought diapers and a handful of outfits. Gifts came after the birth and anything else that we were missing we bought at that point.

You don't need to be THAT minimalist, but if you just want bare minimum in advance, car seat, bassinet or crib, diapers, and clothes.

Same as a Jew. We to be fair had some hand me downs from siblings already ( bassinet, crib, clothes) but didn't know the sex until birth and didn't buy any diapers until birth. The one thing I do recommend ordering in advance is a breast pump- I had ordered it in advance but assumed I wouldn't use it right away but had no milk at first and had to do "triple feed" to get milk up starting in the hospital ( nurse, pump, give bottle). I wish I owned a pumping bra in advance as it was very hard to pump without one the first few days. ( and also needed to order correct flange size, thanks amazon).

You don't use much at first! I highly recommend Amazon for registry because a) their completion discount is great - I added a ton of stuff for me to buy like months of diaper pail liners, etc for 15% off and b) returns are very easy so when you realize you have duplicates or bought the wrong baby gate for your stairs, etc you can return with huge return window for Amazon credit

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot you won't need for months. You need a car seat, baby carrier, stroller for infant, and crib/cot right away. You don't need toys or high chairs or pack and plays or any of those special baby seats for a while. If I could go back I would delay buying stuff until I actually needed it because we have a small house.

I never got a car seat, a baby carrier or a crib/cot, nor a high chair, nor pack and play. I coslept, used a sling, then stroller when the baby was older and fed on my lap until the baby could sit in a seat.

A hospital won’t let you leave without a car seat. A newborn will have frequent appointments with the pediatrician. How will they be transported?

I agree that you have to get the car seat early.

My tradition is to not have anything in the house before the birth. So after I delivered, friend set up the bassinet I was borrowing from her, mom bought diapers and a handful of outfits. Gifts came after the birth and anything else that we were missing we bought at that point.

You don't need to be THAT minimalist, but if you just want bare minimum in advance, car seat, bassinet or crib, diapers, and clothes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot you won't need for months. You need a car seat, baby carrier, stroller for infant, and crib/cot right away. You don't need toys or high chairs or pack and plays or any of those special baby seats for a while. If I could go back I would delay buying stuff until I actually needed it because we have a small house.

I never got a car seat, a baby carrier or a crib/cot, nor a high chair, nor pack and play. I coslept, used a sling, then stroller when the baby was older and fed on my lap until the baby could sit in a seat.

Well, if she is giving birth in a hospital and expects to take the baby home in a car, then a car seat is nonnegotiable. The hospital won’t let you leave without one.

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot you won't need for months. You need a car seat, baby carrier, stroller for infant, and crib/cot right away. You don't need toys or high chairs or pack and plays or any of those special baby seats for a while. If I could go back I would delay buying stuff until I actually needed it because we have a small house.

I never got a car seat, a baby carrier or a crib/cot, nor a high chair, nor pack and play. I coslept, used a sling, then stroller when the baby was older and fed on my lap until the baby could sit in a seat.

Check the registry rules for the completion bonus and just adjust your due date as needed.

Yeah, the only essentials at first are a car seat, a bassinet, and a few outfits.

Find out when the registry completion date is and wait until then.

If the baby comes early, Amazon can get you what you need very quickly. I know from experience.

There's a lot you won't need for months. You need a car seat, baby carrier, stroller for infant, and crib/cot right away. You don't need toys or high chairs or pack and plays or any of those special baby seats for a while. If I could go back I would delay buying stuff until I actually needed it because we have a small house.

Amazon does a registry completion discount about a month before your due date I think.

I'd wait until the third trimester for sure, just in case anything goes wrong. Pretty sure that's what we did.

Keep in mind that there are a ton of things it's worth getting second hand.

We are due in the summer with our first and beginning to work on our registry. We don't want a shower and our families aren't big on gifts, so I'm planning on buying everything ourselves - if anyone asks for it that'll be a nice surprise, but it's mostly a list for DH and I to keep track of. How far in advance should we be buying everything. Who knows what will happen, but I have multiple friends who ended up needing to deliver 1-2 months early which makes me feel like we should probably have everything ordered 3 months out. Is that excessive? When did you order what?