Interactive checklist, 100% free
Newborn checklist
57 things for the first weeks, split into seven categories. We have marked what is optional and, at the end, written what you can postpone and what you can skip altogether.
The newborn lists you usually find have a flaw: they are made by someone who wants to sell you everything on them. This one is made the other way round. We started from what a baby needs in the first weeks – to sleep safely, to eat, to be clean, to get home from the maternity hospital – and added only the things that serve one of those purposes.
How to use the checklist
- 100% free, no account. Tick what you already have, what you have been given and what you have decided you do not need. Your progress is saved automatically only in your browser, on this device; it does not reach us, there is no paywall and we do not ask for your email address.
- Items marked optional are useful to some and pointless to others. Read the note next to them before you buy.
- Quantities are minimal, on purpose. It is easier to order three more bodysuits than to return twelve.
- A good pace: the big choices by week 30, the rest by week 36.
- Adapt the checklist by answering a few questions below: we hide what does not apply to you, adjust quantities and notes, and show you the guides that fit your situation.
Personalisation Adapt the checklist to your situation A few questions, all optional
Sleep
A safe place to sleep means a firm, flat surface and as little as possible around it. The list is short on purpose.
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What exactly to look for
- A standard cot is 120×60 cm and lasts until about 3 years old. A Moses basket or co-sleeper takes up less room, but is only used until about 5–6 months.
- A declaration of conformity with EN 716 (cot) or EN 1130 (Moses basket, co-sleeper), in the description or the instructions.
- A mattress base adjustable in height: high in the first months, low once the baby can sit up.
Examples from the guide
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Woodies Safe Dreams 120×60 Budget-friendly
A classic wooden cot, 120×60 cm, simple and sturdy, from birth until about 3 years old.
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Chicco Next2Me Magic Mid-range
A co-sleeper attached to your bed: baby is an arm’s reach away, but on their own surface.
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What exactly to look for
- Firm: if you press with your palm and a dent stays, it is too soft.
- Exact fit: no more than two fingers’ gap between mattress and cot sides. For 120×60 cm, around 10–12 cm thick, without exceeding the maximum stated by the cot manufacturer.
- For a co-sleeper or Moses basket, use only the mattress supplied with it. Never add another on top.
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What exactly to look for
- Audio (DECT) if you only want to hear baby; video with a parent unit if you want a picture without the internet.
- VOX mode: screen and sound switch on only when baby makes a noise.
- A Wi-Fi camera only from a manufacturer that publishes security updates.
Examples from the guide
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Philips Avent DECT SCD502 Budget-friendly
Audio only, no screens, accounts or apps.
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Motorola VM36 XL Mid-range
Video with a large screen, with no connection to the internet at all.
Before you choose: How to choose a cot · Cot for a small room · Travel cot · Sleeping bag · The baby’s room
Getting out and about
The car seat is the only thing you need from day one, if you are leaving the maternity hospital by car. Everything else can be chosen at your leisure.
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What exactly to look for
- The orange approval label, with “UN Regulation No. 129” written on it.
- Your car on the compatibility list on the seat manufacturer’s website.
- ISOFIX or seat belt: both are safe when fitted correctly; with ISOFIX, the green indicators show it is secured properly.
Examples from the guide
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Joie i-Snug 2 Budget-friendly
A lightweight infant carrier for the first year, with no extra features.
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Cybex Cloud T i-Size Premium
On a rotating base, for anyone who drives often and who also clips the carrier onto the pushchair.
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What exactly to look for
- For a newborn: a carrycot or seat unit that lies completely flat. The manufacturer states the minimum age (EN 1888).
- Weight of the chassis with the seat unit: under 8 kg is light, 9–12 kg is normal, over 13 kg you feel it at every kerb.
- The folded dimensions, compared with your boot and the lift door.
Examples from the guide
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Joie Litetrax Budget-friendly
One simple pushchair, from birth, for city pavements.
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Cybex Balios S Lux Mid-range
An everyday pushchair with a reversible seat, for imperfect pavements.
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What exactly to look for
- Declared by the manufacturer as suitable for newborns, from birth or from a weight your baby already has.
- The “M” position: knees higher than the bottom, back supported along its whole length.
- Tried with baby in it before you keep it. A babywearing consultant can help with adjustments.
Before you choose: How to choose a car seat · How to choose a pushchair · Baby carriers · Travelling with a baby
Feeding
What you need depends on how you will feed your baby, and you do not always know that in advance. Buy the minimum and top up after the first week.
Before you choose: Bottles, breast pump and sterilizer · Dummies · What you need for breastfeeding
Changing
Do not stockpile: babies move up a size quickly, and every baby’s skin gets along with a different nappy.
Before you choose: How to choose nappies
Bath and care
A few simple things, chosen fragrance-free and colour-free. For care of the umbilical stump, follow the instructions you were given at the maternity hospital.
Before you choose: How to choose a baby bath · The baby care kit
Clothes
Sizes 56 and 62, with poppers, no buttons at the back and nothing that has to be dragged over the head. You will get clothes as gifts anyway.
Before you choose: Newborn clothes
Hospital bag
Every maternity hospital has its own list – ask for it early and use it as your guide. Below is what appears on almost all of them. Pack the bag around week 36.
Before you choose: The hospital bag in detail · What to buy when in pregnancy · The first weeks at home · How to choose a maternity hospital
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What you can postpone
Not everything has to be in the house when you come back from the maternity hospital. A few things only make sense a few months from now, and by then you will know better what kind of baby you have and what kind of parent you are.
- The high chair – only around 6 months, when weaning starts and your child sits up.
- A second car seat – once your child outgrows the infant carrier; by then you may even have changed cars.
- The playpen, toys, books – they will come anyway, most often as gifts (we have put together a selection of books for parents and first books for baby).
- The breast pump, sterilizer, bottle warmer – only if it turns out you need them; they arrive in a day.
- The monitor – as long as the baby sleeps in your room, you can hear them. See whether you need one.
- Clothes from size 68 upwards – you do not yet know what season they will be worn in.
What you can skip
Some things appear on almost every list and yet are missing from ours. Not to save money, but because they do not help or even get in the way.
- Cot bumpers, pillows and duvets for the cot. Safe sleep guidance calls for an empty cot. Details in the cot guide.
- Positioning pillows and soft sleeping nests. A baby sleeps on a firm, flat surface.
- The baby walker. It does not help a child walk earlier and it is a known source of accidents.
- The wipe warmer, baby scales, the special nappy bin. They solve problems you do not have.
- Shoes for newborns. Socks will do until your child walks.
- Big cosmetics sets. A fragrance-free wash and a nappy-area cream are enough at the start.
The full list, with explanations, is in what not to buy for a baby, and for things passed on by others, see what is worth buying second-hand.
What comes next
If you have ticked off the small things, the four big choices remain. Start with the car seat, continue with the pushchair and the cot. And if you live in a flat without a lift or have a small room, take a look at the recommendations by situation too.
Frequently asked questions about the checklist
Which newborn purchases can wait until after the birth?
The high chair (useful from around 6 months), a second car seat (once your child outgrows the infant carrier), the playpen and toys, the breast pump and sterilizer (if and when it turns out you need them), the monitor (as long as the baby sleeps in the same room) and clothes from size 68 upwards.
Which baby items can be skipped from the list altogether?
Cot bumpers, pillows and duvets for the cot (safe sleep guidance calls for an empty cot), soft sleeping nests (baby nests), the baby walker, the wipe warmer, baby scales, the special nappy bin, shoes for newborns and big cosmetics sets.
When is it recommended to have the newborn list ready?
An unhurried pace: the big choices (car seat, pushchair, cot) are decided in the second trimester and ordered by week 30; assembling, airing and the basic clothes by week 36, when you also pack the hospital bag.
Is the newborn checklist completely free?
Yes, the checklist and all the guides on vinebebe.ro are and will stay 100% free. We do not ask you to create an account, we do not ask for your email address, we do not sell PDF files and we have no subscriptions. Your ticked progress is saved automatically in the browser on your phone or computer.