The must-have baby essentials to buy before your baby arrives (0-1m, UK 2026)

Are you in your second or third trimester and feeling very unprepared? It is completely natural that a lot of mums have no clue what to get for their first born. Don’t worry, we have organize an (absolute) essential to-buy-list that lots of mum, myself included, recommend to get before baby arrives, and brand recommendations. Save this and share it with your fellows and get the baby registry filled!

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Hospital/ Birth Bag

• Warm water bottle
  This is for the mum, but also for baby as you will need to drink a lot of water if you are breastfeeding. You will also get very thirsty after your delivery/ C-section. Have this in your birth bag so your partner can refill for you all day long.

• Newborn vest, baby glow & hat
  Have a few handy before your baby is born - always get the button down ones which are convenient for nappy change.
  The H&M 5-pack cotton bodysuit are our favorite ones.

• Baby blanket
  Depending on the weather, you will likely need 1-2 baby blankets for the journey home or first few days at the hospital. Get a fleece one for Winter, and a cotton one for Summer. You may even want to bring a few so if one becomes dirty, you can quickly replace it.

• Maternity pad
  There could be lots of discharge after birth, it is always good to prepare pads to use in case that is not supplied at the hospital.

• Car seat
  This is the no. 1 essential you should prepare because you will need this to travel home with your baby. Find time to test and be familiar with the car seat and make sure it is safe for newborn to go on before that first trip home.

• Diapers
  Our recommendation is you will need a few packs ready for baby to go home. However, do not buy a whole year’s worth especially on one particular brand. You will need to test different brands with your baby and find the one he/ she likes later on. Buy 2-3 packs from 2-3 brands and you will be able to get more as you discover which brand is best for you. So far we are loving the Pampers Premium Protection ones.
  
  

Baby Care

• Baby bath tub
  A simple one will do. All you need is a safe ‘bowl’ to store warm water so you can hold your baby and wash their body and hair. Lovest Baby Store has a foldable, cushioned baby bath that will be a great choice: https://www.lovestbaby.com/shop/p/soft-baby-bath-0-6-months

• Sleeping crib
  The NHS recommends baby to sleep on a flat, waterproof service, separate from the adults’ bed. You would want one that you can adjust height, and able to tilt slightly to prevent reflux.
  e.g. Chicco Next2Me Cot

• Baby body wash/ shampoo
  Find an organic, fragrance-free baby wash for the precious bath time

• Muslin squares
  You will need a lot of muslin squares/ small towels for feed time or wrapping your baby after bath. You can buy a set of larger ones for bath time and a set of small ones for feed time, they will become so handy.

Baby Feeding

• Baby bottles
  Recommended brands includes Mam, Philips Avent, Dr. Brown
  Mam Feed & Soothe Set https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01BEVV00W?tag=mycrib-21&linkCode=osi&th=1

• Bottle/ bump sterilizer:
  If you want to save a lot of hustle boiling your bottles/ pump parts, having a sterilizer ready and set up before your return home will be such a blessing.

• Manual/ electronic breast pumps
  A few days before or after your delivery, you will be able to express colostrum which is very nutritional for your newborn. You can bring a manual pump so that you can express it when staying in the hospital, before your baby establish breastfeeding.
  e.g. Ardo Alyssa electric breast pump, Medela Harmony manual breast pump

• Breastfeeding pillow
  You definitely want to protect your back when you are still recovering - so it will be handy to have a good breastfeeding pillow from day one.

Optional

• Baby Sound Machine with Night Light
  One thing that we didn’t know we need so badly is a good bedside light. During the middle of night when your want to check on your baby/ midnight feeds, you will want a soft, gentle light that can be conveniently switched on the light won’t be too bright for baby.

• Moses Basket
  We didn’t get this before our baby comes home, but I wish we did. It is useful if you want somewhere safe for baby to sleep outside of the bedroom. It is also great for when you want to take baby to visit their grandma & grandpa and you don’t want them to sleep on the pram for too long.