Newborn baby essentials

For a newborn baby, you should have baby sleep essentials like cot beds for the baby to sleep on, baby sleepwear, and baby monitors. Think about feeding and weaning must-haves like breast pumps, bottle warmers and sterilisers, nursing clothes, nursing chair, and bibs and muslins. Don't forget travel cots and prams. Other safety essentials include thermometer, safety gates, and non-slip bath mats.

For your baby's nursery, start with a Moses basket, cot or a bedside cot. Plus, a right-sized mattress, fitted sheets, blankets, baby monitor, and nightlights. You will also need furniture like a changing table, nappy bins, chest and wardrobes and a nursing chair.

For a pocket-friendly nursery, go for neutral palettes that grow with your child, use baskets, cubes and hanging storage instead of chests and wardrobes for baby's clothes. For lighting, use simple fixtures and lighting instead of pricey ones. Skip the extras like buntings, multiple baby monitors or fancy bedding.

For the first three months, you will need essentials like feeding supplies, nursing chair and table, cot / crib, diaper changing table, baby's clothing, sleepwear, bath essentials, travel cot or baby carrier, health and safety products like thermometer.

Newborns should wear breathable clothes while sleeping. A sleepsuit or footed pyjamas are great options. Along with this, swaddle them as it helps keep them warm and helps prevent startle reflex. Once your baby starts rolling, switch to a wearable blanket.

Baby monitors are a good idea for your peace of mind. They let you hear and see the baby when you are in a different room. Many models also come with features like temperature sensors and movement alerts.

Babies can start sleeping in a cot anytime between three to six months as they outgrow the Moses basket. But this timeline varies for each baby as they have a unique growth curve. Some of the signs to know they are ready for a cot are:

• They've outgrown the weight and size limit of the basket.
• They are more mobile - rolling and moving, which makes smaller spaces uncomfortable and unsafe.
• They wake up often due to discomfort.

A crib is a bed for infants. It has high slatted sides for the baby's safety. It's a term most commonly used in the US and Canada. Whereas the cot, a British equivalent of a crib is similar but can also come with flexible features like a large size, adjustable base, and foldability. While both serve the same purpose, design and style differ as per the region.

To keep your baby's nursery clean, make sure you have a routine. Take up some tasks daily like wiping the changing table, mopping the floor and wiping the door knobs. You could set up a regular reminder to sanitise toys, wash the bedding, and clean the air purifier and dehumidifier to avoid mould build up.

First and foremost, wash new clothes to remove any chemicals and dust on them. For their daily clothes, sort them to colours first to prevent any colour bleeding and then wash them with a mild detergent. Use warm water between 30–40°C and run an extra rinse cycle so there is no residual detergent. Air dry, if possible or use a low-heat dryer setting to keep them soft.

Feeding your newborn, whether breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, could be overwhelming at first but with guidance and support from other parents, you will get a hang of it. Here are some informative articles, tips and hints or more help.