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What to actually have before the baby comes, in a small flat

Four things have to exist before you come home: somewhere for the baby to sleep, a way to feed, nappies and wipes, and a few changes of clothes. Everything else can be bought in the week you discover you need it, and almost none of it is hard to get here at short notice.

Every other list is written by someone who sells the things on it. This one is not, and it is shorter for that reason.

Start with four

1. Somewhere for the baby to sleep. One place, and it does not need to be a nursery. Anything about how or where a baby sleeps comes from your care team, not from a shopping list.
2. A way to feed. Whichever way you are planning, have the basic version of it in the house before you come home. You can add to it later.
3. Nappies and wipes. One pack of each to start. Sizes change quickly and preferences change faster.
4. A few changes of clothes. Simple, washable, easy to get on and off, in the smallest sizes you were given.

One more if you are going home in a private car rather than a taxi: sort the car seat before the day, not on it.

That is the whole must-have list. If you have those four and a working washing machine, you are ready enough to come home.

Buy after, once you know

These are all real and most people end up with them. None of them has to be in the flat before the birth, and buying them later means buying the right one.

• A stroller or a carrier, once you know how you actually move around.
• Extra bedding, once you know how often things get changed.
• Bottles beyond the first few, once you know which ones suit.
• A steriliser, a bottle warmer and the other counter-top machines. Kitchen space in a flat is the scarcest thing you own.
• Nursing or pumping gear, once feeding has settled into a shape.
• A changing table. A towel on a bed does the same job and takes no floor, as long as one hand stays on the baby the whole time and you never step away.
• Toys. There is no hurry at all.
• The second and third of anything you have one of.

The small-flat rules

• Buy for one drawer and one corner, not for a room. Most flats here do not have a nursery, and pretending otherwise is how you end up storing a cot in a walkway.
• If there is a version that folds or stacks, buy that one. Every time.
• Borrow the things that get used for a few weeks. Someone in your family or your group chat has one in storage and would rather it was in your flat than theirs.
• Buy consumables small at first. A bulk deal on the wrong nappy is not a saving.
• Keep a maybe list. Anything you nearly bought goes on it. Most of it will still be sitting there, unbought and unmissed, months later.

Questions people ask about this

Do I need a stroller or a carrier first?
Neither has to be bought before the birth. It depends on how you move around, and you will know that better in a month than you do now. If you want to decide early, work out how much of your week is lifts and trains and how much is stairs and short walks, then buy for that.

How do I fit all of it into a small flat?
Buy for one drawer and one corner rather than a room. Prefer the version that folds or stacks, borrow the bulky things that get used for a few weeks, and buy the small consumables in small quantities until you know which ones suit you.

Are there purchase links or brands on this page?
No. There are no brands, no purchase links and no affiliate links anywhere on this page, and there never will be. We sell one thing, the app, and it is on its own page.

Do this now

Buy only the four things on the first list this month. Everything else goes on the maybe list, and the maybe list does not get read until after the four are in the flat.

Next: the hospital bag list, and what the other parent can actually do.