Raising kids is expensive, and the costs start adding up well in advance of your baby’s due date. If you believe the ads, you’ll need the best of everything and there’s no end to the furniture, gadgets, decor, clothes and everything else that retailers can think of to separate you from your money.

But a baby’s needs are actually fairly simple. There’s a good chance you won’t need anywhere near as many things as you thought you would.

Here at ÌÇÐÄVlog, our experts rigorously test a range of baby products in our in-house labs to make sure they do what you need them to do, are built well and, most importantly, are safe for your baby.

Our experts have seen plenty of fad baby products come and go over the years and they know which ones are essential and which ones may not be worth your money. 

Here are the products we test that you’ll definitely need, and the ones that you probably won’t need to buy straight away – or even at all.

The must-have baby items

These are the items you’ll need to organise before you bring your baby home for the first time.

Cot and cot mattress

Whether or not your baby is a solid sleeper or wakes every 20 minutes, you’ll need somewhere to put them down for the night, so this is one purchase you’ll want to get right as your baby will (hopefully) spend lots of time in it.

Having a safe sleep surface is vital. You should choose a mattress that’s firm to minimise the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), and the mattress should fit snugly into the cot. A mattress that’s too soft or too small for the cot can pose suffocation risks.

Our cot mattress buying guide is a good place to start before you hit the baby store, and you can check which products meet safety requirements in our cot mattress reviews.

Cots themselves can also pose safety risks such as falls, and limb, head and finger entrapment. Cots should meet mandatory Australian safety standards, but we’ve found some on the market that don’t comply.

The results of our detailed cot reviews reveal which cots pass key safety tests, are easiest to assemble, and have the features you need. Check our list of the baby cots with serious safety failures to make sure you don’t buy something that could put your baby at risk.

Pram

Once you’re ready to go out into the world, you’ll need some wheels.

There are just about as many prams on the market as there are baby names to choose from, so deciding on the right one can be overwhelming. (That goes for both prams and names!)

There’s lots to consider, from size to style to weight and ease of use – and that’s even before you think about the fun stuff like colours, drink holders, pram liners, organisers and more.

These articles contain plenty of tips from experts and parents to help you pick the right pram:

• How to buy the right pram or stroller for your baby
• Things to consider before buying your first pram
• How much do you really need to spend for a good pram?
• Prams to avoid buying

Nappies

This is an obvious one, and while you may be tempted to stock up on bulk packs of newborn nappies so you feel prepared for your little one’s arrival, you might want to hold off. 

Babies come in all shapes and sizes; a pack of nappies doesn’t. You might find that one brand is too loose around the legs, not high enough at the back or just doesn’t contain all of your baby’s, erm, output. 

It’s likely that you’ll need to trial a few different brands to find the perfect one for your baby’s bottom, so don’t go overboard filling your trolley with nappies before they’re even born.

Considering cloth or a combo of disposable and reusable? I’ve shared my experiences plus some advice from ÌÇÐÄVlog experts here: How to be more eco-friendly when using nappies.

Once you’re ready to buy, check our disposable nappy reviews and reusable cloth nappy reviews to see which ones are the best from our tests.

Car seat

Unless you travel exclusively by horse and cart, you’ll need a safe way to transport your bundle of joy: a car seat that meets mandatory safety standards. 

In Australia we have strict laws about car seats, and for good reason: car accidents are a leading cause of death in children under 14 in our country.

Our guide to buying a safe baby and child car seat will give you a detailed run-down of what you need to know, covering the different types of car seats, ISOFIX, Australian car seat laws, buying secondhand and more.

Baby products you might not need

What’s essential for one family will be pointless for another, so take every list of ‘essentials’ (including this one!) with a grain of salt.

When you’re planning what to buy for a new baby, take into account the size and layout of your house, what your day-to-day life looks like, and the types of supports you’ll have – but also bear in mind that a baby can turn your life upside down, so you should expect the unexpected. What you think you’ll need and what you’ll actually need could be completely different.

From products your baby will grow out of in no time to things you may never actually use, these are the products that you might not need on your must-buy list.

Bassinet

Some sleep-deprived parents would pay anything to get Junior to sleep, but is buying a bassinet as well as a cot likely to help? It’s hard to say.

The newborn months will probably feel like decades, but one thing is sure to pass quickly: the length of time your baby will fit in a bassinet. Some will even outgrow them within just a couple of months!

There are plenty of reasons why you might want one in your quest for more rest, though. Our experts explain the pros and cons: what you need to know if you’re considering a bassinet.

Baby monitor

This is one product that can be essential or unnecessary depending on your circumstances.

If your house is multi-level or the living areas are a long way from where the baby sleeps, or if you’re hard of hearing, you might not know that your little one has woken up. And for some people, being able to see or hear that their baby is okay can minimise new-parent anxieties.

But baby monitors can sometimes pick up every single sound your baby makes, so what are perfectly normal noises could have you running to the nursery more often than you need to.

Some baby monitors cost hundreds of dollars, too, which is a lot to add to an already-stretched budget. Cheaper options include baby monitor apps that you can use with your smartphone or tablet, and wireless security cameras.

Our baby monitor reviews cover apps as well as traditional baby monitors. Check our guide to buying a baby monitor to help you decide which is best and what else to consider if you’re thinking of buying one.

Portable cot

While you might have dreams of going on road trips to visit family and friends to show off your little bundle of joy, you just don’t know what kind of baby you’ll have and what your life will be like once they arrive.

Some babies are great travellers; others hate the car and even a short trip to the shops can be a nightmare mission. 

And you can’t predict whether you’ll feel up to it – sleep deprivation, physical limitations like birth injuries, and mental health conditions like perinatal depression or anxiety could get in the way of your ability to travel.

For these reasons we suggest you hold off on buying a portacot until you know for sure that you’ll be able to make the trips you want to.

If you do need one, buy carefully: our tests frequently reveal unsafe portable cots that could put your baby at risk. More than half of the portable cots in our current review failed to meet key safety standards, including portacots from brands including Kmart, Childcare and Baby Bunting.

Here’s what you need to know about the unsafe portable cots not to buy.

High chair

It’ll be a while until your baby starts on solids (and those first few months can feel like decades!), so don’t worry about organising a high chair straight away – it’ll just gather dust until it’s time to expand your baby’s diet from just milk. 

Your home will probably already be bursting at the seams with baby gear, so save the space and money for the things you’ll need for your newborn, and worry about a high chair later.

When it’s time to buy one, we’ve got you covered: check our review to find the best high chairs. We test them for safety, security and ease of cleaning.

Change table

This is one piece of furniture that could be considered an essential or an optional purchase, depending on your situation.

You can (and probably will) change your baby’s nappy in all kinds of places, including the floor and the bed, and once they’re on the move, pretty much anywhere you can catch them! A nappy changing pad or even a towel can turn just about any surface into a change table.

Once your baby starts rolling, there’s a risk they could fall from a change table if you don’t keep a close eye (and a hand) on them.

But there are compelling reasons why you might need one, including physical limitations such as a bad back, birth injury or C-section recovery. 

If you do decide you need a change table, go for one with lots of storage so everything you need is within reach. You may also be able to use it for other storage purposes once you’ve stopped needing it for nappy changes.

Car seat capsule

It’s a good idea to heed the old adage of “never wake a sleeping baby”, and a removable capsule can help you avoid waking your little one when it’s time to take them out of the car.

You can only use them for up to six months, though, and they can cost as much as a convertible car seat that can be used from birth to four years – so it’s worth weighing up the cost vs benefit. 

We cover more in our guide to baby and child car seats.

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Buying baby products can be an emotionally charged experience and it’s surprisingly easy for even the shrewdest shopper to get carried away or confused by the products on offer.

So how can you avoid falling into marketing traps? 

• The best strategy is to narrow down your choices to models that are safe and fit your budget first, before letting aesthetics, extra features and personal preferences guide your final decision.
• We’ve found that the price of a product often has little bearing on its safety, so no matter your budget, you can ensure your baby is getting the best by being well-informed when you hit the shops. 
• When considering the safety of a product, don’t be fooled by buzz words or phrases like “SIDs tested” or “breathable” which on closer scrutiny often mean absolutely nothing. Instead, look for certification to mandatory and voluntary safety standards and read up on the common safety hazards so you can check products yourself. 

To help you make your choice with confidence, we’ve put together a concise safety guide for some of the most common baby products. Whether you’re preparing for a new arrival or making a one off purchase, use our guide to make sure you and your baby sleep easy.  

If you’re still trying to work out what you absolutely need to buy and what is just a nice-to-have, read our quick guide to baby needs vs. wants first.

How to check for safe products

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On this page:

• For conception
• So, you're pregnant!
• Hello, baby
• Staying safe
• Out and about

There are far too many apps for us to list here, and new ones appear all the time – try searching the apps on the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android) for key words such as pregnancy, conception, or baby safety. (Don’t just search for “baby” – you’ll mostly just find games which, while fun, probably aren’t what you’re looking for!)

We’ve listed just a few examples of informative and fun tools that might be worth checking out. All these are free, but some have premium (paid) versions with extra features. Let us know if you’ve found one not mentioned here that was invaluable!

For conception

(iOS)

This app allows you to track your monthly cycle and plot the best time to conceive using an ovulation calculator and period tracker.

(iOS and Android)

After you enter start and end dates for your period, this handy app then logs and calculates the average period start date over the course of three months to predict the start date for future periods, ovulation days, and fertile days — all of which appear on a month-by-month calendar.

So, you’re pregnant!

(iOS)

Using Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists () guidelines, the free version of this app guides you through all the way through pregnancy with detailed graphics depicting foetal development, as well as a facility to book your doctor’s appointments and a to-do list.

The premium version features a ‘kick counter’, ‘contraction timer’ and 3D images of your baby’s development.

(iOS and Android)

BabyBump allows you to start the countdown to your due date and track your baby’s development week by week. The premium version of the app allows you to search baby names and monitor kicks, and has a contraction timer.

Hello, baby

(iOS)

Eat Sleep is the simplest way to track your baby’s eating, sleeping, and nappy changes. With continued use you can track your baby’s habits from week to week, or even month to month.

Feed Baby Lite (Android)

Tracks and monitors all aspects of baby’s growth and development, as well as feeds and nappy changes.

Baby Tracker (iOS)

This app helps sleep-deprived parents keep track of breast or bottle feeds, nappy changes and sleep times.

My Baby Today (iOS and Android)

From BabyCenter, this app has a range of features including baby development calendar, feeding advice, forums, and advice when you find yourself wondering “is that normal?”

Staying safe

(iOS)

The ACCC’s Keeping Baby Safe app features over 30 different infant and nursery products, with information on:

• hazards related to the product,
• what to look for when purchasing, and
• safety habits.

The app also includes information on warnings and dangers related to specific products, which may be of interest to parents and carers.

SIDS and Kids Sleep Safe (iOS)

SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping application provides new and expectant mothers, carers, and health care professionals with vital information on how to sleep baby safely and reduce the risk of SIDS and fatal sleeping accidents. It also includes valuable information on ‘tummy time’ and ‘safe wrapping’, and links to FAQs.

Out and about

(iOS)

Don’t get caught short! Finding the nearest public toilet can suddenly become extra-urgent when you’re pregnant, before pelvic muscles have been trained back into shape, or when baby needs a nappy change.

This free app shows the location of over 14,000 public and private toilet facilities all over Australia, with details about opening hours, accessibility, and baby change facilities.

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On this page:

• How mothers' groups work
• What about fathers' groups?
• Parents' groups online

How mothers’ groups work

If you’re a first-time mum, you may be wondering how the whole mothers’ group thing gets off the ground. Here’s all you need to know.

How you get assigned to a mothers’ group

In many cases, hospitals assign new mothers to a group to meet up with in the local area. This happens in the first few weeks after your baby is born. Alternatively, a group may be organised through your antenatal classes. If you haven’t been told about a mothers’ group in your area, ask your maternal child health nurse or check your hospital’s noticeboard for information.

If you haven’t been assigned a mothers’ group – perhaps you live in a rural area, or there aren’t enough new mums giving birth at roughly the same time as you – it might pay to find out if your nearest has a local support group.

Who will be in the group?

The first few meetings of the mothers’ group are often hosted by a third party, like a maternal and child health nurse, but soon the group will head off on their own. The mothers can be a mixed bunch in terms of age, background and interests, but what you all have in common is that you’re mums, and your babies will all be very close in age.

How often do mothers’ groups catch up?

It all depends on the needs of the group. Catch-ups can be weekly, monthly, or ad hoc as needed.

What do mothers’ groups do?

Again, it’s up to the mothers in the group. But you may visit the park or the beach, have a coffee, have lunch, meet up at each others’ houses, and maybe even leave the little ones at home and head out for an evening off. A mothers’ group is an opportunity to share issues, advice and laughs. It’s also often a break during some of those long days at home in the company of a fretful baby and an enormous pile of washing.

What if the mothers’ group doesn’t gel?

Not all new mums will gel, and some mothers’ groups can be more difficult than others to keep together. If you’re having difficulty bonding with the women in your group, you can try alternatives like joining your local playgroup or signing up to .

What about fathers’ groups?

Some local areas will have a fathers’ group as well as a mothers’ group, particularly if there are a reasonably large number of stay-at-home dads around. If you’re interested in joining one, find out if there’s already a program up and running in your local area – you can ask the maternal child health nurse, check out the hospital’s noticeboards, or look online. If there isn’t one, you can always start one.

Parents’ groups online

If you’re unable to find a local mothers’ or fathers’ group, or you haven’t gelled with the one you’ve been assigned to, there’s a whole world of mums and dads looking for camaraderie online. Check out the message boards of popular sites like , , and others – you might find people in your local area who are just as keen to connect as you are.

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