The New Baby Checklist

Trying to raise a healthy, happy baby with as little environmental impact as possible doesn't have to be tricky. Here's the list of everything you DO need for a newborn baby, and nothing you DON'T.

Two week old baby in a terry square cloth nappy

Nappies
Your baby's output can go into biodegradable disposables, but they won't break down in landfill if you bag them in regular plastic. So get some biodegradable bags to put them in, and use biodegradable disposable wipes too. Expect to spend over $5,000 on biodegradable nappies and wipes over the 2-3 years most children are in nappies. And that's per child - you'll spend more if you have another baby one day, or if you've got twins. And you know what - biodegradable nappies are similar in price to the expensive brands of non-biodegradable disposables.

A better option for the planet and your pocket is cloth. My best value recommendation: Mandy Mac hemp one-size nappies or Mandy Mac bamboo prefolds, with Bumwear covers. You'll want at least 10 nappies a day for a newborn, and six a day for an older baby, multiplied by the number of days between washing. My newborns coped OK with two of the separate lay-in boosters from a Mandy Mac hemp nappy laid in a cover as an absorbent pad - so I could get 9 nappy changes out of 6 Mandy Mac hemp nappies. I only wash nappies every 2-3 days, so I need 30 nappies plus 3 covers (one cover on their bum, one on the change table, and one in the wash). You'll also need at least 15 cloth wipes per day (plain water is all you need on your wipes), and a Snappi to fasten your nappies (no pins!). Expect to outlay $430 to $630 for a system like this, but it will last til ALL your kids are toilet trained. And if you only have one baby, you can pass your nappies on to a friend or sell them second-hand.

One thing you will want is a good spot to do nappy changes. A change mat on top of a deep dresser, chest of drawers, desk or table is great. I used a big old desk so I could put the nappy bucket right next to the change mat, out of reach of crawling toddlers.

Nappy change creams are a very personal choice. What works on one baby won't work on another. Generally speaking, the fewer ingredients a cream has, the better it is likely to be. If you're choosing organic, look for a brand with over 90% certified organic ingredients rather than just adding an organic essential oil to a conventional cream. Pure zinc cream is a great barrier, and paw paw or aloe vera is an all-natural soother for red rashes. Look for creams that don't contain petroleum by-products, SLS, or artificial perfumes.

Newborn baby breastfeeding

Feeding
Breastfeeding is by far the better environmental option, and better for the health of baby and mother. Babies get the perfect match for their nutritional needs, immune boosters that cannot be replicated in a lab, and mum's body is designed to match supply to baby's demand. Benefits for mum include helping her body get back to its pre-baby shape faster as each feed helps contract the uterus and burns more calories, and the oxytocin hit with every feed keeps mum and baby feeling happy and assists with wound healing.

To help get breastfeeding off to a good start, go have a read at the Australian Breastfeeding Association website. They have lots of helpful booklets and there are breastfeeding education classes in most cities. You might also want a pair or two of bamboo cloth breast pads - reusable, and softer than disposable pads. And only $5 for a pair, instead of however many packs of disposable pads you might go through.

Newborn sleeping in hemp silk WildSlings ring sling

Sleeping
One of the great things about newborns is that they'll sleep anywhere, anytime. In a box, carseat, sling, in your arms. SIDS and Kids have safe sleeping guidelines for babies who sleep in cots. If you're buying a cot, make sure it conforms to the Australian Safety Standards - CHOICE magazine has found that many cots don't meet the standards despite having a logo on the tag that says they do meet standards. Lots of families co-sleep, and in that case you might want to check out the Natural Parenting in Sydney co-sleeping information. Either way, you might want to consider natural fibre sheets to reduce sweatiness and protect sensitive skin - organic cotton or bamboo blends are lovely and soft. Make sure the sheets are a good fit for the mattress. I find that regular size pillowcases are a good fit for bassinette mattresses, and cot pillowcases make good laundry bags. Cots don't need pillows - babies can smother with pillows or bumpers in their cot.

You will want a few muslin wraps for swaddling. Muslin is good because it has the perfect amount of give for getting a tight wrap that Houdini babies can't get out of, and doesn't add unnecessary warmth. So if you've dressed baby to feel warm when they get unwrapped, they won't overheat when they're wrapped. You can make your own by hemming a piece of cloth that is about 120cm square. Most wraps in the shops just aren't big enough to do the job, and it's not hard to make your own. Heck, you could make a no-sew swaddling wrap by cutting cotton jersey (thicker than muslin - this is what t-shirts are made from) and letting the edges roll. I couldn't even be bothered cutting fabric, so I used cot sheets as wraps. Don't fuss over special baby swaddling wraps that look like mini strait-jackets - just get your mu or aunty, doula, the midwife or child health nurse to show you how to wrap nice and tight. It's like making paper cranes, easier when someone shows you the first time but you'll be able to do it with your eyes closed in no time.

Organic cotton BabyLegs fit newborns to primary school children

Clothing
Babies don't need much variety in their clothing, and you'll probably be given enough pretty things for special occasions anyway. Go for practicality: singlet or t-shirt or bodysuit in summer, long sleeve all-in-one suit in winter. Just make sure you have half a dozen in size 0000 for an average sized newborn, and another half a dozen in size 000 for large babies. Most babies will be out of the 0000 and into 000 before you have time to go shopping, so be prepared. I like organic cotton or bamboo for easy wear and being kind to sensitive newborn skin - no nasty synthetics or itchy wool.

You only need one hat. Really. One. Sunhat in summer, or beanie in winter. And newborns only need a couple of pairs of socks - their feet don't sweat, socks don't stay on anyway, they're only handy on very cold days. And one pair of mittens - for stopping baby from scratching their face, not for warmth. Although if you co-sleep, use a baby sling, and wrap your baby when they're sleeping on their own, you'll find their body temperature is mostly regulated by your own body warmth anyway.

Ergo Baby Carriers make it easy for dad to bond with baby

Out and About
Yes, you will still need to leave the house after the baby is born. Make it easy on yourself by getting a good sling or baby carrier. Prams are near useless in parks or reserves, and most babies settle to sleep more easily, and sleep longer, in a sling rather than a pram. The week before your baby is born, you're carrying the weight of the baby plus a few extra kilos of amniotic fluid and placenta. Not to mention the fluid retention in your ankles (if you get that). Once the baby is born, you'll find carrying them in a sling is easy - provided you get a good fit.

Personally, I like ring slings like my WildSlings hemp sling for newborns. But you might find a two-shouldered sling like a mei tai (eg Ellaroo), soft structured carrier (eg Ergo with an infant insert), or stretchy wrap (eg Hug-A-Bub) suits you better. Go to a proper sling retailer and try on a few different styles before you make up your mind, try on what your friends have, or get yourself to a Baby Carriers Downunder sling meet. It's amazing how a sling that feels all wrong on one person can be spot-on perfect for another person - every body is different.

You can breastfeed in a sling (and nobody even needs to know what you're doing in there), and it is possible to put a sleeping baby down on the bed, still in the sling, without waking them. Sometimes you just need someone to show you how. If you don't have any babywearers in your area, YouTube is your friend - or get a Tummy2Tummy DVD.

Toddler and baby

I hope this information is useful. You really don't need much at all to keep a baby safe and happy. Probably the most important thing is to look after yourself - get lots of rest, eat healthy food, don't listen to too much parenting advice - so that when the baby arrives, you feel ready.