Before your baby is even born you’ll be bombarded with unsolicited advice, horror stories, words of warning and targeted ads for all the pricey products that are apparent must buys.
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.
Our experts have seen plenty of fad baby products come and go over the years
Here at CHOICE, 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.
Cots should meet mandatory Australian safety standards, but we’ve found some on the market that don’t comply
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.
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:
It can take time to find the right nappy to fit your baby.
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.
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!
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.
Cheaper options include baby monitor apps and wireless security cameras
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.
If you do need one, buy carefully: our tests frequently reveal unsafe portable cots that could put your baby at risk
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.
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.
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.
If you do decide you need a change table, go for one with lots of storage so everything you need is within reach
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.
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.
Warning: Babies must never be left asleep in a car seat unsupervised, and never for lengthy periods. Babies have suffocated from lack of airflow due to not being in a flat position.
Chris Barnes is a Senior Project Officer. He manages the product reviews that are done outside of CHOICE with external labs or data sources. This includes solar panels, electric heaters, air purifiers and detergents. Chris also manages our testing services through our commercial arm, Test Research, and he is CHOICE's NATA authorised representative for our lab's formal accreditations. Chris is involved with the standards committee for air conditioners. And he works with government and industry in areas such as product safety and regulation. In over 20 years at CHOICE, Chris has managed lab teams for a wide range of products, including children's products, kitchen appliances, laundry appliances, garden power tools and more. Chris has a Science degree from the University of Sydney. LinkedIn
Chris Barnes is a Senior Project Officer. He manages the product reviews that are done outside of CHOICE with external labs or data sources. This includes solar panels, electric heaters, air purifiers and detergents. Chris also manages our testing services through our commercial arm, Test Research, and he is CHOICE's NATA authorised representative for our lab's formal accreditations. Chris is involved with the standards committee for air conditioners. And he works with government and industry in areas such as product safety and regulation. In over 20 years at CHOICE, Chris has managed lab teams for a wide range of products, including children's products, kitchen appliances, laundry appliances, garden power tools and more. Chris has a Science degree from the University of Sydney. LinkedIn
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. LinkedIn
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. LinkedIn
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