Babies and minimalism? Two concepts not often associated.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that when you have a baby there will be stuff. Babies do need stuff… and if you’re a new parent, you’re going to need stuff that you didn’t need before. (And, yes, there may even be more stuff than you have room for… *gulp* ?)

That’s a lot of stuff. Stuff, stuff, stuff.

But, that being said, there are some ways you can avoid being overtaken by copious amounts of… stuff.

Read on.

Above all, the first thing you shouldn’t buy is the hype.

Don’t buy the hype that you need all the gadgets, dealies, and baby paraphernalia that everyone on the internet tells you you do. (This goes for my essentials, too, btw. Chances are, something that’s been super essential to me, might be superfluous for you.) Being a mindful mama is about really analyzing what you and/or your baby truly need… and maybe that’s not 20 blankets. Maybe it is, but most likely not.

Secondly, if you’d like to avoid getting overloaded with the extraneous, you must ask yourself som pertinent questions about your lifestyle. So, for example, if you walk more than you drive, you’ll need fewer baby accessories for the car, and maybe more baby carriers. Also, how often do you like doing laundry? If you’re a do-a-load-every-day type of person you’re not going to need nearly as many baby clothes (or linens) as our put-off-laundry-until-I’m-on-my-last-pair-of-undies friends. Doing this preliminary lifestyle analysis will really help you to avoid getting caught up in the “everyone else seems to need this, I must need it, too” frenzy.

Another thing I must say is this: there’s always going to be something you need that you didn’t plan for, and, certainly, things that you thought you would need and love, and you just… don’t. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Just keep an “out of the house” bag going, and as soon as something proves itself to not be useful, pop it in that bag so that it doesn’t stick around and clog up your space. After all, a huge part of minimalism is not only being judicious about what we bring into the house, but also making sure there’s an ongoing exit of the stagnant.

With that in mind, I do hope that you find my newborn essentials helpful. These items are what have been smashing successes for me and my family, but as always, take it with a grain of salt.

(And BONUS – I also show you how I make my Busy Mama Matcha Latte in this one!)

Thanks for being here, reader.

Hope you enjoyed my minimalist must-haves for baby! As always, I love hearing from you. If you’re an old pro parent, anything that you found absolutely essential to your early days with baby? Also, any topic you’d like to see me cover here on Veggie Magnifique? I’m all ears. (I do have some fun content in the pipeline for you, I just have to squeeze in some editing time! Thanks for your patience.)

Sending lotsa love from our family to yours, and Happy Spring!

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