If you are getting organised and deciding what do I need for a new baby, you will need to buy lots of equipment which can be expensive. The best thing is to make a list of items, starting with the essentials and then working down to the ‘nice to haves’. I would suggest the first purchase is the pram; it is likely to be the most expensive and the most difficult to choose. Prams can range from a few hundred pounds to nearer a thousand. If you go along to a nursery shop that actually has the items you can see them and try pushing them around to try them out. You can always look around to see if you can get the one you like somewhere else, online, for example.

When you are deciding what do I need for a new baby, the other large purchase is the car seat; this could be part of the pram travel system or on its own depending on what you prefer. The third item is the cot, it is again likely to be expensive and you can choose between a cot bed which will convert to a bed and last longer than a normal cot.

Once you have chosen these larger items you can start to think, what do I need for a new baby in terms of smaller, less expensive items? Clothing, nappies, nappy bag, change mat, bouncy chair, breast pump, bottles, breast pads, the list is endless. Within these items you have other choices to make such as do I want to use disposable or reusable nappies. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, if you choose disposable it can be very expensive as babies get through a lot of nappies, they are not very good for the environment and babies can be allergic to them as they have plastic in them. If you choose reusable, it can be very expensive outlay but once you have bought them long term it saves money. You need more equipment to soak them and wash them, it can be a lot of washing and work and they sometimes can leak.

When you are thinking, what do I need for a new baby, you must remember that people are likely to buy you presents for the baby and these may cover some of the items that you have on your list. You might find that someone may lend or give you items second hand which could save loads of money.

The main thing when you are deciding what do I need for a new baby is that you get the basics and other things you can always wait and see if you get them or buy them after you have had the baby. Of course once you have had the baby you might decide that you don’t need them after all.