A new baby arrives with a shopping list that seems endless: a cot, a pram, a car seat, clothes they outgrow in weeks, nappies by the thousand, and a hundred small things you never knew existed. The baby industry knows new parents are anxious and tired, and it sells them everything at a premium. But babies need far less than the shops suggest, and most of what they do need can be bought second-hand, borrowed, or bought cheaply. This guide covers the essentials, the savings, and the traps to avoid in the first year.

Start with the real list, which is shorter than you think. A safe place to sleep, a car seat, a few sets of clothes, nappies, feeding supplies, and basic health items like a thermometer and nappy cream. Everything else is optional in the first months. A changing table is nice, but a towel on a bed works just as well. A bottle steriliser is useful, but a large pan of boiling water does the same job. A baby monitor is reassuring, but if your home is small, you can hear the baby without one.

The biggest cost is nappies. A baby uses roughly 2,500 nappies in the first year, and the price difference between premium brands and supermarket own-brands can be hundreds of dollars over twelve months. Try the cheaper brands first, because most babies do fine with them, and buy in bulk when they are on offer. Cloth nappies are the cheapest option of all over the full year, but they need washing and drying time, so they suit some families and not others. For clothes, buy second-hand or accept hand-me-downs: babies outgrow outfits in weeks, so new clothes are the worst value purchase in the whole list.

Almost everything a baby uses can be bought second-hand, except for two things. The first is the car seat: buy it new, because a second-hand seat may have been in an accident, may be missing parts, or may be past its expiry date, and you cannot tell by looking. The second is the mattress for the cot, which should also be new for hygiene and safety. Everything else, the cot, the pram, the clothes, the toys, and the bouncer, is safe to buy used if you check it carefully.

Before you buy anything, ask friends and family what they have to lend. Most parents have a garage full of baby equipment they no longer need, and they are usually glad to lend it or give it away. Parent groups, online marketplaces, and local buy-and-sell groups are full of barely used baby items at a fraction of the new price, because babies outgrow things so fast that the items are often in near-new condition. Sell or pass on your own items when your baby outgrows them, and the savings compound.

The first trap is buying everything before the baby arrives. You do not know yet what your baby likes, what size they will be, or which products actually work for your family, so buy the minimum and add things as you need them. The second trap is premium everything: organic cotton, designer brands, and smart gadgets that promise to track your baby's sleep. Most of these add nothing to your baby's wellbeing, and the money is better spent on the essentials.

The third trap is the monthly subscription box, which delivers baby products you did not ask for at a premium price. Cancel any subscription you are not actively using. Finally, make a simple rule: before buying anything for the baby, ask whether it is a need, a want, or a worry purchase. Needs get bought, wants wait a week, and worry purchases do not get bought at all. Your baby needs your time and attention far more than any product, and that is the one thing money cannot buy.

A baby needs a safe place to sleep, a new car seat, nappies, and a few clothes, and almost everything else can be borrowed or bought second-hand. Try own-brand nappies, accept hand-me-downs, and buy the minimum before the birth. The best thing you can give your baby is not a product, it is your time.