Last Spring my husband and I celebrated the welcome news that we were expecting a new addition to our little family – February 2020. This news was especially welcome after a winter of grieving a heartbreaking miscarriage. We had dreamed of a sibling for our 1 1/2 year old daughter and longed for a baby to fill the empty place this recent loss had left in our arms and hearts. When I discovered I was once again pregnant I was filled with cautious hope. It was difficult, at first, to allow myself to start preparing for this new baby. However, as the weeks wore on, and ultrasound results and midwife appointments revealed a healthy baby boy growing in my womb, my excitement and desire to prepare our home and life for my newest little love grew too.

While pregnant with our first child I was immensely blessed with three separate baby showers. In addition to this I found myself wonderfully overwhelmed with offers of free second hand clothing, baby toys, and all sorts of parenting supplies from thoughtful friends and family (and acquaintances, and friends of friends and family…). I spent countless hours sorting, purging, and organizing – and entered into motherhood with more provided for us than I ever could’ve dreamed of. As a new comer to the world of minimalism I hoped to approach newborn care as simply as possible. However, as a first time parent I had a very limited concept of what I would actually need entering into this new season. It’s easy to get caught up in hype and convinced of necessities (that aren’t actually necessities) by the onslaught of ads, articles, and advice that inevitably comes your way as expectant parents.

Eventually I was able to experience and understand what items I personally found to be helpful as a parent. I still find myself constantly purging, reviewing, and reorganizing because each new stage of childhood brings about different challenges and different needs. As we’ve looked forwards to welcoming another newborn into our home I’ve been grateful for the ability to reflect and determine how I can prep for our little newcomer with a truly minimalist mindset. Honestly, it’s surprised me how little I’ve needed in order to feel ready for our baby boy. Keeping it simple in the beginning is the best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed or inundated in the future.

Every baby is unique. Every parent is unique. Because of this I don’t believe I can pull a magic number of onsies, sleepers, slippers, or swaddles out of thin air and deem it “enough”. I certainly couldn’t fault anyone who feels they might need/want more (or less!) than we do. It’s genuinely a personal preference.

I would love to share how I’ve approached building up my supply of newborn “essentials” with simplicity, sustainability, and a tight budget in mind.

Choose New Items with Intentionality… A life changing tip I discovered when attempting to simplify my daughter’s closet has forever revolutionized the way I approach children’s clothing, nursery decor, and even toys. A fellow minimalist shared how she chose a simple, cohesive, colour theme for her children’s wardrobe. They shopped for new items with only these colours in mind (obviously there was space for her own children’s preferences as they grew and formed their own style/opinions). The reality is that parent’s choose their children’s clothing for a large majority of their young years. Choosing a colour “theme” that both you (and they) love makes it infinitely easier to keep their wardrobe simple while avoiding collecting random pieces that never get worn because they don’t work well with other pieces. It reduces the stress of choosing out an outfit every morning. There’s no digging, stressing, or struggling to find specific pieces.

I have found that a helpful way to approach minimalist parenting is to apply a similar principle to the majority of children’s items in our home (until our children are old enough to express their personal preferences). Whether it be a decision to intentionally choose wooden toys over plastic, or a simplistic natural scheme for nursery decor, it is currently my responsibility to monitor what comes into our home and, consequently, our children’s every day lives. Creating healthy parameters by knowing our own preferences, hearts, and desires for even these, seemingly small, decisions can have a big impact on our daily experiences as parents.

Take Stock of What You Already Have… When we were told I was pregnant with a baby boy I was thrilled! Surprised (we had been so sure we would have another girl) but absolutely thrilled! I was only disappointed knowing that the beautifully minimalist collection of my daughter’s second hand clothing – that was being stored in our basement – wouldn’t be used as I dreamt it would. However, when I started searching through my stash I discovered a multitude of “gender neutral” items that would work wonderfully for our little boy. A number of swaddles, pants, onesies, and pajamas from my daughter’s old closet became a wonderful starting point for our son’s wardrobe.

I also took this approach when it came to nursery decoration. Repurposing and reconfiguring decor/lighting/storage we already had in our house allowed me to create a cozy little space for our son – inexpensively and simply. Get creative, think outside the box, and you may be surprised to discover what you already have – hiding in plain sight!

Say “Yes” to Second Hand Offers – With Standards … It may be that you have a completely different experience than ours but, every time I’ve announced a pregnancy, I’ve quickly found myself on the receiving end of multiple offers for second hand clothing, toys, and baby gear. It can be easy to feel turned off by the idea of using someone else’s second hand stuff, or overwhelmed by the feeling of obligation to keep things you don’t want or won’t use simply because someone gave it to you. However, some of my favourite and most used/helpful baby items have come from a friend’s previously loved collection. I recommend open communication. We all enter into parenthood with needs/wants we would like filled before the baby comes. I try to openly express these specific needs we have – increasing the chances of seeing those needs met and helping to avoid receiving anything unnecessary/unwanted. Next, My policy is to always check if they want specific pieces returned for sentimental reasons or future use. Then, I will ask if they are comfortable with my plan to donate/thrift any items that I can’t/won’t use. It is such a blessing and joy to experience the generosity of a loving and giving community. And it feels good to know that I’ve avoided the waste (both financially and environmentally) that comes from purchasing new.

Keep in mind that you are not obligated to accept or use anything that you don’t love or that won’t work for your space/lifestyle. You always have the power to say “no” to any and all items offered – but you never know what gems you may miss out on by never saying “yes” (even if it does mean a little extra sorting and organizing).

Thrift, thrift, thrift… Maybe I talk about thrifting too much. But if I’m honestly going to share my “tips” for preparing for a baby than this has to be on the list. There is a seemingly ENDLESS supply of baby stuff out in the world. And much of it, once used (usually pretty lightly because babies grow so quickly!) is donated to thrift stores. The day after we were told I was pregnant with a little boy I carved out an hour of my day to stop by a local second hand children’s shop. Twenty dollars later I had a great stash of adorable onsies, pajamas, pants, and shirts ranging from newborn size to one year. As my pregnancies progressed I’ve made a few more intentional trips to various thrift stores, searching for specific items, to fill any supply gaps I’ve felt we were lacking.

Purchase with Patience… There have been/are a number of adorable baby items I long to add to my collection or feel I “need” in order to be fully prepared for babe. It can be so easy to stress over these wants/needs – often leading to a quick purchase of an item that we don’t truly love or that may not fully align with our desire to shop and live sustainably/intentionally. However, one of the gifts of pregnancy (usually) is time. We are gifted nine months to stock up for our little newborns. I’ve found that if I can remind myself that many of my seemingly pressing needs (& most of my wants) don’t have to be fulfilled instantly – then I can keep my eyes open for sudden sales from my favourite shops, an unexpected secondhand offer, or the ultimate thrifted find. Most likely, the opportunity to fill a need with a quick purchase will always be there. But by exercising a little patience, while keeping your eyes open and your heart intentional, you may avoid spending unnecessarily or sacrificing standards.

I’ve recently found myself saying to friends and family that I feel even more prepared to welcome our baby boy than I did while pregnant with our first. What continually surprises and delights me is knowing that, comparatively, I have less of everything set aside for him. It’s not the number of sleepers, swaddles, baby blankets, or bottles I have stored that’s given me confidence as an expectant mom – but the intentionality of minimalism and freedom from unnecessary excess.