_edited.png)
Newborn Baby Shopping List for India: What to Buy
Updated: 16 hours ago
The short version. You need about fifteen things before the baby arrives. Everything else can be bought in the first month, by which point you will know what your baby actually needs. Buying the full list now is how people end up with a cupboard of unused newborn-size clothes. |
This list is in the order you will need things, with quantities, because every other list tells you what to buy and none of them tell you how many.
Printable version: download the two-page checklist (PDF). Tick-boxes, quantities, the hospital bag and the do-not-buy list. Free, no email, nothing to sign up for — print it and stick it on the fridge. |
Before the birth: the actual essentials
Fifteen items. If you buy only this list you will be fine.
What | How many | Why this number |
Cotton bodysuits / jhablas, 0–3m | 6–8 | Two changes a day is normal. More than 8 and you will outgrow them unworn |
Cotton nappy cloth (langot) | 12–20 | Even if you use disposables. They become burp cloths, mopping cloths, everything |
Swaddle cloths / muslin | 4 | Thin cotton. Not fleece, whatever the shop says |
Newborn nappies | ONE pack only | Babies vary. Many skip newborn size in a fortnight |
1 pack | Plain water is what a newborn bottom wants for the first weeks | |
Baby soap or cleanser | 1 | One bar lasts months. See the skincare guide below |
Coconut or mustard oil | 1 small bottle | For massage. You do not need a branded baby oil |
Soft towels | 2 | One in the wash, one in use |
Cot or firm mattress | 1 | Firm and flat. No pillow, no bumper, no soft toy |
Waterproof mattress sheets | 2–3 | The most under-bought item on every list |
Mosquito net for the cot | 1 | Non-negotiable in most of India |
Nail scissors with rounded tips | 1 | Newborns scratch their own faces within days |
Thermometer | 1 | Digital. You will use it in week one |
Nappy rash cream | 1 tube | Buy it before you need it, because you will need it at 2am |
Caps, socks, mittens | 2–3 each | They get lost constantly |
The one number people get wrong: buy ONE pack of newborn nappies. Not a carton. Plenty of babies are into size S within two or three weeks, and a carton of newborn size is money you cannot get back. |
For the hospital bag
Pack this at 36 weeks and leave it by the door. You will not be packing calmly when it starts.
For the baby: 2 bodysuits, 2 swaddles, a cap, socks, 4–6 nappies, a soft towel. The hospital usually provides more than you expect — ask yours what they give.
For the mother: 2 loose front-open nightdresses, a dupatta or shawl, maternity pads, comfortable underwear you do not mind ruining, slippers with a back, lip balm, a phone charger with a long cable.
Paperwork: ID, insurance card, hospital file, and the forms for the birth certificate. More on that in documents needed for a newborn.
Food: something to eat for whoever is with you at 3am. Hospital canteens shut.
Week 2 to month 1: buy these once you know
Wait on all of this. A fortnight in, you will know whether your baby hates the bath, sleeps only on you, or has skin that reacts to everything — and you will buy the right version instead of the popular one.
Baby bath tub or a large tub
A pram or carrier, once you know whether you are walking or taking autos
More clothes, in the size your baby is actually in
Nappies in the size they have moved to
A night light, if you find you need one
Breast pads, nursing bras, nipple cream — if you are feeding and finding it hard
What you do not need at all
There is a longer version of this, but the short list: shoes, a changing table, a cot bumper, newborn-size everything, a wipe warmer, a bottle steriliser before you know you need bottles, and most of what is in a "newborn gift set".
We went through the full list, and why each one is a waste, in what not to buy for a newborn.
What it costs
The fifteen essentials come to roughly ₹6,000 to ₹9,000 if you buy sensibly, and you can halve that with hand-me-downs for the clothes. The recurring cost starts after that — nappies alone run ₹3,000 to ₹5,700 a month once a baby is in Large size, which we worked out in our diapers comparison.
The single biggest saving available to a new parent in India is not buying a cheaper nappy. It is not buying the things on the long list.
A note on hand-me-downs
Take all the clothes anyone offers. Newborn clothes are worn a handful of times and outgrown. Take the cot, the pram and the bath tub too.
Do not take: a used car seat, because you cannot see whether it has been in a crash; a used mattress, because firmness degrades; and used teats or bottles.
Questions parents ask
What should I buy before my baby is born in India?
The fifteen items in the first table. Clothes, nappy cloth, swaddles, one pack of nappies, soap, oil, towels, a firm mattress, waterproof sheets, a mosquito net, nail scissors, a thermometer and rash cream. Everything else can wait.
How many clothes does a newborn need?
Six to eight bodysuits in 0–3 months, and resist buying more. Babies are in this size for a few weeks and many are born big enough to skip it. Buy 3–6 month size instead if you want to buy ahead.
How many newborn diapers should I buy before birth?
One pack. A newborn uses about 10 a day, so a pack lasts under a week, but many babies move to size S within two or three weeks. Buy the next size once you know your baby.
What do I need in my hospital bag in India?
Two bodysuits, two swaddles, cap, socks, nappies and a towel for the baby. Front-open nightdresses, maternity pads and slippers for the mother. ID, insurance and the hospital file. Ask your hospital what they provide — many give more than you expect.
Is a baby shopping list different in India?
Yes, in three ways. You need a mosquito net, which most international lists do not mention. You need far more cotton and far less fleece. And you can skip the changing table, because most Indian homes change a baby on a bed or a mat.
When should I start buying baby things?
Around the seventh month is plenty. Pack the hospital bag at 36 weeks. There is no advantage to buying early and there is a real risk of buying the wrong size or the wrong thing.
Print it
Download the checklist as a two-page PDF. Page one is the fifteen essentials with quantities and the wait-until-week-2 list. Page two is the hospital bag, the do-not-buy list and what is safe to buy second-hand.
It is free, there is no email form, and you are welcome to print it for a friend, put it in a hospital bag or hand it round an antenatal class. If you run a clinic or a class and want it, just take it.
More: what not to buy for a newborn, baby skincare: what is actually safe, which nappies to buy, baby wipes compared, and our first year hub.
NavParent is part of the Amazon Associates Programme. If you buy through a link here we may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. It does not change what we recommend — most of this page is about buying less.
Comments