Hello everybody! This post has been brewing for weeks and is the second in the Tiny Baby, Tiny House series. Obviously the big beef with tiny houses are…. they are tiny, so bringing another person into the mix, especially one so marketable as a babe, means we really have to pick and choose what comes in. Like I’ve said before, the best bets when choosing anything going into your small living space are those….

• that you truly LOVE the design and function of
• well made products you don’t need to replace soon
• environmentally responsible, compact size
• are multi-use.

For baby gear, I would also add how important it is to choose something that can be used for multiple “seasons” of this baby’s life (or the next babe’s, even). Every few weeks your baby changes so it behooves you to get stuff you can use when the baby is older. We are still using Stella’s burp clothes, a simply sewn two-ply of flannel, as wash clothes when we need some extra surface area during particularly messy dinner times.  Her bottles transition to sippy cups and then straws when she’s ready and we chose cloth diapers that all expand from newborn size to “why, oh why are you not pooping in the toilet yet” toddler size. And, of course, when it comes to the season of things, once it’s time is done for you, get it out of the house!

So without further ado, here is round one of what I found to be the most useful stuff. It might be helpful to make an Amazon wishlist to keep well-meaning gift-givers on track if you’ve already had a babe and your time with the registry has come and gone. And if you are trying to keep it minimal, encourage, cajole, beg, people to give you only what’s on the registry. It might even be helpful having a cloth diaper theme baby shower so everyone pitches in with that pretty pricey up front purchase and then you can pick exactly what you want with your other needs as they come about.

Clothes

I thought for sure I would go for gender neutral stuff, since I want to be able to pass clothes down to my next babe, especially those pristine pieces from the first seven, pre-crawling and eating like a hog, months. Of course, I didn’t really know what I wanted until I was faced with a bunch of different things, so my advice is to register for very few baby clothes since you will almost certainly get gifted some and can get what you need easily. I ordered loads of onesies only to find I really like the ability to peek down the back of my babies diaper during those mysterious “was that a poop?!” moments so those all got donated and replaced with the a good pant and shirt combo. In general I like plain designs, not a lot of words of huge pictures, lots of color, and surprised myself by putting her in more “girl” clothes. A bonus of that is she can stretch a top really past its labelled size; something might start as a dress, become a tunic, and now is a shirt!

• Soft, breathable sleepers like Kickee Pants for the first year, Two-piece PJs like Hanna Andersson after
• A few pairs of stretchy jeans
• A few pairs of plain, colorful leggings, like from Primary
• 2-3 Long sleeve t-shirts for layering
• 3-4 Short sleeved tops
• 2 Seasonal dresses that can be dressed up or down (ie- baby probably doesn’t need a fancy occasion outfit)
• 3-4 pairs Baby Socks
• Zip or button fleece jacket (you really think you’re going to pull a sweater over this kid’s head? uh uh.)
• Zip hoody
• Fleece PJs for loungey days (Dad’s fave, though they are too hot to sleep in)
• Coveralls for the farm/ adorableness
• Beanie-type hat
• Fleece booties until she can stand
• Soft-soled shoes once she starts walking

If you must register for baby clothes, ask for clothing that can get you and the babe outdoors during all weather. There’s nothing worse than being cooped up in a tiny house when there is so much of the world to explore! Here are my requirements for early age:

• Bunting or snowsuit for winter babies
• Lightweight bunting for shoulder seasons/ when camping (hello makeshift sleeping bag)
• Rainsuit once babes can start walking or earlier if you are hiking with her on your back in the rain
• Sunhat
• Reusable swim diaper

 

Let’s be real… there are way more than 3-4 tops in those boxes up there. But we filter through all the time and don’t have a washing machine, so a few more doesn’t hurt unless they start erupting out of the top of her bamboo boxes. We have six boxes– one for hats, booties, and socks, one for bibs, one for tops, one for pants, one for onesies (now that one has more become a PJ box) and one for footies/ body suits. Those last two are starting to transition now that Stella is such a big girl. Some dresses, sweaters, coveralls, and jackets hang below. Oh, and our tiny house hanging wardrobe? From the IKEA bathroom section. Tis the best place in that amazing store to find furniture for small spaces!