When I was first expected I remember spending a lot of time shopping in local stores for various items that I needed for my baby's arrival. To be honest the majority of stuff that I look back and purchased I actually never used. It's amazing when reading all the various magazines and books dedicated to the subject they suggest various items that are must haves before your baby is born. I'm not really sure if a lot of this is marketing by various companies to sell their products but I'll be completely honest in saying that you do not need so much of this stuff and it essentially I found most of it was just left sitting in a drawer never used.
There are of course lots of essential things that you will need and I will go over a couple of these now.
Baby Cradle Mattress
Baby towels - you don't necessarily need to especially purchased these, and the ordinary towels that you have will do the job perfectly. However, you can find ones that are specifically for babies are smaller and very soft.
Cradle or bassinet - this is something that you will use for around three months you can of course purchase one of these but you also find in families that these get passed around. You can save yourself a lot of money by simply talking to family members to see if they have one that you can borrow for a short time.
Mattress protectors - this is something that you will definitely use and you may be much better off making sure you purchase a couple of these. If accidents to happen you will have to wash and you always want to make sure you have a spare one just in case.
Diaper bag - these are ideal for when you want to get out of the home to visit friends or family or to simply visit the local shopping mall. Basically, you are looking for a paper bag that will hold all the essentials you need like change of clothes, baby wipes, bottles etc. you also want to ensure that it comes with separate compartments for storage of these various items also make sure that these compartments are waterproof because the last thing you want is a leaking bottle to wet the change of clothes that you have. I know from experience as this happened to me a number of times and can be quite stressful when you are trying to change baby and then discovering that the clothes you have in your diaper bag are wet.
There are many other items that you will actually need for example bibs, diaper rash cream, baby moisture, baby nail clippers. Some of these items are essential and some you will discover your need overtime and not in the immediate few weeks after your baby arrives. One of the best recommendations I can give is to talk to friends or family members because they will be able to keep you advice and information on what they purchased before their babies arrived. You don't necessarily need all the gizmos and gadgets that are out there.