Eco Baby Shopping List for Working Parents

With having your first baby, comes one of those rare moments, when you have to re-learn how to manage your life. You’ll have to make room for another human in your life, you’ll have to make lots of time for them, understand how to take care of another being, and learn how to allow them to learn new life skills every day.

As part of this life change, somewhat contradictory to our environmentally minded values, you will have to acquire a list of things. Before I go into the Eco Baby Shopping List below, where I will link to new products you can buy, I advise you to use the methods below, to find second hand items as much as possible. This will easy the stress on your wallet and it fits with the circular economy, we, as eco-minded parents, promote.

Connect with family members, whose children are 1 or 2 years ahead of yours. Even if you are not really all that close to them as people, as long as you are sufficiently close to them geographically, they will be more than happy to gift you their children’s outgrown items. I guarantee you they will want to give you tons of things. Most people, who don’t follow the smeaky philosophy, and even the ones that try to, end up acquiring too much stuff for their children. Chances are, they would even have stuff their child outgrew before they used it. Especially in the first couple of years after a first child, we feel quite overwhelmed and we don’t have too much time to even donate used/unused items. As new parents we spend tons of money and time, picking things for our children and it’s a little heartbreaking that shortly after, they don’t need those things anymore. So it feels very good that another child will make use of things we put our scarce time and money towards. So you’ll be doing your relatives a favour if you go for a fun few hours to chat and take a load off them (literally). Keep your ear out for advice and personal anecdotes as well. Don’t necessarily accept everything to heart but hearing from another parent first hand is always useful and often encouraging.
Connect with people from your local community. If you are a church goer, see if there’s a mum’s in-person or online group. If not, most communities have a parenting WhatsApp or Facebook group. Ask around and join while you are still pregnant. Just be careful not to stock up items just because they are on offer. On the other hand, if you need something, ask for it. People will dig out things that they know are needed. Otherwise, they may sit in their loft forever.
Vinted. In my experience these days, Vinted is the best place for online shopping of second hand items, in an excellent condition for tiny prices. I think it’s especially good for items above the 18mo mark. A few years ago Facebook Marketplace was really good but these days, all I see on there are scammers. In my option, eBay is also no good unless you are looking for something very specific and branded. I’ve found it just too expensive. I think it’s because their seller fees are wild high now.
Olio is another online exchange place. I personally find it really useful when I need to donate things. And to be fair I have acquired a couple of things I needed, but generally, at least in my area, there are not many interesting offers.
Car boot sales are another good way to find second hand baby items for a fraction of the RRP.
Charity shops are better stocked in some neighbourhoods than others. I won’t lie, it has been several times that we went to a couple of the posh areas of London to check out the charity shops for baby items. We lucked out a few times.

The Must Haves – Things You Wouldn’t Have Owned Before

This is the list of items, that we definitely needed! In the shopping list below, you’ll find my personal recommendations, for which item to use. Be flexible though, if you can find something that’s similar enough, second hand, go with that.

Big Items

A birthing course – if you have this option, I suggest you to sign up for an in-person NCT antenatal course. You will learn about giving birth and the first months after and you will connect with other couples in your situation. In many cases, those can become your early years support network and even lifelong friends for you and for your little one. We didn’t have this option unfortunately, but we did follow an only Hypnobirthing course, which I recommend new parents should do together as a minimum.
Somewhere for your baby to sleep – the general advice is to keep your infant in the same room as you for at least the first 6 months. I really recommend this side-to-bed crib, which we bought second hand (I believe I found it on Facebook Marketplace) and we purchased a new mattress from here. Our baby started standing up around 4 and a half months, but generally you can make use of this for around 6 months. After that, following the Montessori method, we put a single bed floor mattress, over some wooden slats. Not too long after we ended up co-sleeping since we had to do some remodelling in our flat, space was tight. She slept really well that way and so did we. I know some people don’t understand it but I feel we all have been happier for it.
Pram/pushchair – initially we bought a whole “travel system” (second hand from Facebook marketplace) but soon it became impractical due to our narrow stairway. These things are so big. We soon noticed that most parents in the neighbourhood were using travel pushchairs, even for their newborns. Anyway, at 6months, we quickly found a second hand travel pushchair (this time on eBay), which we’ve been using for more than 2 years now and it’s been excellent. The bearings needed replacing a few times, but it is still worth it. And by the way, we resold the big travel system to a happy new family with more space.
Car seat – this is the one thing you are supposed to buy new. If you are getting it second hand, make sure it’s from someone you know well, so they can guarantee it has not been in an accident before. Before buying, join this group and ask in there about the reputation of the seat you are interested in. It’s really important you get one that has been through the proper checks. If you are not planning on driving, or going in taxis, car-share etc, you can borrow one. They won’t let baby out of the hospital and into a taxi unless you have a proper car seat. You can walk home without a car seat, but you never know if that will definitely be an option for the mum immediately after the birth. We have this one for our toddler at the moment. The 360 spin function is really good for our backs. It was a handme-down from my cousin.
Changing table – initially, we thought we can be frugal and use the bed, but our backs gave up too soon. We got a very simple one the first week, which is also quite compact. If you have the space for a proper dresser, I suggest you go with that and place a changing mat on top. When I potty trained my daughter, the changing table went on Olio and I put a toddler desk in its place.

Feeding

Breastfeeding – so stupidly, before I gave birth to my daughter, I thought that for successful breastfeeding journey, all I needed was my breasts and my baby. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as free sailing as that for us, and I discovered that it’s actually difficult for many people. And I imagine a lot of mums choose to bottle feed not because they don’t want to breast feed but because it becomes too difficult.
- A breastfeeding course – I recommend you take part in a breastfeeding course of some sort. I’ll just say, if breastfeeding is difficult or painful in any way, get your child checked for tongue-tie and see a lactation consultant. Talk to one privately if you have to (it’s not very expensive!). With breastfeeding, the sooner you get that going the more chances you have to be successful.
- Pregnancy/nursing pillow – I used this one. It improved my comfort level and sleep while I was pregnant. It was great as breastfeeding support and now my toddler still uses it to sleep with. With a washable cover, it’s lasted us 3 years so far.
- Breast pads – You’ve seen all sorts of comedy made out of breast milk leaking through clothing, and it’s real. You’ll need some protection for your clothes. I suggest you buy washable ones.
- Lanolin ointment – Even if your baby’s latch is fantastic, you’ll need to use some lanolin ointment to keep your nipples healthy. I used this one and this one.
- Nipple shields – midwives don’t advise using these if your baby is able to latch well. But in my case, it was a must and I wish I had them in my hospital bag. I used these. They make it easier for your baby to latch on and in this way, they give a barrier of protection to this very sensitive anatomy.
- Supplements – this one is for the mum, not for the baby. And I recommend this brand for pre-natal and post-natal vitamins. They contain folate, and not just folic acid.
Bottle feeding
- Hand breast pump – if for nothing else, you’ll need one of these to catch letdown, i.e. when your baby nurses from one breast, the other one tends to drip milk as well.
- Electric breast pump – I spent a ton of money on mine, and bizarrely, you are not allowed to resell them. You’ll find that most reselling websites ban them. All parts are sterilisable, so I really don’t get it. Feel free to ask your community as per above and you’ll find one. I recommend using a hands-free double pump, especially if it’s because mum will be going back to work and you need to build a stash for the childcare provider. Make sure to get alternative breast shield sizes, if the ones it comes with don’t quite fit. Mum will also need the special bustier that it fits into.
- Bottles 6 to 12 – This is actually really specific to your baby’s needs. If you are aiming to switch between breast and bottle, you’ll probably want to stick with some of specialist bottles which imitate the natural experience. If you’ll be solely bottle feeding, I recommend these. I almost went with glass bottles, but they are too heavy and the baby daddy found them too difficult to manage. Also, they can break. Who wants that stress around a newborn?
- Bottle drainer – with all the bottle bits, teats etc, you’ll need something practical to drain after washing. We used this one.
- Bottle brushes – everything that goes in your newborn’s mouth needs to be sterile, so make sure you clean their bottles and teats nicely. You don’t want bits of sour milk remaining in there.
- Sterilization – there are different methods you can use, we found that capsules are super practical. We had a container that was full of washed bottle bits and water and we added a capsule and replaced the water each morning. This way, usable bottles were available at all times. We bought ours from the super market. You can use these.
- Formula – if you end up supplementing your baby with formula, you may as well choose the best one. Once I realized breast milk wasn’t going to cut it with us, which unfortunately was the day my daughter was born, she had to drink what was available in the hospital – the standard non-organic brands, full of palm and other suspect oils. As soon as I discovered that one, we used it all the way through to weaning.
- Formula maker – this is definitely something you should get second hand. We got ours from my cousin but later bought another from Facebook Marketplace as a gift to anther mum. Having one of these is really a life/sleep/hassle saver. Just remember to also get a fresh filter.

Toileting

This is one of the biggies, because the amount of waste created by conventional nappies is out of control! So please, if nothing else, make sure your nappy system is eco-friendly. Unfortunately, elimination communication is not something I could have afforded to do as a working parent, so I honestly I don’t think it’s a considerable option, but by all means, look into it, because if you can go with no nappies at all, then that’s the ideal.

Cloth nappies should be your top choice to avoid the waste. There are many options out there with various levels of convenience. The best way is to find a parent who uses them happily, ideally before your baby comes, and ask them to explain to you exactly how they work.
Biodegradable nappies was the option I went with, since my childcare provider was refusing cloth. We used these. They are definitely pricey but they did not leak, and did not cause any nappy rashes. We used pull ups as well, towards the end, which I believe helped my little one wrap her mind around dressing herself. An important step to potty training. The bad news is that they have bits of them which are not biodegradable, as a whole, they are 80% compostable within 2 years and that’s in an industrial composting facility or hot compost. Our council did not accept them in the compost bins, which means they still ended up in landfill. The manufacturer states that they will still biodegrade in landfill but at a slower rate. Even if it’s 50 years, that’s still faster than plastic, which according to estimations – no one has lived to see it – is between 500 and 1000 years.
Odour trapping nappy bin. If you’ll be using disposable nappies, you’ll need a good bin like this one. It comes in different sizes and with biodegradable bin liners.
Wipes. If you go down the reusable route, make sure to get cotton ones, so there’s not plastic fibre shedding. If you want to be very organised you can get a system, which helps you organise clean and mucky in separate boxes. If you go down the disposable route, I recommend these biodegradable ones.
Nappy cream. We didn’t need much of that, since our nappies were made of bamboo, which is naturally antibacterial. Once the little pot ran out, I bought a big one, then kept refilling the little one from it. I saved on cost and waste.
Potty. I don’t think it’s too early to start thinking about potty training soon after your child starts walking. I needed some time to wrap my brain around it and overcome my own stress about it. Around the 18-month mark you should start looking out for signs of potty training readiness. And once your child is curious, you should catch that momentum before it fades. We followed the methodology outlined in the book Oh! Crap and we used this potty.
Toilet seat adaptor and step. The person who handed us their old potty also gave us a foot stool and a toilet seat adaptor and that was great, since our toddler was soon excited to graduate to the big toilet, where her grownups go.

Bathing

Baby bath – there are many variations and we used something cheap and cheerful.
Bath towel – I’m a fan of the poncho style. Close to 3 years in, our daughter loves her cherry one, which we found brand new in a charity shop. Make sure to buy 100% cotton like this one.
Baby shampoo – actually, you don’t have to use shampoo every time you bathe your baby. But in the cases when things get icky, we use this one.
Baby bath bubbles – later on, bubbles became an important attraction, so we started using this.
Soft-bristled baby hair brush – while your baby’s hair is still thin and their scalp still soft, use something like this.

Maternity and Baby Clothes

The clothing industry is a sneaky one. We all have to wear clothes and with mum’s size changing and a whole new human coming to life, we need to acquire different clothing.

Whats most important to me is to stay away from synthetic fibres. Stick to cotton, wool (merino wool is becoming very popular for it’s increadible softness), linen and silk. Stay away from anything containing polyester, acrylic and rayon. And I know it’s a hard task. Looking through labels, tiny descriptions, I wish there was a rule for shops to allow filtering based on fabric. Even if you are purchasing second hand, avoid synthetics to protect our water from microplastics.

Pregnancy jeans. Since jeans were originally made from cotton and I love wearing them, 2 pairs I bought online, were my go to outfits during my late pregnancy
Breastfeeding bras. I started wearing those for comfort towards week 20.
Breastfeeding tops. I used this hoodie a lot and the zips are so small, I still wear it sometimes as a regular hoodie
Swaddling blankets. I wouldn’t go beyond 3 months with swaddling, but it definitely helps in the beginning and these systems were really easy, compared to just using a square blanket
Wearable sleeping bags. The official guidelines advise not to cover your baby with a regular blanket for the first year. The workaround for this are wearable sleeping bags like this one. After the year passed, our daughter kept kicking her blanket off, but needed flexibility, so we got these thick overalls.
Bedding. We used this for the side-by-side crib.
Burp cloths/Muslin squares are so useful and so so soft! I got a multi-colour selection, which we now use as house cleaning rags.

When you start thinking about potty training, I suggest you switch to two piece clothing for your child. I feel that the vests that close at the bottom are great to keep a nappy in place, but they don’t help your baby get the concept of pants later on. We also switched to nappy pants as soon a size fit was available. It saved us a lot of time and gave her awareness that pants come on and off.

Out & About Gear

Baby bag. We got this one as a gift and it’s still looking great. It comes with a nappy changing mat and a ton of pockets.
Wet bags. These are really practical, to keep mucky nappies or other waste contained, while you are out and about. I didn’t see much need for disposable ones, but I still always have a couple in the baby bag, just in case. I opted for biodegradable ones, of course.
Baby carrier. This one is for infants and it’s very easy to strap on. There are ones for various age groups out there, but be mindful, depending on the size of your baby and your core strength, they get heavy to carry after 18 months, so try to encourage walking as much as possible.
Travel potty. This is multi-functional and our lady uses it everywhere. She has now proudly not only used many public toilets but has done number one and number two in the forest and in the snow. It fits in the bag above, perfectly.

Optional – But Really Important

Those are items that we had and found incredibly useful. But I know other parents, who are happily raising their children without this stuff.

First aid course. Do your research when deciding which one to take, but doing a First aid course aimed at new parents will give you some peace of mind.
Soothers. When my daughter stuck her thumb in her mouth for the first time, I had this vision of her as a preschooler doing that, and I hated the idea. I had heard the statement that you can take the dummy away but you can’t chop off their thumb, and I believed it. They are also recommended by midwives, to help against SIDS and promote self soothing at night. Just make sure to introduce them after your baby has mastered breastfeeding, if that’s the route you’re going with. Our girl was using one for sleeping only and she managed to give it up at 2-years-old, which I realised later, was at the top end of what’s recommended. I think you’re meant to wean them off by 1-year-old. As a plastic-fob, I opted for ones made of natural rubber.
Baby monitor. We got one that’s cheap and cheerful. I didn’t like the idea of an app, which shares the stream over wi-fi, so this one did the job.
Activity gym. Our infant had a lot of fun on her cousin’s activity gym, similar to this one.
Tummy time pillow. My kid started crawing at 4.5 months and I contribute this to the tummy time pillow her aunty gave her when she was born. Spending a lot of time on their tummy is actually really important for your child’s early development.
Mobile. We had one of these above her changing table, which kept her entertained while her parents were getting on with the cleanup.

Nice-to-Haves

Those are things that you can honestly go without. But they are items which I’ve used or I know other parents have used with lots of success, so you decide if they are for you or not.

Baby sign language course. If I had more maternity leave, I would have taken a baby sign language course. Our daughter started talking understandably a bit later than some of her peers and the idea that we could have had more understanding of one another early, appeals to me.
Car seat mirror. It’s a practical item that allows you to check on your baby while in the car, and they can see you too, so it makes the car rides a bit less anxious. I wouldn’t get a decorated one though, since that would make them touch it and move it around, and then you’ll lose the picture.
Exercise ball. I sat on one instead of an office chair in my late pregnancy to protect my back, I bounced on it to promote contractions, I sat on it while my stitches were still healing, I bounced my baby on it, to get her to sleep and now I use it as a foot stool or even a spare chair. OK I guess I could actually exercise with it too… Anyway, I think it’s a good item, if you have the space, at least pre-birth.
Bouncer seat. We had a different type and my daughter liked for a tiny little while, then hated it with passion. But I see my friend’s baby just having a blast on this one.
Nightlight. I got this one, mostly for the thermometer function. In the early days it’s important you don’t overheat your infant. We still use it as a faint night light these days.
White noise machine. I tried various noises with an app on my phone but none seemed to make a difference with my baby. But again, I know people who use those in their children’s night time routine and it works like a charm for them.
Dribble bibs. Not all babies dribble, but I just find those things cute! And you can use them during weaning times too.

Before I leave you to wrap your head around this slightly overwhelming eco baby shopping list, if you have any questions about where you can find these items or how to use them or anything, feel free to use the contact form or comment below and I’ll get back to you!

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