The only newborn checklist you actually need

Every pregnancy app hands you a checklist with ninety items. Having lived through the fourth trimester twice, you need about fifteen of them.

The true essentials Seven to eight onesies, two or three swaddles, a pack of bandana bibs once the drool era begins, and one sleepsuit with a two-way zip for every night you would like to keep your sanity.

Things that can wait Shoes (they cannot walk), more than one fancy outfit (they will spit up on it within the hour), and any gadget that promises to make a newborn sleep.

Spend where it matters Fabric quality is the one place to never economise. A newborn's skin is up to five times thinner than an adult's, so organic cotton and azo-free dyes are the difference between a comfy baby and a rashy, furious one at 2 a.m.