The changing table shortlist

The stuff nobody puts on a list

Wipes and diapers get bought deliberately. Everything else on the changing table arrives by accident and then quietly becomes essential: a tub of jelly, a bottle of wash, an ointment, a pack of nursing pads, a brush for the bottles.

None of it is expensive. Most of it is under ten dollars. The cost of running out is entirely in the timing, because it always happens at the exact moment you cannot leave the house.

Buy the ounces, not the bottle

Containers in this part of the shelf are deceptive. A 4 ounce tub and a 13 ounce tub of the same product share a label design and photograph the same, and the only thing separating them is a small number on the front.

When two listings look identical and the prices are far apart, the ounces are usually the reason. Check that first before assuming one is a better deal.

A reasonable starting set

One wash, one lotion, one jelly, one ointment and a brush covers most of what the first months ask for. Nursing pads and a dishwasher basket are the two that get forgotten and then wanted urgently.

Buy the small sizes first. Working out which of these your household actually gets through is cheaper with 4 ounce tubs than with 13 ounce ones.