A baby needs far less than the lists suggest: a safe place to sleep, a way to ride home, food, diapers, and you. The rest you can sort out as you go. Your home can be a mess the day baby comes, and that is perfectly fine. Babies only need you.
Have one spot ready before baby arrives: a crib, bassinet, or play yard with a firm, flat mattress and a fitted sheet, and nothing else inside. No pillows, blankets, bumpers, or toys. This is the one setup worth getting right ahead of time.
You cannot leave the hospital without a properly installed rear-facing car seat. Almost half are installed wrong, so it is worth having yours checked. Certified technicians often check it for free. Never put a rear-facing seat in front of an active airbag.
Diapers, a few onesies, somewhere to feed, and a way to wash up cover the early weeks. Babies grow fast, so do not overbuy newborn sizes. You can always get more once you know what your baby actually likes.
Set up the car seat and a safe sleep space before baby comes home. A rear-facing seat goes in the back, never in front of an active airbag. The sleep space stays bare: firm flat mattress, fitted sheet, nothing else.
When baby is here, feeding and safe sleep are the two things worth knowing first. They are waiting for you. For now, the nursery does not have to be finished.