Well. I can say with confidence that sharing my baby registry with you is almost 2 years overdue. If I didn’t have baby fever before, I certainly will after writing this post. I remember sitting on this very couch and spending hours researching baby products with my sister. With a wedding registry, it was so fun and easy to pick out items for our home, but I dreaded creating our baby registry because I knew it was going to be a lot of work! We only want the best for our babies, right?
After my sister and I finally finished, I decided I needed to save my registry. I could not let all of our research go to waste. My original plan was to just save it for my sister and a few of my close girlfriends, but I have sent it out to far more people than I anticipated. Each time I would send it, it would take me quite a while to write everything out, and explain what the item was/when we used it/etc. So when a friend of mine reached out yesterday, I knew the time had finally come to make a legit registry so when Mommas-to-be asked for advice, all I had to do is send a link.
This is what worked for us! Everything on this list I truly believe made our transition to parenthood easier and more enjoyable, and made Henry as comfortable as can be. This is what was on my original registry, things to set you up for the first 6 months or so. I plan on doing a follow up post for items we used specifically for Baby Led Weaning, toys for 12+ months, travel, etc. Enjoy Mommas! And don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions 🙂 Happy shopping!
And one piece of advice when buying baby gear – if you plan on having more than 1 baby, try to buy neutral colors. Mostly everything we have is either gray or black – which works for either gender ❤ & as tempting as the cream/white/light gray colors are . . . I knew that if we wanted our stuff to last through all of our children, going dark would be the smartest choice. Darker colors = less visible stains 🙂
For Baby
Bottles/Pacifiers/Etc
Pacifiers – Natursutten. These will be the only pacifiers my babies will ever use. Handmade in Italy, vegan, & the larger shield touches the nose, comforting baby & more closely simulating breastfeeding
Bottles – Evenflo Glass Bottles. We try to use as much glass as we can. We had 1 pack of the 4oz bottles, & 1 pack of the 6 oz bottles & that was plenty for us. 95% of the time I breastfed Henry, so it was all we needed. He took to this bottle/nipple right away & we never had any trouble with it
Vitamin D drops for baby – Your doctor will tell you to get this at your very first newborn appointment. These are the best vegan drops we found
Boon Lawn Countertop Drying Rack
Boon Travel Drying Rack – We (obviously) used this while traveling but we love these bottle brushes more than others we have tried
Baby Bottle Bottle Sterilizer & Dryer – This was something we did not order until after we brought Henry home but we are so glad we got it. Instead of having to wash bottles/pump parts/etc, we would throw everything in this, press a button, & everything would be clean & ready to go. Not necessary but highly recommend
Diapers/Wipes/Changing area/Etc
OXO TOT Perfect Pull Wipes Dispenser – We have 2. One for the changing table upstairs, & 1 for for our changing station downstairs
Diapers & wipes – Since Day 1 we have used Honest subscription for diapers & wipes & it’s amazing. My sister is a postpartum nurse & recommends not to buy newborn size diapers & start with size 1 instead 🙂
Diaper Genie Expressions Pail – Need it
Diaper Pail Refill Bags – Need them
Desitin Baby Rash Cream – Works better than the Honest diaper cream
Changing Table
Changing Pad Covers – Have 2 or 3. Most of ours are from Pottery Barn
Bathtime
Shampoo/Body Wash – Honest Company (order with your subscription)
Towels – Burt’s Bees & Pottery Barn
Washcloths –Burt’s Bees & Under The Nile
Blooming Bath Lotus – This worked perfectly for us for kitchen sink baths
Bath Kneeler Pad – For your old knees
Inflatable Bath Tub – This is what we switched Henry to when he got too big for the kitchen sink. We would place this in our big bathtub, & it worked perfectly – keeping him contained while using less water. He used this until he was well over 13 months
Roost Natural Bamboo Brush & Comb set – We still use this for Henry
Baby Care/First Aid/Etc
Fridababy Medifrda Pacifier Baby Medicine Dispenser
Exergen Temporal Scan Thermometer
Get normal thermometer too ^
NailFrida Nail Clippers – We love these
Organic All Purpose Balm – Honest
Laundry Detergent – Honest
Stain Remover – OxiClean. You need this. It is pure magic. I tried all of the “natural” ways of removing stains & this is the only thing that works. On everything. I now gift this to every single Momma to be
Baby Accessories
Organic Caboose Nursing Pillow – Made from better materials than the popular “Boppy”. & buy the nursing pillow cover, I don’t think it comes with it & you’re going to want to remove it to be washed
Snuggle Me Original Sensory Lounger – Made from way better materials than the popular “Dock-A-Tot”
Cubby Cove – When Henry outgrew the Snuggle Me ^ we upgraded to the larger Cubby Cove, & we used this a TON. I tell new Momma’s to skip the Snuggle Me & just get the Cubby Cove because you use it longer. But we started with the Snuggle Me which is why we have both. & I love how tiny the Snuggle Me is
Swing – 4moms mamaRoo
Activity mat – Pottery Barn
Bouncer – BABYBJORN
Activity Center – I did not put this on my registry because they don’t use it until they are a few months old. Henry did enjoy it, but it’s something that is not necessary. I do like this one because the toys that come with it are just attachments so you don’t have to use them if you don’t want to. This was good for when I needed to get something done in the kitchen, & he had outgrown the swing & bouncer. I would avoid getting “jumpers” or “walkers” that they sit in, as there are studies that show those kinds of “toys” are not good for their leg/hip development.
BABYBJORN Newborn Mini Carrier – I don’t know what I would have done without this!
Baby Carrier – Ergo Baby. We actually did not love this. For the next baby, I want to explore some other carriers. I really loved the newborn carrier we had (listed above), so maybe I will look to see if BABYBJORN makes one for older babies
Ingenuity Base 2 in 1 Seat – Great for travel
Hook On Chair – Great for going out to eat or traveling
Portable sound machine – A saving grace for travel
Highchair – Keekaroo
Teething Toys – Henry started teething super early at 3 months. It’s really difficult when they start teething that early because they don’t have the hand eye coordination to really use teethers properly. But these were some of the favorite ones we found. One thing that he could use early on was the teething mitten
Clothes
Burp Cloths – Burts Bees
Magnificent Baby Magnetic Me Pram – If you have a winter or fall baby. Henry was born in December & he only wore his a few times…we didn’t get out much!
Socks – Burts Bees, lots of them
Gowns – These things are amazing. We had 4 or 5 of them. They are so easy for diaper changes!
No-Scratch Baby Mittens – Goumikids were the only ones that actually worked. Get a few pairs of these!
Booties – Goumikids can’t be beat
Swaddles – We loved the Ollie swaddles. We learned all about the importance of swaddling/benefits through TakingCaraBabies
I will say, when your baby is 1-2 months old you don’t need a lot of clothes. We pretty much kept Henry in pajamas & gowns. So many people will buy you clothes for this stage so you won’t need to buy much. I prefer one piece outfits vs onsies/pants/etc. Also, when looking for one piece outfits, look for ones that already have hand covers built into them! Then you won’t need to put the baby mittens on them.
Baby clothes start at newborn size, & then go up to size 0-3 months. I was so confused about sizing at first, but I definitely recommend getting some newborn size clothes. Henry was 7 pounds 9 oz when he was born & fit into newborn size clothes for the first month or two.
Nursery
Nursing Chair + Ottoman
Lamp
Crib – We got ours at Pottery Barn
Mattress – Pottery Barn
Crib Sheets – Have 2 or 3
Halo Bassinet + Waterproof Pad – We loved this. But Henry ended up being a chunky baby & outgrew it quickly so we ended up getting the HALO 3 in 1 DreamNest. If you have the space for it in your bedroom, I would recommend getting this instead of the original bassinet. The DreamNest functions as a bassinet but is also perfect for traveling (so you don’t have to get one of those ugly pack n plays!). The DreamNest is also bigger than a pack n play so your baby has more room to sleep when you travel.
Honeywell Germ Free Humidifier
Hatch Baby Rest Night Light/Sound Machine – White noise for when baby is sleeping. Henry still uses this every single night. & it connects to an app on your phone
Owlet Baby Monitor – Not necessary but Sean & I loved having this. It’s a “smart sock” that goes on baby’s foot while they sleep. It tracks their heart rate & oxygen levels & connects to an app on your phone. If something were to ever happen, you would be alerted on your phone & at the “base station” that you keep on your nightstand
VTech Digital Video Baby Monitor – Nothing special but it does the job. We got the one with two cameras because we know we want more than 1 baby
Stroller/Carseat/Etc
Stroller – UPPAbaby Vista. Still use it almost every single day. I loved it when Henry was a newborn, & I still love it now. We got the Vista because with attachments you can have more than 1 baby on it at a time. The Vista comes with a bassinet attachment. We actually used that bassinet in our living room when Henry was a newborn & had him nap in there ontop of our coffee table. I miss those days!
Carseat – MESA / UPPAbaby
Extra Carseat Base ^ for Dada’s car – To be honest, we barely use our extra one. It’s not even set up in Sean’s car. Probably not super necessary unless Dad is driving baby to daycare or has baby a lot, etc
Carseat covers – We called this the Baby Paparazzi Cover. Love the Milk Snob brand, their material is super soft
For Momma
Pump/Milk storage/Nursing/Etc
Breast Pump – I got the Spectra & it worked perfectly for me. Absolutely no complaints, nice & quiet, efficient, small
Breastmilk Storage Bags – Lansinoh makes great products. Get the 100 count so you don’t have to worry about reordering. & do not buy the Medela storage bags because they suck
Nursing Pads – You’re going to need them
Reusable Nursing Pads – If you’re like me & care about our environment/like to use reusable things, I highly recommend Bamboobies. Get a few packs! & after you use them, you just throw them in the wash with your other clothes. Honestly, these ones are so much softer than the disposable ones. I used them way more often than the disposable ones
LaVie Lactation Massager – This thing was awesome. All I’m gonna say
Booby Tubes or Hot Cold Breast Ice Packs – I have both but it’s not necessary, although it is nice to see which ones you prefer. “Traditionally used to help ease breastfeeding discomfort, heat can help encourage milk flow, avoid clogged ducts, promote let-down and comfort the symptoms of infection, and cold is used to help reduce the swelling and tenderness of engorgement and weaning.”
Nipple cream
Prenatal
Prenatal vitamin – I did A LOT of research on this & Best Nest Wellness has the best one
Pregnancy pillow for sleeping
Compression socks (just wait until 3rd trimester)
Bio oil to avoid stretch marks
Postpartum
Kindred Bravely postpartum underwear
Nursing bras – As many as possible. I prefer the bras vs the tanks
Recovery Belly Wrap – wish I was joking 🙂 This was especially helpful for c-section recovery
*And in case you wondering if recreating my baby registry gave me baby fever – it definitely, definitely did*
xoxo
Chef Krista 