What to Put On Your Baby Registry
Ahhh — you are expecting and ready to start purchasing items and/or putting together a registry of items to use once baby arrives! But where to start? I suggest reaching out to close friends who have similar lifestyle as you, and scoping out blogs of people whose style and point-of-view you admire. My baby boy is not even 5 mos yet as I write this, so keep that in mind as you read the list. Also, don’t feel like you need everything. Focus on the essentials and then adapt & adjust when your baby arrives. Most of parenthood, I’ve learned, is figuring it out as you go. And Amazon is a lifesaver :)
I hope this post provides some knowledge and inspiration for your baby registry or helps you pick the perfect baby gift for a loved one!
AT HOME
Brest Friend — this is my #1. Not aesthetically pleasing in the slightest but so functional. Especially in the early days when I was nursing 24/7, this helped save my sanity by encouraging better posture. There is a pocket in the Brest Friend - I keep his nail clippers & booger thingy (keep reading) in there
Snuggle Me infant lounger — used daily for first 6 wks.
White muslin blanket — kept this draped on the Snuggle Me so could easily throw in the wash & replace w another if he spit up
BabyBjorn Bouncer Bliss — use daily starting at like 2 mos or so. Entire thing comes off the metal frame for quick wash
Keekaroo Peanut Changer - love that it just wipes clean
Crib sheets - we have Solly Baby and RH Baby
Ubbi diaper pail — use regular trash bags
Bottles — we tried them all, but the Dr Browns worked best for us
Bottle warmer — super simple to use
Diapers — we tried Pampers & Huggies and preferred the latter!
ON THE GO
Pehr diaper bag — keep changing pad, a few diapers, wipes, a clean onesie, and portable sound machine in this and just throw in whatever bag you are carrying that day
Ergobaby — whenever Ty was fussy his first couple months, a dance party in this thing would send him into a slumber. Make sure you get the infant insert as well
Solly Baby wrap — so comfy and cute. Nice to have, but if only getting one carrier, suggest investing in something similar to the one above
Stroller — our parents went in on the Uppababy Vista for us. It’s a splurge, but such a smooth ride and really quality
Car seat — compatible with our stroller
Travel crib — don’t forget to pack a crib sheet when traveling!
Car seat cover — love this so much. He’d fall asleep in the car on the way to an errand. Throw this on when you arrive (I never use it while driving) and lock car seat into stroller and he’ll keep sleeping
Portable high chair — haven’t used yet
CLOTHING
Onesies — Have 10-12 total. Most long sleeve ones have fold over hand cuffs so they won’t scratch their little face! Faves include baby GAP, H&M, Target, Maisonette, & Kyte Baby
Swaddles — Have 3-5. They are constantly swaddled for the first few weeks of life. Lou Lou makes really soft and beautiful swaddles, and I highly recommend the HALO for nighttime sleep
Hats — have a few. They only wear the first few days of life — a little longer in colder months
Burp cloths — you’ll want 10-15 at least
Merlin sleep suit — at 12 wks we switched from swaddle to this sleep suit and he’s been sleeping all night long ever since
TOYS
Play mat — this leather play mat makes tummy time easier than on a blanket because it doesn’t bunch up
Teethers — love that he can’t drop this silicone bear teether. And he LOVES this colorful one
Board books — great for the early days since the illustrations are so basic and they can swat at the pages without getting paper cuts or ripping the paper. Favorites include these black & white ones and all the Sandra Boynton books
Paint palette — just the cutest!!!
Lovevery play kits — ok we just received our first kit…I ordered the 5-6 mo kit and I am so impressed with the quality! Ty is loving the toys so far — highly recommend.
WELLNESS
Pipette products — came for the packaging, stayed for the nice quality :)
Bathtub — use in kitchen sink in early days and then tub. So precious. Baby might want water warmer than you think! Ty screamed his first bath…turns out it wasn’t hot enough.
Hairbrush & scrubby thing — if your babe has cradle cap, this is great to scrub their little head during & after bath time to loosen up the flakes.
BIBS pacifiers — Tyler didn’t end up taking to the paci, but these are rated as the best. Also love a cute pacifier clip!
Nail clippers — keep in mind they won’t work for a bit bc their nails are so thin at first
Oogiebear — I scoop out ear wax and boogies when he’s eating hehe (keep it in the pocket of the Brest Friend)
Snotsucker — absolutely genius invention. Works well with this saline solution.
Dreft spray & detergent — if poop gets on clothes or bouncy or something, rinse off in sink, spray with Dreft, and throw into dirty hamper (keep a hamper just for baby laundry in their room). Wash all baby’s hamper items with his special detergent on delicates cycle
Baby Tylenol — I Instacart’d after his 2 mo. shots per our pediatrician, go ahead and get this so you have it
Hatch belly oil — gorgeous gift for a friend who’s expecting!
BOOKS
Baby book — this linen book is so beautiful, and not daunting to fill in. Make sure you use archival grade pens like Micron
Expecting Better — my sis-in-law gifted this to me when I was pregnant and I really appreciated the author’s data-backed information about pregnancy dos and don’ts
What to Expect — this is a tried and true resource for a reason, great to read throughout pregnancy
Moms on Call — this schedule has worked for us, but not in the early days. Ty was close to 6 lbs when we got home from the hospital, and our pediatrician told us at his one month check-up that the MOC schedule would have been too rigorous to try to implement until he got bigger. Our pediatrician’s guidance helped to take the pressure off of getting on a perfect schedule right away.
