With a lot of my cute friends due with babies lately, I thought I would put together my own "Must Haves" baby items list. This is kind of long, but I know what it's like to sit on the computer for hours trying to find the perfect registry list to mimic! I found a bunch and then just registered for the most consistent items and asked my friends about the rest and that's how we made our haul and I am pretty happy with all the items we use.
FIRST OF ALL, every baby and every family is different. If I have learned anything as a mother it is - "Google it - try it. If it does work: Google it and try something else"! (<- Not joking) I ask my friends and family lots of questions and that helps, too! Also, I have learned as a mother to try not to compare you baby (or LIFE) with others - they are all different. What works for Marlo, may not work for other babies, however, it's always nice to know what has worked for others. It's already hard enough being a Mom - don't make it harder. I avoid the drama and try not to get too involved in
totally legit Facebook discussions and that helps :)
Watch this video. It's all so true! I can relate to completely.
I'll put it in a ABC order and also try and link the actual item I have...
For Baby:
Aspirator - The
NoseFrida ROCKS! It's so weird at first but it gets the boogies out better than anything else! Come their first cold, you'll be so grateful you have this. (I know I was!)
Bath Time Goodies - We borrowed
this tub (but in pink) from my sister. It's perfect and hopefully in the next month we won't need it for Marlo anymore because she will be sitting up. We never bathed Marlo in the sink because I didn't want to worry about keeping my sink clean at all times - although it would have been a great motivator! We use Johnson's for Shampoo and Body Wash. The lavender scent smells so good!
Bed - Marlo slept in a
bassinet (it was propped up in a holder) for the first 3 months and then we transitioned her to her crib (my Dad made our crib - it's amazing). I have a pack 'n play but haven't used it yet. We were originally planning on putting her in the pack 'n play in her room and I am so grateful we got a bassinet passed down to us from a friend to use instead. WAY smaller and more compact. I will definitely use the pack 'n play as she gets older and may need a "cage" to keep her out of things.
Blankets - Aden and Anis swaddles are EVERYTHING! People build them up for a reason. A 4-pack will be plenty. Then I would get a few floor blankets that are think and fluffy. Believe it or not, we have NO minky blankets! Mostly because no one got us any, but I think it's fine. Also, to make your swaddling easier - try
this. So helpful! Marlo was swaddled to bed for the first 3 months and now we use a
sleep sack which is so great, too. No blankets in the crib - and take off your bumpers - to reduce risk of SIDS.
Boppy - So I ordered the free one you can get online (only pay $12 in shipping) but I totally regret it because it's small. It does the job, but sometimes I have to prop her up more with a pillow wedged. Next baby, I am totally getting
one of these! Even if you don't breastfeed, this is great for on the floor, propping them up after you feed them a bottle, or to use while feeding them a bottle. Your hubby will thank you too because their arms get tired during those long few hour naps :)
Bottles - I like
MAM and
Dr. Browns. Marlo takes either really well. Lately, she has preferred the MAM because it has a faster flow (even though I have a slower nipple on it) than the Dr. Browns BUT, I like to keep her flow slow because I still breastfeed her and you better believe it doesn't come that fast! And I love
this for drying bottles and such. It's classy and doesn't take up a lot of room. (
If you plan to bottle feed or you aren't sure, I wouldn't buy a bunch of bottles. (If you are exclusively bottle feeding, not sure what to tell you because we aren't at that point.) You may get a ton for gifts - I would take it back to get store credit so you only have 1 of each type to try out and then asses how many bottles you will need. We have too many, probably. ALSO - Just buy the big one's. They move up to eating 4-6 ounces so fast that the little bottles are useless! Even our lightweight can down a 6 oz bottle and has been since she was 3 months.)
Bouncer - We just bought a used bouncer that vibrates for $10 and I am glad we did because Marlo doesn't care for it now, she loved it when she was younger. If your baby is bigger, they will grow out of it fast. But Marlo is small and still fits in hers, she just can sit up in the Bumbo now. (P.S - You don't need to buy a Bumbo for about 4 months so don't stress about having it right away.)
A lot of my friends have this one but I love this one but it's pricey.
Breastfeeding - I use
this pump, but, if I did it all over again I would buy a much smaller and simpler pump. I tried to double pump once and I was a mess. It couldn't even handle it and it started leaking my milk in the tubes! Nightmare. Anyway - take it from me, who has a good relationship with the pump, you don't need a double pump. I won't go into much more detail about pumping, but if you have any questions, let me know. (
If you know you're going to pump, which I highly recommend even if you are going to stay home with your baby (you never know when you may need a bottle or extra supply), I would ask the hospital for LOTS of milk storage bags. They only gave me a few samples so I had to buy some, which is fine because they are fairly inexpensive, but I heard if you ask they will give you a lot!)
A few tips on keeping your supply up:
Fenugreek (totally works),
LOTS of water (you will be totally parched every time you breastfeed - trust me - Nephi hates it because if I don't have my water he has to get up (even during the night) to get me water or else I feel like I am going to die),
oatmeal (it's magical), and
Mother's Milk Tea (just used this the other day because I had a supply scare and it worked SO well!).
Breastfeeding is hard, scary, and so emotional. Again, I won't go into much more detail but I have had an interesting experience that if you are interested in hearing, ask away :).
Carrier - We registered and got an
Ergo 360. Mostly because I knew Nephi wouldn't wear a cloth sling and because I felt like it was sturdier and after doing my research it proved to be the best for what we were specifically looking for. I have tried the
Solly Baby Wrap and I REALLY liked it for me. Next baby, I will get one. It would have been convenient many times and great for bonding. I never really got into the baby-wearing thing and I wish I did - not that it's too late. We just recently started putting Marlo in the Ergo more around the house because she has been having days where she wants to be held and she really likes it! She faces outward and falls asleep sometimes in it. We are training her for when we go to Hawaii in a few weeks :)
Carseat - This was by far the HARDEST thing to shop for! I read blogs after blogs about it and tried to find one not ridiculously expensive that I would regret it, but save and long lasting. Just DON'T get a Graco! They always have recalls on them. They seems so appealing with the travel system, but just resist that urge. I got the
Chicco KeyFit 30 and we really like it. It's actually bigger and little heavier than I would like, but, it has great reviews. Ideally, you want something for 35 lbs. and this is for 30 lbs., but she will probably be too tall for it anyway when she gets up to that weight so we will have to switch out to a forward facing. (That will be another major challenge.)
Diapers - Everyone told me Papers Swaddlers were the best - and they were pretty great! We used them for newborn (which she was in those for the first month - not typical) and then we used what everyone else gave us. We've used: Huggies Little Snugglers, Target ("Up & Up"), Walmart ("Parent's Choice"), LUVS, and Honest Company. Here's my ranking:
1) Pampers Swaddlers for newborn and even size 1 (they are just a little pricey)
2) Target for everything else! Usually on sale with gift cards and work so great. They actually run a little big too. Marlo is still in size 1. She will probably move up to a size whenever we run out of the size 1. You can always fold the diaper down in the front.
3) LUVS - Cheap and cute! They work great. The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't have a wet indicator on it so you can't just check to see if their wet by looking at the outside of the diaper.
4) Huggies Snugglers - She's had a few more blowout's in these. I think they run small.
5) Parent's Choice - Also a few blowout's in these and I think they run small as well. They are really cheap though so not a terrible option to save money.
6) Honest Company - I know, I know - they are cute, and organic, but they don't absorb a BIT! We just got a pack as a gift and Nephi could not wait to get rid of them. Her poop would just slosh around in it - ha! Sorry for the detail. But it was bad. Bad blowouts. I would only use if Marlo had an allergy to normal diapers.
People say that there are better diapers for girls than boys - I wouldn't know. But worth some experimenting! ALSO - This blog SAVES me! I always forget a good price on diapers per piece to look for and when I wanted to stock up I didn't want to buy too much and have her grow out of them so I looked at her blog dozens of times...a week...her blog stats probably highlight that she has a stalker in Idaho Falls. Ha! Hard to stock up on inventory when kids are different but I haven't met 1 person her doesn't like the Target brand so I would stock up on size 1 to start (3 jumbo packs would be a good supply).
Clothes - I only know from a baby girl perspective, but I would evaluate what you get from your shower (I didn't really register for specific clothes - only white onesies) based on sizes and essentials. I think you want 4-6 pj's (if Marlo didn't mess or spit up, she wears jammies 2 nights in a row - bad Mom?), 6 white onesies (long sleeves with the mitts are great for newborns), and then you add on however many outfits after that! Marlo didn't have a ton of clothes for her size at first and now she is in 3-6 months and can still wear some 0-3 and has a ton of clothes! BUT, she is very skinny, but tall/average, so she's hard to shop for. I'm still learning, but I am glad I returned a bunch of pj's because I had a lot of footsie onesies and I like to dress Marlo in outfits during the day and then consider
most footsie onesies as pj's - but that's just me.
If you're having a girl, just ask me where to shop for bows and headbands!
Diaper Bag - I have a
City Carryall diaper bag by Petunia Pickle Bottom. They don't have my style anymore, but I LOVE it. It's a great size for us because we honestly don't cart around too much. I love the size, it has great pockets, easy to clean, and have a fold out diaper changing station (that is kinda of small but still great). It's hard to choose the best size and fit but I really like this one. For me, I just wanted one that was neutral but matched me, and that has a zipper on top!
I would highly recommend a diaper pouch so you don't have to take your whole diaper bag to the changing room. My sister made me a super cute one and I love it!
Formula - We like
Similac a lot and Sam's Club brand. Marlo hasn't had any bad reactions or constipation from it. It's a great supplement for her when she needs it. The best advice I got was if 1 kind works - stick with it and don't experiment too much! I have a bunch of samples and she has tried Enfamil before too and was fine so I may just try to finish using that up because formula is EXPENSIVE! (One of my biggest motivators to keep breastfeeding is to avoid the formula bill.)
Glider/Rocker - I just bought one on a garage sale group on Facebook for $30 and then my grandpa made cushions for it with the fabric I picked out! At first she didn't really care for it, but now Nephi rocks her in it before she goes to bed each night. It's not a game changer for her, but it looks cute in her room! Next baby, I want to splurge on
one of these! It would be more comfortable for me to sleep in if needed.
Humidifier - Love having a
humidifier. In their first few weeks they will be naturally a little congested from being in the womb so the moisture can help with that. And when they get their first cold you will be so glad you just have it and you don't have to go out and buy one mid-panic. Just BUY one (or register for one) NOW!
Try and find a spot in your room and their room where to put it. You may need to improvise but it's worth not having the nursery look totally cute.
Monitor - No joke, we use
this set (its considered VINTAGE now!). My Mom used it when I was a baby! But she brought it over when she came for the birth and I thought it was a joke but we kept it and it works great. Marlo isn't very mobile yet so I am not too worried but we will need a video monitor soon I am sure.
This is the one I want based on
this blog post. Also, would love to have
this but I am not as paranoid as I thought I would be because we don't elevate the crib and we took the bumpers off and she doesn't sleep with a blanket.
Stroller - This one the second hardest item to choose! I assumed I would get a travel system but then was talking to my sister and friend and they both said NOT to get a travel system but to get a nicer stroller and that it would be worth it. They suggested the
City Select by Baby Jogger and after doing my research, I was convinced! Like cars and other technology, strollers upgrade and get new features all the time. This made me super anxious that I would buy something and then a new and improved version would come out! So, I knew I had to have the 2014 version of whatever I had. That made my decision more expensive, but, my group gift at my shower in AZ was money for the stroller which I had hoped to use it on the car seat and stroller, but, ended up just using it on the stroller. I got mine on a super sale and haven't seen it lower since. This nice thing about the City Select is that they have a version that you can turn it into a double stroller. You have to buy those attachments but when that times, we will do that. At least we already bought the more expensive part (not even using out own money). I have to say that I was worried I would have buyers remorse but I have NONE! It's a little heavy, but compacts flat (you have to take the seat off) and then you have to buy an attachment for the car seat. We used it as much as we can and now Marlo is big enough that we can just put her in the seat part instead of having to bring the car seat.
Swing - Some kids don't like to swing and that knowledge terrified me about buying a swing! I didn't want to pay a lot of money (or even $20) on a swing and then Marlo not even like it! So, we just borrowed one from Nephi's aunt and it's been great! I didn't have to pay for it AND I don't have to store it (MAJOR PLUS). She likes to swing side-to-side (not front to back) and she takes her naps in it. It was really great when she was a newborn because when she slept all the time and I had to do things I could just buckle her in there. Now, we use it as a tool to actually get her to take a nap. She will take 2-3 hour naps in that thing! If you had to choose between a swing and a bouncer, that would be a hard choice because you never know what your baby will like more!
I hope this helped you think of items to add or take off your registry! It can be overwhelming and everyone today me just to wait till she gets here to get everything - but I am glad I didn't wait on everything :) Good luck!
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