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| W in his Jeep stroller, all snuggled up for a visit to Crystal Bridges |
I registered on: Walmart.com, target.com, amazon.com. & babiesrus.com (& in store). The Babies R Us was a good experience & it was fun to see everything in person, although sometimes Babies R Us stores can be a little run-down in aesthetics. All websites, except Walmart, offer all of the main brands you want, with Amazon & Babies R Us, having the greatest assortment. I also found the Walmart registry the most difficult and frustrating to use, as every time you click on a product, you have to re-log-in to your account. Hopefully they will fix this in the future.
After looking at tons of products and reading so many reviews, there are a few things I've learned:
- In the baby world, the best products are not always the most expensive or the nicest brand...my reco: read the customer reviews!
- Every baby is different, so it doesn't hurt to a) register for multiple things you think could work or b) register for just one thing and then buy what you think your baby will like, after they arrive
- If you go with option a, like I did, over-register for items; I recommend putting everything you think you could possibly want on there and you can always change your mind later
- Let your husband shop with you/have some input. This is a really fun way to get him involved and let him learn about everything too.
- Not everything needs to be brand new. If there are items you registered for but didn't receive and they're on the higher end, you can usually buy a gently used item for about 50% less! You can look at retail stores like Once Upon a Child, Facebook for resale groups and of course, Craigslist.
- After your baby is here, there are quite a few things you have and won't end up using and things you will discover you would like! Save some gifts cards for post-baby arrival!
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| W's fav place to lounge: his bouncy seat from Aunt Whitney |
What's listed today:
- For Mom (Breastfeeding, Bottle Feeding & Accessories)
- For Baby at Home (Pack N Play, Monitor, Nap Time. Baby Holders)
- For Baby (Clothing, Activities, Toys)
- Out and About (Strollers & Baby Carriers)
- If you're planning to breast feed:
- Breast pump: everyone I spoke to recommended getting Medela brand. A lot of company's insurance covers the cost of a breast pump, look I go that before you buy. Here's the one I got: breastpump
- In addition to the pump, I received/bought:
- a pumping starter kit which is great for additional storage, etc (it had extra containers with lids etc)
- Breast pump bags, great for freezer storage; Lansinoh's are my favorite. Medela has a pump & save bag, which is really cool/efficient, but it doesn't flatten well in the freezer for storage
- Lansinoh has the best breast therapy products:
- Breast therapy pearls...you can cool or heat them: Lansinoh Therapy
- Lanolin - there's was my favorite because it's smooth/not greasy & doesn't have a strong smell. The hospital gave me the Medela brand & it has a strong odor/residue left on your clothing. Lansinoh Lanolin
- Pillow - ton of people use a Boppy. I never liked using mine. I just use one of our old, down-filled couch pillows to prop under my arm! Works great!
- Hands-free Breast pumping bra: I bought this one from Amazon, & it does allow your pumping to be hands free, which is nice! Warning for when you use it: you will feel like a cow. It's just part of it! ;) laugh it off and be thankful you have the opportunity to breast feed your child! Like this one: Hands-Free Bra
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| W on his playmat |
- Bottle Feeding
- Bottles - Multiple friends recommended the Dr. Brown's bottles & that's what we have. For all of the benefits they claim to offer, I recommend them too if you're giving your Baby formula. There are a few things to note though about Dr. Brown's:
- You need to buy 2 sizes of bottles: small & large (DB's come in 4oz & 8oz)
- Make sure the bottles you get have a travel lid or are leak-proof. The white disks that come with DB's do not prevent leaking. You need the travel/screw-top lids.
- The DB's have a lot of parts/pieces vs other bottles do not.
- If you're breast feeding, I recommend the Avent bottles.
- Additional notes on bottle feeding:
- Don't get too many of one brand, as your baby may show a preference for a certain type of nipple preference & you don't want to be stuck with a bunch of bottles baby doesn't like.
- Also, William was a very unpredictable bottle feeder. At first, we thought it was the bottle nipples but it wasn't. My point: don't necessarily assume you'll need to spend a fortune on types of nipples, your baby just may be slow to adjust to bottle feeding.
- Bottle warmer - you don't need one, but it's nice to have. We have the Dr. Brown warmer which works great for DB bottles but it's almost too narrow to fit other brands). It will also heat foods, once baby starts to take them. Bottle Warmer
- Transport for breast milk
- Cooler - I found this really cute one at TJ Maxx. It almost acts as a mini diaper bag when I'm on the go and don't want to tote my larger bag around.
- Ice packs
- Tommee Tippee - this glorified thermos is awesome for warming up breast milk on the go, or even at home Travel Bottle Warmer
Cute cooler from TJ Maxx - Bottles - Multiple friends recommended the Dr. Brown's bottles & that's what we have. For all of the benefits they claim to offer, I recommend them too if you're giving your Baby formula. There are a few things to note though about Dr. Brown's:
- Cleaning
- Grass - I love the large Boon grass yard, I use it everyday Large Boon Grass Drying Rack
- Grass accessories - it's really nice to have 2 of the accessories because they help dry the breast pump equipment at an angle and also, hold all the small parts of a bottle Boon Grass Accessories
- Bottle brush
- Optional dishwasher rack - whether you want one or not depends on your dishwasher and if you are planning to give your baby formula 100% of time. If I used bottles more than 1x - 2x//day, I would buy one.
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| W likes taking naps in his Rock N Play Puppy |
For Baby at Home
- Diaper Genie Elite - the step peddle is super handy & I'm glad we have 2 of these, one for upstairs & one for downstairs. Don't forget to register for refills! They're expensive but Walmart does have a private label offering now! Diaper Genie Elite
- Pack N Play - we have 2
- We got the deluxe pack and play which is great to have downstairs as our changing table & a place where William can nap/rest during the day. If you have 1 level home, a basic pack n play should be fine! Deluxe Playard
- We also got the travel pack n play for 2 reasons:
- We knew we would be traveling to see family & wanted to mak site we had a lighter one for transport
- We had constant family visitors in town for about the 1st 6 weeks of Williams life! We kept this one in our bedroom at nighttime & kept he deluxe one in the living room so William could be changed without people coming into our bedroom! (While I was napping or something! This is the one: Travel Pack N Play
- Monitor - this was the item that was most difficult to find a consensus on while reading customer reviews. Therefore, we went with the basic model and it works great! There really is no need to spend several hundred dollars on a monitor, unless you feel like it.
- One important thing to note: make sure to buy a monitor that allows you to add additional cameras to it, for when you have baby #2! I learned that families were having to buy new systems because their sets didn't allow them to add a 2nd camera.
- Baby Monitor
- Changing pad & table
- Changing table - the trend seems to be to not have one of these in the babies room, but I love having one. This way, I don't have to bend-over/get on the floor with each change.
- 2 changing covers for each changing pad you have. I bought two minky dot covers from Target and they're so soft for baby to lay on while being changed. Changing Pad Covers
- Receiving blankets - ended up using receiving blankets as a changing pad cover, so that anytime a diaper leaked/etc, we didn't have to change the cover. It's also useful for quickly wiping off diaper cream before you wash your hands.
- Bath time
- Blooming bath - if you plan on bathing your baby in the kitchen sink at first, this thing is a must! It's so soft and cushiony, the baby is comfortable and you don't have to worry about them slipping out of your hands! We continued to use it as a liner in Williams big plastic bath until he outgrew it. Blooming Bath
Safe in his soft Blooming Bath
- Plastic tub - reco Fisher Price because it has the foam backing to go under the baby's full body vs the basic one just has the backing under their back & they can still slip/slide around Plastic Bathtub
- Mesh bathing seat - these work great, the only problem is the baby is sitting in the air, not in a little water (like the tub). I imagine we'll use this one a lot when William is bigger.
- Wash cloths - the cheapie, no edged ones hold up better than the more expensive ones with an edge. The ones with an edge get all of those gross small fuzzy balls on them when you wash them.
- Hooded towels - the thick ones are great! Avoid the thin/cheap ones as they don't help keep the baby warm, post-bath.
- Bathing sets - variety sets (baby shampoo/lotion) are a great thing to receive, so you can test all of the brands: Johnson & Johnson, Aveeno, Shea Moisture, Burt's Bees, the Honest Co., Califrotnis Baby. Our favorites are Shea Moisture & Burt's Bees, due to the luscious scents; our least favorites are Honest Co. (due to the scent) & California Baby (due to it being unscented)
For Baby
- Clothing - I don't recommend registering for blankets or clothing, as people will get you plenty of those! They seem to be the most favorite gifts to be given!
- Muslin blankets - these lightweight blankets are excellent for spring/summer babies, because you can use them for everything! Swaddle, burp cloth, nursing cover, car seat cover, etc! I recommend you have at least 6 in rotation. I received the Aiden & Anais brand but any will do!
- Activities
- Play mat - William has used this since he was 1 week old. It's great for tummy time or just play time on babys back. Infantino Playmat
- Mobiles - we have 3
- Because we have 2 floors, I needed a mobile that was portable/could attach to the pack n play. This is the only one was able to find. It's great & W loves it. It's the Tiny Love brand Portable Mobile
- For his crib, I wanted a really cute mobile (not the big tacky kind from Fisher Price). We got him a mobile from Zambia & it's beautiful, but it doesn't okay music,etc. my mom got William one of the really cool mobiles with music, lights & characters. He LOVES it. So I have changed my mind about thinking they're tacky & have ordered this one from Babies R Us :) Deluxe Mobile from Fisher Price
W enjoying his mobile crib while in his Pack N Play - Jumperoo - your baby won't use this until later but they're a little pricey, so it's nice to go ahead and get one. We got this one from Fisher Price Fisher Price Jumperoo & William loves it
- Toys -
- Sophie the giraffe is one of Williams favorites
- Register for any of the small, toys with mirrors, patterns, etc. as they're fun for baby to stare at
- Baby holders - we have one of each!
- Auto bouncer - we call this Williams lounger, he LOVES IT. I put him in this all the time with a toy & he is usually so happy Auto Bouncer
- Mamaroo - this is not a need to have & it's pricey but I will say William took a lot of naps in his! If you do get one, make sure to get the infant insert for when they're small.
W napping in his Mamaroo
- Rock n play - I almost didn't get one of these but I'm so glad someone gave it to us (after he came!); it's great for when he was smaller 1-2 mos for sleeping around the house/outside & now that he's older & likes to cuddle, he's taking daytime naps in it! We got the snug a puppy. Rock N Play Puppy
- High chair - again, your baby won't use this until later but they're a little pricey, so it's nice to go ahead and get one.
- Bumbo - William really likes sitting in his Bumbo seat. You can also feed your little one in it!
W eating sweet potatoes in his Bumbo seat
Out & About
- Strollers
- We received a car seat base and it was awesome! We used it multiple times each day up until our baby was about 4 months old and he started wanting out of the car seat Stroller Car Seat Base
- I recommend getting a jogging stroller than can hold a car seat; it makes such a smooth ride for baby and it is very easy for mom to push while on a stroll. They can be quite bulky though to put into a car. It fits easily into my SUV but the trunk of a car would be a challenge. A lot of people I know have a BOB stroller; I got mine from Walmart & love it. Whichever one you get, make sure it has a wheel that locks & unlocks. There are quite a few joggers that don't unlock and then they're not good for strolling around. Jogging Stroller
- Go ahead and register for the umbrella stroller you want too, even though your baby won't use it for a while. We really like this one from Jeep: Jeep Stroller
- Car seats
- I got the Chicco Keyfit 30 for William because I call it virtually parent proof ;) it has an easy install base & the carseat very easily pops in and out of the base. Chicco Keyfit 30
- Definitely register for a second base (the carseat should come with one), so you can easily transfer the seat between your car & your husbands car
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| W in his Chicco Keyfit30 enjoying the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks |
- Baby carriers
- I wasn't sure if we would like using one or not, so we got a basic infantino carrier; William loved it once he was old enough to face out Baby Carrier
- A lot of people I know like the Moby wrap or the Ergo carrier
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| W hiking it up in his baby carrier |
