Best items to have on a registry

[MEPride]

Okay seasoned moms!!! I need your help. I am overwhelmed with all the baby essentials, nonessentials, wants, etc! I don't know what to put on my registry!!!! We haven't purchased much of anything yet since we were waiting to find out the baby's sex (ITS A GIRL!!! Yay!!!) but now I feel like time is running short!! I want to have my baby shower in July sometime or very early August so I feel like I need to get started on this registry asap so I can get invites out! A lot of people will be coming from out of state!



SO- seasoned mom's, what were the best things you used for your baby or that you wished you had as a first time mom?

And go! 💕💗

 

[MEPride]

Totally forgot!!! I'm planning to co-sleep with our girl but as we have a golden retriever that also likes to cosleep I would like to have a co-sleeper that attaches to my bed but is not IN my bed for safety's sake.

Recommendations?

 

[DobbyForever]

I'm a new mom, too. What I did was set up registry appointments with two stores (babies r us and buy buy baby). One, I wanted the free swag bag lol. Two, I know they are salespeople but they have experience/ knowledge of products. I scanned everything I wanted, everything I maybe wanted, and everything I wanted to compare. I literally walk up and down the aisles and ask myself huh would I buy this?

Then, over the course of many weeks, I started looking at reviews and articles about what you can and cannot skip.

I know that wasn't specific but when you go in they give you checklists/most registry sites have them. They have a lot on there you don't need right away but I find you can usually figure out the fluff/that's what we're here for

 

[MEPride]

Thanks 😄

I set up a registry with BabyList, which I found to be the best option. I couldnt decide who to set up a registry with because I was seeing things from many stores but BabyList allows me to create just one registry but with items from ANY store I choose.

Just looking for the things mom's found indispensable or things they wished they had the first time around. I can find checklists on Pinterest. I have a number pinned already.

 

[DobbyForever]

Would you consider something like a half crib style sleeper? Like the Chicco next to me co sleeping crib? Or do you want baby in, in the bed?

Yeah I heard great things about babylist but my mom's friends are old school and like to go to the store

My mom looooved her diaper genie if you're going disposable. I loved it as a 9 year old. It rocked. No smell, easy clean up. I hear you can never have too many burp cloths. I also hear slings are the way to go for carrying baby around the house. I registered for a baby k'tan sling at home and an ergo baby cool mesh carrier for outdoor adventures. I hear pack and plays are non essential but can be helpful if you have a large house/need to put baby down but be near you. Ummmm oh nose frida! All my mom friends swear by it.

 

[MEPride]

Excellent ideas! Thank you! We are cloth diapering so I don't think a diaper genie is necessary but it did remind me to put down a wet bag and hampers!

 

[dairymomma]

I LOVE my Aden and Anais muslin swaddling blankets that I got when DS was a baby. Perfect for swaddling and they are massive so you can use them as a nursing coverup, a burp rag, or a lightweight blanket when not swaddling.

I also cloth diapered my older kids and I found this trashcan with a latching lid that was perfect for dirty diapers. It was a smaller can (5 gallon bucket size?) so it wasn't too heavy for hauling to the washing machine even when filled with soaking diapers, and the latching lid kept the smell in really well. I'm hoping to cloth diaper bubs but unfortunately, my kids were playing with the can and busted the lid so I need to find another one.

And my other must-have is a really nice swing. My kids have all loved napping in a swing but I had a hard time finding one with really nice bright colors on it because at the time, neutral tones were the IT colors. So when I found one, I bought it and even after 10 years, it's still going so I'm using it for this baby.

 

[DobbyForever]

Oh want to add side snap onesies for nb and 3 months. And zipper pjs so you aren't buttoning when exhausted in the dark. Zip up sleeper gowns are the cool new thing. I also registered for like high chair toys. I HATE when kids throw their toys and their parents keep picking it up so I registered for toys that clip to the chair for unending throwing pleasure lol. I also chose infinity nursing scarves over traditional covers for fashion forward modesty. A car seat canopy, my friends like the car seat canopy company and you can get a $50 coupon from motherhood maternity I think from their in store gift bag. Just ask for it. No purchase necessary anymore. I'll keep thinking

 

[Scout]

It will, of course, be different for everyone, but these were my 'can't live without' items:

baby bouncer (portable place to put baby. I took her in the bathroom while I was bathing and in the kitchen while cooking)
swing (baby had diagnosed colic and the swing was the only thing that would help...swaddle tight, lay on side, strap her in and swing on high)
aden and anais swaddle blankets
sleeping bags
video monitor (every time baby would cry out or make a noise I'd go check on her. Then I got a video monitor so I could just look at the monitor, so much nicer than getting up over and over)
Nose Frida (looks gross, but does a great job..plus, unlike the suction thingy, you can clean it)
pacifiers if you plan to use one
baby wash clothes (so much softer and thinner than my usual
Pack n play (used it a lot when baby started crawling)
Car seat (if it's an infant seat and you have 2 cars that baby will be in, an extra base is nice to have)
stroller

Things I got at shower but didn't use:
baby bath (too much trouble. I just bathed with the baby)
hooded towels (didn't see the point. I have towels that completely cover baby)
lots of cute outfits (kept baby in sleep and plays most of the time)
Baby K'tan (baby hated being in it and I didn't really need it, although I did get a Boba 3G when she was bit older and used it some. Some women wear baby a lot, but I didn't have the need.)
wipes warmer

That's all I can think of right now. I didn't include any clothing, but I suppose the type I used most were sleep and plays (the one piece things that zip up) I got a few drawstring gowns which are great for changing a diaper, but my baby hated anything going over her head so I ditched those fairly quickly.

Good luck. I found it really overwhelming to walk into BabysRUs the first few times, but once I got a bit more organized with some lists it was easier.

 

[littlemisscie]

My changing table was the biggest waste of space and money. Never used it. We ended up with several little caddys throughout the house and changed baby on the couch/floor.

 

[DobbyForever]

I agree. My mom never had a changer. We just changed babies wherever lol. But I will say I loved having a changer/dresser when I babysat a couples one year old. Never changed him in the downstairs pack n play, too cramped. I liked all the room and having everything steady and handy versus changing my twin brothers on couches/beds/floors. It's a luxury, definitely. But if you have the spare $100-200 I'd get it. But if you're tight on cash, I'd spend that money elsewhere.

 

[jessmke]

If you are going to cloth diaper then some sort of change station will be helpful. We just have a change mat on top of DD's dresser, her diapers are in the top drawer of the dresser, cloth wipes are in a basket on top of the dresser, and dirty diaper bin is next to the dresser. When she was a newborn and in disposable diapers for a few weeks we would just change her wherever and throw the diaper out in the nearest garbage can, but if you need to take a cloth diaper to the wet bag/pail I just find it easier to have everything in one place.

For me there are very few actual necessities: sleepers/footed pajamas, ergo carrier and hiking backpack, cloth diapers and wipes, swaddle blankets, a Moses basket for baby to sleep in at night in my room, pack n play or something similar for baby to sleep in during the day in the living room, jogging stroller, car seat, swim diaper and swim suit (started swimming classes at 4 months old). Anything else just takes up space in my opinion. I didn't have a baby shower because I don't want people filling up my house with crap I don't need that is just going to create clutter and take up space. With baby #2 the only thing I am buying that I didn't have with baby #1 is a stretchy wrap. I didn't need to wear my DD around the house because she was perfectly content with being put down so I would just use the ergo when we would go out of the house, but now that I'll have a newborn and a toddler I feel like I will need to babywear more around the house while I chase after/play with DD.

 

[xdxxtx]

I'm expecting my fifth baby currently. My must-haves are.....

Moby Wrap (or other wrap - they have breathable ones and ones where you can wear baby on your back when they're a little older)

Co-sleeper (I have Arm's Reach since I roll around like a fool and also have two dogs in my bed. I can lay right up against it and nurse in a sidelying position while I rest.)

Muslin blankets (I keep my room cold and like to swaddle my babies at night time only. I use the same blankets to cover myself while nursing in public and to cover the stroller if one of my babies/kids is resting in it.)

Rocker/Bouncer/Swing (Each of my first three babies would only rest in ONE thing without being held... so I had all three, although only one would get used with each child. My fourth-born liked all three, so thank goodness, you just might use them all.)

Receiving blankets (My babies are prone to reflux, so they spit up a LOT. Burp cloths aren't enough for some of the projectile vomits some of them have had. Nursing really, really helps with reflux, but my babies spat up any time they got a bottle.)

Baby mild castile soap (Read the ingredients on most "baby washes" - yuck! There are a few other "premium" brands with safe ingredients, though.)

Bac-Out (I run my diapers through with it every so often so they don't stink. I didn't know about it when I was CDing my oldest, and since I make my own laundry detergent, I added tea tree oil to one bottle of it and used it exclusively for diapers... It did keep the stink out and got them cleaner, but I don't like the smell of tea tree, either!)

A few other things I can't do without that wouldn't make a registry... I make my own all natural, cloth diaper-safe diaper rash cream (let me know if you want the recipe - I found it on a blog), but I've also used California Baby brand (which smells terrible and doesn't work as well, but it is comparative to "Desitin," which my sister uses on her babies, in my opinion). I use a teeny bit of baby mild castile soap in their baths (my 5-year-old now likes to shower, so I make him a body wash out of a bar of castile soap).

 

[Impatient27]

Thanks for posting this, MEPride!! My hubby and I are in the same boat - starting registry stuff but completely overwhelmed by all the options, with no idea of what we are going to need... Loving the responses!!

xdxxtx - what's the recipe for the diaper rash cream?