My Registry Must-Have’s
I don’t know about you: but all the information out there on what we need to have when we are pregnant can be extremely overwhelming.
I remember when I realized I should probably register for stuff I kinda just sat there looking at my phone completely confused! I really wanted to be sure we weren’t registering for items just to register for them, and as I mentioned in a previous post: we are sharing our room with our baby so there was also the issue of space.
I have been babysitting since the age of 8, and was a full time nanny for 8 years. On top of that, among my best friends I have 9 gorgeous nieces and nephews. So thankfully, there were A LOT of things I already knew…however: every parent is different, every kid is different, and also…nowadays, there isn’t anything you cannot buy that has some sort of ability to be linked to your phone: and that’s where I was super uneducated. Because when the kids I nannied were growing up, we weren’t connecting their cribs to our phones, or allowing a patch in their armpit to tell our phone if they had a fever…
SO MANY items now are SO tech-based, and I found myself wondering if that was really necessary? I have mentioned in a previous blog: we have been lent the Snoo for our baby by one of my best friends. Apparently: over her 6 years of being a mom of 4, this bassinet changed everything. I am SO grateful we get to use it: but I’ll tell you, no way in hell would we have bought one no matter how much people rave about it because of that price point. I am really stoked to have it, because more than one mom has echoed my besties sentiment that the experience they had having children before the Snoo was around, versus after is VASTLY different. So, if you’re at all interested: ask around and see if any friends purchased it that would lend it to you for 0-6 months, and if not, look into the rental program!
Even with what I already knew about kids, and ALL the things we were given as hand-me-downs from other moms, I STILL found myself getting overwhelmed. I mean, it’s the internet: look ANYTHING up and half the internet will say no, the other half will say yes. Seriously: google white bread: half the internet says it’s good for you, half says it’s bad. Google about a baby seat: half the internet tells you it will hurt your baby, the other half says it’s a life saver. I even asked my FB friends if they liked the mamaroo and literally it was a 50/50 split of some kids LOVING it and some parents having to resell it cuz their kid hated it.
So: just know this is here as a guide: and you need to be sure you are registering for what you think will work best for you guys. And I say think because we don’t KNOW: we will never KNOW what our baby is gonna like until they’re here. And even then..they could like something and then…hate it. So always remember to go easy on yourself and trust YOUR instincts.
This is titled “My registry Must-Have’s” so I should probably get into that for ya! What did I KNOW I just HAD to HAVE for our baby? HA! Just as I was getting started, I’m going to stop you right there, because the registry should NOT just be about baby! It needs to be about mama too! So often we get so swept up in cute clothes and being pregnant we forget how imperative it is to set ourselves up for a slow, nurturing, fourth trimester. And so, your registry needs to include items for the birthing person AS WELL!
I will also add: I did not need to register for a stroller or a car seat because I’m literally the luckiest person on earth and was given 2 car seats as hand me downs, and I found the compatible stroller on FB for 1/4 the price. Mom’s LOVE giving their stuff away they’re not using anymore. So ask your friends, let them offer, and even browse FB groups and “For Free” groups: you’d be surprised what you can find! I even am giving a friend an entire bag of stuff we were given that we just don’t have a need or space for!
Also: if you have insurance, there is a high chance they will cover your breast pump: so check on that before you register for one.
Okay: Here we go:
Fridababy Big Bundle of Joy-This includes stuff for baby AND mama: the first thing I actually registered for was the Mom Washer. And then as I was about to add the Nose Frida: this kit popped up and I heard angels singing. It has ALL THE TOP HITS from Fridababy: it was one of the first gifts somebody got us from the registry and I KNOW it is going to be such a blessing we have all these items once baby is here!
Keekaroo Peanut Changer-So remember how I mentioned technology? I ALMOST registered for a changing table that like weighs your baby or something and then I realized: Im gonna be like wiping his butt on this thing…NO! And I did a bunch of research, and ended up choosing this one because as I mentioned: his changing station is on a dresser: we don’t have like an actual changing table. I liked that this would stay put on the dresser, and I also liked that it doesn’t need a cover: so there’s less to deal with. It’s water and puncture resistant and if it gets anything on it, I can easily wipe it down! It’s also something I can easily move. So if I end up spending all day in the living room,I can have it out there, and once he’s rolling it has a security strap to help keep him in place.
Breast Friend-This I actually did NOT register for! I registered for a Boppy pillow, but my mom’s friend got me this instead because her daughter had a baby a year ago and said she couldn’t live without it. It’s in my hospital bag as I type.
Lansinoh Therapearl 3-IN-1 Breast Therapy-The same mama that told me to register for the Mom Washer told me to get these. I will tell you, I have also been given these little silver things from a company that SWEARS the silver keeps your nipples from getting sore. But because I haven’t breastfed before, and I have no idea if that’ll work, I went and added these because I love that they can be cooled to help with pain, or warmed up: to help with clogged ducts.
ABC Baby Line-There is NO way I will put ANY product on my baby that isn’t of the highest safest quality, and Arbonne is the ONLY company I trust. Arbonne bans 2,000 ingredients it deems unnecessary or harmful and all the products are botanically based. The ABC line has everything you need: Diaper cream, hair & body wash, body lotion, and sunblock. I actually use this sunblock because it’s so good! It’s vegan, cruelty free, non-GMO, kosher, as I mentioned botanically based: and every mom I know that uses this line LOVES IT! I even know mom’s who were able to help reduce or eliminate their kid’s eczema because of these!
Infant Optics Video Baby Monitor DXR-8- Talk about technology frying your brain! OMG the monitor’s these days! You can check their heart rate with them: it was really overwhelming to figure this out, because also…I’m not spending or registering for a monitor that’s like $500! It took me a lot of time to decide on the Infant Optics: I did NOT want to have my phone on me to see what was happening or need wifi. So this was definitely the best choice for us!
Blooming Bath Bath Cushion- Our bathroom isn’t gigantic, and I know in the beginning he’ll be getting baths in the sink. My mom got us an awesome bathtub for him: but it’s WAY TOO big for our sink, so I also registered for this cushion. What’s great is it can go IN a bathtub in the sink, or just in the sink itself! And I think it’s super cute. I had seen it a long time ago, and then when asking around enough mama’s I knew had good things to say!
Baby Seat/Bouncer- THIS WAS INTENSE. Remember I mentioned the mamaroo earlier? First off: there are SO MANY on Next-door and Facebook that people are selling: and they’re in great shape. So this was where I struggled a bit. I didn’t want to jump into it with a swing, I figured we’d start with a seat and see if he needed one. And all my years as a nanny: a little vibrating seat worked wonders for baby and mama when she needed to be able to you know…DO THINGS. After all the mixed reviews on the high tech seat, I decided to keep it old school and get a Fischer Price vibrating bouncer seat. I actually got 2: one as a monkey for my mom’s house so he’d have a place to chill there, and the puppy one for us. It was easy to build and I think he’ll love it. My client ended up also giving me the Bjorn bouncer. Much easier to put together: because you just take it out of the box, and super easy to transport. Unlike the snuggle puppy. So I’m happy we have both because the Bjorn can come with us places and be put anywhere, and the snuggle puppy can stay at home. Also: the snuggle puppy has a little white noise function which I think is going to be great!
Dr. Brown's Options+ All in One Baby Bottle and Bottle Warmer Gift Set- I’m a fan of gift sets, guys. I was given a few bottles from friends that are NOT Dr. Browns, because apparently sometimes babies don’t like certain bottles. So we have some options. But what I LOVED about this kit is it truly has everything we need: different bottle sizes and nipples, the warmer, a sterilizer kit….everything. I love it.
Reusable ice packs and underwear- Back to mama! If you know me: you know I don’t like creating waste. I have known for years that frozen maxi pads soaked in witch hazel are important and that I’ll need depends. But my problem with those: is they’re disposable and create waste. I am getting a small pack of depends for the hospital, because we can’t do laundry there obviously, and I won’t have a fridge. I am going to be bringing my reusable pads, just in case: when I got my period (pre pregnancy obvious), I’d use a sea sponge and cloth pads by Glad Rags. I also have period underwear: but not the cool kind. The kind you wear at night and don’t let you husband touch you in lol PERFECT FOR POST DELIVERY! I was trying to figure out though, how to also provide relief a la “frozen maxi pads.” And thankfully I found some AMAZING products! So, I have my giant underwear, my cloth pads from Glad Rags, I ALSO was gifted some Thinx, and then I found TendHer Reusable Pads! They’re gel, can be made cold OR warm, and come with washable reusable sleeves!! This left me with just one other question: if I’m bleeding on my pad, but I also have this gel pad…how does this all fit or even work?
ENTER Nyssa Care! Three women created this AMAZING product after THEIR fourth trimester experience and I think it’s going to change the game. They call them “Fourth Wear” and they are for postpartum from vaginal OR cesarean births! It’s underwear with a pocket that accommodates a heat or an icepack and can be worn folded down or pulled all the way up!! So NOW I can put the gel pad IN my Fourthwear with a cloth liner and not worry!! I also love that they’re female owned, small, and support BOTH cesarean and vaginal births!
*Before my best friend made my shower invites I had her look over my registry and the one thing she told me I didn’t have that was a must was the Babybum Diaper Cream Brush. So, I added it immediately and am already grateful for it!
So: there you have it! The 10 things I absolutely felt were necessary to have on our registry, plus the awesome bum brush!
ALSO! I used Myregistry because you can synch items from different places: and they have an app which made it really convenient when I found something to add it, and I was able to put them in categories, so I literally had a “For mama” category. I will tell you: pretty much all the items for me, I ended up getting myself after my shower. Because we are so hard wired to get stuff for the baby, forgetting that the birthing person needs help too: so, put stuff FOR YOU and your body on that list. And friend’s of birthing people: GET THEM THINGS JUST FOR THEM.
(My husband actually told me years ago after his best friend had a baby, he bought the wife a gift certificate to get a massage and she called him because NOBODY else got her ANYTHING after her baby was born and it meant so much that somebody thought of HER.)
Please keep that in mind. Babies don’t need tons of clothes: you can get organic cotton onesies in bulk and they’ll be more than fine. Babies don’t need chairs you can control from your phone: they love being held. They also don’t need a $200.00 pillow (I googled the doc a tot and could NOT believe the price... I grew up in the 80s where you’d put the baby in the middle of the bed and WE WERE FINE. Granted: if we were doing co sleeping, I may have considered it.
What I’m trying to say is: babies don’t need the bells and whistles. They need love, and they need their caretaker being cared for too. So please, put items on your registry for you and don’t feel weird about it: YOU ARE GIVING BIRTH TO A HUMAN. And friends and family: before you go get some cute stroller toy and onesie: get the birthing person/any new parent something for their healing. Happy parent= happy baby. That simple.