Registry thread

babymakes9

Questions on what to register for? Or how many? Suggestions from STM+ on must haves or what to skip? Put them here.

SarahFoley725

NOSE FRIDA YOU NEED A NOSE FRIDA 

Yes, they seem gross but I promise you need one. Those bulb suckers are useless. Nose Frida is life

mrsgunsta

Swaddle blankets. I prefer the Aden and Anais ones because they are light enough for Florida but can still keep baby warm. And if you are a FTM, Harvey Karp's The Happiest Baby on the Block saved our lives as new parents! Every tip in that book worked like a charm- we had two other couples that had their first babies around the same time as us and when my hubby taught them the five S's, they looked at him like he was a magician. 

jennifer_m21

I've got the A&A swaddle cloths and the Nose Frida on my list already! I'll look in that book, @mrsgunsta

Thoughts on a bathtub? Preferably one that can be easily stored, cleaned, and be used longer term.

Also, for all you city dwellers - are you doing both infant and convertible seat or using a convertible from the start? We don't drive much (only travel to visit families), we walk everywhere, and take Ubers/Lyfts or use public transportation, but rarely. 

SarahFoley725

@jennifer_m21 I am a strong supporter of bath seats over bath tubs. They recline based on how much your baby can support themselves and they are easy to put away and easy to spray off when your baby poops on it. 

jennifer_m21

Thanks, @SarahFoley725! For the one you recommended, did you have to purchase another one when your baby outgrew it? I love how it is compact.

SarahFoley725

@jennifer_m21 we didn't use the bath seat for too long after she started sitting up on her own. Once she got really steady we just put it away because she wanted to sit and splash anyway. They do make ones for bigger kids that are similar to a bumbo. If you google "baby bath seat" it's probably the first thing that comes up. In my opinion, it's a waste of money but I'm pretty minimalistic when it comes to things like that. 

jennifer_m21

@SarahFoley725 I'm trying to be minimalistic when I can since we live in an apartment, and don't have much storage space. Thanks for the recommendation!

mayapple44

Sorry but I hated the bath sling seat. I thought it would be convenient and compact but it wasnt worth it. It was a hassle because instead of just filling up a little bathtub you have to put water in your full size tub. Even though its just a couple of inches it is alot of water wasted. Also I thought it slid around in the tub a bit. I ended up buying the bulky regular tub. And bonus you can put it on your counter top instead of hunching over bathtub.

sabriel1

A and a swaddle blankets. 

mayapple44

The best ftm advice I received and stand by:
Avoid sleepers with snaps. I dont care how cute they are, snapping 12 snaps 10x a day gets old fast! Especially at night! Get the freaking zippers!
Also I found clothes that have cuffs at the wrist and ankles to be a life saver. I had a chunky baby always going into the next size for weight but not length and with the cuffs i didnt have to worry about constantly rolling up the sleeves or pants.
Yes to the nose frieda and muslin swaddle blankets!

sabriel1

Maybe an activity may as well. We've already been able to get a lot of use out of ours

Starynightsky24

mayapple44 said:

Sorry but I hated the bath sling seat. I thought it would be convenient and compact but it wasnt worth it. It was a hassle because instead of just filling up a little bathtub you have to put water in your full size tub. Even though its just a couple of inches it is alot of water wasted. Also I thought it slid around in the tub a bit. I ended up buying the bulky regular tub. And bonus you can put it on your counter top instead of hunching over bathtub.

This. I'm considering the blooming bath this go ground because once mine can sit they go in the real bathtub. Otherwise they splash and make a huge mess. Otherwise I'm getting one that goes on the counter because it's a lot of hunching when baby cannot sit and you're constantly re positioning them 

smorzandoj

jennifer_m21 said:

I've got the A&A swaddle cloths and the Nose Frida on my list already! I'll look in that book, @mrsgunsta

Thoughts on a bathtub? Preferably one that can be easily stored, cleaned, and be used longer term.

Also, for all you city dwellers - are you doing both infant and convertible seat or using a convertible from the start? We don't drive much (only travel to visit families), we walk everywhere, and take Ubers/Lyfts or use public transportation, but rarely. 

I get both. If your going to uber with the baby it will be easier with an infant seat. And also it's nice to have the stroller to attach it too when they are small and you walk. 

meatballs37

We are having a shower for the twins, even though I had one for DD a little over a year ago. I don't think anyone will side eye it, especially since they are boys. Anywho, I am using babylist this time. This is the gist of what we loved with DD and want a second "set" of.

*fisher price sit me up seat (we hated the bumbo. Don't waste your time on this. The Fisher price seat you can use earlier and longer). 
* skip hop car seat cover. Perfect for winter. You do NOT want to put baby in a bulky winter coat in their car seat. We used the skip hop cover, it is lined with fleece. And then tucked DD in a blanket. 
* Chico key fit infant seat
* merlins magic sleep suit. (For transitioning to crib from the swaddle). 
* fisher price snuggapuppy bouncer (it vibrates and would put DD to sleep instantly).
* baby bum diaper cream spreader thingy. It seems stupid, but trust me, it's darn useful. Unless you like getting diaper cream all over your hands.
* glass baby nail file. I attempted clipping DDs nails twice. It was a fail. They are so paper thin when they are born, the glass file worked so much better and was not stressful to use like clippers. 
* a second rock n play
* diapers, wipes, etc

I wouldn't go too crazy on stocking up on diapers. We bought a ton of huggies and DD ended up being allergic. Then she was blowing out of the pampers. We are on our 4th diaper brand since she was born a year ago. 

SarahFoley725

We loved the sit me up seat! DD was literally too fat to fit in the Bumbo so it was perfect. 

sabriel1

@Starynightsky24 maybe someone that has experience with the bloomin bath can comment here but anyone I know who had one hated it. Apparently it takes forever to dry and that takes up a ton of space. I also heard it drops everywhere once you've got baby out and you are moving it to a location to dry.

jame1380

I second @meatballs37 on the Baby Bum Brush. My husband thought I was crazy for ordering it. DS had diaper rash more than not and I got so tired of cleaning the cream out from under my nail every diaper change. 

kbrinks2

sabriel1 said:

@Starynightsky24 maybe someone that has experience with the bloomin bath can comment here but anyone I know who had one hated it. Apparently it takes forever to dry and that takes up a ton of space. I also heard it drops everywhere once you've got baby out and you are moving it to a location to dry.

I was given a blooming bath from a friend and I really liked it when son was littler. I couldn't bend over because of my csection so it was pretty convenient! We only used it until he was about 4 months and then he was too big for the sink! 
It was a hassle sometimes but it wasnt the worst! We would throw it in the dryer to dry it faster!

SarahFoley725

kbrinks2 said:

sabriel1 said:

@Starynightsky24 maybe someone that has experience with the bloomin bath can comment here but anyone I know who had one hated it. Apparently it takes forever to dry and that takes up a ton of space. I also heard it drops everywhere once you've got baby out and you are moving it to a location to dry.

I was given a blooming bath from a friend and I really liked it when son was littler. I couldn't bend over because of my csection so it was pretty convenient! We only used it until he was about 4 months and then he was too big for the sink! 
It was a hassle sometimes but it wasnt the worst! We would throw it in the dryer to dry it faster!

The dryer idea is a good idea. It's really humid here and some of my friends has a problem with it getting a musty smell. 

neener*neener*

sabriel1 said:

@Starynightsky24 maybe someone that has experience with the bloomin bath can comment here but anyone I know who had one hated it. Apparently it takes forever to dry and that takes up a ton of space. I also heard it drops everywhere once you've got baby out and you are moving it to a location to dry.

We had one and it does take a long time to dry. You have to wring it out really well. It can also be tricky to place in a good position in the sink. It was ok for a newborn but we preferred just to put a towel on the counter by the sink and give a sponge bath when they were that little. 

We had the fisher price whale tub, it was bulky but we had a dedicated "kids bathroom" so we just flipped it over and let it dry out in the big tub. I liked that it had two positions. It was uncomfortable to bend over the tub at times though. By 6 months both of my boys could sit up enough to sit in a couple inches of water and splash. 

side note- I also really enjoyed taking a bath with my babies when they were little. I would soak/relax and either keep the boys in the bouncy seat by the tub or DH would bring them in. I'd wash them and snuggle them. Many times they would end up relaxing in the water and nursing. 

babymakes9

@jennifer_m21 I'm going with a blooming bath this time. I bathed my babies in the sink when they were tiny because bending over the tub with a little tub in it got old fast. But The sink was always so slippery and cook and hard,  and i think the blooming bath will be the perfect answer for that problem.  Once they could sit up and splash around i  either  put then in the big tub,  used a Rubbermaid storage tote  as a tiny bath tub for them or took  them in the shower with me and let them splash on the floor.  
Also I'd get the infant carseat, you are required to use a carseat in uber and to actually take baby hone from the hospital and out would be much easier than lugging a convertable arround and can snap into a stroller. On that note,  i have seen a convertible carseat with a stroller built in that seems like it would be perfect for your situation,  i just dont remember where i saw it, I'll look for it.  
 
I fifth a swaddle blanket although you can use literally any blanket to swaddle there is no need to buy a specific blanket for this. 

For our winter babies of you live where it snows i highly recommend an insulated car seat cover for the infant carrier.

And some sort of baby wearing apparatus,  find one you like and feel comfortable in otherwise you may go weeks without having use of your hands! I know lots of people say there baby didn't like a specific one,  or any of them,  but in my experience my 5 babies didn't care which carrier as long as they were touching me on my belly and positioned high enough (so you can kiss the top of there head by looking down) and a did a bouncy walk or sway. 

jennifer_m21

Thanks for the infant car seat suggestion @mamaof5already and @smorzandoj I spoke with H, and it'll be the way to go! 

I have the Tula Free to Go carrier on my registry for a baby carrier because we can start using it as a newborn. 

Registry is coming together!

mayapple44

Any suggestions for a video monitor? Im thinking about putting one upstairs with DD1.

SarahFoley725

@jennifer_m21 I am team Tula for sure!

eggplantface

I populated my registry using suggestions from Lucie's List, but have added several of these items also! Thanks!

gymmonkey95

I also recommend a baby carrier! Personally I've tried Ergo and Lillebaby and prefer the latter but that could be just because of how big my daughter is. If you can try to find a baby wearing group in your area, they will be able to tell you about all your options and once baby is here can help with getting a proper fit.

I'm going to disagree with the snap statement. I loved only needing to unsnap a portion of pjs instead of unzipping all the way and basically taking them off. This is dependent on space but my swing/rocker combo saved me! I could put DD in there and she would be content for a while so I was able to get things done. I didn't buy until after I had her because I thought I wouldn't need it. 

Any recommendations on a double jogging stroller that won't break the bank? 

SarahFoley725

Something else I really enjoyed, although they're totally not necessary, were the velcro swaddles. They made life a lot easier for DH too. 

The foam ABC mats are really nice for if you have hard floors too. I liked that we could make it smaller or larger depending on what we had out and how much space DD needed. 

meatballs37

I like saving money where you can, but one thing we also splurged on was the "Ollie swaddle." DD was extremely colicky and a magician getting out of the other Velcro swaddles. This was the only one that worked. We would wrap her tight in it, turn on a sound machine in a dark room, and bounce her through the witching hours. 

Starynightsky24

Thank you everyone for the blooming bath reviews! I'll def go back to the drawing board.  I do not want to something that needs lots of attention (ringing out, putting in the dryer...) as I  gave them water baths (no soap)  A lot when they were tiny because it wears them out for bed.  I think I'll likely go with a small infant bath that fits on top of the counter. 

msunshine123

@gymmonkey95 I found a double bob on a Facebook mom swap group for $100. I'd say look on eBay, Craigslist, consignment and swap sites. 

babymakes9

@jennifer_m21 I found it!  It's not a convertible though.  and kinda pricy the Doona.  It's a carseat and stroller in one and you don't need to use the base https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQPf9nWzA0k

Also I forgot to mention, anyone that has a Costco membership or a costco near them, I highly recommend the Kirkland brand diapers.  They were much better then the name brands IMO after you get out of the newborn stage of needed the umbilical stump uncovered and cheaper.

jennifer_m21

@mamaof5already - holy moly, that is really cool! Since we are getting the Vista, we'll probably get a lower-cost infant car seat.

chucksmom15

My friend is giving me two pack-n-plays!  One her MIL never took out of the box and the other one is still in great condition.  Score!!

I did the Aeroflow website for my insurance breast pump and it was super easy.  Picking out the one I want today and I'll be done.  Thanks for the heads up @magnolia305

clc515

So for you STMs out there... Is it a good bet that I'll still get plenty of clothes even though I don't plan to put any on my registry right? Trying to keep my registry to the basic gear (thanks Lucie's list), and just assume people will get other stuff they want. 

Any opinions on the Puj mat for bathing? Was looking at the blooming bath, too, but the Puj looked smaller. We don't have a big place. 

We got a bunch of swaddle blankets, burp cloths, random toys, and an Onya carrier from a friend (with the infant insert), yay! Plus another friend is giving us her pack n play, too! 

magnolia305

@clc515 We have the Puj mat.  I liked it--low maintenance and lays flat for storage. 

SarahFoley725

clc515 said:

So for you STMs out there... Is it a good bet that I'll still get plenty of clothes even though I don't plan to put any on my registry right? Trying to keep my registry to the basic gear (thanks Lucie's list), and just assume people will get other stuff they want. 

Any opinions on the Puj mat for bathing? Was looking at the blooming bath, too, but the Puj looked smaller. We don't have a big place. 

We got a bunch of swaddle blankets, burp cloths, random toys, and an Onya carrier from a friend (with the infant insert), yay! Plus another friend is giving us her pack n play, too! 

Yes, people love to but clothes. You'll probably end up with more clothes than stuff you actually registered for. 

meatballs37

We got a TON of clothes and blankets. And people were pretty good about buying things in multiple sizes. Not just newborn. 

gymmonkey95

@clc515 I actually didn't receive a lot of clothes. The ones I did get were larger sizes! For the most part people got what was on my registry but I also didn't have a baby shower so that could be why as well!

msunshine123

@clc515 yes we received a ton of clothes (all sizes for 1st year and holidays) and we didn't put any on our registry for our son.

magnolia305

I didn't get a lot of clothes.  I made sure my registry had a TON of stuff that I wanted in all price ranges.  I also only got one or two boxes of diapers--we didn't do a raffle or diaper party or anything.  I think it probably depends on your friend circle too--I was the last of my friends to have a baby and one of the last in the family to have a baby, so people knew what was practical and needed.