Registry must-haves

smoothsgirl0224 · September 2010

For all of us new mom's to be, please post your absolute must-have registry items. Thank you!!

kell8807 · September 2010

Gerber cloth diapers-for burp rags

BabyFun · September 2010

I would have died with out a bouncy seat, it is how I showered, cooked, ate, etc.

Nice to have...swing, boppy, a million onesies because their poo explodes everywhere all.the.time, and if you are nursing lanolin.

CrazyToast · September 2010

I don't know where they are available, but Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddle blankets. We received 2 sets as gifts, and they're wonderful for just about anything...not just swaddling.

Mystery2B · September 2010

- Moby/Ergo or other baby carriers. The Moby is how I survived the first few months. Now that she's bigger I use the Ergo instead.

- swaddle blankets (mine were homemade but you want the big ones, like the A&A mentioned by a PP)

- white noise machine (also known as the baby crack machine)

- breast pump

- nursing pillow (My Breast Friend or Boppy, I have the boppy but have heard really great things about the My Breast Friend - if I had to do over again I would have gotten it I think)

Besides that it depends on your baby. We didn't need a lot of clothes because with cloth diapers we had minimal diaper leaks/explosions, and she wasn't a spitter upper, so 1 outfit lasted all day. She had like 4 in rotation and 4 nightgowns at any one time really.

We also liked the swing, but some babies don't. If you can borrow stuff to try out/use for a few months do that because really our $160 swing got used for like 4-5 months - still looks like brand new but is now boxed up.

Mereou12 · September 2010

1. Miracle Blanket. Hands down THE best baby item EVER.

2. Moby for newborns, Ergo for older babies.

3. FP Whale Tub.

4. Like PP said, Gerber cloth dipes for burp cloths. Don't waste your time with cutesy ones--they're worthless.

5. PNP with an elevated changing station -- most of them aren't elevated, but ours had an extra piece that propped it up a few inches. Since DS slept in the PNP for the first four months in our room, that changing station was a lifesaver...and having it elevated saved my back.

6. Sleepers with ZIPPERS. You will curse snaps. I'm in the minority here, but I loved the cheap Gerber zippered sleepers. They do run small, but you just buy bigger sizes.

brown_bride07 · September 2010

1. sleep sacks- DS loves his (especially the newborn ones with the swaddle wraps)

2. pacifiers- he's not addicted but he likes it when he's fussy and mean.

3. gripe water

4. white noise machine

5. cloth wipes (clean up poop better than any commercial wipes (and I use homemade wash)

6. FP- newborn napper- DS sleeps in his nightly instead of his PNP.

7. Dr. Brown bottles- helps with his gas alot.

LilLee11 · September 2010

Miracle Blanket! My girl literally passes out the second she is wrapped. And Aden & Adais...not only are they adorable but they are great for swaddling and theyre think enough yet keep baby warm if needed.

Lux_Diva · September 2010

my brest friend

a good stroller you can use from day 1

snug ride car seat

carters onesies

diapers (stock up on some 1&2s and possibly a small box of newborn)

your favorite swaddles/ sleep sacks (I've tried several and think most were okay. if I had to choose I like HALO the best but aiden and anais were great for summer)

a honkin tub of diaper rash cream -- i haven't had any rashes yet, thank God.

a good baby monitor. I like the sony baby call.

an ac plug in swing -- ds did his daytime naps exclusively in the swing pretty much for 2 months.

TulipsAndChampagne · September 2010

1. A really good breast pump. I have the Medela PISA and pump exclusively. I also have 4 sets of parts and lots of cheapy bottles to pump in to.

2. Dr. Browns bottles. Totally helped with gas.

3. Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets. Have 12 and LOVE them.

4. A Swing and a Bouncer. Sometimes DD likes one and not the other. We have the Little Lamb ones and they are great and still have not needed batteries.

5. LOTS of baby washcloths

6. An easy to use carseat. We have the Chicco Keyfit 30

7. A car mirror so you can see the baby in your rearview mirror. They make so many noises in the car, this paranoid mommy needed to see if she recovered from choking or if I needed to pull over. Also when she would go from screaming to asleep, I would wonder if she choked and stopped breathing and fell asleep.

Sarahbear621 · September 2010

Bumkins Organic bibs and burb cloths- they are the best ever! They are so much more obsorbent then anything else out there! I give them to everyone who has a baby.

If you are thinking about cloth diapers I would do Bum Genius- no diaper rash and we have never had a blow out yet- DS loves them. Cloth diapering saves an average of over $2,000 per child.

iristony · September 2010

some of these are repeats, but all must haves to me:

1. A bouncy seat that actually bounces. I like the FP Aquarium one.

2. Miracle Blanket, my baby went from sleeping 2-3 hours to 5-7 instantly upon using this.

3. Aden & Anais blankets- LOVE THESE

4. Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper- I do not put baby in here overnight but many people do. A great alternative to laying baby flat on back all day long.

5. A video monitor- I cannot imagine not having this. It is really tough when you first move baby from your room to his/hers and this makes it so much better. I can see if he is awake or not too which is huge- sometimes he sounds like he is up but actually still has eyes closes for an hour and this means an extra hour of me time without waking him up when I walk in room.

6. Anything with flashing lights- my baby LOVES looking at flashing lights.

7. A stroller you can easily fold and push with one hand. I love my City Mini with car seat adaptor.

8. A lightweight car seat. I have the Graco snugride Platinum and I just love it. It is already so heavy with 11 pound baby in it- I cannot imagine getting one of the heavier ones as many people do.

9. If you are planning on pumping at all- a hands free pumping bra is a must! Also a double electric pump.

10. Small packs of bottles instead of a large one. I had over $100 worth of Dr Browns I sterilized and put away and they were a disaster for my baby- actually caused him to spit up. I wish I had just opened one pack and tried for a few days instead of opening all of them. After trying 5 different bottles we found a winner- Born Free.

11. Sophie the Giraffe- best toy!

12. Itzebeen timer

13. Playmat/baby gym. Also register or but some bags of links so toys can hang lower and for baby to grab a chain of them hanging, etc...

iristony · September 2010

I wanted to add Triple Paste diaper rash cream. This stuff is amazing. After trying 6 different kinds, this is the one that actually takes the red away by the next diaper change. Miracle stuff. Not sure if you are registering for toiletries, etc... if so put this on.

Quizzle · September 2010

If you're thinking of using cloth diapers, I wouldn't invest in just one type. Every kid is different, so you need to try some out. My favorites right now are Happy Heinys, because they fit my chunky baby so well. I thought Rumparooz would be my favorite, but they run small!

Lots of socks. We didn't really register for any but were given tons. We use socks all the time. We need larger socks now, actually, since some of them no longer fit her...

A&A (or similar) swaddling blankets. They are good for everything. We love them. One lives in the diaper bag, one is always draped over the edge of her crib if she's not using it, the other two are scattered around.

Clothes in 0-3. For us, at least, DD never wore newborn clothes because she was almost 10 pounds and chunky. She's firmly in 3-6 month clothes now.

A bouncer. Love our bouncer.

My Brest Friend. I HATE our Boppy for feeding her, but the MBF is amazing. However, I'm glad I listened to a friend and kept the Boppy on the registry because we use it all the time on the couch when we're watching TV in the evening and DH uses it when he gives her a bottle.

Fisher Price Space Saver high chair. LOVE it. Light, portable, fits in our small dining room chairs and can be used from birth. We take it out to eat with us.

We skipped the infant car seat completely and just use convertible car seats (we researched to find ones that fit infants well.) We don't miss having the infant seat at all. Of course, DD is an easy baby and falls right to sleep when her butt hits the car seat and also hardly wakes when you take her out. The whole waking a sleeping baby warning has never been an issue for me. We put her in a sling when we go grocery shopping and bring the high chair when we're going out to dinner.

We also never used footed sleepers. Mostly this is because the first night we were home I put her in one and she woke up all sweaty. She hasn't slept in one since. We don't keep the house cold enough. I put her in a onesie, socks and a light swaddle. We may use longer sleeves and legs once it starts getting colder here.

heather318 · September 2010

kell8807:
Gerber cloth diapers-for burp rags

This. We've used SO many of these with my niece! They come in handy for lots of things. Burp rags, cleaning up spills, using on the changing pad to keep it clean.

elizabethclephane · September 2010

I couldn't survive days that she wants constant contact without my Moby wrap... and it lets me give her snuggles while keeping my hands free to do other things. I was worried that the "wrap" aspect would make me worry that she wasn't being held tight enough to be safe - but one run put that worry to rest.

She has loved her swing from day one. It rocks her to sleep when she's tired and keeps her "in the action" when I'm getting some cleaning or writing done.

Any good swaddling blankets are a bonus.

goodgalpal · September 2010

Here is a list of some of our highlights that work for us.... Probably going to be long.

Muslin blankets- Lots of other people here have posted about A+A, but I love Bambino Land's muslin blankets. They have cute designs and even some where the whole blanket is dyed boyish or girlish colors... Plus they are only available in organic fabric (With A+A you have to specifically seek out the organic ones). They get softer with each wash and are perfect to drape over the infant car carrier as a "sun shield", swaddle in warm weather, just so great!! Sometimes they have these on the "deal of the day" sites at a deep discount, otherwise you can order them from www.bambinoland.com

Flannel blankets- I really love the Swaddle Designs flannel blankets. Made in USA and they come in regular or organic cotton. They are AMAZINGLY SOFT and cuddly. Heck, I have used them myself to cover up while on road trips in the car when I am chilly. They are a great size (bigger than regular receiving blankets) and great quality. I've seen them at Buy Buy Baby, and online at the company's website.

Sleep Sacks- I love the ones from Swaddle Designs. I have one that is organic 100% cotton fleece and it gets all nubby and is great for cooler temps. They make a poly-fleece version that is super soft. The zippers on these bags are fantastic.These bags are around $35 each but are very durable and I think I will use them for future LO if we have any (ours is green so it is gender neutral) Gerber Organics makes a nice one too but it seems like it will work best for smaller babies... it is about $13 for the Gerber one.

FP space saver high chair- wonderful design works from baby to toddler, can use it as a seat or for feeding time. It fits well on all the chairs we've put it on (but we haven't tried the softer chairs, ours are all wood) and it is very easy to clean. I like that there isn't an obvious child looking extra chair sitting there. It blends well with the rest of our decor and is super functional.

Reese Li diaper bag- looks like a purse, made in USA, laminated cloth (easy to clean), big enough to use with cloth diapered babies, hooks on to stroller. Many compliments on my "purse" (people don't realize it is for diapers)

Skip Hop wipes case- it is small but mighty! You can put your favorite wipes in it and push the red circle with one finger and get to your wipes really fast. It keeps them moist and is so sturdy compared to all the other wipes cases we have tried.

Diapers/wipes- I like Natures Baby Care wipes and diapers if you are using the disposables. They are eco friendly disposables and they have worked well for our guy. I hear they work well for girls too though from my friends. We get ours at Babies R Us. We use a mix of cloth and disposables so if you need any cloth recs just ask...

Sophie the giraffe- good for baby to play with because it is soft and not really able to break any parts off of it (but the squeeker will break if you submerge in water). This toy gets the attention of the baby and good for teething time. Plus, I think it is cute.

Carrier-Moby wrap for younger babies, Ergo for older (like pp said). BRU has both types or you can get them online.

Bouncer- I like the ones that have the vibrate feature and that will actually bounce/move. If they have other things like music it is a plus but not vital.

Socks- You will need a ton because it seems like they fall off or get lost constantly. I would try to get all white basic ones that are the same kind so you don't have to mate them and it won't be so bad if one gets lost. Of course you may want cute ones for special outfits but usually the white is fine for things because it is versatile.