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February 2020 Moms
babybelugaco
member
Let's talk Baby Registries
babybelugaco
member
I know theres been some good stroller discussions in the questions thread.
But I was thinking this morning that it's time to start putting together my registry as my mom and I have been discussing my baby shower.
So, S+TMs, I'm curious what kinds of things do you highly recommend FTMs putting on their registry?
What can they do without, even though they might think it's necessary?
What do you wish you had gotten more of for baby?
But I was thinking this morning that it's time to start putting together my registry as my mom and I have been discussing my baby shower.
So, S+TMs, I'm curious what kinds of things do you highly recommend FTMs putting on their registry?
What can they do without, even though they might think it's necessary?
What do you wish you had gotten more of for baby?
Re: Let's talk Baby Registries
*Changing table (just put a changing pad on a dresser)
*Diaper genie
*Wipes warmer
*Baby shoes
*Bassinet (especially if you’re getting a pack-n-play; they usually come with a little bassinet-like insert).
*Soft crib bumpers (they are dangerous, as baby can suffocate against it). I did, however, buy a mesh one when DS was a little bigger cuz he kept getting his leg or arm stuck between the crib slots).
I told DH that's one thing we can skip. When my sister was born 15 years ago, mom got one at her shower and I think it got used for all of 2 months. I hated using it and changing it. We just ended up with the on the go disposable, scent blocking baggies for dirty diapers and they were infinitely easier!
I second not getting a wipes warmer. They dry the wipes out and then your baby is pampered and doesn’t like the temperature of regular wipes when on the go.
A lot of the same brand bottle or pacifiers because some babies are picky
Buying lots of diapers because you may find you don’t like that brand
three piece outfits
Get:
I would get a ton of baby wash clothes and keep some in the kitchen to use for wiping baby off once they start eating solids.
Pack n play
vibrating baby seat
baby swing
a simple high chair without cracks and crevices that food can get stuck in
edited due to atrocious grammar
I would but again: kekerooni changing peanut- it’s a silicone changing thing that you can set right on top of a dresser or bookcase. It wipes clean, you therefore don’t need changing pads (less laundry!) and it’s nice and big
Onesies that are zippered. Fuck buttons and snaps.
Burt’s bees products- their burp cloths and clothes and bibs are so soft
Love to Dream zip up swaddle sack- a lot of babies love being arms up after the first few weeks
woolino sleep sack- expensive but high quality and works for baby up to age 2 because it’s so big so you actually long term save money
Nanit monitor- love ours
one container of formula- you never know how your breastfeeding journey will or will not go. It’s nice to have one on hand that you have researched ahead of time so if you need it, it’s rhere. If you don’t need it, donate it to a women’s shelter and you’ve done a good deed!
*I don't want to register at Buy Buy Baby unless it's the absolute best by consensus because I hate the name of that store. I don't know why but it irks the heck out of me.
Looooooving these suggestions about what to get/what not to get. Please keep them coming.
If we have two cars, do we need two car seats? Like, will it be a tremendous pain in the ass to move one car seat back and forth? I feel like I hear new parents complaining a lot about moving the car seats around.
Located in Columbia, SC
It will depend on how often you use the 2nd car. Also our infant seat could be used in the car with just a seatbelt and not base if needed.
As far as car seats, we had two bases and one seat. Once he moved to a convertible seat, we bought two of those.
I looked back at the list I made from my shower for thank you notes to remind myself of what was good and not good.
Good to get:
-Newborn/infant tub: Make sure it has a good sling for baby. Our first one was so hard to keep her in the sling thing the right way we ended up getting a new one.
-Lots of "burp cloths" they can be used for many, many things besides burping/spit up
-Diaper bag backpack instead of a regular diaper bag. So much easier to have it securely on your back when you are trying to carry/wrangle/whatever a newborn/infant/toddler
-Mirror for the car so you can see baby in your rear view mirror (they may not be safe in an accident so decide for yourself)
-Sound machine!
-Forehead thermometer and rectal thermometer
-Nose Frida (https://fridababy.com/products/nosefrida)
-Diaper Genie & refills
-Some kind of wrap or carrier
-Car seat
-Stroller
-Glider/rocking chair for the nursery (Make sure it is one you can easily rock while half asleep and is comfortable for you!)
-Shopping cart cover (personally I liked it but others may not find it necessary)
-high chair
-blankets (not for crib but especially for February babies you'll want for around the house, car seat, etc)
Not necessary:
-Rubber protector for under car seat (we never got it to fit right and it can be considered unsafe in an accident so we returned it)
-Crib mobile (didn't fit crib and we returned it, never missed it)
-Bumbo (my DD never really used it)
-the diaper genie (we have two, one up stairs and one down)
-We have the Guava Family Lotus Bassinet/Crib for a PNP and its the best thing ever. Bassinet for when babe is sleeping in our room and DD who is 2 still uses it in crib form when we travel. It's light and folds up small
-Backpack diaper bag - they are not all created equal. I love the JuJuBe Be Right Back (worth the money)
-Boon Grass Drying Rack & accessories
-Boppy Lounger
-Breast Friend pillow
-Crib Rail protectors
-Video baby monitor - we like the Summer Infant Pixel
-If you travel: Ciao Baby Portable High Chair
-A&A Burpy Bibs
-Shopping Cart Cover
-All the Frida Baby things (Nose, Nail, Windy, Derma)
-Forehead and Rectal thermometer
don't get:
-the Bumbo
-Baby shoes
-crib bumpers
-Extra car seat inserts, if it didn't come with the car seat, it isn't considered safe
Also - pro tip, register everywhere even if its just to get the free welcome bag full of samples. Especially Amazon.
Boppy nursing pillow
Soft structured baby carrier
Jogging stroller
PJs with the elastic hole at the bottom (diaper changes MOTN with no snaps, no zips, and no naked cold baby screaming)
Top knot hats
Paci clip
Baby moccasins- my baby wore shoes daily and I regret nothing!
Things we skipped/never used:
Swings, chairs, rockers, play saucers, “baby holders” of all varieties
Regular/umbrella strollers
Diaper bag
Burp cloths
Swaddlers
Expensive plastic grass drying rack
Baby Monitor
Biggest tip/regret: Buy the expensive nursing chair!!! We got a cheap glider from Target and I spent every single day, multiple times daily, for hours sometimes, for 2 straight years in that F-ing chair. Get the big, comfy, extra wide chair with the good foot rest/recline option!
Loved:
swing (we have a mamaroo which both my boys loved but it’s gets mixed reviews. It was a gift and honestly I probably wouldn’t pay that much if we’d had to buy it. 🤷🏼♀️)
Aden & Anais burpy bibs
Infant car seat and bases for both cars
PJs with zippers. You do NOT want to be snapping 2947 snaps at 3am. You will end up crying. Trust.
Don’t buy:
Anything for the crib. You need a crib sheet. That’s it.
Toys. You’re going to end up with more than you know what to do with.
Honestly, don’t overbuy because you don’t know what your baby will like. My oldest had to have a Wubbanub pacifier everywhere we went for 18 months, my youngest never touched a pacifier. My oldest had to be swaddled in a receiving blanket the first 4 months of his life, my youngest didn’t care but loved his sleep sacks until he was nearly 2.
Love
- Diaper Genie. I got the Decor one and it has laundry bag inserts for cloth diapers. So you can use it for either cloth or disposable diapers. I had one upstairs and one downstairs.
- Good high chair. We skimped and got the cheapest high chair and regret it. We are cheap though and will reuse it for this baby haha. Get one that looks easy to clean.
- Travel system + extra base. We also had a base in each car and could just click the infant seat into either one. This made daycare easy because we leave the base at the center with the child. Then you can just click the seat into the stroller if you are out and about.
- We used Gerber cloth diaper inserts for burp clothes. They are amazing and so cheap. They are large and very absorbent! I never used them as actual inserts.
- Sit me up
- bouncer (how I was able to take showers)
- Clothes in ALL different sizes. It is nice to have 24 month clothing because they don't stay newborns forever!
-Playsuits with ZIPPERS - agree with everyone they are so much better than snaps
- Ask everyone to bring their favorite child's book to the shower. You will get 10 copies of Goodnight Moon - do not buy yourself
- Boppy AND an extra cover for said boppy
- Pack N' Play. We got one with bassinet, newborn sleeper/changing table combination. This was key for me for having a downstairs changing table in the early weeks after having a cesarean. You don't want to be bending for anything at that time. We ended up moving it up to our room to use the bassinet so baby could sleep next to me but I could have my bed back. We still use it with DD at 2.5 for overnight trips.
- Baby monitor but do some research. We originally got an audio one only and it literally caught on fire. We returned it and got a video monitor and still use it daily for naps and sleep.
- Pumping accessories if you are going back to work and breastfeeding. We have about 24 pumping bottles, and 24 2 oz ones which are good if you max out the 4 oz one and need to substitute mid-pump LOL.
- Aquaphor
- First aid: Infant tylenol, motrin, thermometer, nail clips (get one with the light for tiny babies), nose sucker
- Baby socks. You will somehow lose all sorts of these so maybe get some white ones or not care if they do not match.
- Bibs. Get vinyl bibs (easy to clean) with catches on the bottom so the food ends up in the bib instead of the lap.
- Pumping bra. It is basically a bra with nipple holes and a zipper in front so you can pump hands-free which is a must.
Things I would buy from an independent shop:
- sling/wrap/carrier. Independent shops often have classes and let you try on loads of kinds until you find one that is good for you. Ours has little baby dolls to practice on.
Skip:
- Baby swing. Your baby might hate a swing. I would try one out with the baby before buying.
- the Bumbo (try the sit me up!)
- Agree - toys anything yeck.
- Shopping cart cover. By the time the baby is old enough to sit in the shopping cart, it has already had so many germs. They are such a pain to set up and baby will get sick anyway.
- I agree - wait to see which kind of nipples baby likes before buying a ton of any brand of bottles.
- Wipe warmers,
A twin momma in my former BMB swore by the instant formula maker thing for feeding two babes, so something to think about if you are having twins. My brother FF his kids and he just put a scoop of formula in a bottle and mixed filtered water in there and shook and kids were fine so not entirely sure why it is needed but if I were having twins I would try to find anything easy.
Married Jan 2008
DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18"
Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
Baby carrier- I’m a huge fan of ring slings from Sakura Bloom.
Diaper bag- Going on 4 kids, it’s essential to have a big diaper bag for extra clothes, snacks, water bottles, baby toys, diapers, etc. Backpack diaper bags are the way to go for ease and comfort. I have a Shaylee Lily Jade and I love it. So worth the money.
Pacifier (or binky in our house)- these aren’t for everyone but all of my kids loved them as babies and it gave my boobs a nice break from comfort nursing. Which is needed when you have other kids to take care of.
White noise machine
Swaddle blankets
Baby bathtub that fits into the sink- I have the puj tub and put it in the kitchen sink. As newborns especially, I felt like I had more control handling them without having to bend over the bathtub.
Things I didn’t use:
Wipe warmer-didn’t want the babies to get used to having warm wipes and scream when cold wipes were used out n about.
Extra car seats and bases- I’m a stay at home mom so I drive them everywhere they need to go. When we do family things we just take my car.
I also wouldn’t register for a ton of clothes. People will buy those anyways and they will go off of what they think is cute... we got allllll pink clothes and tutus for my first and I didn’t register for any of it (not my style of clothing to dress them in).
But really, you will find what you like and don’t like as you use everything. I registered for everything and was able to narrow it down for my second. And babylist.com is a great universal registry where you can add anything from amazon, Etsy, etc. You don’t get all the freebies like individual registries but it makes things very easy to have it all on one site.
Married Jan 2008
DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18"
Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
10/2018: MFI (2 SA under 9 million/ml)
11/2018: HSG shows right Fallopian tube slightly damaged
1/2019: Husband diagnosed with grade 3 varicocele
4/05/2019: varicocele repair surgery
6/13/2019: BFP!!! EDD: 2/22/2020
7/18/2019: Total Motile Count at 3 months post surgery = 51 millions!! (number must be >20 millions to conceive naturally).
TTC #2
9/07/2021: BFP - CP: 9/10/2021
10/07/2021: BFP - CP: 10/23/2021
12/23/2021: BFP! EDD: 08/31/2022
The thing is, you won't know how the baby will sleep until it comes. We tried in this order:
- bassinet (NOPE)
- box (NOPE)
- co-sleeping (worked wonderfully for baby, I would wake up completely sore from being completely static all night)
- Baby Delight Snuggle Nest (Yes, for about a month)
- Newborn sleeper on PNP (Yes, two weeks after Snuggle Nest and I know you aren't supposed to use it but we were desperate)
- bassinet on PNP (about 2 months)
- Crib. We moved DD to her own crib at 3 months and everyone slept much better. She had to come back to cosleep for 1-2 weeks during the 4 month sleep regression but then back in the crib she went. She stayed in the crib until she was 2.
- Toddler bed (6 mos)
- Twin size bed (last week - we just did this because the twin bed was in the future nursery and we needed to get it out of there. Also the toddler bed used the crib mattress which we will need for the crib when baby comes.
So I guess my point is we can try to get the right thing but it is just trial and error but the PNP helped me with two stages of sleep on top of being a great playpen and changing table. I would not let my kid cry-it-out, so probably had to try different methods than some. My brother put his kids in cribs in their own rooms at 5 weeks and they adjusted. It is all on how you want to raise them. (I think my way is best
Married Jan 2008
DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18"
Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
Safe sleeping space for baby/post infant baby
Diapers and a place you have decided is acceptable to change diapers
Ways to get milk into your baby
Once you have those 3 things- everything else is helpful, but optional
That's why I created this thread! As a FTM too, I know I've seen articles like "what you dont actually need for baby!" And was curious was experienced moms thought.
Its daunting for me to sit down and figure out what's best!
Diagnosed with PCOS & Hashimoto's
@kiwi2628 Thank you!! I will try to remind myself of these wise words
We only announced to my ILs but as we announce to more people, I hope moms will help me figure out what worked for them.
As an example of how difficult it is to make any decision, I was set on the Chicco Bravo travel system but so many people complain about squeaky wheels. WD-40 doesn't even fix the issue. So now I am not sure anymore
10/2018: MFI (2 SA under 9 million/ml)
11/2018: HSG shows right Fallopian tube slightly damaged
1/2019: Husband diagnosed with grade 3 varicocele
4/05/2019: varicocele repair surgery
6/13/2019: BFP!!! EDD: 2/22/2020
7/18/2019: Total Motile Count at 3 months post surgery = 51 millions!! (number must be >20 millions to conceive naturally).
TTC #2
9/07/2021: BFP - CP: 9/10/2021
10/07/2021: BFP - CP: 10/23/2021
12/23/2021: BFP! EDD: 08/31/2022
Married Jan 2008
DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18"
Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
It is so much fun though to shop for your baby, especially your first! And most places are good about letting you return stuff that was on your registry.
My friend gave me the tip about having two crib fitted sheets with mattress protectors, one on top of each other, and I found this useful. Just in case baby vomits or poops or gets it dirty somehow in the middle of the night, you can just take off the top layer for minimal sleep disruption.
Don't buy too many baby clothes, especially newborn ones! You will get baby clothes at your shower anyways, and they grow so fast.
If you don't want to buy formula, a lot of companies give you a free sample when you register online with them. It might take awhile for your milk to come in so this is a good way to supplement until it does. I had a week where I had to top up my feeds with formula. Anyways, happy shopping!!
One thing we loved was Sleepsacks - the zip up blankets that allow the arms to move around. This way baby could be warm in the winter but safe too. We used those until she was big enough to stand.
Married Jan 2008
DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18"
Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
I second @leksiL, those sleepsacks were fantastic for us. We used both lightweight and heavyweight ones depending on the season and some had sleeves and others didn't. We had to immediately switch to footed PJs once she could stand, too. We had one scary fall where she tried to stand up and tripped over the bottom and fell face-first. Luckily it didn't actually hurt her since she fell on the mattress...but it could have been much worse. That's another reason why I opt for video monitors. It's great to see what's happening even when baby is quiet.
Also, I am a huge fan of halo sleep sacks with zippers. It’s a great way to keep them warm without the worry of blankets getting on their faces. Mine never liked being swaddled that much, and these are a go-to, even now for my 14 month old.