Registry Must-Haves/Don't Needs

Re: Registry Must-Haves/Don't Needs

• practicallypierson member

  November 2023

  So to start, I loved having a baby carrier for my first. We started with a wrap-style carrier (I think it was a Moby wrap?) and then transitioned to a structured carrier (Infantino Flip) when he got bigger. I loved the ring sling I used when watching a friend's baby, but I couldn't get ours to work for me, so it rarely got used. 
  
  Reversible zippers are life, but reversed zippers are an absolute pain on a wiggly baby. You want the double zipper ones, not the ones that have to be threaded into the zipper at the top. Snaps weren't awful, but they have a greater than 0 chance of having to be redone because you missed one. 
  
  We loved the Halo sleep sack swaddle. We didn't have as much success with the SwaddleMe. Similar design, but much tricker to transition into because of the lack of zipper. We also had a lot of success swaddling in a blanket, The stretchy ones worked better for us than the muslin ones, but they're smaller, so may not work as well for a longer baby. 
  
  Having a carseat/stroller system was amazing. It's much easier to be able to just click the bucket out into the stroller than to do full transfers, and it helps keep naps going if baby falls asleep on a walk/in a store. We got a full jogging stroller, which had some definite advantages, but I would say isn't necessary unless you actually plan on exercising with the stroller or are walking along some truly uneven paths. (I had great intentions of taking up running again, and that has not happened.) 
  
  Silicone bibs that can catch food are a game changer when baby starts feeding himself. Also very easy to clean, and you can scoop baby food off the bib to offer when it falls instead of losing it. 
  
  In the realm of not really necessary, but certainly nice to have, we were given a bottle warmer. We could have gotten by without it, but it was definitely nice to be able to start the bottle warming and then walk away for a couple minutes to take care of other things. 
  
  Pro-tip that I was not told until later but am doing this time around: Go ahead and add various consumable things to the registry so that you can get the discount on them. Not just diapers and wipes, but saline spray, infant Tylenol, boogie wipes (weird name, but super useful), etc. You might not need them for a couple months, but it's much easier to have them on hand, and they're going to still be good when fall comes around if you buy them in March/April. 

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• jtayl962 member

  November 2023

  I would add crib sheets. I personally don't see the need for those fancy blanket sets.

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• practicallypierson member

  November 2023

  And more crib sheets than you think you'll need, especially if you're doing daycare. I think we have seven or eight for our son, and they all ended up in rotation when he was still sleeping in a crib. The blanket sets are cute, but most of what's in them is actually explicitly recommended not to be in a crib with a baby because it can be a suffocation hazard. 

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• knottieb0ad38b7c3abc54e member

  November 2023

  1. Do not bother with a boppy pillow. I saw everyone had one I saw I got one. It doesn’t work well for nursing especially with an infant. I wish I knew about it earlier but the My Breast Friend nursing pillow is a dream. It has back support and is flat enough baby can lay on it while you nurse. 

  2. The Frida baby snot sucker. The concept is gross but it’s so effective in pulling out the snot when you baby gets stuffy. 

  3. I found I was not prepared post partum. I don’t mean to scare first time moms but there is a lot no one prepares you for! I certainly had no idea. Frida baby has a post partum kit so it might be worth looking into it. Stock up on heavy pads (you will have a heavy “period” post partum), padsicles and dermoplast,  a peribottle and some stretchy large sweatpants (your body will thank you!) . These are all things I had to send my husband out to get as soon as we got home from the hospital. I wish I knew ahead of time! I read about so many things but these things did not seem to come up. 

  4. My son is four and we still use the Hatch sound machine, he loves it and you can program it to turn on automatically at different times. 

  5. We’ve gone through so many baby monitors and expensive ones too- after the third one stopped working on us we went for a simple cheap audio one. That was the only reliable one. The video was nice for the early days. I know some people just use an indoor security camera instead. I might try that this time. Use caution before buying an expensive baby monitor 
  
  

  
  

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• maryjones521 member

  November 2023 edited November 2023

  STM-
  -I'll second the My Breast Friend for breastfeeding. I never ever used the boppy for BF. 
  -I would consider a bottle warmer a must-have.
  -If you're thinking of breastfeeding, put the milk storage bags on your registry since they do cost a little.
  -I had a couple of cute baskets in my registry, and they ended up being super useful for transporting stuff from room to room when you run out of hands. 
  -Looking back, I personally didn't need to put any clothing items on the registry since people love to give cute clothes. I would agree about listing swaddle(s) though -we also liked the halo sack swaddle.
  -Get an electric nail trimmer in addition to the baby nail clippers. Seriously amazing for your peace of mind trying to trim those tiny fingernails without nipping skin.

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• melyrae member

  December 2023

  So many amazing things listed so far and I 100% agree. 
  
  

  - baby wearing saved my life. So many good options out there. I have a beluga baby wrap AND an ergo carrier 
  - a place to put your baby down safely (a swing, rocker, snuggleme, something) while being supervised, that isn’t their bassinet…. Like while you eat or pee or shower. 
  - the hatch sound machine is the best thing to ever exist. You can control it from your phone, set timers, control it straight from the device 
  - I have the infant optics dxr8 pro monitor and I love it. I did LOTS of research and this is the best non-wifi, non-connecting-to-phones monitor. I’m big on privacy and not being connected to my babies monitor when I’m out (I need that separation). Also being able to hand babysitters the monitor and not have to give them creepy app information they can watch later is important to me (in law boundaries….) 
  - personally I like the boppy BF pillow and still use it with my one year old son 
  - agree with the car seat stroller combo. We went for the Nuna pipa and Nuna Mixx next and (though it was pricey) it was 100% worth it. 

  - agree with consumables - Tylenol, gripe water, diapers, wipes, breastmilk storage bags 
  - hand breast pump - SO easy for mamas who mostly breastfeed directly and don’t need a big electric pump (maybe Canadian mamas with longer leaves…) 
  - I liked the halo sleep sacks and sleep sack swaddles, but needed some other velcro swaddles from Amazon when my little guy was a newborn because halo was too big for him
  - gift cards to your local grocery store/ food delivery (skip, DoorDash) 
  - think ahead!!! Dishes, bibs, utensils, high chair, jolly jumper, exersaucer, bigger diapers, teething toys, kick n play piano mat, weather appropriate clothing (snow suit?)
  - toiletries - brush, nail clippers, snot sucker 
  
  do not need on registry
  - wipe warmer / wipe dispenser
  - clothes/ blankets/ toys (people will buy these for you anyways) 
  - I’m a Canadian mama who was on leave for one year so I rarely used my electric breast pump. I understand mama who go back to work earlier will need this but I did not. 

  
  

  A good tip: ask a mama to go over your registry once you’ve made it to see if she has any advice but keep in mind every baby and every family is different. 

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