Registry: My Top Picks

Going to do a registry for a baby is very overwhelming. I remember Aaron and I walking into Babies 'R' Us and saying, "Where do we even start?" We had no idea what we needed! We had never been parents before! We had a list from the store, but it was outrageously long. So, here are a few items we learned we couldn't live without and that are essential on the registry. We have used and really like Safety First products so you will see a lot of those on my list below. I will also list a few things that are very nice to have but not essential. Those will be listed with an asterisk by the number. I have also put many links in this post to the specific items we have/had just to give you a visual and to let you know what worked for us!

Bathing Items:
1. Wash Clothes
2. Infant Bathtub (one that transforms from infant to bigger baby). The First Year's bathtub is a great option.
3. Lotion and Bath Soap: My favorite soap is Baby Magic (Lavender) and my favorite lotion is Baby Magic (Original). However, most any baby soap and lotion will be fine. It depends on what you like as a smell and if you want all natural, etc.
4. Towels: We loved these hooded towels for Brody.
*5. Bath Rinser: We like the Safety First rinser. We obviously have blue, but this was the only color on Amazon.
*6. Bath Kneeler: Although I do not think this is essential, it is VERY nice to have. This is a good Bath Kneeler.


Feeding Items:
1. Bottles: Check out my blog post to see my thoughts on bottles here.
2. Bottle warmer
3. Breast Pump (if you plan on nursing): I suggest getting an electric, double breast pump. They are expensive but well worth it! I used the Medela pump and I loved it!
4. Extra Parts for Breast Pump: Here is a good look at a Medela Breast Pump Accessory Kit that would be beneficial.
4. Nursing Pads, Nursing Storage Containers, and Topical Breast Cream: I tried many brands. For all three of these, I like the Lansinoh brand the best. Here are the storage bags, the nursing pads, and the topical breast cream.
5. Storage Bottles and Quick Clean Bags: Depending on how you plan to store your milk will depend on what bottles you use. I used separate storage bags, so I used these storage bottles. If you are using drop-ins, I hear Medela makes great drop-in bottles for storage. I also loved these Quick Clean bags for quick cleaning of bottles (and whatever other plastic items you need cleaned.)
4. Burp Cloths
5. Boppy or Nursing Pillow. I used the original Boppy. I have seen the new Boppy and it looks pretty cool and seems like it would work great! I have also heard that the Brest Friend pillow is wonderful. I might try it out next time!  A boppy is great even if you are not nursing. It helps you hold the baby much easier and works great when just feeding them bottles. Brody also liked to lay it in it and use it as a "pillow".
6. Formula and portable formula holder if you are doing formula for your baby.
7. Bibs
*8. Bottle Racks, Bottle Brush, Dishwasher Basket
*9. Sippy Cups and Transition Cups: This is a great transition cup we used. It was the only cup Brody would use coming off the bottle.


Health and Hygiene:
1. Thermometer: I highly suggest a digital one and one that reads within a few seconds. I also highly suggest one that reads rectally. In this post, I talk about temperatures and thermometers and my take on which you should get. We use this thermometer and we love it!
2. Baby Nail Clippers: We use Safety First nail clippers.
3. Baby Brush: This is a great and cheap option for a brush.
4. Pacifiers: There were only two pacifiers that Brody would use. He used Soothie pacifiers and Gumdrop pacifiers. He loved them and they worked like a charm for us! He also loved his Longhorn Wubbanub. He loved being able to hold the animal and it uses a Soothie pacifier, which is the one he really liked. This is actually the only pacifier he uses now. He only uses it at night. It is nice because he can find it on his own. Obviously, if you don't want your child to use a pacifier, you won't need to register for these.
5. Diapers: I always say to register from some in different brands and different sizes. They are expensive and it is nice to have some to start off. Often people don't know what kind you want so won't buy them. If you let them know on the registry, it is a easy and simple gift and people love giving them. Here is my post on which diapers I recommend.
6. You can also register for wipes if you choose. However, they are cheap and something easily maintainable to buy. I do not recommend a wipe warmer. It is not necessary and is hard to break your baby of warm wipes.
7. Humidifier: This is actually the humidifier we still use with Brody. These are important and help keep congestion minimal.
8. Diaper Rash Cream: Here is my post on  Diaper Rash Remedies which includes my recommendations on diaper rash creams.
9. Purell Hand Sanitizer: This is a MUST!
10. Teether: The Sophie Giraffe is genius!  Brody loved it and I only hear great things about it!
*10. Baby Orajel, Baby Tylenol, Homeopathic Teething Tablets, Baby Mylicon, Gripe Water, etc. For these items, Little Tummys, Little Fevers, Little Noses, etc. You cannot use these immediately, but it is nice to have on hand when you are ready to use them.


Traveling:
1. Car Seat: A must!! You cannot leave the hospital with your baby without one of these. We got the Safety First AeroLite Premire Travel System and we loved it! It is more sturdy than Graco in our opinion. Push them around the store to see what you think!
2. Car Seat Cover: You only really need this if you live in a cold place. We lived in Houston, TX when Brody was very small so it was not really necessary for us. This is what a car seat cover looks like if you need one of these.
2. If you use more than 1 car, make sure you get an extra base for your car seat!
3. Infant Carrier: We loved ours! We didn't like slings but carriers. We used the Chicco Infant Carrier.
4. Diaper Bag: We had a "normal" diaper bag that folded over on top and had side pockets, similar to this one. However, I did not love this bag. It was a bit difficult to use. I am going to get something more like this one the next time. It seems much easier to use.
6. Portable Changing Pad: (if your diaper bag doesn't come with one). One like this changing pad would be great!
7. Mommy hook: I loved mine and made things much easier! Here is the Mommy Hook.
*8. Shopping Cart/High Chair Cover: They look like this and we loved ours! We used it almost Brody's whole first year of life. It has an asterisk because it is not essential, but we loved ours and I would recommend it to anyone!
*9. Car Seat Mirror: We didn't have one with Brody, but we will probably have one with the next baby. I wish I would have had one. Here is a good mirror from what I hear.


Sleeping:
1. Crib: This is essential for a baby. They need a crib to sleep in for safety. Choose this based on your style and budget. All other furniture is nice but not necessary. If the crib doesn't come with a changing pad, I suggest you get one. We like these changing pad covers.
2. Sheets and Matress cover for the crib: I suggest you have at least 2 sheets. The more the better.
3. Video Monitor: I suggest video because you can watch your baby at night or naps and it makes determining on whether you need to go in or not much easier. We use the Summer Infant Video Monitor. We really like it and it works great. We had no problems the past 18 months we have been using it.
4. Sound and Light Soother: We used MyBaby Soother every night and it helped a lot!
5. Blankets: They won't be using them to sleep with now, but they are good for you to use when going in public or holding them at home. We loved our plush blanket from Babies 'R' Us to use with Brody for cuddling when he was small. Brody uses it now to sleep with.
6. Swaddlers: These are a must have in my opinion! Doctors also say that swaddling a baby helps prevent SIDS. We used Swaddle Me brand and really liked it! I suggest you have at least 3. I have also heard great things about Miracle Blankets, Aden and Anais blankets, and the Woombie.
7. Hats, Mittens, and Socks: These are important to use mainly in the first few months of life.
*8. Mobile: We never did a mobile for Brody's crib and he did fine. I do not think it is essential.
*9. Bumper: I will write a whole post on just bumpers soon. In my opinion, you do not need one.


Playing/Day Activities:
1. Play Mat/Tummy Time Mat: We had the Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Play Mat and Brody loved it. However, any play mat will do the trick.
2. Tummy Time Pillow: We personally did not have one of these. I did not discover them until Brody was too old for them. We had a friend that had one and loved it and it seemed to work great for their baby. We are going to give it a try next time! Here is what a Boppy Tummy Time pillow looks like.
3. A few developmental toys: They won't need these for a while. Some you can register for would be things like hanging toys for the car seat or stroller, rattles, or balls. Check back soon for a post on the most popular and best toys for babies a little older.
4. Swing or Bouncer: We had this Cradle Swing and liked the actually swing. However, Brody was not a fan of swinging so we did not use it as much as we wanted to. Bouncers are also a good option to try. These are both helpful to try and soothe your baby.


House Items:
1. Diaper Genie: You don't necessarily have to get a Diaper Genie, but you will need some way to dispose of diapers! They have baby diaper disposable bags that you can use if you do not want to do the Diaper Genie. We have a Diaper Genie Elite and really like it. The refills are a little expensive, but it is worth it to us.
2. Separate Laundry Hamper: You want this to keep your baby's items separate from yours. They recommend using baby detergent on their clothes because of allergies.
3. Baby Detergent: We used Dreft but it started getting a little expensive. I decided to try Purex baby detergent. I actually liked the smell better and it was cheaper!! It is at Wal-Mart.
4. Glider: Some say it is not essential but I think it is. This is a great thing to have if it fits in your budget! We actually had one given to us. Our glider is a lot like this one. I like it a lot, however, this is my "dream" glider!! A girl can wish, right!?
*5. Storage containers/baskets: This is not essential but so helpful when storing all your baby's items. They have a lot of stuff! It is a great way to stay organized! I also love the Trend Lab Storage containers. You can have diapers, wipes, cream, etc. in this and keep it in the living room, your bedroom, kitchen, etc. and not have to make trips to the nursery to get these often used items.
*6. High Chair: Not essential now but it will be later. We really like our high chair and it is similar to this high chair.


Again, these are the essentials that we needed. I gave you a little peak into specific products that worked for us! Hopefully this helps you ease the anxiety a little bit on how much you truly need and what to register for!

Please email me for any specific post you want me to do or questions! My email on the right side of my page.

Thanks for reading and until next time!