The Everything Registry List
SuperBoy eating compost, a few summers back. Wowzer! He is going to tell it like it is: dirty & fun.
But first, a more recent post of 5 essentials I LOVE having as a mom. And the nine BEST toys for baby before 1 year.
1) Apparel
a) Wrap, sling, carrier, baby backpack–I really only use my Sakura Bloom and my Ergo or Boba. For hiking I use a phil&teds.
b) Clothing, layette, pacifier chain or holder
I have my infant capsule wardrobe here, my tot one here, and my pre-k one here. My kids live in cotton onesies + leggings with maybe a sweater tossed on top!
c) Sleep sacks, swaddlers, wearable blankets, swaddle blankets
d) Socks
You only need two kinds of socks for infants. Triple roll socks and Smart Wool baby socks. The rest fall off and are useless.
2) Bath
a) Bathtub, bath toys, bath mat, bath stool
A tub that has both an infant compartment and a toddler one is good. See example here. A bath mat for outside the tub is nice for laying your baby towels on (a little extra padding when you lay her down, kicking and screaming to be leaving the water). Toys! Our SuperBoy loves his toys in the bath. He’d probably stay in there all day if we let him. A stool (can double as a nursing stool) is great for when you’re leaning over the tub, or observing play as she gets older.
b) Towels, washcloths, a mini-robe
I thought baby sized towels were a gimmick until I used one on an infant. You need things his size! Little washcloths are great. Go for quality on both of these as after a few washings, cheap ones wear thin. A mini-robe is so cute and handy if you’ve bathed but are not yet ready to do night time apparel, or you’re at the pool or beach. Get high quality terry cloth or chenille. It’s worth it. I make wipes on my Etsy shop, here.
3) Bedroom
a) Crib, pack & play, co-sleeper, bassinet, moses basket
b) Sheets for your sleeper of choice and multi-sized water-proof mats (key for a quick changing pad in the kitchen, for when she’s airing out her bottom, etc), blankets. A wearable sleep sack is great too like this one from my fav aden + anais.
Don’t forget these . . . .
c) Rocker/glider, nursing stool, dresser, toy chest, hamper, diaper pail, bookshelf, curtains, rug, changing table, contour changing pad (covers)
Many of these furniture items can be multi-purpose. Dressers need only a contoured changing pad screwed into the back of them to become a changing table. A changing table can have built in drawers. A toy chest and hamper can be pop-up or fold-ups. Goodwill or a thrift store provide great second-hand supplies!
4) Books
If there are any special books you loved, these are good to share with your registry participants. Remember soft books are great initially, and as they get closer to a year and want to rip pages out of everything. See post here {Reading Material for Pregnant & New Parents} about books for expecting parents.
5) Music
Classical, classical, classical. See why here {Music and Its Impact on Your Child’s Heart} and here {How to Choose Music for Your Child}.
6) Car
Car seat, neck supports, reflective mirror
We love the Graco Snugride for up to 20 pounds. And now we’re in the Britex Diplomat as SuperBoy is too big for his little infant seat, which SweetPea now inhabits. Research the top quality car seats of the year your little one will need one. Great resources here and here on car seats.
7) Diapering
a) Cloth diapers–we use the best service in town, so I’m not an expert in doing your own dipes.
1) Diaper pail, odorizer, bag with special lining
2) Snappies (2)
3) Wet diaper travel bag
Delightful bags sold by a number of makers.
4) Covers
We love the Babee Greens that are wool and can hold in a whole lotta liquid. A lot of other people make wool covers too.
5) Diapers
Which kind? See post here.
8) Entertainment
a) Baby gym, play mat, dangly items, bouncer, swing, bumbo, jumper, exersaucer (LOVE the go-pod)
You need a few places to park your child while you get things done. Depending on the size of your home, you can have a few, all, or some of the above. You certainly don’t need all of them.
b) Toys: wooden or BPA free plastics, blocks, soft rattles, teethers, pacifiers, Sophie the Giraffe, stacking toys, balls, stuffed animals (“lovie”)
A good blend of soft and wooden toys is great. Also get anything that can go in the fridge to be cooled for those gums, and then grabbed easily by grubby little paws.
9) Feeding
Bibs, sippy cups of graduating age, bowls, slender spoons (the big thick ends don’t fit well into baby’s mouth), bowls with lids for travel, high chair, little booster seat, and most importantly, a bib!
BPA free is my preference on all these things, and preferably stainless steel.
Posts on first food here, and first veggies here.
10) Health & Safety
a) Gates, outlet covers, kitchen cabinet stoppers, no-slip bath mats, anything else imaginable
b) A good nail trimmer, rectal thermometer (most reliable temp), a first-aid kit (ice compress, band-aids, etc), Infant Motrin, Infant Benedryl, and Hyland’s Teething Gel (teething remedies here)
11) Nursing
a) A foot stool with no-slid stoppers on the bottom, nursing pillow, lansinoh gel pads for your sore nipples, custom order flax packs for engorged or sore breasts, nipple covers, nursing bras from me on Etsy!
b) A big sipping water jug for you to stay hydrated while you nurse
12) Stroller
There are so many options! Jogging, all-in-everything, simple umbrella. It really depends on your lifestyle and budget
a) One your carseat snaps into without fixed wheels for easy navigation while out and about
Example of Graco
b) One your toddler can sit in that can easily fold up
Example of Inglesina
c) The double we love
Right here
13) Skin Care
Shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, massage oil. My sister’s new product company Brooklyn Herborium, in particular, her Between Me and the Moon line, organic and handmade in Brooklyn, NY offer the BEST.
The one thing i will buy every expectant mother I know is The Miracle Blanket. In fact, I’m going to a shower tomorrow and that is my gift. The name says it all…
Also, we have a tripod that has been great. You can hang toys and use it all different ways as your baby grows: http://familydinnerblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/the-tripod/
Love the tripod! Way more engaging than a gym mat. Great suggestions.
Wow, I think you mentioned all of the must have’s for a new baby!!! I agree with everything and it will all be used and be a savior at any given point. One thing that I use a lot is reading reviews on products and doing a little research on everything I get for little man now. I also try and leave reviews on products we’ve bought too because I think they are SO helpful when your not sure about the product (and it’s an investment buying a lot of stuff).
Liv – we have a blanket similar to The Miracle Blanket and they really are a life saver!! D still gets swaddled during his naps (we switch between the muslin blanket and swaddler) and it’s a lifesaver! He hated being swaddled when he was younger but now he doesn’t mind it. If you baby startles a lot, it especially helps a lot as well!
Product reviews are CRUCIAL! And also how we gauged our purchases. That is so smart that you actually left reviews yourself as well.
The only thing I can think of is that there are a lot of unknowns. For example, I had ZERO idea I would have megalarge baby (I couldn’t nurse since no one said “by the way, when you have Gestational Diabetes, you should express milk BEFORE the baby arrives and freeze it”…they do cover that in England, I’m told…grrr) and he NEVER lost weight…he just got bigger, and bigger, and bigger…but he did eventually slow down). As a result, he was too large for a lot of the fun stuff such as the bumpo chair, the jumpers, most STROLLERS (he was in a wagon early!) and pretty much, uhm, everything! And he was on solid food and off bottles early too (after all, if it’s formula…uhm…does it need to be in a bottle forever?) largely BECAUSE he was such a big boy, which (of course) made everything worse! It turned out we were actually lucky that we got a lot of gift cards since anything we EXPECTED turned out to be different. My biggest tip (and how I shop for showers), I look for things closer to a year old needs (ie larger diapers if they use disposables or larger clothes) or stuff for mom (ie those books that tell you about white noise soothing a baby). Eventually larger stuff WILL work…it may be within two months or it may be next year. They all DO get bigger (and bigger and bigger) and it’s really nice to have something to put on when the spurt happens you totally didn’t expect and you have to go out to buy a new wardrobe overnight! But each baby is different, so even what you THINK you want may not be exactly what you get!
Great advice!!! Parenting for the first time is all about the unknowns. And our little one never ever fit 0-3 months. Buy bigger is very sound logic and advice as the child will fit it at some point. Great reminder too that expectations are for the birds when it comes to all of this!
[…] are my top five baby items. I wrote here about registering tips {The Everything Registry List}. None of these have endorsed me (ha!) but I am planning on working on a few of them for a giveaway […]
This blog was… how do I say it? Relevant!!
Finally I’ve found something that helped me. Appreciate it!
Welcome, Roxanne! Glad to have you with us. I checked out your site–very cool!
Relevant post, we went for a baby deedee sleeping bag and must say it was a wise decision. Great product, babies sleep well once inside the sack and they look super cute. Initially i found it a bit pricy but now i know that its worth every penny!
pacifier clip is also a great idea as they keep falling here and there.
Thanks, Lilly!
[…] written my brain dump on registering already, and five items that make parenting easier, and nine toys for the first year, but let me […]
Girl, you make nursing bras?!? Are there none listed right now or am I just missing them?
hahah did I accidentally say that? Let me edit because I don’t! haha
What’s the “best diaper service in town”? The link in your article returns a 404 NOT FOUND error.
Thanks!
Sorry! Do Good Diapers.