Baby Registry Must-Haves
So, you’re little one is on the way and while you’re already full of love and excitement to meet the purest angel to ever exist (yes, you’re allowed to be biased), you’re also starting to freak out a bit at the idea of being in charge of another human (should this be legal??).
Or at least that’s how I felt the last few months of my pregnancy (picture a walking panic attack). I mean, if you’re anything like me, there’s almost zero chance I can convince you it’s going to be fine and you’ll figure it all out as you go, even though it’s the truth! So, instead, i’m sharing my top baby registry must-haves!
#30: Sophie La Giraffe – Sophie is easily the best teething toy around. The rubber is great for when your little one is having a hard time with their teeth coming in. This was also our little one’s favourite toy for the first 5 months of his life.
#29: Medela Bottle Cleaning Brush- We tried about 3-4 different cleaning brushes, but we found the Medela brush was the best for all the different brands of products we had (4 different brands of bottles) and the nipple cleaner is extremely convenient.
#28: Baby Seat- While lots of people recommended a bumbo, we decided to go with a 3-in-1 seat, and honestly, I think this was the best decision. The cost was essentially the same, but this 3-in-1 seat had so many more functions than just sitting. It was great when Junior was younger and learning to sit up on his own, offering the right amount of support to strengthen his muscles & learn the concept of balance. He also loved the toy station, which allowed me to get things done around the house while he’d sit and play. Finally, the little table whips around for when you introduce solids, and the small size makes it easy to put where it’s most convenient for you!
#27: Nested Baby Swaddle- I loved this swaddle when Junior was a newborn. Its weighted center leaves the impression of being hugged, which kept Junior in a peaceful slumber nightly.
#26: Baby Nose Cleaner- I couldn’t believe sucking snot out of my baby’s nose was going to be an almost daily occurrence. Yet, here we are, with a baby whose nose is clogged quite often and needs to be cleared so he can breathe (babies mostly breathe out of their nose). I love this thing because it’s quick and relatively easy to use (besides the forever moving baby part). This is one of my most-used items, and make sure you have spare filters & saline on deck (all 4 items are linked)!
#25: Baby Thermometer- We originally had one of the ones that just clicks behind their ears, but our doctor told us to throw it out.. It told us Junior had a hospital level fever and 4hrs in the emergency room later, we found out it was an incorrect reading. So, save yourself the trouble and add a basic one to your registry (x2 so you can always have one in your diaper bag). And remember... bum read is the best read!
#24: Baby Wipes + Dispenser - We definitely go through more of these than anything else, so you definitely want to stock up before your little one gets here – especially if you can stock up on someone else’s dime. Side note - we use Huggies + Pampers and they both have a reward app that you can receive giftcards, baby items, and more. Their packages of wipes and diapers come with codes on them that you enter in this app, and while it does take quite a while, you can accumulate enough to get some of the pretty awesome stuff they offer for a product you have to buy anyways!
#23: Amazon Diaper Delivery Service- We learned about this service through my mom who gifted “a year full of diapers” to us for our shower. You simply pick which size and subscribe, then Amazon delivers them right to your door every month. When your little one is going up a size, you just have to change your subscription to the size up so that’s what you’ll receive next month! It’s so great because we literally never have to worry about running out of diapers but also don’t have to go out to buy them (this was especially great while the Coronavirus pandemic was in full swing). Also, you save more money with the amazon subscribe and save than if you were to just go buy them in store, so it’s a win-win.
#22: Playmat- Tummy time is extremely important for infant development. A playmat is a great product to have for baby to lay on as they work on those important neck muscles needed to hold their head up and eventually crawl. We went with a reversible one, as the grey went well with our nursery theme but the colours are great for brain development! I’m linking two – the one we bought + a cheaper option.
#21: Activity GymPlaymat– Also great for tummy time, the activity gym gives baby a bunch to look at and play with while on their belly’s!
#20: White Noise Machine- A bedtime must-have for new parents. At first, we chose the SKIPHOP Moonlight & Melodies Nightlight Soother because of the ceiling star display, 5 white noise options & 5 nursery rhyme melodies. But we’ve recently switched to the Fisher-Price Music & Lights machine because the melodies are better and it has a small nightlight on the tip!
#19: Jolly Jumper- This invention is easily Junior’s favourite activity. We can have him in it for over an hour, letting him burn off some energy and giving mom and dad some much needed down-time. While it’s not the smallest product in the world when it’s put together, it’s definitely worth every inch of the space it takes, plus it’s easy to tuck it in the corner overtop of his other toys.
#18: Diaper Bag- It’s important to figure out what works best for you. Do you want a backpack or bag style? How many compartments do you need? Do you want a wipe holder attachment? Personally, I didn’t see the value in the wipe attachment, so I opted for a backpack style that would have bottle storage and a large holding capacity. Make sure to shop around to make sure it serves all your requirements based on your intended use. For example, are you planning on bringing the baby to the office while you work? If so, you’re probably going to want a decent sized bag versus if you’re only planning on bringing a bag when you go out 1-2 days a week. I’m linking the backpack style I’m in love with below!
#17: Stand Alone Baby Tub- You can definitely bathe your little one in the sink with one of the flower seats, but we found this much easier. We’re able to fill it and place it in the nursery so we can both enjoy bath time!
#16: Zipper Sleepers- This was the best piece of advice given to me before we had Junior. You’ll see lots of cute sleepers with buttons, and by all means you should have a few, but the zipper sleepers are a new-mom’s/dad’s best friend. Trust me, the last thing you’ll want to be doing at 4am is buttoning up a sleeper post diaper change. Find as many as you can (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12) and add them to your registry so as baby grows you’re already prepared!
#15: Newborn Swing- It’s like magic for when you can’t get your little to sleep. Put them in, pick your swing speed, press the tunes button and watch as your little one drifts off to dreamland for that afternoon nap. The 4moms mamaroo is the top-rated baby swing thanks to its ability to move like you would while rocking your little one. Bounce, swing, sway.. it does it all!
Tap an item to shop!
Items are listed in the order listed above, with some having multiple options. Use the numbers at the top as a reference.
#14: Baby Carrier/Wrap- Whether you decide to go with a wrap or carrier, this is a necessity. There are so many times we’ve been out and didn’t want to push the stroller around. There have even been times around the house when our little guy just wanted cuddles but mommy had stuff to do. No matter what, this will come in handy. We went with a carrier over a wrap, because this allowed us to still go for quick walks without having to put him in his car seat, followed by attaching the car seat to the stroller. Our carrier and a wrap option are linked below.
#13: Breastfeeding Pillow- If you hope to breastfeed, your neck and back will thank you. Breastfeeding pillows offer support to your little one so you don’t have to worry about straining yourself when you’re doing those 8-12 feeds a day. You just sit it on your lap, baby goes on top and voila - they’re at your nipple height. This is also great as they get older/bigger because you can literally lay them on it while they breastfeed and be focused on other tasks (working on your laptop, answering e-mails on your phone, or ya know.. eating, because who knew it would be so hard to get a meal in!?). I’m linking the one we have plus a cheaper option.
#12:Highchair - Ahh yes, the infamous highchair... where cleanliness goes to die. At least that’s what I thought.. the easily removable, easy-to-clean table top made post-feed tidying 10x easier because of its easy “wipe to clean” design. While you won’t need a highchair for quite some time, it’s a great idea to put it on your registry so you already have it when you need it (plus, they aren’t the cheapest item, so it helps to save that expense if possible).
#11: Diaper Genie + Refills- All those dirty diapers need to go somewhere. The diaper genie contains the smell of the dirty diapers and makes for an easy tie-and-toss when the bag is full. While there’s a ton of different brands on the market, there’s no need for an expensive one in my opinion. Stick with the basic, because you’ll be smelling the dirty diapers momentarily when you change the bag regardless.
#10: Medela Freestyle Breastpump (If you plan on breastfeeding)- My favourite thing about this pump is its portability. It makes it extremely easy to multitask (especially when you have a mountain of dishes to do) and cuts the time in half by allowing you to pump both breasts at the same time. Mind you, I usually end up pumping one, feeding our little guy and then pumping out the remainder, but having the versatility to choose one or two breasts makes life easier.
To make your life even easier as far as needing to clean & sterilize the parts after each use (this goes for any breastpump parts), I strongly recommend grabbing a set of the replacement parts & the nipple shields (it’s so much easier for those times when you’re utterly exhausted, but.. surprise! It’s pump time and the parts aren’t clean from this morning/night/what time even is it??). The pump and replacement parts are linked below.
#9: Baby Brezza Bottle Sterilizer- The exact words I said when someone recommended I get a bottle sterilizer were “I’m NoT tHaT bOuGiE - I cAn UsE a PoT”. HA, boy was I wrong and boy did I regret not putting one on my registry. We boiled our bottles for the first SIX MONTHS of Junior’s existence before we caved, and I can’t fully explain how much easier the sterilizer made our lives. But, I’m going to try - Here’s all the reasons I love this machine over boiling a pot: The Baby Breeza Bottle Sterilizer fits 6 bottles PLUS our breastpump parts and then has room for accessories at the top – it sterilizes AND dries in 1hr 15min MAX. This seems pretty basic, right? Wrong. To put it in perspective, using the baby grass (drying rack), bottles and accessories took between 15-24hrs to dry, depending on the item. That meant we had to hand-dry these super tiny, almost impossible baby items when we needed to use them most of the time. The other big thing? Well, we used the biggest pot we had to boil our bottles and it would take two boiling sessions just to complete what the Baby Brezza Sterilizer does in one quick session. Trust me, when the time this takes is the difference between you eating/showering/extra 20-60 minutes of sleep.. you’ll regret not having a sterilizer.
#8: Baby Bottle Warmer- Whether you’re breastfeeding or formula feeding, you’re going to need one of these for when your newborn is fussy and you need to bottle feed them right away (I still remember the newborn screech)! We’ve only tried the Phillips Avent Bottle Warmer, but we love it and would easily buy it again mainly because of the setting options. Whether you need to defrost, quickly warm a refrigerated bottle, or want to get it to and keep it at room temperature (we use this function during bath time so it’s done by the time he’s out and ready for bed) making it easy to “set it and forget it” while you do what you need to for a bit (keep in mind, you don’t want to leave it too long, we usually only leave this setting for 15 minutes, especially with restrictions on breastmilk’s lifetime).
#7: Baby Changing Table, Changing Pad + Cover(s)- This will be where you spend a ridiculous amount of your day, so it’s important to make sure you can store everything you’ll need to change your baby in one place. We went with a changing table that had drawers attached, which we use to store diapers, wipes, and our extra diaper genie pales. This is also a great place to store your Nose Frida + accessories, Baby Tylenol, Breast Pads, Baby Cream, Baby Rash Cream, and other little goodies relative to your little one. When choosing a pad, try to get one that straps baby in (this makes your life easier when that sleeper your looking for happens to be on the other side of the room). I also recommend having AT LEAST two changing pad covers - baby is more comfortable, plus it makes those messy cleanups easier since you just have one to switch it out. Having multiple pad covers means you won’t have to do a wash right away.. And trust me, you may think now “oh, I would definitely be doing a wash right away”, but that will 100% change because.. well, you’d be doing a baby wash probably multiple times a day.. with 1 item.
#6: Baby Monitor– This is an absolute must-have for parents. Whether you want to head out back on the deck while baby sleeps, or just to another room – a baby monitor makes life easier since you’ll always be able to check that your little one is ok!
#5: Bassinet- For the first year, you’ll more than likely have your new bundle of joy sleeping in your room. While some choose to co-sleep, we decided to follow our doctor’s recommendation for safety reasons (but hey, it’s your decision and what works best for you). We loved our bassinet because it was portable and took up less space, making it easy to move room-to-room with what seemed like a forever sleeping newborn.
#4: Playard- We mainly bought it so we could bring it to the grandparents when they babysat so they wouldn’t have to buy their own baby furniture for overnight. The playard comes with a changing pad section that attaches and can be removed from the top, a detachable bassinet, and drops down to a playpen when you need it! This ended up being more for us than it is for the grandparents, and we even use it now as our main bassinet to provide a more comfortable sleep for Junior now that he’s older and bigger (but still not outside of the weight requirement).
#3: Car Seat- Your newborn is so precious, you’re going to want to make sure they’re as safe as can be. It’s a good idea to pick a car seat that you feel comfortable with, and place it on your registry to avoid fronting the bill yourself (especially because they usually range between 20-35lb max weight and you’ll need to upgrade to the next weight eventually). After a month of research, we decided to go with the PIPA Nuna, which was highly rated and light-weight, giving us peace-of-mind when it came to safety.
#2:Baby Stroller- My friends still make fun of me for the excessive list of requirements I had for a stroller. Rubber tires, easy for any terrain, light.. You name it, it was on my list, all while not wanting to break the bank. We went with the City Mini GT Baby Jogger because it had almost everything I needed and wasn’t $1,000+. Make sure you’ve decided what is most important for you and do your research before you buy - I strongly recommend seeing and testing it out in person before making this purchase. However, I will link our stroller below + the necessary adapters if you want to use it with the Nuna Pipa carseat (or others – make sure you check the list to make sure these adapters work with your carseat). Quick note on adapters – these are the part that attach your carseat to the stroller for you infant!
#1: Boppy Newborn Lounger- this was EASILY the best item we received. This was easy to bring in the bathroom when I needed a shower while the baby napped, and also everyday use. Heck, our little guy is nowhere near being a newborn and we still use it because he loves lounging in it (even though his legs now hang over the bottom). This was great for naps in general, as I could prop it on the couch (when pulled out to a bed) when I needed to work, and great to have when we went to visit friends/family.
Tap an item to shop!
Items are listed in the order listed above, with some having multiple options. Use the numbers at the top as a reference.
Here’s a checklist of some other registry must-haves, including a few more big-ticket items that should definitely be on your list! Tap items highlighted in pink to shop.
⁃ *Crib - I recommend doing your research before selecting. Make sure to read reviews if shopping online!
⁃ *Crib Mattress - make sure to read reviews to get the best possible one for baby’s sleep + safety (click here for the one we bought)
⁃ Bibs
⁃ Soothers
⁃ Books
⁃ Toys
⁃ Baby Clothes
⁃ Pacifier Grip (attaches to baby so their soother doesn’t end up on the floor)
⁃ Baby Tylenol
⁃ Baby Vitamin D (you’ll be using this daily)
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