Baby Items I Would Re-Register For
Determining what to put on your registry is tough because there are so many opinions and motherhood/newborn phase is very materialized. Babies don’t need much… just clothes on their back, fresh diapers, milk in their belly and a safe way to transport them around. Although, there are some things that are nice to have that can make your life easier - perks of living in the 21st century, however, do not feel pressured to buy it all! Here is a list of what we used and loved the most.
Note: I did not register for clothes because I knew people were going to get me baby clothes whether I asked for them or not, haha! Just a personal preference because I was going to buy clothes regardless.
If you are a mom, as you read through this list let me know in the comments if there’s anything you personally couldn’t live without to help out the mom-to-be’s!
Nursery
Vava Monitor - wifi free baby monitor. Didn’t want any chance of it being hacked! I’ve also heard it’s not very convenient having a wifi monitor hooked up to your phone because you can’t have the video up and use your phone at the same time.
Adjustable Monitor Holder - we use this to hold the monitor up on her crib rather than mounting it on the wall.
Best Blanket ever - This blanket is sooooo soft and oversized. We love it! We didn’t follow any swaddling rules (or most rules for that matter regarding sleep…). Lizzie has been sleeping on her tummy since week 2 and we would always cover her with this blanket to keep her warm!
Diaper Pail - This does a great job at containing the odor of all those diapers, but be warned - when you open it to change the bags out that thing STINKS. Not sure if it’s even possible to have a pail that doesn’t?!
Recliner/Glider - Love this! So much more affordable than others I found online. It has a power recliner, performance fabric, rocks back and forth and has a usb plug in to charge your phone or device. Every other recliner I saw online with these features was at least $1700… I bought it over a holiday sale for around $900 - worth it!
Changing pad - So many people shared the changing pad that doesn’t need a cover and doubles as a scale… personally I didn’t want a scale because I know I would obsess over it if I had it. I also figured Lizzie would get cold on it since there isn’t a cloth cover? Maybe people don’t experience that but I was happy to get this changing pad and a few extra covers to make sure she was comfortable and could just change it out if it got dirty.
Caddy - this is fantastic to have and keep in an area in your house you use the most! We keep diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, burp cloth, lotion and a bulb in it for easy access. We still use this 8 months later!
Burp Cloths - The more the merrier. You need at least 10 to start… We had one in our room, the nursery, the living room and in the diaper bag at any given moment. I also preferred the larger burp cloths over the small ones in case we really made a mess.
Diapers - I’ve tried a few brands and my favorite has been Coterie! They’re 4x more absorbent than other brands, are safe/non-toxic and are so soft. We had trouble with Lizzie leaking through the night early on and I truly believe we would’ve avoided this if we would’ve used Coterie from the start! My code TAYLORED20 gets you 20% off your first purchase! (P.S - don’t waste your time with Honest diapers… so stiff and leaked often)
I’ll share a breakdown of how many diapers you should register for at another time! It was so difficult to find out online how many diapers to register for in each size… I roughly documented how many we used (obviously different for everyone based on how many diapers you go through a day), but I want to help eliminate over-purchasing of one size so you don’t have too many extra. Of course, you can always return them at target and buy the next size if the box is unopened.
Transportation
Car Seat - We went with the Nuna Pipa Lite Rx and love it! It is super lightweight which makes it easy for me to also carry Lizzie around in it when we would go to appointments. It’s also certified to have no flame retardants which was a plus. Only thing I’d say is I wish I did more research on if I should have just gotten a carseat that grows with her, because no one warned me that you have to get a NEW carseat around the year mark…. no thanks. I kinda wish I would’ve gotten an all encompassing one because these things are expensive! Keep that in mind when hunting for your carseat.
Stroller - UppaBaby Cruz; we really like this stroller. We didn’t get the vista (converts to double stroller and comes with bassinet), because 1. we didn’t want the bassinet. Such an unnecessary luxury in my opinion for something we’d only use for a couple months. 2. We don’t plan to have another baby for a few years, so a double stroller just didn’t make sense! I’ve also heard great things about the Mockingbird stroller which is much more affordable and essentially does the same things as the Uppababy! Something to also think about is not all strollers are compatible with your carseat and you’ll need a converter if you get different brands. Another reason I wish I would’ve gotten an all encompassing stroller and carseat to save money in the long run!
Car Seat Adapter - We needed the adapter for the stroller bc the Nuna carseat doesn’t fit into the base of the Uppababy stroller. Keep that in mind when shopping for these things on if you’ll need an adapter or not!
Stroller Caddy - You need this! Can hold your water bottle, keys, phone, snacks, etc.
Baby Bjorn Carrier - We loved this the most for baby wearing. Very supportive and easy to clip in and out. Honestly, we couldn’t get the hang of the solly wrap and it seems a little unrealistic as they get older. We also didn’t baby wear that much… only on special occasion if we needed our hands free or if we were going somewhere that it would be too difficult to hold her for long periods of time. This is different for every family, but I would definitely recommend getting at least one supportive carrier that your husband also feels comfortable wearing! This doesn’t have to be fancy… don’t let people talk you into an expensive one that looks chic (ah hem, artipoppe) unless you feel like you can’t live without it. In this department, I was a realist that I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on things that we wouldn’t use for a long period of time!
Car Mirror - This shockingly was hard to find a low key mirror that didn’t look ridiculous hahah. There are people out there that will encourage you that you need a video camera to place on your dash so you can see them…. kinda dumb in my opinion when you can literally just turn your head around and see them with a mirror instead. But let’s be honest, you’ll be riding in the backseat most of the time anyway haha.
Evenflo Carseat - I mentioned there are carseats out there that are newborn to toddler; we plan to get this one next and kinda wish we would’ve gotten this from the get go! I’ve also heard good things about the Nuna Rava.
Gadgets
Hatch Sound Machine - Whoever invented this was genius. We used this immediately! Acts as a sound machine and night light. Connects to your phone through wifi and you can adjust the settings of noise levels, color on the night light and how bright it gets, as well as a variety of sounds it makes. This is great for naps and night sleep to help drown out background noises that could wake the baby, and also signify that it’s time for them to sleep!
Mini Hatch Sound Machine - We keep this one in the diaper bag. No night light feature, but great for when you’re out and about! Has to be plugged in though.
Oxo Bath Tub - I wish we would’ve bought this sooner! We originally had nothing for bath time because we figured we would just use the sink - even though that was fine for a little bit, baths were honestly just kind of difficult because she was so slippery! Once we got this it made our lives so much easier. Plus it can be used up to 18 months I think?! I don’t see us using it that long, but we still use it at 8 months :)
Bath Towel - This is the bath towel we got as a baby shower gift and we loveeee. It’s big, but it’ll grow with her for a while!
Feeding/Nursing
Haaka - This intimidated me at first, but it did help in the beginning stages of breastfeeding when I was engorged, or when I would be feeding Lizzie and the other side would be drenched by the time she switched. I don’t use it anymore, but it’s affordable and helpful to build up a freezer storage of milk at first!
Spectra S1 - got this through our insurance. Make sure to check your insurance because most provide a free breastpump! This is more powerful than the portable pumps and I recommend if you’re going to pump regularly, to use a heavy duty hospital grade pump rather than a portable one. Portable is great for when you’re on the go, but don’t have as powerful suction and can impact your supply in the long run! Karrie Locher is a great resource for breastfeeding.
Elvie Portable Breast Pumps - I registered for these and they are super helpful for when you’re on the go! They are pricey, but I have had a good experience with them. I use them in the car or when I have to go to an appointment without Lizzie, and then I use the Spectra when I’m at home. I’ve also heard Momcozy have a more affordable pump option!
Milk storage bags - if you’re going to pump at all, you’ll need these! Ive used two boxes so far and we’re 8 months in. I’ve exclusively breastfed up to this point and probably only pumped once, sometimes twice, a day for a while and took a long break from it during the moving process too.
Nipple butter - You’ll need this for those early breastfeeding days! The hospital will likely give you linoleum cream, however that just acts as a barrier and isn’t actually a healing agent if you have cracked, bleeding or raw nipples (sorry if TMI). I had one side that was very painful for probably 2 weeks until I saw a lactation consultant who told me if I adjusted her latch and used true nipple butter instead that it would heal right up. She was right! This tip probably saved our breastfeeding journey.
Cooling pads - This is great for in between feeds to help soothe!
Bottles - I wanted at least two different brands of bottles in case I decided to pump or use formula. Every baby is different, but the two linked above have worked for us!
Ninni Co Pacifier - breastfeeding friendly pacifier. Lizzie used this for a couple months until she found her fingers!
Formula - if you want a back up supply, or are choosing formula from the get go, check out these brands. ByHeart, Bobbie, Bubs Organic, Kendamil, Nannycare, Loulouka, Little Oak. Next best options would be Earths Best, Hipp, Holle, Pure Bliss Similac, Happy Baby Organic. I got a few cans as a back up in case breastfeeding didn’t work for whatever reason! Good to have a peace of mind.
Miscellaneous
Diaper Bag - I love my MZ Wallace bag. It can double as a weekender bag once I’m done using it as a diaper bag. It is huge and has so many pouches and pockets for all the things. It’s technically not a “diaper bag” but that’s why I loved it! I thought other diaper bags were so small and didn’t like that everyone had the same bag haha.
Bjorn Bouncer - For sure one of the most used items for us. We would usually set her in it to either bounce her for fun, or have her set by the dinner table in it while we ate! She loved it. As she got a little bigger we would put the wooden play set over it and she would hit and grab the toys!
Graco Swing - Lizzie liked this! She took naps in it occasionally and a good way to set her down so you could get something done. We would’ve used it more if we didn’t put our house up for sale ( had to keep it in the garage for showings), but she did like it for the short time we did use it!
Crinkle Books - Lizzie loves these! The noise was super interesting to her and she loved holding it and chewing it as she got a little older.
Black and White books - I don’t know what it is about black and white, but babies LOVE IT. I wish I had more of it honestly for those first few months, but we had one toy that had black and white and she would be captivated by it so we took it everywhere! I think it has something to do with their vision and how they can’t really see clearly until 5ish months.
Wooden Play Set - This is great for tummy time, or activity time in those initial stages. I didn’t want anything big or crazy that was too difficult to put away, so this worked well for us. Lizzie didn’t really seem interested in it until probably the 2 month mark. Maybe because she just wasn’t really sure what to do with it?!
Skip Hop Activity Center
Carseat/Stroller toy
Bath soap & lotion
Scalp massagers - Great for exfoliating their heads if they get cradle cap!
Health
Saline Spray - for stuffy noses
Bulb/Frida Nose Sucker - I couldn’t bring myself to use the frida, but we do have a lot of bulbs!
Nail clippers - some people are nervous and get a nail file. Either is fine, but we used nail clippers.
Beekeepers Propolis Spray - immune boosting support
Wellements Newborn Bundle
Teething Oil
Genexa Pain/Fever — non toxic alternative to tylenol
Gripe Water - for gas and hiccup relief
Armpit thermometer - easiest to use for babies rather than ear or forehead thermometer
Multipurpose healing ointment -
Chest and Foot rub - nontoxic version of vix vapor rub
Sunscreen - we like Babo Botanicals for a nontoxic version of sunscreen!
What is something you would re-register for?! Let’s help out the new mom’s in the comments!
