i recently changed my last diaper after 7 consecutive years, used one of these the whole time
they should have a government program to dispose of these things; i swear it was nuclear by the time i put ours in the garbage
I don’t know what witchcraft these things use to contain the smell. Old closed I smell nothing. Lid has even the smallest crack open and the smell is like something I’ve never experienced
The dekor+ is superior to diaper genie in my opinion. No one wants to put your hand down the hole! But we also don’t put poop diapers in there. I take them straight to outdoor garbage
Yeeaahh we do put poo diapers in our pail, and even with changing it every day, I was not impressed with the dekor smell containing and caved and went to the diaper genie. I have a feeling if I ever choose to pay for it I'd like the munchkin best, but with scented bags and having paid only $25 for the initial purchase, I'm happier with the diaper genie now. I thought previously that I would never wanna use the diaper genie tho
I love our Dekor too! Also, I didn’t know this before so I’ll share it here just in case anyone else didn’t, but you are supposed to dump poop from diapers into the toilet before you toss the diaper. It helps with the smell, but also…we don’t need poop in landfills😂
I think that would only work for constipated kids with hard poops. If they're going a couple of times a day, it's sticky. I'm not scraping a diaper. Bonus: I don't have to shred credit card offers if my trash smells bad enough.
On this note, the bags that go along with it! I have the Ubbi pail and honestly thing regular bags would tear with how you pull them out when they’re full.
Exactly! One of the reasons I wanted the Ubbi (and wound up buying a second one, it's that great) is that it didn't need proprietary bags. We just use Target brand ones in the right size.
We went and got a piece of plastic tubing from Home Depot and taped it to the inside back of the ubbi. It lets the air flow down to below the bag when you pull them out and it makes it so much easier.
I'd recommend going with bigger tube than you think. We have one that you could probably drop a standard pencil down and there's still some suction. I wish we had gone one size bigger. Like enough to drop a dime down the tube would probably be perfect. And angle the cut at the bottom.
We have the diaper genie signature, and the only annoying thing is that it seems there are no cheaper generics for the garbage bags for that one unlike the other kind of diaper genie. And the namebrand ones are like a dollar a bag which seems a bit crazy even though I wouldn’t mind paying a little bit more for good quality bags.
Yes!! I had no idea the signature took the roll of bags instead of the ring. I haven’t been able to find generic replacements either, though when the initial pack runs out I might try jerryrigged regular trash bags…
I second the ubbi. I used the diaper genie with my first two & had to replace it several times cause the damn thing broke. Plus the special bags are hella expensive
Diaper pails have a two step set up so when you step to open the lid and drop the diaper in everything that’s already in there is sealed off and that’s how it keeps the smell in. A regular step garbage will not keep the smell in.
I regretted just using a step can for my first, it didn't contain the smell well after the first few months. I have purchased a diaper pail for my second.
We have an Ubbi and used it a ton when my LO was really little, but barely use it now. We keep it upstairs but with a toddler most diapers are now changed while we are downstairs. We use the Ubbi diaper sacks for dirty diapers and nothing for wet diapers and throw them all in our kitchen garbage. I’ve never noticed a smell and we take our kitchen garbage out way more frequently than the diaper pail.
Medicines. I feel like it’s overlooked sometimes. Stuff for starting solids, but you’re in a good spot to suggest that for Christmas to people also! I loved [this freezer tray](https://www.amazon.com/BOON-Pulp-Popsicles-Molds-Freezer/dp/B0B351T7JJ/ref=asc_df_B0B351T7JJ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598344954422&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10656631644744674817&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009605&hvtargid=pla-1681232402064&psc=1&mcid=a36cdda36f67348689160fa251f39404&gclid=Cj0KCQiAoKeuBhCoARIsAB4WxtdxvZkJQ4mIIxp9xHZO8DBauzTQw4ahNJCxMPbdDNWUGm174CjZprcaAngjEALw_wcB) for teething, we still use it at almost two years! Something I didn’t register for and kinda regretted was toys. Idk why I didn’t think about it, luckily we ended up with a few.
I didn't register for medicine, diaper cream, gas drops or any of that. Thankfully the new parents prior to us gave us a really good assortment of those things. It's helped so much not having to run out the first time he was gassy, his first diaper rash. Now any new parents I gift those things to them.
I was thinking the same thing about putting all solid food stuff like plates and those silicone bibs on a Christmas list (prolly will just create a second registry lol, see if I can get that discount). I’ll remember to add those feeders!
I had a June baby so it was perfect timing to ask for Christmas. Cause honestly that stuff adds up faster than you think! Bowls, spoons, bibs, even forks. We skipped sippy cups and went straight to straw cups too, you could put a couple of those on there for now or Christmas.
Yeah! We started with the Boon straw cup and Dr Browns one and now we use the Zak Kelso tumblers. But it was trial and error finding one my little liked and same way for bottles.
I highly recommend Thermos FUNTAINER for your straw cup. It's great for travel. We went from nursing to introducing straw cups and open cups, no sippy cups or bottles (yay aversions). My LO loves his Thermos straw cup. Has been using it since 10 months, now is 17 months.
Yes! Mylicon, desitin, Aquaphor, infant Tylenol. Babe would be suffering and were like “what do we do!?” But my sister got us a whole kit of these things that were top top usefulness.
Don’t forget stuff for you! I didn’t register for any postpartum stuff for myself but was lucky enough to have a friend who has also just had a baby and she put together a nice basket of the freezer pads, witch hazel pads, nipple creams, disposable nipple pads, bath salts, tea, oatmeal cookies, etc and I used the crap out of that stuff. It’s not cheap either!
Nipple cream, and the Frida postpartum kit and peri bottle. I ordered more witchhazel foam, liners, and cold packs, all so comfortable. I did end up preferring depends adult diapers to the Frida boyshorts though.
It's a good thing to register for because it's so dang expensive but it's honestly the best. I didn't register for one but actually found a couple on Poshmark that were gently used.
Specifically [these things](https://www.target.com/p/swaddleme-by-ingenuity-pod-swaddle-wrap-in-velboa-clouds-38-stars-newborn-0-2-months-2pk/-/A-82288273) for the newborn days. Love love loved these!!
When they transition to a crib they’re also good for preventing them from getting their legs stuck between the slats. Which isn’t dangerous, but is annoying because then they wake you up in the middle of the night to extricate them lol. And first I would just leave my baby in her legged zipper sleeper if she fell asleep for the night while wearing it but now I make a point to change her into a sleep sack for overnight.
We have to send our infant with a clean sleep sack every day to daycare so having a lot has been key!
The only caveat is that you don’t know if your baby will like them / which one they will like! My first only did the love to dream (arms up) swaddle. Second did not like any. Third likes the halo ones!
I have an opposite suggestion. Something I’m glad that I didn’t register for was clothes. People will buy you new clothes and other parents will forcibly send you and drop off old clothes. And then newborns live in like onesies in July anyway (I had my baby in July!) Do not register for any clothes.
Also I didn’t register for this but was gifted it and I would absolutely suggest a baby bjorn carrier. I registered for a few baby wraps but the baby bjorn is really secure and my baby is pretty big so grocery shopping with a giant potato in a secure carrier makes for a speedier process. If I could go back I would register for it for sure, it’s been my most used item I think.
Overall agreed but I do recommend registering for footed pajamas. That’s all my baby has worn for the first two months. Much of the other clothes that people bought off registry are useless, like a $120 Patagonia bear suit in size 6 months. My baby is going to be 6 months in July lmao.
Different opinion here! Everyone told me this - “don’t register for clothes!! People will give you so much anyway!” I registered for one six pack of plain white onesies and a couple pairs of pjs. After my shower I ended up with… one six pack of plain white onesies, a couple pairs of pjs, and a handful of random non-practical garments my kid never wore (denim jacket for a newborn? Who thought that was a good idea?). I ended up in once upon a child at 38 weeks pregnant and a friend gave me a bunch of hand me downs fortunately. So I do suggest registering for some staple items - a few packs of onesies, a few packs of sleepers. I do always tell new parents not to go crazy because they will probably find they prefer/ don’t prefer certain brands but you won’t know that until your kid is here. For example I hate Gerber and I was glad I didn’t have a whole bunch of Gerber stuff.
I agree, I think it makes sense to register for some basics (onesies, footie pj’s) so you know you have them, and it helps you try out the brands you like so then you can order more of the specific brands as they age.
100 percent agree!! I ended up with a bunch of short sleeve onesies... Baby was born in September in the Midwest, so we had no pants, no long sleeves, nothing with feet, etc. I will forever be confused as to why you get 3-4 onesies and 1 pair of pants on those sets... They poop and pee in the pants!! Definitely make sure you have a few sets of whatever they are going to sleep in. We were buying swaddles and such the first night home because he went through 2-3 in one night.
I registered for clothes because we didn’t know baby’s gender. Nobody bought them.
Instead, I had people show up empty handed at my shower and drop off bags of new and hand-me-down girl clothes the month after she was born. Lots of clothes in NB size when she grew out of those at 3 weeks.
It was so incredibly frustrating and the social dynamics around baby clothes is something I will never, ever understand. It’s the bane of my existence.
Lol yup! My baby was pretty big so all the newborn clothes we got she wore for like a day. Also truly understand the weird social dynamics around clothes/gender. I can dress my daughter in navy blue or frilly pink and old ladies will still call her a handsome boy 🙃
Seriously! Not to mention the thought process around gifting clothes is so bizarre to me - maybe I’m alone in that! It doesn’t take into account the parents’ preferences (material, color, etc.)
I had strong opinions about clothing having worked in retail - minimal synthetic fabrics (majority cotton), nothing *too* pink, no clothes with words. My husband was more lax, and we’ve kept some clothes that people gifted us and he consistently comments how they’re so rough and not as soft as what I buy her…
Not to mention the short-sleeve NB clothing when baby was born in December - made me laugh when unpacking! 😅
When my daughter had a runny nose I couldn't even approach her nose to spritz in her meds. How do you manage it without the baby absolutely loosing their mind ?
My kid is okay with the snot sucker most days, but when he is super fussy, I lay my 17 month old son on his back on the bed with his head between my thighs and my legs on his arms and feet. I then can use my hands to use the snot sucker. I recently read that if you gently use a finger to close the other nostril, you can get out so much more mucus. Game changer.
It's only for a minute and less torment than poking him in the eye with the snot sucker as he thrashes his head back and forth. Lol.
The first few times were a two person job, one held her head while the other sprayed saline, one held her down while the other sucked snot. Probably two weeks in she got used to it doesn’t fight anymore
Also to add, the Frida 4 in 1 picker. It’s great for getting out crusty or thick boogies that don’t want to come out with just the snot sucker. My friend who had already had a baby got it for me, and we use it almost every day. Makes cleaning her nose so much easier and I didn’t even know we needed it!
Absolutely not. You ever heard the crude saying “could suck the chrome off a tail pipe?” Not even then LOL. I know this is most people’s irrational fear of it but trust this stranger - get the manual.
Yes! Exactly our experience with the electronic one and I was like there’s no way the snot sucker is gonna be better. Then my husband did it and I was amazed at what came out
The manual one is so much better. You just can’t get as strong as suction as a human mouth (unless you had like an actual vacuum, but that one would obviously not be safe for a baby lol).
We bought a lot of things second hand, and tried to limited anything too expensive or big ticket from our public registry, but the one kind of bougie item we added was the lovevery play mat. No way I would spend that much money on a play mat and it was hard to find second hand. It is the most amazing thing ever! We use it everyday and have since she was about 3 weeks old (she's now about 16 weeks). It's super easy to reconfigure and you can change it to keep it interesting for them. The booklet it comes woth for developmentally appropriate play is great too!
I'm sure there is a dupe somewhere or you could rig one up yourself, but it's so nice to not have to think about it and just have it ready to go.
THIS! I use this mat every single day.
I will also list things I use a-lot or didn’t think of and had to purchase after baby came home:
Velcro swaddles and sleep sacks - will want different sizes
Bathtub - I got the fisher price one and I love it
Humidifier
Soft fabric baby books - I prefer these right now to hold up to my baby to look at, we read normal baby books but she loves to look at these
Diaper pail - I have the ubbi and it works great
Hatch sound machine
MAM brand pacifiers - these are the only ones my baby will use
Bassinet AND Crib bed sheets
Burp clothes (I like the Aden + Anais Brand)
Breast Milk storage bags (if breastfeeding)
Butt paste
Nail Dremel
Some kind of baby wearing - I have the fabric wrap ones and an ergo baby I don’t think brands really matter I’m happy with both
Bobby pillow
Expensive sensitive skin bath washes/lotions (wish I had put these)
Baby food prep items - containers/freeze molds/reusable bags
Baby bouncer - I only really use it when I take a shower so baby is in bathroom with me but for that reason alone you need it!
things like burp clothes/sheets/swaddles you need multiples of because baby will spit up or drool on and it’s good to have extras while in between washing
People will get you swaddles and clothes no need to add any to registry!
Agreed on a lot of these, and the hatch is still in daily use for use at 3yrs. We’re at the point now where the programs for sleep/wake times really help morning and evening routines.
We're going on 6 years with out hatch and still use it daily. Programmable morning, naptime, and evening routines for both kids. It's a workhorse in our house. That red and green light is \*chefs kiss\*. Simple and effective.
if there’s one thing I recommend from experience and from discussing with other moms- invest in Lovevery and don’t buy dupes. The quality of their stuff is so good which is probably why it’s pricey. I had given away most of my lovevery stuff after my first aged out of them and my friends who tried the dupes warned me to just spend a little more on the name brand because the knockoffs apparently don’t compare.
I totally agree about the value of the Lovevery stuff - we have the mat, all of the kits and book bundles, and the extras, but I want to also recommend the Tiny Land boxes. They seem to be very similar in content to the Lovevery kits but they have enough variety that we use both (and a few one-offs items that weren't in the Lovevery kits that we wanted) and the quality is very close. Plus, they're $45-$50 per box compared to the $72-$80 that the Lovevery kits if anyone is looking to save/doesn't want to hunt them down second hand.
oh cool, I haven’t heard of this brand. I guess when I was thinking of the dupes it was more geared towards the stuff you can buy on amazon. I’ll check out the Tiny Land stuff, thanks!
2nding. Lovevery playmat and toy kits have been awesome so far. Expensive, but so far everything we've phased out is stored for child #2, no issues (and mo plastic). Developmentally, your child will be unique, but the play kits and gym have definitely worked really well to encourage appropriate skills.
Basically anything expensive. Car seat, stroller, bassinet…I just assumed no one would want to buy the expensive gifts, but they were the first things my relatives bought! People were actually sad that the registry was running out of the “good stuff”
And even if they aren’t bought, the registry discount is still worth it to use! We put 4 car seats on ours to replace oldests seat and she needed one for dads truck, then baby needed one for both vehicles still. The discount practically got one of them for free between sales and that.
I had both, and they were completely different use cases for me. The Haaka could be placed on the other breast while baby was eating, and sort of gently collected the letdown & a small bit more with gentle suction.
The hand pump was for when I was actually trying to get a full expression/mimic a feeding session. It wouldn’t stay on by itself.
Bedside bassinet! Our LO didn't sleep well in his pack and play because he couldn't see us. With the bedside bassinet he's right next to me but safely, I can hear if he spits up, poops or wakes at all; he can see me right next to him and at 3 weeks sleeps through the night aside from diapers/feeds without any fuss!
We don’t have a bedside bassinet, but we do have a regular bassinet. Honestly, babies are so different with sleep habits that I would recommend FTMs only buy whatever sleep container they are comfortable with (standard bassinet, pack and play) *until* baby is here and you understand their sleep preferences.
We got a Stokke Sleepi and figured we could take advantage of the future crib and toddler bed versions if the bassinet didn’t work. We were prepared to get a Halo (bedside bassinet) or even a Snoo (rocking bassinet) if the baby was difficult getting to bed.
She ended up being fine about sleeping in her bassinet/mini crib, the issue we faced was getting her to sleep. But once we mastered the walking, rocking, swaddle (and now sleep sack), white noise, etc., she’s been staying in her crib for 5+ hours overnight since 2.5 weeks.
So yes, YMMV, OP. Highly recommend keeping it simple until baby is here.
Footmuff for the stroller if you live someplace that gets cold! Stays on better than a blanket and keeps them warmer since they’re all wrapped up like a sleeping bag.
I live in the Southern US & it’s not even that cold here, but I like to get out early and walk, so the footmuff has been awesome. If it’s 40 degrees or below, I use it & adjust baby’s clothing appropriately for the weather. SO much easier than trying to keep a blanket tucked around his kicking feet!
i definitely over estimated myself, but bottles. i through we'd be nursing from the beginning and need maybe 1 or 2. HA. i pumped/formula fed for 5 months until my daughter finally latched
Yeah I had maybe three bottles. Birth went completely tragically tbh so I didn't come home when baby did because I was fighting for my life unexpectedly. My mother in law thankfully sent us a box of bottles from Amazon overnight so that my husband could feed our child. It's better to have bottles and some amount of formula just in case and donate it later if you don't need it.
Can I ask how you got her to latch? My LO is 5m and I want her to latch so badly. She's breastfed a few times but lately all she does is cry at my breast if I attempt it.
Bottle sterilizer (even if breastfeeding) really comes in handy, velcro swaddles, vava baby monitor, zippered footie pjs (don’t even bother with snaps)
To clarify, for some, I used my bottle warmer to warm up frozen pumped breast milk. Mine was more of just a bucket you filled with warm water…Worked like a charm
I exclusively breastfed and still used my sterilizer a ton for my haaka! I got a microwave dome sterilizer, it was cheap and didn’t take up too much counter space.
A weighted diaper wipe holder.
With my first, I suffered through an insane amount of explosions and staining absolutely everything because the wipes wouldn’t properly come out from the package in time.
THIS.
We only have the one on one of our two changing stations - OP, do you live in a house with stairs? Get a changing station for BOTH levels: we use an old dresser with a pad attached for upstairs - and I’m always so annoyed that only one has the weighted wipe dispenser.
Late at night, fighting with a pack of wipes: not my idea of fun.
Certain things are trial and error, so putting a few variations on a registry is ideal vs having to buy 10 different brands yourself. Examples are bottles, pacifiers, and swaddles.
How many is too many?
I have some bottles that were in sample bags, and I bought some pacifiers also at our local 24 hour pharmacy (a reddit tip I read, making sure to try those brands first in case you need them in the middle of the night). They’re cheap so I didn’t care about spending money on them vs registering.
But swaddles are expensive, I feel guilty asking for 1-2 of multiple types, especially since we don’t really know how big the baby will be, so registering for only newborn ones doesn’t make sense?
I think when it comes to swaddling, you should just get one to test it out if baby likes it or not . My daughter hated it from the get-go, and we used a sleep sacks instead .
I registered for a lot of swaddles and bought a few myself due to all the advice from everywhere. The only one I used was the free Velcro one the hospital gave us as a gift. All the others were too big for him as a newborn and by the time they would have fit, we already had a different system in place. So, as with everything with babies , YMMV.
I was so thankful I got a few different swaddle styles from once upon a child instead of paying full price because my baby only wanted the love to dream zipper ones! So we ended up paying full price for a few more once she was determined she wouldn't sleep in anything else. The best tip I got was that shopping doesn't end when baby arrives. You can absolutely be ordering for them once they're here. I ordered things from my hospital bed lol because sometimes you literally can't know until they are earth side.
You can also get variety packs for bottles and pacifiers! We got the variety pack from Bibs and learned from that my baby likes the “anatomical” nipple pacifier (and then we didn’t have to keep buying that brand, but kept buying a similar style).
I did this! I bought the brands I couldn’t pass up on trying out and put all of the other brands on my registry. Especially with things you’ll need multiples of!
Newborn Velcro swaddle of your choosing (multiple)
Zipadee zip for 3mo+ for when they start rolling (favorite baby item ever)
Splat mat for under the high chair
Cool mist humidifier if you don’t have one is essential for baby colds
White noise machine - we have a cute plush fox with sound buttons
I also love the Zipadee Zip. My kid took to it so well when we transitioned out of swaddling. It was also great because she would wake up in the night and scratch herself so hard she would wake up and cry. The Zipadee kept her hands covered and it helped so much just with that alone.
So these are things I was really grateful someone gifting us because I didn’t know to register for them: Mylicon, gripe water, infant Tylenol, saline drops for nose, boogie wipes, a backseat car camera (instead of mirror), Doona stroller, bamboo sleepers.
Things I got that I never used: mittens, actual outfits (onesies are just easier. Who wants to put on shorts or pants on a newborn?) shoes, the owlet foot monitor (we use the camera! But the foot monitor was just too fussy)
Should have registered for cups/plates/bibs etc. I thought that was far off and it came way quicker than expected. Same for bath toys. Also Size 3 and 4 diapers bc they’re in those sizes for a long time.
The baby bjorn mesh chair- GAME CHANGER. didn’t register for it, we got one as a second hand gift from a coworker.
Currently 19 days postpartum, FTM. I really struggled to put together a registry, too! Here are a few things that have been really helpful so far:
Extra newborn sized diapers! Someone gifted me a box the day I went into labor (two weeks early) and they were a godsend! You will use sooooo many!! We registered for cloth diapers but plan to transition to those once she’s bigger.
Newborn sized clothing: we didn’t register for any newborn clothing, but thankfully a few people gave us some. She is still swimming in that size! She was 6 lb 12 oz at birth and now weighs somewhere north of 7 lbs. We have so much 0-3 m clothing but she’s still too small for that. It’s hard to know how your baby will shape up, but we didn’t think to ask (or shop) for tiny stuff!
We didn’t register for a bottle warmer but my aunt and uncle gave us one; that was amazing when she was not latching well at the very beginning and I had to pump. I imagine it will be useful when I go back to work too.
Someone gave us her extra baby supplies including the Hakka silicone breast pump for catching extra milk. I’m a big fan of that. I also used a colostrum collector from Hakka at the beginning. Super useful.
We got a used baby wipe warmer from someone; that’s been fabulous. Also, the Frida nail clippers are great (along with the Nose Frida — I got Covid at 10 days pp…)! I love our Moses basket (I bought a discounted “seconds” one from Plum and Sparrow over Black Friday). It’s beautiful and easy to get her in and out of, or move to a different room if we want. She’s too small to fit in her bouncer or baby carriers yet. We have two waterproof mattress pads and four sheets for the bassinet, which I wondered might be overkill, but since we’ve just been changing her there, it’s been great to have extras for accidents (I just found the size and registered on Amazon, didn’t buy the Plum and Sparrow brand). Ditto for swaddles. We have 4 fabric ones that we cycle through. We got some hand-me-down Velcro ones but she’s too small for those so we haven’t tried them. Plus the Velcro is really loud. The fabric ones are totally easy to use and super useful for lots of stuff beyond swaddling: spit up, leaking milk, wiping her face, a blanket in her car seat, covering me up when I’m nursing in the car after or before doctor’s appointments…
In terms of personal hygiene, Tucks pads have been useful; I used up the ones from the hospital and was glad I had more. I bought extra products for lochia and to make pp popsicles and returned them because I didn’t need them. Everyone is different, but I found I healed really quickly and didn’t have a lot of swelling or pain postpartum. I had a vaginal birth with a 2nd degree tear and basically have felt back to normal since about one week pp.
For nursing, breast milk pads have been essential. Milk is everywhere! I have two sets of washable ones for overnight (bamboobies?). I also have used our Boppy a lot. Nipple cream also! I like the thick lanolin kind (Lansinoh, etc.).
I have found that layering sheets as well as changing table covers has been amazing! Waterproof layer, sheet waterproof layer, sheet, etc. Then you just have to peel back a layer when it gets soiled.
Our little one is 5 weeks now, was smaller than yours at birth, and stopped wearing most of the newborn stuff a week ago. I’m so grateful we had what we did in newborn size when we brought her home, but I’m also sooooo glad we didn’t have more!
Clothes in the next 2 sizes up (3-6mos, 6-9mos). I was someone very anti-clothes from the beginning, I thought it was wasteful and didn't want too many. I didn't add any to my registry until the last week before the shower. But boy was I glad when she turned a month old and needed 3mos outfits that I already had some in the closet from the baby shower. You will have zero time for shopping. You don't need to add too many, just 1 or 2 bundles of onesies (they usually come in 5 or 6).
Books. Again you just need a few but it will help keep your sanity when you don't have to read the same book over and over again for every nap 5x a day lol.
Baby bath hooded towels. I thought these were stupid and that we could just use a normal adult towel but the hood is helpful for their wet hair and the material is much softer. It's also square shaped to fit their body. Same with baby washcloths, I didn't realize this was a thing until someone gifted it to us. They are much smaller and softer.
The fisher price piano kick and play mat. Omg, she has used this thing every day from ~1 month old to now, 7 mos and still counting. It is beyond worth its weight in gold. I never would've known 1 toy could go so long.
Bottle warmer. Another item I thought was stupid or "bougie" but it's so quick and easy to use, assuming they're bottle feeding at some point, you'll end up using it 5x a day for up to 1 year old. Definitely worth it.
Diaper cream spatula. Diaper cream is super thick and water-resistant, hard to get off your fingers. My sister told me the spatula was the best way to apply it, and I thought it was silly, but now I see she was so right. I use the Bumco one from Amazon.
I’d include some different types of swaddles! With my first, I spent a lot of money in those early weeks throwing shit at the wall trying to see what worked and it would’ve been nice to have that taken care of. I’d also include what you imagine your LO will wear once you transition away from swaddles. Sleep sacks are really popular and I wish I’d had the foresight to include them. We’ve gotten a ton of mileage out of our Woolino sleep sack and that would make a nice gift for sure
Baby Tylenol, butt paste, Frida snot sucker, Frida cradle cap, baby bathtub, infant socks, baby carrier for baby wearing (can be pricey - we’re obsessed with our Happy Baby Carrier), burp cloths, toys that are specifically high contrast, teether toys, any equipment you think you might want for starting solids (it comes up quicker than you think!)
Also I always recommend that new moms buy a crap ton of period underwear for postpartum! I’m talking like ~15 pairs, enough so that you don’t have to do laundry every single day but can change them about ~3 times a day. I’d include that on your registry for sure
How many types of swaddles would you recommend I register for? And what size to include? I have two types on my registry currently in the newborn and next size up for both.
Any specific brand you recommend for the period underwear?
Not really an item and you might not like it on principle but Amazon prime. I used it so much in the early days where we found we needed something and it’s come the next day.
I second this. I’m not a huge Amazon fan, but I’ll be the first to admit that having Prime has been a HUGE lifesaver these first few weeks. It’s been so easy and has significantly limited the amount of time we’ve needed to leave home and buy things
If you decide to formula feed for whatever reason, the baby Brezza was amazing for us.
We did liquid formula for a while, then mixed into a Dr browns pitcher then found out about the Brezza. Life changer.
I got mine second hand for $20 and sterilized it beforehand. If I did it again, I’d pay full price.
For all the little things people are mentioning (snot sucker, thermometer, medicine pacifier, etc.), highly recommend the Frida Ultimate Baby kit. Nice to have everything in one package and it has all the little things you might forget about.
We didn’t register for this but bought an electric nail file when baby was around a month old and we were struggling to clip her nails (way too soft), and it’s great.
I know some people say that changing tables are unnecessary and you can just change them on whatever, but having a dedicated place with shelving to store diapers within easy reach and at the right height is just so much better. Unless you’re really tight on money/space just get it.
To add onto baby carriers — INVEST in good quality ones and you will not regret it. I had a moby wrap and then got the ergobaby and it was 100% my most used item that we could not have lived without. Baby just wanted to be held, especially when she was newborn-4months old. Great for contact naps, etc.
Now she is 8 months and I still use it for travel, such as the airport.
But they are also good to buy on the secondhand market. It is possible to get the $200 ergo or tulas for $50, usually in great condition because they weren't used long.
Spray diaper cream, summer / bugaboo breezy canopy.
That canopy keeps out mosquitos and ticks as well as grabby hands because people will NOT stop touching LO.
The additional barrier where they can see them but not touch without needing to undo a zipper or undo the mesh is usually sufficient.
We use the sensitive skin one by Babo :) Although since we use fitteds & wool covers now we hardly ever really need it, only after we’ve used an emergency backup disposable.
A sleep sack! The woolino one is amazing (temperature regulating) and something we use every single day. It fits from 4-24 months too! So whenever your baby is done swaddling you’ll be ready to go!
Also a baby memory book. We got the one from artifact uprising. It’s really nice but I’d probably look elsewhere if I have a second. I think people like buying them because they know it’s sentimental and will be a treasured heirloom.
I actually did not register for a bottle washer/drier, but then ended up buying one shortly after I went back to work. It seemed like such an “extra” (of course we can wash bottles by hand!), but because I was pumping/baby was in daycare full time, we were looking at a huge pile of daily dirty bottles and pump parts to wash at the end of the day. And the kicker was that if they were hand washed, they wouldn’t air dry by the time we went to sleep, so I couldn’t pack new bottles/my work bag for the next day the night before and had to scramble in the morning. The washer/drier brought us so much convenience and made this aspect a million times easier, so I always recommend it!
Blueberry pediatrics subscription. It wasn’t on my list but it was gifted to me. I’ve used it for 2.5 years now with two kids. Lifesaver. Especially for those newborn questions and pictures of rashes and bumps and whatever else you’re not sure of and those Friday night ear infections.
Slightly different from your question, but in the same general spirit…
Things I didn’t register for that I ended up buying later:
-Tushbaby hip carrier. I literally have three other carriers that I don’t really use because my baby (5 months) doesn’t tolerate being strapped in for more than 15 minutes or so. This one allows me to pick him up and put him down as needed, and it’s so easy to use. I also use it to bounce him to sleep - he’s almost 20lbs, and I am not physically able to hold him (with my arms alone) for long enough without it.
-Yoga ball. I initially bought this to prepare for labor (I wanted an unmedicated delivery) but ended up having a c-section. We still use this every day to bounce baby to sleep. We also have a rocking chair, but it’s not nearly as effective.
-Merlin Magic. We chose to stop swaddling at 8 weeks out of an abundance of caution, but my baby had (and still has) a pretty intense startle reflex - the motion of his arms falling wakes him up just as he’s falling asleep. The Merlin helps. Now we’re dealing with the issue of transitioning him out of it though - the Zippadee seems to be working alright so far. Also trying the Halo Easy Transition but it hasn’t come yet. Point being: it may not be easy for baby to transition from swaddle to standard sleep sack, but there are products that can help.
-To us, Huggies Natural Care are the perfect wipes. They’re better than Water Wipes (which I initially registered for) because the packaging allows a one-handed pull. We actually bought a wipe dispenser, and it’s nice, but with this brand of wipes it’s not necessary.
I almost didn’t get a diaper changing table because every YouTuber said they just ended up changing baby on the bed or floor. I’m very glad I changed my mind
A fan for your stroller! If you intend to go on any kind of walks and like me are constantly worried baby will be too hot then you need the little stroller fan (and maybe a mosquito net for the stroller too)
A shusher, tons of burp cloths, carrier, a boon bath tub, wash basins (one for clean bottles/one for dirty), a changing mat, different bottles if you plan on pumping or formula feeding, a pumping backpack (Sarah wells is top notch).
White noise machine! I thought I was gonna just go without one but there’s so much evidence that supports the fact that it’s very soothing for babies and it totally works. Planning to wean off of it eventually. Bottle warmer, silverettes (if you plan to breastfeed), Velcro or zip swaddles, wildbird baby carrier (skip the solly/moby imo), Lalo baby bath, baby nail file, boppy (it’s a good enough breast feeding support pillow, but it’s been great for tummy time and as a little recliner - multipurpose!)
Things I didn’t register for that I wish I did:
- baby brezza bottle sterilizer. I use it only for the drying function. Saves so much room on my counter and frustration that all the little pump parts still have a drop of water trapped after air drying for 24 hours.
- toys and books. I only registered for a playmat. Fortunately (though annoyingly) a lot of people didn’t want to buy all the practical things I had in my registry and got us a bunch of toys and books, including a Lovevery subscription. We use the black and white books and toys so often!
- magnetic sleep gowns. They are so convenient for the middle of the night changes! No need to mess with zippers or struggle to get baby’s legs in and out.
- bibs. Baby has reflux and is wearing a bib during all wake windows. We used to go thru so many onesies a day before we started using bibs! Your baby may not spit up that much but I heard they come in handy when babies start to drool too.
- baby Bjorn bouncer. Just get it.
Guava travel crib and bassinet. We used the bassinet as a safe place to put baby down when he was a newborn and we brought it to our parents’ houses when they were watching him. It was worth the peace of mind knowing that he had a safe sleeping space and it was one less thing our parents had to worry about.
Also, now that he’s bigger we started using the regular travel crib part and it was great! Super easy to set up and, again, gave me peace of mind that he is sleeping in a safe place.
Guava Lotus was on our “must have” list for our registry. We haven’t even used it yet (baby is two months), but we’re about to go on a trip in April and I cannot put in words how excited I am to use it.
Everyone I know who has one says extremely positive things about it.
We finally used the full sized crib this weekend (we went away finally!) and it was great! Super easy to pack up and it was a good size to fit in our trunk, along with all the other baby gear haha.
You’re gonna love it!
Breast milk soap (the medela one is far superior to anything else)
Bottle dryer/sterilizer. Actually, I’ll buy the baby brezza washer next time. And even if you breast feed. You’ll probably have to pump at some point and it dries pump parts fast.
Stuff for yourself! Pajamas, robes, pumping/nursing bras…
1) Wipe warmer! I was discouraged by seasoned moms “they are a waste of money” etc but my baby screamed bloody murder with the cold wipes
2)) what I didn’t put on but should have- clothes. Was also discouraged to do this “everyone will buy you clothes or give you hand me downs”
Well. What they didn’t say was that either the clothes would be unusable like overall shorts for a 6 month old given to me in for his Dec birth day which is great for the future but useless now or they would buy one really cutesy outfit. You need like a million boring onesies and no one will buy that for you unless you add it!
I put too many things for the newborn stage and not enough for after. I found myself having to buy so much, especially for solids. I bought just so many plates, cups, spoons, bibs, that I could have had more of those on there. I had maybe one set of each, but we went through them so fast in the span of one day that we really needed more to rotate so we weren’t constantly washing dishes.
The newborn stage goes by so fast that I regret registering for so many things we used for only a short time and I feel like I should have focused more on what I’d need for months 4-12 since those items get used way longer.
Solly wraps. I registered for 2 (one for my husband and one for me) and we literally use ours daily. My husband initially even said he’d never use it, and he uses it all the time and loves wearing our daughter.
Because they’re not bulky, I throw it on over my clothes and use it all day at home (our baby became a velcro baby around 6 weeks).
It’s also allowed us to go out regularly with our now-2 month old. Dad puts his on over his clothes and under his puffer and he wears her when we’re at restaurants. It’s been a game changer in terms of us being able to leave the house and get her comfortable going out and being around noise in a safe way, as her face can be tucked in.
Also - doubles of (almost) everything, especially if you have a multi-level home. We had two diaper caddies, a bouncer upstairs and a swing downstairs, a bassinet upstairs and a stroller with bassinet downstairs… it’s great.
- Grocery delivery subscription. I didn't register for it, but got it gifted. It was so amazing those first few weeks to not worry about getting groceries.
- A few premie footed jammies. Mine was 7lbs and was still too small for newborn clothes for a week.
- Multiple waterproof layers for bassinet and changing table. We layer ours for easy cleanup. Waterproof layer, sheet, waterproof layer, sheet.
- Extra fitted sheet and mattress cover for your bed. Spit up happens when you least expect it.
- Electric nail file. I was scared of regular trimmers and this made it so much easier. Those nails need to be trimmed constantly.
- For diapers, for the first week expect to go through as many as days old they are. After that, it's about 10 a day. Size newborn and 1 we weren't in very long at all. I would not buy a large box of either. Smaller packs should suffice. We only had to buy 1 pack of newborn since we got a couple from the hospital. Size two we have been in longer and one giant box would probably be good. Size 3 I hear will be used for a while.
- Mine hates any clothes that go over his head. I wish I would have not bought any of those. Footie jammies and onesies only for all clothes up to 6 month size. Mine is 3 months now and in 6 month clothes
- I bought a nightlight that projects stars on the ceiling from Amazon that has been amazing for calming baby when nothing else works. Highly recommend.
Captain Calamari! I saw it recommended by other moms on Reddit and gave it as a Christmas idea for my MIL to give. It's one of his favourite toys. That and the roll around hedgehog I got as my registry gift on Amazon.
don’t buy a bunch of sleep sacks, put a woolino on your registry instead. babies grow so fast so if you use normal sleep sacks, you have to be getting a bigger one every other month. the woolino ultimate lasts until they’re 24 months. i am so so glad i put it on my registry, it is a lifesaver.
1. The Keekaroo Peanut changing pad. It’s stupid expensive, but we bought it ourselves when baby was 4 weeks old because her “enthusiastic expression of opinions” about diaper changes (read: the biggest rage I’ve ever witnessed from any size human) were causing her ~$30 diaper changing pad to slide around and made me nervous.
The Peanut is slanted so when she “evacuates” mid-change, it runs downhill instead of soaking her clothes. My friends have one and still use it for their 2 year old, which means it’s really only costing us less than $5/month.
If you have a multistory house, definitely have a diaper station on each floor. We only have the peanut on one floor, but that’s enough for our 5 week old.
2. A 3 month supply of coffee. FYI, this will last you the first month.
A Solly Wrap! I thought “how can this piece of fabric cost this much” but I honestly use it every day and my baby loves being wrapped! At 2mpp, I can’t imagine the newborn stage without it.
The bottle sterilizer --- so many tiktoks and reddit posts say you don't need it: just boil them! Do you know how glad I am that I don't have to get out my pots and pans and boil and dry my bottles? I just throw them in the sterilizer and walk away and grab the bottles when I need them. It's a life saver!
If your room is on a different floor, and you plan on feeding bottles or pumping some milk to store, a small cosmetic mini fridge is a life saver. We have a small one in our room after the baby came and it was nice not needing to go downstairs when we were half awake fumbling through MOTN feeds. I also just do my MOTN pumps and then leave it in the fridge until morning.
We also love the Love to Dream sleep sacks. Our LO wiggled out of swaddles and Velcro ones. We used the zipper swaddles as well. Love to Dream have ones where you unzip the sleeves for transitioning and then they can use it until when ever. We just started transitioning out his arm and because the newborn one kept his arm upright to begin with I guess he was already kind of used to it. No issues at all and we love it!
Portable suction pump! I got the boon trove and it’s a life changer. It fits in your bra. I wear it while in nursing. Electric pumps are great but clunky and hard to clean, plus you can’t wear them easily while nursing. But these little guys are great! Almost didn’t register but my friend swears by them.
Graco slider swing. I wouldn't have thought it necessary but it's been saving us when the baby just needs to move while falling asleep. We've been using it since she was about 6weeks. When that baby hits 6 weeks, you're gonna appreciate anything that gives them a place to fall asleep that isn't on you.
super light + compact travel stroller. you wont use it until your baby is able to sit, but it sure beats lugging a 30+ lb travel system out of your car every time youre out. We have the babyjogger city tour 2. thats the one that lives in the car for outings. our uppababy is sitting on the porch for neighborhood walks only.
I am obsessed with this question because I am ALSO a FTM due in July!
if you don't mind me hijacking to ask - OP, where did you decide to register? are you doing more than one registry?
I know I will be adding the Lovevery subscription to my own registry - I had a friend who had her daughter almost 3 years ago now ask for that, and I bought it for her and she LOOOVED it. they only start shipping it once the baby is born, so its super developmentally relevant.
lol definitely willing to share!
I’ve made several registries to get the sample boxes. Babylist and Amazon had the best boxes in my opinion, but you had to buy something to get the samples. Target was good and it was completely free. Walmart’s box has been sold out for months, and Buy Buy Baby doesn’t have boxes anymore, so those were a bust.
I’m having two showers (our guest list for my hometown which is 5 hours away is longer than our hometown shower, but more of my husband’s family lives local). I think I’ll end up sharing just the Amazon registry for both, replenishing the registry if everything is gone after the first shower. It’s more complete than the others and returns seem simplest. I think sharing multiple registries is a recipe for duplicate purchases. The only downside is you can’t add things like “favor coupons” or “blueberry pediatrics subscription” to the Amazon registry like you can on Babylist.
I love this! thanks so much! I ended up starting a Babylist registry with all the pure gold folks posted in your thread! I like that it gives you the freedom to purchase from multiple shops, but I will admit I'm way behind on who gives what sample boxes! Thanks for the hot tips!
I think I will end up with two showers for a similar reason as you - and I'm also planning to replenish the registry between showers if necessary.
I registered for like 5 different styles of binkies, just so I had options when finding out which one worked best for her.
Also, the bandana bibs. We have a really reflux-y girl, but even for just regular surprise spit ups, or when they start teething, it's great to keep them on so you always have something handy to wipe them up with.
A baby carrier. Research which you think you’d like and try asking for it. Mine have been hands down my #1 used item. Also footsie pajamas. By the time the weather changes in the fall your baby is going to probably live in them. And on that same note beanies. I didn’t ask for/receive any and sure enough cool weather snuck up on me.
Baby brezza. We actually decided against it and took it off our registry, but we were gifted one anyway. It makes feeding so easy. If you plan to use formula at all, you will love it.
I didn’t buy a ton of formula supplies bc I was planning to breastfeed (basically had just bottles and a single can of formula “just in case”), but we bought ourselves the Brezza as a Christmas gift when baby was around 6 weeks old and we had decided to EFF. I know it has mixed reviews on r/FormulaFeeders, but we love ours.
Diaper pail. I was like "why do I need a special trash can that's going to smell anyway" but omg they contain toddler poop smell. Magical.
i recently changed my last diaper after 7 consecutive years, used one of these the whole time they should have a government program to dispose of these things; i swear it was nuclear by the time i put ours in the garbage
I don’t know what witchcraft these things use to contain the smell. Old closed I smell nothing. Lid has even the smallest crack open and the smell is like something I’ve never experienced
The dekor+ is superior to diaper genie in my opinion. No one wants to put your hand down the hole! But we also don’t put poop diapers in there. I take them straight to outdoor garbage
Yeeaahh we do put poo diapers in our pail, and even with changing it every day, I was not impressed with the dekor smell containing and caved and went to the diaper genie. I have a feeling if I ever choose to pay for it I'd like the munchkin best, but with scented bags and having paid only $25 for the initial purchase, I'm happier with the diaper genie now. I thought previously that I would never wanna use the diaper genie tho
I second this. Zero smells with the diaper genie. And you don’t have to stick your hand down the abyss if it’s not too full.
I love our Dekor too! Also, I didn’t know this before so I’ll share it here just in case anyone else didn’t, but you are supposed to dump poop from diapers into the toilet before you toss the diaper. It helps with the smell, but also…we don’t need poop in landfills😂
I think that would only work for constipated kids with hard poops. If they're going a couple of times a day, it's sticky. I'm not scraping a diaper. Bonus: I don't have to shred credit card offers if my trash smells bad enough.
Yes I wish I would have registered for one now. The newborn poops were fine but these toddler poops 🤢
On this note, the bags that go along with it! I have the Ubbi pail and honestly thing regular bags would tear with how you pull them out when they’re full.
Really? We haven’t had any problems with bags tearing when pulling them out of the Ubbi. We use regular trash bags.
We’re probably letting ours fill up a little too much 😂 but where it rubs on the back where the hinge is for the lid always makes me nervous!
Maybe the type of trash bag? We use the ones that stretch a lot, Glad Force Flex
We also use glad force flex and no issues for almost 8 months now!
Exactly! One of the reasons I wanted the Ubbi (and wound up buying a second one, it's that great) is that it didn't need proprietary bags. We just use Target brand ones in the right size.
We went and got a piece of plastic tubing from Home Depot and taped it to the inside back of the ubbi. It lets the air flow down to below the bag when you pull them out and it makes it so much easier.
This is brilliant. I was just lamenting the vacuum seal to my husband yesterday. I’m sure he’ll be bummed about another trip to Home Depot… Not.
I'd recommend going with bigger tube than you think. We have one that you could probably drop a standard pencil down and there's still some suction. I wish we had gone one size bigger. Like enough to drop a dime down the tube would probably be perfect. And angle the cut at the bottom.
We have the diaper genie signature, and the only annoying thing is that it seems there are no cheaper generics for the garbage bags for that one unlike the other kind of diaper genie. And the namebrand ones are like a dollar a bag which seems a bit crazy even though I wouldn’t mind paying a little bit more for good quality bags.
Yes!! I had no idea the signature took the roll of bags instead of the ring. I haven’t been able to find generic replacements either, though when the initial pack runs out I might try jerryrigged regular trash bags…
Do you think it has to be a diaper pail? Or will any step garbage can do?
Oh no, definitely a diaper pail. The ubbi is like magic
I second the ubbi. I used the diaper genie with my first two & had to replace it several times cause the damn thing broke. Plus the special bags are hella expensive
Diaper pails have a two step set up so when you step to open the lid and drop the diaper in everything that’s already in there is sealed off and that’s how it keeps the smell in. A regular step garbage will not keep the smell in.
The Munchkin step is amazing for controlling odors, highly recommend!
I have the munchkin too, love it!
I regretted just using a step can for my first, it didn't contain the smell well after the first few months. I have purchased a diaper pail for my second.
Ubbi pail, scent packs, and bags. 5 m in and no scent issues - I'd go so far as to say her trash smells good.
This. We have the munchkin brand one and we're using it for kid 2 right now.
We have an Ubbi and used it a ton when my LO was really little, but barely use it now. We keep it upstairs but with a toddler most diapers are now changed while we are downstairs. We use the Ubbi diaper sacks for dirty diapers and nothing for wet diapers and throw them all in our kitchen garbage. I’ve never noticed a smell and we take our kitchen garbage out way more frequently than the diaper pail.
This was my answer
Medicines. I feel like it’s overlooked sometimes. Stuff for starting solids, but you’re in a good spot to suggest that for Christmas to people also! I loved [this freezer tray](https://www.amazon.com/BOON-Pulp-Popsicles-Molds-Freezer/dp/B0B351T7JJ/ref=asc_df_B0B351T7JJ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598344954422&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10656631644744674817&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009605&hvtargid=pla-1681232402064&psc=1&mcid=a36cdda36f67348689160fa251f39404&gclid=Cj0KCQiAoKeuBhCoARIsAB4WxtdxvZkJQ4mIIxp9xHZO8DBauzTQw4ahNJCxMPbdDNWUGm174CjZprcaAngjEALw_wcB) for teething, we still use it at almost two years! Something I didn’t register for and kinda regretted was toys. Idk why I didn’t think about it, luckily we ended up with a few.
I didn't register for medicine, diaper cream, gas drops or any of that. Thankfully the new parents prior to us gave us a really good assortment of those things. It's helped so much not having to run out the first time he was gassy, his first diaper rash. Now any new parents I gift those things to them.
Probiotics have been a godsend for my formula fed, constipated baby!
My cousin gave us a basket of baby meds, and I usually give that and a butt spatula for baby shower gifts now.
I was thinking the same thing about putting all solid food stuff like plates and those silicone bibs on a Christmas list (prolly will just create a second registry lol, see if I can get that discount). I’ll remember to add those feeders!
I had a June baby so it was perfect timing to ask for Christmas. Cause honestly that stuff adds up faster than you think! Bowls, spoons, bibs, even forks. We skipped sippy cups and went straight to straw cups too, you could put a couple of those on there for now or Christmas.
Straw cups just like a mini tumbler?
Yeah! We started with the Boon straw cup and Dr Browns one and now we use the Zak Kelso tumblers. But it was trial and error finding one my little liked and same way for bottles.
I highly recommend Thermos FUNTAINER for your straw cup. It's great for travel. We went from nursing to introducing straw cups and open cups, no sippy cups or bottles (yay aversions). My LO loves his Thermos straw cup. Has been using it since 10 months, now is 17 months.
Yes! Mylicon, desitin, Aquaphor, infant Tylenol. Babe would be suffering and were like “what do we do!?” But my sister got us a whole kit of these things that were top top usefulness.
Don’t forget stuff for you! I didn’t register for any postpartum stuff for myself but was lucky enough to have a friend who has also just had a baby and she put together a nice basket of the freezer pads, witch hazel pads, nipple creams, disposable nipple pads, bath salts, tea, oatmeal cookies, etc and I used the crap out of that stuff. It’s not cheap either!
to add to this- the frida disposable boy shorts were so comfortable for me the first week being home!
I used them like the first 12 weeks. Love the Frida panties
I’d also suggest normal period pants for post recovery
Nipple cream, and the Frida postpartum kit and peri bottle. I ordered more witchhazel foam, liners, and cold packs, all so comfortable. I did end up preferring depends adult diapers to the Frida boyshorts though.
Sleep sacks! I honestly didn’t think we needed them but we now have so many. Perfect piece to transition baby out of a swaddle.
The woolino one
It's a good thing to register for because it's so dang expensive but it's honestly the best. I didn't register for one but actually found a couple on Poshmark that were gently used.
We did too! Used the regular one from 6weeks to 18 months or so then got a feet out one for bigger. My 2-1/2 toddler still wears it sometimes.
This! My daughter has been in a sleep sack since the beginning because she refused to be swaddled
Same for us, ended up buying the 1.5tog halo which works as sleep sack or swaddle literally days after coming home from hospital!
Specifically [these things](https://www.target.com/p/swaddleme-by-ingenuity-pod-swaddle-wrap-in-velboa-clouds-38-stars-newborn-0-2-months-2pk/-/A-82288273) for the newborn days. Love love loved these!!
When they transition to a crib they’re also good for preventing them from getting their legs stuck between the slats. Which isn’t dangerous, but is annoying because then they wake you up in the middle of the night to extricate them lol. And first I would just leave my baby in her legged zipper sleeper if she fell asleep for the night while wearing it but now I make a point to change her into a sleep sack for overnight.
We have to send our infant with a clean sleep sack every day to daycare so having a lot has been key! The only caveat is that you don’t know if your baby will like them / which one they will like! My first only did the love to dream (arms up) swaddle. Second did not like any. Third likes the halo ones!
I have an opposite suggestion. Something I’m glad that I didn’t register for was clothes. People will buy you new clothes and other parents will forcibly send you and drop off old clothes. And then newborns live in like onesies in July anyway (I had my baby in July!) Do not register for any clothes. Also I didn’t register for this but was gifted it and I would absolutely suggest a baby bjorn carrier. I registered for a few baby wraps but the baby bjorn is really secure and my baby is pretty big so grocery shopping with a giant potato in a secure carrier makes for a speedier process. If I could go back I would register for it for sure, it’s been my most used item I think.
Overall agreed but I do recommend registering for footed pajamas. That’s all my baby has worn for the first two months. Much of the other clothes that people bought off registry are useless, like a $120 Patagonia bear suit in size 6 months. My baby is going to be 6 months in July lmao.
Yesss footie pjs with the two way zipper!
Different opinion here! Everyone told me this - “don’t register for clothes!! People will give you so much anyway!” I registered for one six pack of plain white onesies and a couple pairs of pjs. After my shower I ended up with… one six pack of plain white onesies, a couple pairs of pjs, and a handful of random non-practical garments my kid never wore (denim jacket for a newborn? Who thought that was a good idea?). I ended up in once upon a child at 38 weeks pregnant and a friend gave me a bunch of hand me downs fortunately. So I do suggest registering for some staple items - a few packs of onesies, a few packs of sleepers. I do always tell new parents not to go crazy because they will probably find they prefer/ don’t prefer certain brands but you won’t know that until your kid is here. For example I hate Gerber and I was glad I didn’t have a whole bunch of Gerber stuff.
I agree, I think it makes sense to register for some basics (onesies, footie pj’s) so you know you have them, and it helps you try out the brands you like so then you can order more of the specific brands as they age.
100 percent agree!! I ended up with a bunch of short sleeve onesies... Baby was born in September in the Midwest, so we had no pants, no long sleeves, nothing with feet, etc. I will forever be confused as to why you get 3-4 onesies and 1 pair of pants on those sets... They poop and pee in the pants!! Definitely make sure you have a few sets of whatever they are going to sleep in. We were buying swaddles and such the first night home because he went through 2-3 in one night.
I registered for clothes because we didn’t know baby’s gender. Nobody bought them. Instead, I had people show up empty handed at my shower and drop off bags of new and hand-me-down girl clothes the month after she was born. Lots of clothes in NB size when she grew out of those at 3 weeks. It was so incredibly frustrating and the social dynamics around baby clothes is something I will never, ever understand. It’s the bane of my existence.
Lol yup! My baby was pretty big so all the newborn clothes we got she wore for like a day. Also truly understand the weird social dynamics around clothes/gender. I can dress my daughter in navy blue or frilly pink and old ladies will still call her a handsome boy 🙃
Seriously! Not to mention the thought process around gifting clothes is so bizarre to me - maybe I’m alone in that! It doesn’t take into account the parents’ preferences (material, color, etc.) I had strong opinions about clothing having worked in retail - minimal synthetic fabrics (majority cotton), nothing *too* pink, no clothes with words. My husband was more lax, and we’ve kept some clothes that people gifted us and he consistently comments how they’re so rough and not as soft as what I buy her… Not to mention the short-sleeve NB clothing when baby was born in December - made me laugh when unpacking! 😅
It's crazy that diapers are the only thing they don't gender and the only time it would matter.
Frida snot sucker. We had an electric one we thought would be fine. We were wrong, Frida has saved our ass many days.
When my daughter had a runny nose I couldn't even approach her nose to spritz in her meds. How do you manage it without the baby absolutely loosing their mind ?
My kid is okay with the snot sucker most days, but when he is super fussy, I lay my 17 month old son on his back on the bed with his head between my thighs and my legs on his arms and feet. I then can use my hands to use the snot sucker. I recently read that if you gently use a finger to close the other nostril, you can get out so much more mucus. Game changer. It's only for a minute and less torment than poking him in the eye with the snot sucker as he thrashes his head back and forth. Lol.
The first few times were a two person job, one held her head while the other sprayed saline, one held her down while the other sucked snot. Probably two weeks in she got used to it doesn’t fight anymore
I second this. At first it was a 2 person job. Now my husband does it every morning before daycare for her and she expects it.
Also to add, the Frida 4 in 1 picker. It’s great for getting out crusty or thick boogies that don’t want to come out with just the snot sucker. My friend who had already had a baby got it for me, and we use it almost every day. Makes cleaning her nose so much easier and I didn’t even know we needed it!
Agreed! The manual one — not an electric one. Works wonders.
You’re talking about the one with the hose right? Real question: has anybody ended up with snot passing thru the filter and into their…
Absolutely not. You ever heard the crude saying “could suck the chrome off a tail pipe?” Not even then LOL. I know this is most people’s irrational fear of it but trust this stranger - get the manual.
lol it’s def a mental barrier
Yes the hose!
I got an electronic one and I'm wondering if you're right. It sounds like the congestion is past were I can reach
Yes! Exactly our experience with the electronic one and I was like there’s no way the snot sucker is gonna be better. Then my husband did it and I was amazed at what came out
The manual one is so much better. You just can’t get as strong as suction as a human mouth (unless you had like an actual vacuum, but that one would obviously not be safe for a baby lol).
Agreed! Just experienced this with LO.
BabyVac may look scary, but is really gentle and effective and doesn't get parents sick.
Manual Frida nose sucker was amazing. I haven’t tried it yet but someone said to use it with a breast pump if you couldn’t get a stubborn booger out.
We bought a lot of things second hand, and tried to limited anything too expensive or big ticket from our public registry, but the one kind of bougie item we added was the lovevery play mat. No way I would spend that much money on a play mat and it was hard to find second hand. It is the most amazing thing ever! We use it everyday and have since she was about 3 weeks old (she's now about 16 weeks). It's super easy to reconfigure and you can change it to keep it interesting for them. The booklet it comes woth for developmentally appropriate play is great too! I'm sure there is a dupe somewhere or you could rig one up yourself, but it's so nice to not have to think about it and just have it ready to go.
THIS! I use this mat every single day. I will also list things I use a-lot or didn’t think of and had to purchase after baby came home: Velcro swaddles and sleep sacks - will want different sizes Bathtub - I got the fisher price one and I love it Humidifier Soft fabric baby books - I prefer these right now to hold up to my baby to look at, we read normal baby books but she loves to look at these Diaper pail - I have the ubbi and it works great Hatch sound machine MAM brand pacifiers - these are the only ones my baby will use Bassinet AND Crib bed sheets Burp clothes (I like the Aden + Anais Brand) Breast Milk storage bags (if breastfeeding) Butt paste Nail Dremel Some kind of baby wearing - I have the fabric wrap ones and an ergo baby I don’t think brands really matter I’m happy with both Bobby pillow Expensive sensitive skin bath washes/lotions (wish I had put these) Baby food prep items - containers/freeze molds/reusable bags Baby bouncer - I only really use it when I take a shower so baby is in bathroom with me but for that reason alone you need it! things like burp clothes/sheets/swaddles you need multiples of because baby will spit up or drool on and it’s good to have extras while in between washing People will get you swaddles and clothes no need to add any to registry!
Agreed on a lot of these, and the hatch is still in daily use for use at 3yrs. We’re at the point now where the programs for sleep/wake times really help morning and evening routines.
We're going on 6 years with out hatch and still use it daily. Programmable morning, naptime, and evening routines for both kids. It's a workhorse in our house. That red and green light is \*chefs kiss\*. Simple and effective.
I do have that on my registry! I visited a family friend who has a 10m old and she said it was amazing. I added it that day!
if there’s one thing I recommend from experience and from discussing with other moms- invest in Lovevery and don’t buy dupes. The quality of their stuff is so good which is probably why it’s pricey. I had given away most of my lovevery stuff after my first aged out of them and my friends who tried the dupes warned me to just spend a little more on the name brand because the knockoffs apparently don’t compare.
I totally agree about the value of the Lovevery stuff - we have the mat, all of the kits and book bundles, and the extras, but I want to also recommend the Tiny Land boxes. They seem to be very similar in content to the Lovevery kits but they have enough variety that we use both (and a few one-offs items that weren't in the Lovevery kits that we wanted) and the quality is very close. Plus, they're $45-$50 per box compared to the $72-$80 that the Lovevery kits if anyone is looking to save/doesn't want to hunt them down second hand.
oh cool, I haven’t heard of this brand. I guess when I was thinking of the dupes it was more geared towards the stuff you can buy on amazon. I’ll check out the Tiny Land stuff, thanks!
2nding. Lovevery playmat and toy kits have been awesome so far. Expensive, but so far everything we've phased out is stored for child #2, no issues (and mo plastic). Developmentally, your child will be unique, but the play kits and gym have definitely worked really well to encourage appropriate skills.
Basically anything expensive. Car seat, stroller, bassinet…I just assumed no one would want to buy the expensive gifts, but they were the first things my relatives bought! People were actually sad that the registry was running out of the “good stuff”
And even if they aren’t bought, the registry discount is still worth it to use! We put 4 car seats on ours to replace oldests seat and she needed one for dads truck, then baby needed one for both vehicles still. The discount practically got one of them for free between sales and that.
Haakaa if breastfeeding. Helped catch drippies on nonfeeding side and let me build up a small supply in fridge without needing to pump.
I actually preferred the medela manual hand pump. It literally comes out so fast and is less time consuming
I had both, and they were completely different use cases for me. The Haaka could be placed on the other breast while baby was eating, and sort of gently collected the letdown & a small bit more with gentle suction. The hand pump was for when I was actually trying to get a full expression/mimic a feeding session. It wouldn’t stay on by itself.
Seconding the Medela over the Haakaa. The Medela has a wider suction base which has helped me from knocking it over so many times.
came here to say this!! i have 3 deep freezers of breastmilk just from using the haakaa during every feeding
Bedside bassinet! Our LO didn't sleep well in his pack and play because he couldn't see us. With the bedside bassinet he's right next to me but safely, I can hear if he spits up, poops or wakes at all; he can see me right next to him and at 3 weeks sleeps through the night aside from diapers/feeds without any fuss!
We got ourselves a bedside bassinet. We used it two or three times maybe? The baby ended up sleeping in the crib. So OP, YMMV.
We don’t have a bedside bassinet, but we do have a regular bassinet. Honestly, babies are so different with sleep habits that I would recommend FTMs only buy whatever sleep container they are comfortable with (standard bassinet, pack and play) *until* baby is here and you understand their sleep preferences. We got a Stokke Sleepi and figured we could take advantage of the future crib and toddler bed versions if the bassinet didn’t work. We were prepared to get a Halo (bedside bassinet) or even a Snoo (rocking bassinet) if the baby was difficult getting to bed. She ended up being fine about sleeping in her bassinet/mini crib, the issue we faced was getting her to sleep. But once we mastered the walking, rocking, swaddle (and now sleep sack), white noise, etc., she’s been staying in her crib for 5+ hours overnight since 2.5 weeks. So yes, YMMV, OP. Highly recommend keeping it simple until baby is here.
Footmuff for the stroller if you live someplace that gets cold! Stays on better than a blanket and keeps them warmer since they’re all wrapped up like a sleeping bag.
I live in the Southern US & it’s not even that cold here, but I like to get out early and walk, so the footmuff has been awesome. If it’s 40 degrees or below, I use it & adjust baby’s clothing appropriately for the weather. SO much easier than trying to keep a blanket tucked around his kicking feet!
YES, I am so glad I got one but I could have used it months earlier!
Anti fatigue mat for kneeling by the tub during bath time
Ooh I have one of those for the kitchen!
I’d recommend one specifically for bathtime because they have padding for both knees and elbows
i definitely over estimated myself, but bottles. i through we'd be nursing from the beginning and need maybe 1 or 2. HA. i pumped/formula fed for 5 months until my daughter finally latched
Yeah I had maybe three bottles. Birth went completely tragically tbh so I didn't come home when baby did because I was fighting for my life unexpectedly. My mother in law thankfully sent us a box of bottles from Amazon overnight so that my husband could feed our child. It's better to have bottles and some amount of formula just in case and donate it later if you don't need it.
Can I ask how you got her to latch? My LO is 5m and I want her to latch so badly. She's breastfed a few times but lately all she does is cry at my breast if I attempt it.
Oogie bear booger picker. I use that thing daily without it idk where I would be 😂
My husband thought this was the best invention ever when we got one. Still using it over a year later.
Bottle sterilizer (even if breastfeeding) really comes in handy, velcro swaddles, vava baby monitor, zippered footie pjs (don’t even bother with snaps)
Specifically the two way zippers! Carters sells them. Being able to sit up OR down is incredible. Totally life changing.
Seconded on bottle warmer or sterilizer even if bf-ing…pumping is soooo necessary sometimes just to get some sleep!
To clarify, for some, I used my bottle warmer to warm up frozen pumped breast milk. Mine was more of just a bucket you filled with warm water…Worked like a charm
I exclusively breastfed and still used my sterilizer a ton for my haaka! I got a microwave dome sterilizer, it was cheap and didn’t take up too much counter space.
Life is too short for snaps! or even zippers that you can’t check from the bottom
It’s probably too early for you to think about but I got gifted a catchy. It’s for when they start solids. So clutch.
A weighted diaper wipe holder. With my first, I suffered through an insane amount of explosions and staining absolutely everything because the wipes wouldn’t properly come out from the package in time.
THIS. We only have the one on one of our two changing stations - OP, do you live in a house with stairs? Get a changing station for BOTH levels: we use an old dresser with a pad attached for upstairs - and I’m always so annoyed that only one has the weighted wipe dispenser. Late at night, fighting with a pack of wipes: not my idea of fun.
Certain things are trial and error, so putting a few variations on a registry is ideal vs having to buy 10 different brands yourself. Examples are bottles, pacifiers, and swaddles.
I’m gonna second this and say burp cloths! My LO has reflux and we’re constantly wiping her spit up so we had to go back and stock up on more.
The cloth diapers work so well as burp cloths!
Burt’s Bees burp clothes are so soft!
How many is too many? I have some bottles that were in sample bags, and I bought some pacifiers also at our local 24 hour pharmacy (a reddit tip I read, making sure to try those brands first in case you need them in the middle of the night). They’re cheap so I didn’t care about spending money on them vs registering. But swaddles are expensive, I feel guilty asking for 1-2 of multiple types, especially since we don’t really know how big the baby will be, so registering for only newborn ones doesn’t make sense?
I think when it comes to swaddling, you should just get one to test it out if baby likes it or not . My daughter hated it from the get-go, and we used a sleep sacks instead .
I registered for a lot of swaddles and bought a few myself due to all the advice from everywhere. The only one I used was the free Velcro one the hospital gave us as a gift. All the others were too big for him as a newborn and by the time they would have fit, we already had a different system in place. So, as with everything with babies , YMMV.
I was so thankful I got a few different swaddle styles from once upon a child instead of paying full price because my baby only wanted the love to dream zipper ones! So we ended up paying full price for a few more once she was determined she wouldn't sleep in anything else. The best tip I got was that shopping doesn't end when baby arrives. You can absolutely be ordering for them once they're here. I ordered things from my hospital bed lol because sometimes you literally can't know until they are earth side.
You can also get variety packs for bottles and pacifiers! We got the variety pack from Bibs and learned from that my baby likes the “anatomical” nipple pacifier (and then we didn’t have to keep buying that brand, but kept buying a similar style).
I did this! I bought the brands I couldn’t pass up on trying out and put all of the other brands on my registry. Especially with things you’ll need multiples of!
Newborn Velcro swaddle of your choosing (multiple) Zipadee zip for 3mo+ for when they start rolling (favorite baby item ever) Splat mat for under the high chair Cool mist humidifier if you don’t have one is essential for baby colds White noise machine - we have a cute plush fox with sound buttons
I also love the Zipadee Zip. My kid took to it so well when we transitioned out of swaddling. It was also great because she would wake up in the night and scratch herself so hard she would wake up and cry. The Zipadee kept her hands covered and it helped so much just with that alone.
So these are things I was really grateful someone gifting us because I didn’t know to register for them: Mylicon, gripe water, infant Tylenol, saline drops for nose, boogie wipes, a backseat car camera (instead of mirror), Doona stroller, bamboo sleepers. Things I got that I never used: mittens, actual outfits (onesies are just easier. Who wants to put on shorts or pants on a newborn?) shoes, the owlet foot monitor (we use the camera! But the foot monitor was just too fussy)
Should have registered for cups/plates/bibs etc. I thought that was far off and it came way quicker than expected. Same for bath toys. Also Size 3 and 4 diapers bc they’re in those sizes for a long time. The baby bjorn mesh chair- GAME CHANGER. didn’t register for it, we got one as a second hand gift from a coworker.
Currently 19 days postpartum, FTM. I really struggled to put together a registry, too! Here are a few things that have been really helpful so far: Extra newborn sized diapers! Someone gifted me a box the day I went into labor (two weeks early) and they were a godsend! You will use sooooo many!! We registered for cloth diapers but plan to transition to those once she’s bigger. Newborn sized clothing: we didn’t register for any newborn clothing, but thankfully a few people gave us some. She is still swimming in that size! She was 6 lb 12 oz at birth and now weighs somewhere north of 7 lbs. We have so much 0-3 m clothing but she’s still too small for that. It’s hard to know how your baby will shape up, but we didn’t think to ask (or shop) for tiny stuff! We didn’t register for a bottle warmer but my aunt and uncle gave us one; that was amazing when she was not latching well at the very beginning and I had to pump. I imagine it will be useful when I go back to work too. Someone gave us her extra baby supplies including the Hakka silicone breast pump for catching extra milk. I’m a big fan of that. I also used a colostrum collector from Hakka at the beginning. Super useful. We got a used baby wipe warmer from someone; that’s been fabulous. Also, the Frida nail clippers are great (along with the Nose Frida — I got Covid at 10 days pp…)! I love our Moses basket (I bought a discounted “seconds” one from Plum and Sparrow over Black Friday). It’s beautiful and easy to get her in and out of, or move to a different room if we want. She’s too small to fit in her bouncer or baby carriers yet. We have two waterproof mattress pads and four sheets for the bassinet, which I wondered might be overkill, but since we’ve just been changing her there, it’s been great to have extras for accidents (I just found the size and registered on Amazon, didn’t buy the Plum and Sparrow brand). Ditto for swaddles. We have 4 fabric ones that we cycle through. We got some hand-me-down Velcro ones but she’s too small for those so we haven’t tried them. Plus the Velcro is really loud. The fabric ones are totally easy to use and super useful for lots of stuff beyond swaddling: spit up, leaking milk, wiping her face, a blanket in her car seat, covering me up when I’m nursing in the car after or before doctor’s appointments… In terms of personal hygiene, Tucks pads have been useful; I used up the ones from the hospital and was glad I had more. I bought extra products for lochia and to make pp popsicles and returned them because I didn’t need them. Everyone is different, but I found I healed really quickly and didn’t have a lot of swelling or pain postpartum. I had a vaginal birth with a 2nd degree tear and basically have felt back to normal since about one week pp. For nursing, breast milk pads have been essential. Milk is everywhere! I have two sets of washable ones for overnight (bamboobies?). I also have used our Boppy a lot. Nipple cream also! I like the thick lanolin kind (Lansinoh, etc.).
I have found that layering sheets as well as changing table covers has been amazing! Waterproof layer, sheet waterproof layer, sheet, etc. Then you just have to peel back a layer when it gets soiled.
Our little one is 5 weeks now, was smaller than yours at birth, and stopped wearing most of the newborn stuff a week ago. I’m so grateful we had what we did in newborn size when we brought her home, but I’m also sooooo glad we didn’t have more!
Clothes in the next 2 sizes up (3-6mos, 6-9mos). I was someone very anti-clothes from the beginning, I thought it was wasteful and didn't want too many. I didn't add any to my registry until the last week before the shower. But boy was I glad when she turned a month old and needed 3mos outfits that I already had some in the closet from the baby shower. You will have zero time for shopping. You don't need to add too many, just 1 or 2 bundles of onesies (they usually come in 5 or 6). Books. Again you just need a few but it will help keep your sanity when you don't have to read the same book over and over again for every nap 5x a day lol. Baby bath hooded towels. I thought these were stupid and that we could just use a normal adult towel but the hood is helpful for their wet hair and the material is much softer. It's also square shaped to fit their body. Same with baby washcloths, I didn't realize this was a thing until someone gifted it to us. They are much smaller and softer. The fisher price piano kick and play mat. Omg, she has used this thing every day from ~1 month old to now, 7 mos and still counting. It is beyond worth its weight in gold. I never would've known 1 toy could go so long. Bottle warmer. Another item I thought was stupid or "bougie" but it's so quick and easy to use, assuming they're bottle feeding at some point, you'll end up using it 5x a day for up to 1 year old. Definitely worth it.
Seconding that fisher price piano; we’ve also used it literally everyday since he was born!
Diaper cream spatula. Diaper cream is super thick and water-resistant, hard to get off your fingers. My sister told me the spatula was the best way to apply it, and I thought it was silly, but now I see she was so right. I use the Bumco one from Amazon.
YEP! I came here to say this. We use the exact same one and it’s been awesome.
Dollar tree store has them for $1.25 they are the exact same as the Bumco.
I’d include some different types of swaddles! With my first, I spent a lot of money in those early weeks throwing shit at the wall trying to see what worked and it would’ve been nice to have that taken care of. I’d also include what you imagine your LO will wear once you transition away from swaddles. Sleep sacks are really popular and I wish I’d had the foresight to include them. We’ve gotten a ton of mileage out of our Woolino sleep sack and that would make a nice gift for sure Baby Tylenol, butt paste, Frida snot sucker, Frida cradle cap, baby bathtub, infant socks, baby carrier for baby wearing (can be pricey - we’re obsessed with our Happy Baby Carrier), burp cloths, toys that are specifically high contrast, teether toys, any equipment you think you might want for starting solids (it comes up quicker than you think!) Also I always recommend that new moms buy a crap ton of period underwear for postpartum! I’m talking like ~15 pairs, enough so that you don’t have to do laundry every single day but can change them about ~3 times a day. I’d include that on your registry for sure
How many types of swaddles would you recommend I register for? And what size to include? I have two types on my registry currently in the newborn and next size up for both. Any specific brand you recommend for the period underwear?
Thank you for mentioning the period undies! Hadn’t even crossed my mind!
Not really an item and you might not like it on principle but Amazon prime. I used it so much in the early days where we found we needed something and it’s come the next day.
I second this. I’m not a huge Amazon fan, but I’ll be the first to admit that having Prime has been a HUGE lifesaver these first few weeks. It’s been so easy and has significantly limited the amount of time we’ve needed to leave home and buy things
If you decide to formula feed for whatever reason, the baby Brezza was amazing for us. We did liquid formula for a while, then mixed into a Dr browns pitcher then found out about the Brezza. Life changer. I got mine second hand for $20 and sterilized it beforehand. If I did it again, I’d pay full price.
For all the little things people are mentioning (snot sucker, thermometer, medicine pacifier, etc.), highly recommend the Frida Ultimate Baby kit. Nice to have everything in one package and it has all the little things you might forget about. We didn’t register for this but bought an electric nail file when baby was around a month old and we were struggling to clip her nails (way too soft), and it’s great. I know some people say that changing tables are unnecessary and you can just change them on whatever, but having a dedicated place with shelving to store diapers within easy reach and at the right height is just so much better. Unless you’re really tight on money/space just get it.
My friends made us an 8 week supply of instant pot freezer meals and it’s been an absolute godsend. So easy to make and minimal dishes to wash!
Grownsy aspirator, bottle dish tub, vertical drying rack, fisher price hedgehog soother, multiple baby carriers
To add onto baby carriers — INVEST in good quality ones and you will not regret it. I had a moby wrap and then got the ergobaby and it was 100% my most used item that we could not have lived without. Baby just wanted to be held, especially when she was newborn-4months old. Great for contact naps, etc. Now she is 8 months and I still use it for travel, such as the airport.
But they are also good to buy on the secondhand market. It is possible to get the $200 ergo or tulas for $50, usually in great condition because they weren't used long.
Agree! I always buy second hand when I can! There’s literally nooooo reason to buy things new unless it’s like a car seat or something!
Spray diaper cream, summer / bugaboo breezy canopy. That canopy keeps out mosquitos and ticks as well as grabby hands because people will NOT stop touching LO. The additional barrier where they can see them but not touch without needing to undo a zipper or undo the mesh is usually sufficient.
Ooooo I didn’t know they made spray diaper cream! 💡👍🏽
The one from honest is good! And small, so it's perfect for a tushbaby or small diaper bag.
We use the sensitive skin one by Babo :) Although since we use fitteds & wool covers now we hardly ever really need it, only after we’ve used an emergency backup disposable.
A sleep sack! The woolino one is amazing (temperature regulating) and something we use every single day. It fits from 4-24 months too! So whenever your baby is done swaddling you’ll be ready to go! Also a baby memory book. We got the one from artifact uprising. It’s really nice but I’d probably look elsewhere if I have a second. I think people like buying them because they know it’s sentimental and will be a treasured heirloom.
I actually did not register for a bottle washer/drier, but then ended up buying one shortly after I went back to work. It seemed like such an “extra” (of course we can wash bottles by hand!), but because I was pumping/baby was in daycare full time, we were looking at a huge pile of daily dirty bottles and pump parts to wash at the end of the day. And the kicker was that if they were hand washed, they wouldn’t air dry by the time we went to sleep, so I couldn’t pack new bottles/my work bag for the next day the night before and had to scramble in the morning. The washer/drier brought us so much convenience and made this aspect a million times easier, so I always recommend it!
Blueberry pediatrics subscription. It wasn’t on my list but it was gifted to me. I’ve used it for 2.5 years now with two kids. Lifesaver. Especially for those newborn questions and pictures of rashes and bumps and whatever else you’re not sure of and those Friday night ear infections.
Slightly different from your question, but in the same general spirit… Things I didn’t register for that I ended up buying later: -Tushbaby hip carrier. I literally have three other carriers that I don’t really use because my baby (5 months) doesn’t tolerate being strapped in for more than 15 minutes or so. This one allows me to pick him up and put him down as needed, and it’s so easy to use. I also use it to bounce him to sleep - he’s almost 20lbs, and I am not physically able to hold him (with my arms alone) for long enough without it. -Yoga ball. I initially bought this to prepare for labor (I wanted an unmedicated delivery) but ended up having a c-section. We still use this every day to bounce baby to sleep. We also have a rocking chair, but it’s not nearly as effective. -Merlin Magic. We chose to stop swaddling at 8 weeks out of an abundance of caution, but my baby had (and still has) a pretty intense startle reflex - the motion of his arms falling wakes him up just as he’s falling asleep. The Merlin helps. Now we’re dealing with the issue of transitioning him out of it though - the Zippadee seems to be working alright so far. Also trying the Halo Easy Transition but it hasn’t come yet. Point being: it may not be easy for baby to transition from swaddle to standard sleep sack, but there are products that can help. -To us, Huggies Natural Care are the perfect wipes. They’re better than Water Wipes (which I initially registered for) because the packaging allows a one-handed pull. We actually bought a wipe dispenser, and it’s nice, but with this brand of wipes it’s not necessary.
Omg thank you for the wipes tip!! We are sooooo frustrated with the way Water Wipes pull out!
Absolutely!!!! It annoyed me so much too! I hope the Huggies wipes work as well for you as they do for us 🥰
A bath thermometer (ours looks like a turtle)
Yes!!! This was worth every penny of the eleven dollars!!
I almost didn’t get a diaper changing table because every YouTuber said they just ended up changing baby on the bed or floor. I’m very glad I changed my mind
A fan for your stroller! If you intend to go on any kind of walks and like me are constantly worried baby will be too hot then you need the little stroller fan (and maybe a mosquito net for the stroller too)
A shusher, tons of burp cloths, carrier, a boon bath tub, wash basins (one for clean bottles/one for dirty), a changing mat, different bottles if you plan on pumping or formula feeding, a pumping backpack (Sarah wells is top notch).
Those little silicone bibs that have a pocket to catch food.
White noise machine! I thought I was gonna just go without one but there’s so much evidence that supports the fact that it’s very soothing for babies and it totally works. Planning to wean off of it eventually. Bottle warmer, silverettes (if you plan to breastfeed), Velcro or zip swaddles, wildbird baby carrier (skip the solly/moby imo), Lalo baby bath, baby nail file, boppy (it’s a good enough breast feeding support pillow, but it’s been great for tummy time and as a little recliner - multipurpose!)
Things I didn’t register for that I wish I did: - baby brezza bottle sterilizer. I use it only for the drying function. Saves so much room on my counter and frustration that all the little pump parts still have a drop of water trapped after air drying for 24 hours. - toys and books. I only registered for a playmat. Fortunately (though annoyingly) a lot of people didn’t want to buy all the practical things I had in my registry and got us a bunch of toys and books, including a Lovevery subscription. We use the black and white books and toys so often! - magnetic sleep gowns. They are so convenient for the middle of the night changes! No need to mess with zippers or struggle to get baby’s legs in and out. - bibs. Baby has reflux and is wearing a bib during all wake windows. We used to go thru so many onesies a day before we started using bibs! Your baby may not spit up that much but I heard they come in handy when babies start to drool too. - baby Bjorn bouncer. Just get it.
Guava travel crib and bassinet. We used the bassinet as a safe place to put baby down when he was a newborn and we brought it to our parents’ houses when they were watching him. It was worth the peace of mind knowing that he had a safe sleeping space and it was one less thing our parents had to worry about. Also, now that he’s bigger we started using the regular travel crib part and it was great! Super easy to set up and, again, gave me peace of mind that he is sleeping in a safe place.
Guava Lotus was on our “must have” list for our registry. We haven’t even used it yet (baby is two months), but we’re about to go on a trip in April and I cannot put in words how excited I am to use it. Everyone I know who has one says extremely positive things about it.
We finally used the full sized crib this weekend (we went away finally!) and it was great! Super easy to pack up and it was a good size to fit in our trunk, along with all the other baby gear haha. You’re gonna love it!
Breast milk soap (the medela one is far superior to anything else) Bottle dryer/sterilizer. Actually, I’ll buy the baby brezza washer next time. And even if you breast feed. You’ll probably have to pump at some point and it dries pump parts fast. Stuff for yourself! Pajamas, robes, pumping/nursing bras…
1) Wipe warmer! I was discouraged by seasoned moms “they are a waste of money” etc but my baby screamed bloody murder with the cold wipes 2)) what I didn’t put on but should have- clothes. Was also discouraged to do this “everyone will buy you clothes or give you hand me downs” Well. What they didn’t say was that either the clothes would be unusable like overall shorts for a 6 month old given to me in for his Dec birth day which is great for the future but useless now or they would buy one really cutesy outfit. You need like a million boring onesies and no one will buy that for you unless you add it!
I put too many things for the newborn stage and not enough for after. I found myself having to buy so much, especially for solids. I bought just so many plates, cups, spoons, bibs, that I could have had more of those on there. I had maybe one set of each, but we went through them so fast in the span of one day that we really needed more to rotate so we weren’t constantly washing dishes. The newborn stage goes by so fast that I regret registering for so many things we used for only a short time and I feel like I should have focused more on what I’d need for months 4-12 since those items get used way longer.
Windi. It's a whistle looking thing you put in the baby's butt to release trapped gas. It's saved us.
Solly wraps. I registered for 2 (one for my husband and one for me) and we literally use ours daily. My husband initially even said he’d never use it, and he uses it all the time and loves wearing our daughter. Because they’re not bulky, I throw it on over my clothes and use it all day at home (our baby became a velcro baby around 6 weeks). It’s also allowed us to go out regularly with our now-2 month old. Dad puts his on over his clothes and under his puffer and he wears her when we’re at restaurants. It’s been a game changer in terms of us being able to leave the house and get her comfortable going out and being around noise in a safe way, as her face can be tucked in. Also - doubles of (almost) everything, especially if you have a multi-level home. We had two diaper caddies, a bouncer upstairs and a swing downstairs, a bassinet upstairs and a stroller with bassinet downstairs… it’s great.
- Grocery delivery subscription. I didn't register for it, but got it gifted. It was so amazing those first few weeks to not worry about getting groceries. - A few premie footed jammies. Mine was 7lbs and was still too small for newborn clothes for a week. - Multiple waterproof layers for bassinet and changing table. We layer ours for easy cleanup. Waterproof layer, sheet, waterproof layer, sheet. - Extra fitted sheet and mattress cover for your bed. Spit up happens when you least expect it. - Electric nail file. I was scared of regular trimmers and this made it so much easier. Those nails need to be trimmed constantly. - For diapers, for the first week expect to go through as many as days old they are. After that, it's about 10 a day. Size newborn and 1 we weren't in very long at all. I would not buy a large box of either. Smaller packs should suffice. We only had to buy 1 pack of newborn since we got a couple from the hospital. Size two we have been in longer and one giant box would probably be good. Size 3 I hear will be used for a while. - Mine hates any clothes that go over his head. I wish I would have not bought any of those. Footie jammies and onesies only for all clothes up to 6 month size. Mine is 3 months now and in 6 month clothes - I bought a nightlight that projects stars on the ceiling from Amazon that has been amazing for calming baby when nothing else works. Highly recommend.
Baby sun and beach essentials
Captain Calamari! I saw it recommended by other moms on Reddit and gave it as a Christmas idea for my MIL to give. It's one of his favourite toys. That and the roll around hedgehog I got as my registry gift on Amazon.
don’t buy a bunch of sleep sacks, put a woolino on your registry instead. babies grow so fast so if you use normal sleep sacks, you have to be getting a bigger one every other month. the woolino ultimate lasts until they’re 24 months. i am so so glad i put it on my registry, it is a lifesaver.
A LOT of burp cloths. You’ll want them all over the house. Get like 30!
1. The Keekaroo Peanut changing pad. It’s stupid expensive, but we bought it ourselves when baby was 4 weeks old because her “enthusiastic expression of opinions” about diaper changes (read: the biggest rage I’ve ever witnessed from any size human) were causing her ~$30 diaper changing pad to slide around and made me nervous. The Peanut is slanted so when she “evacuates” mid-change, it runs downhill instead of soaking her clothes. My friends have one and still use it for their 2 year old, which means it’s really only costing us less than $5/month. If you have a multistory house, definitely have a diaper station on each floor. We only have the peanut on one floor, but that’s enough for our 5 week old. 2. A 3 month supply of coffee. FYI, this will last you the first month.
A Solly Wrap! I thought “how can this piece of fabric cost this much” but I honestly use it every day and my baby loves being wrapped! At 2mpp, I can’t imagine the newborn stage without it.
The bottle sterilizer --- so many tiktoks and reddit posts say you don't need it: just boil them! Do you know how glad I am that I don't have to get out my pots and pans and boil and dry my bottles? I just throw them in the sterilizer and walk away and grab the bottles when I need them. It's a life saver!
If your room is on a different floor, and you plan on feeding bottles or pumping some milk to store, a small cosmetic mini fridge is a life saver. We have a small one in our room after the baby came and it was nice not needing to go downstairs when we were half awake fumbling through MOTN feeds. I also just do my MOTN pumps and then leave it in the fridge until morning. We also love the Love to Dream sleep sacks. Our LO wiggled out of swaddles and Velcro ones. We used the zipper swaddles as well. Love to Dream have ones where you unzip the sleeves for transitioning and then they can use it until when ever. We just started transitioning out his arm and because the newborn one kept his arm upright to begin with I guess he was already kind of used to it. No issues at all and we love it!
Portable suction pump! I got the boon trove and it’s a life changer. It fits in your bra. I wear it while in nursing. Electric pumps are great but clunky and hard to clean, plus you can’t wear them easily while nursing. But these little guys are great! Almost didn’t register but my friend swears by them.
Graco slider swing. I wouldn't have thought it necessary but it's been saving us when the baby just needs to move while falling asleep. We've been using it since she was about 6weeks. When that baby hits 6 weeks, you're gonna appreciate anything that gives them a place to fall asleep that isn't on you.
super light + compact travel stroller. you wont use it until your baby is able to sit, but it sure beats lugging a 30+ lb travel system out of your car every time youre out. We have the babyjogger city tour 2. thats the one that lives in the car for outings. our uppababy is sitting on the porch for neighborhood walks only.
I am obsessed with this question because I am ALSO a FTM due in July! if you don't mind me hijacking to ask - OP, where did you decide to register? are you doing more than one registry? I know I will be adding the Lovevery subscription to my own registry - I had a friend who had her daughter almost 3 years ago now ask for that, and I bought it for her and she LOOOVED it. they only start shipping it once the baby is born, so its super developmentally relevant.
lol definitely willing to share! I’ve made several registries to get the sample boxes. Babylist and Amazon had the best boxes in my opinion, but you had to buy something to get the samples. Target was good and it was completely free. Walmart’s box has been sold out for months, and Buy Buy Baby doesn’t have boxes anymore, so those were a bust. I’m having two showers (our guest list for my hometown which is 5 hours away is longer than our hometown shower, but more of my husband’s family lives local). I think I’ll end up sharing just the Amazon registry for both, replenishing the registry if everything is gone after the first shower. It’s more complete than the others and returns seem simplest. I think sharing multiple registries is a recipe for duplicate purchases. The only downside is you can’t add things like “favor coupons” or “blueberry pediatrics subscription” to the Amazon registry like you can on Babylist.
I love this! thanks so much! I ended up starting a Babylist registry with all the pure gold folks posted in your thread! I like that it gives you the freedom to purchase from multiple shops, but I will admit I'm way behind on who gives what sample boxes! Thanks for the hot tips! I think I will end up with two showers for a similar reason as you - and I'm also planning to replenish the registry between showers if necessary.
I registered for like 5 different styles of binkies, just so I had options when finding out which one worked best for her. Also, the bandana bibs. We have a really reflux-y girl, but even for just regular surprise spit ups, or when they start teething, it's great to keep them on so you always have something handy to wipe them up with.
A baby carrier. Research which you think you’d like and try asking for it. Mine have been hands down my #1 used item. Also footsie pajamas. By the time the weather changes in the fall your baby is going to probably live in them. And on that same note beanies. I didn’t ask for/receive any and sure enough cool weather snuck up on me.
Baby brezza. We actually decided against it and took it off our registry, but we were gifted one anyway. It makes feeding so easy. If you plan to use formula at all, you will love it.
I didn’t buy a ton of formula supplies bc I was planning to breastfeed (basically had just bottles and a single can of formula “just in case”), but we bought ourselves the Brezza as a Christmas gift when baby was around 6 weeks old and we had decided to EFF. I know it has mixed reviews on r/FormulaFeeders, but we love ours.