Baby Registry Must Haves
This blog post has been a long time coming, and it’s finally here!! So many of y’all have requested all of my “must have,” items for a baby registry. And while that sounds like a fairly daunting task due to all the amazing baby products out there, I will do my best, and most thorough job, to recommend all my favorite items!
I think first and foremost, I should touch on the big ticket items, like the Bassinet, stroller and car seat. For our bassinet, we went with the Snoo, which we have loved for our bedroom! I also really like the look of it. Do I think its a “must have?” Probably not. I think something cheaper would work just as well, but it was what I really wanted, so we splurged and got it. I’ve heard amazing things about the Halo Bassinet, if you’re looking for a recommendation. For our main car seat, we went with the UPPABaby Mesa Car seat. The Mesa was attractive to me, not just for its look, but for the safety specs that you can read about here. Safe + cute? Sign me up! For our stroller, we went with the UPPAbaby Vista V2 because it works for us now, and later on down the road as well, should we choose to add another little one to our family. It easily converts to cater to more kiddos with simple attachments.
For my jogging stroller, I wanted something that would last for a while! I wanted it to do well at the mountains and on our neighborhood streets, so we went with the BOB Gear Alterrain jogging stroller, paired with the Britax B-Safe Gen2 Car Seat. (We knew we were going to need two car seats, one for Blaine’s car and one for mine, so we put the Britax in Blaine’s car). So far I highly recommend both car seats, but the Uppababy is going to run you about $100 more, so keep that in mind when you’re making your decision.
Next up, one of my absolute must haves is the Owlet Sock Monitor. The peace of mind that it gives me at night, is worth every single penny and MORE!!! The sock monitor links into the Owlet app on my phone, so that I can track Bakers heartrate and oxygen levels at all times! Best Invention EVER!!!! You can also purchase it as a set, with the Owlet video monitor, but to be totally honest, I don’t prefer a Wi-Fi video monitor. Unpopular opinion, I know, but I just like the good old fashioned video monitors, that don’t hook into Wi-Fi. Here is the one that we have and like. Why don’t I like a Wi-Fi monitor, you might ask? Well, because I’ve heard horror stories of people hacking them, the Wi-Fi going out during the night and people not knowing their baby was crying… all sorts of things! So I just choose to keep it simple with the monitor!
White Noise is another MUST HAVE for us, when it comes to Baker! We LOVE white noise and swear by the noise cancelling benefits. We use the “Hatch” sound machine in our home, daily. I really enjoy that it comes with an adjustable nightlight with different color combinations and an assortment of sounds to choose from, recommended by sleep experts. When we’re in a hurry and on the go, the “Rohm,” sound machine is my go-to! It comes with three sound settings and the volume is AMAZING! Its easy to throw in my purse to use at all times.
If you’re on the go like we are, I highly recommend the Baby Bjorn front pack. Its extremely comfortable to wear, has really good back support for extended periods of baby wearing, and Baker seems to be fairly comfortable in there as well. Baby Bjorn also makes the bouncer that we have really enjoyed! Both the bouncer and the front pack come in an assortment of patterns and colors - You can shop them all here! They both also come in a fun leopard print pattern, that are really cute! Here is the front pack. Here is the bouncer in the leopard print.
Last, but certainly not least, lets talk swaddles. Baker was an ESCAPE ARTIST from his swaddles! Seriously, NOTHING kept him in, and his startle reflex was intense! So thankful I finally found the Freshly Picked Swaddles. They come with a band inside that hold in his little arms - its BRILLIANT! But around 3 months, Baker started showing signs that he was ready to graduate out of the swaddles, and have a little more freedom. After trying multiple transition swaddles, and not really caring for any of them, we finally decided to purchase a Kyte Baby Sleep sack. BEST SLEEP SACK EVER! Its SUPER soft and cozy and is available in multiple “TOG,” levels. If you’re not familiar with what a TOG is, then I highly recommend doing a little research before purchasing anything. Deciding on which “TOG,” is best for your baby, will have to do with the ambient temperature in your babies nursery and the climate in which you live. Basically, TOG is a rating system that measures warmth and calculates how quickly a fabric uses heat. When deciding on a sleep sack, its always good to take into account the baby’s sleep environment. We decided on a 1.0 TOG sleep sack for Baker and it has been perfect for his nursery temperature, which we keep around 71 degrees.
I also want to make sure that I include a few “must haves,” for mama, since we need to be taken care of during this time as well. Its way too easy to get caught up in everything that we need for baby, that its easy to forget about ourselves. I highly recommend comfy Nursing Bras, A cozy robe to lounge in, and all the Post Partum essentials. Additionally, if you’re planning to nurse/pump, I highly recommend a convenient and lightweight pump for everyday. Here in the Medela Freestyle Pump that I have used for almost 5 months now, and LOVE! Its completely wireless, which gives you the freedom to put the pump unit in your pocket and keep doing what needs to get done, without having to be hooked into a plug in. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!
I really hope this blog post has been helpful! I know there’s a lot of recommendations in it, and it may seem overwhelming, but If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Baker in his “Snuggle Me Organic”
Here are some of my other “must haves…”
“Snuggle Me Organic,” baby lounger - I promise, you’ll use it way more than you ever thought possible!
BIBS Glow-in-the-dark Pacifiers - I know, it sounds weird. But in the middle of the night when you’re fumbling for the paci, a glow in the dark paci is CLUTCH!
