This weekend, I had one of my wonderfully pregnant patients ask about the essentials from my registry. When purchasing baby products, I did a lot of research on the least toxic, organic brands to use and I wanted to share for all you Momma-to-bes.
Carrier
I thought I would never use a wrap that I had to tie myself, but once I got the hang of it, I used it all the time! I love the Boba wrap. It’s stretchy, and when tied correctly, nice and snug. My girl was out like a light and it made it easy to bring her to social events and do the laundry. There are multiple different ties, making it versatile for multiple ages. It also supported her neck really well.
As she got older, we got the ergo baby for easy transport!
Changing Table
Changing Pad & Cover: Naturepedic is 100% organic, and money well-spent. You can get the 2-sided or 4-sided depending on your table. If you are placing it directly on a bureau or other area that doesn’t have siding, I would get the 4-sided. Buy at least 2 covers, you will use them! They are easy to wash and a great quality.
Diaper Caddy: Look for a caddy that fits Diapers, a wipes dispenser and all your creams. I kept it on my changing table, but it has handles and easily goes to the living room and bedroom without forgetting any essentials!
Creams: Boudreaux’s Butt Paste for diaper rash, Emily Cream for every day use and preventing diaper rash. I carry this in office at a better price than on Amazon. Burt’s Bees Lotion for after bath or for dry skin. I also really love 8sheep youth magnesium cream and still use it on my bigger kids! It helps them relax and sleep better. I apply it to feet, belly and neck about 30 minutes before bedtime.
Wipes: We tried several different types, but we loved Water Wipes, they are so soft and gentle on baby’s bottom. Or make your own wipes kit. You can buy reusable wipes and solution and put into a wipes dispenser. We used the Ubbi wipes dispenser.
Diapers: We primarily used cloth diapers, but as far as disposable, I really liked Honest Company. They are chlorine-free, fit great, and have held A LOT of explosive poops. These come in some fun colors, too!
It’s always nice to have some hand sanitizer, I loved Babyganics Alcohol-Free Fragrance free. I kept a small one in my diaper bag and larger ones all over the house!
What’s in my Diaper Bag
From above: I usually buy a second Emily Cream, lotion, and of course Diapers!
Get a great Changing Pad & Wet Bag.
Wipes Dispenser: Skip Hop On-the-go is amazing! Stores about 25 wipes.
Burp Cloths & Swaddles: Aden and Anais makes a high quality burp cloth, swaddle and bib. They are more expensive, but wash well and last long! I kept on hand A LOT of these, we went through them like crazy. I’d say 12 burp cloths and 6-8 swaddles. I used the swaddles for a lot of things other than swaddling.
Nursing Cover: Not going to lie, I very rarely used a nursing cover. Like never. But I would look for a muslin lightweight one so baby can breathe!
General Cover: This cover is amazing to throw over the carseat when it’s raining or too sunny. You can also use it as a cart cover, feeding cover or a make-shift blanket.
What’s in my Bathroom?
Shampoo and Body Wash: Burt’s Bees is still my go-to, it’s tear free and smells like honey.
Tub: Angelcare Bath Support fits into your regular bath tub and dries quickly. It’s soft on baby’s skin and props them up for easy access.
For Toy storage: Find a caddy with great drainage! Boon Bath toys: Jellies, water bugs, gears, boats.
It’s also nice to have a couple hooded towels & soft washcloths, of course you can use regular towels, but these are more fun!
For those with a leaky tub drain: OXO Silicone Tub Stopper. Also, Boon Bath Mat for slipping.
Toilet Training chair although this isn’t essential until much later, I put it on my registry to widen the options for people.
Medicine Cabinet necessities: Baby tylenol, Kids Benedryl, Gripe water (for hiccups and upset stomach), Witch Hazel (for baby acne), Heating Pad, Cold Compress, & First Aid Kit.
What’s in my Living Room?
Skip-Hop makes a lot of different activity gyms. They have crinkly areas, mirrors, chimes and fun little animals that are removable. My daughter will lie there and coo at them, it’s adorable! It’s also a great space for tummy time once your little one is ready.
Swing: We were going to buy a Nuna (pricey!), but I ended up with a nice little travel swing that is much less expensive. It’s great because it folds up to go to Nana’s house and is super easy to take apart to wash.
It may be good to get a play mat, I love CreamHaus, we still use it for gymnastics!
What’s in my Kitchen?
Bottles: We tried glass, but I loved my Silicone Comotomos! They are pricey, but well worth it. You will probably also need some Slow Flow nipples, as the bottles come with stage 2 flow. These mimic the breast and were great for when I went back to work. Having 4-6 bottles has been plenty to have on-hand while breastfeeding. I HIGHLY recommend seeing a lactation consultant both before and after labor. They helped me tremendously with flange fittings and the right bottle for babies. Even if you’re exclusively bottle feeding, they can help you with feeds.
I used a Bottle warmer that fits the wider Comotomo bottles. Some moms have told me they are a waste of money, but I used mine a lot.
You will definitely need/use a drying rack and bottle brush. They make all sorts of different sizes, so check your counter size before ordering. They make a travel version that I got for my in-laws.
Eco-friendly unscented dish soap, as well as a collapsible dish tub for soaking breast pump supplies.
What I use for Pumping & Feeding:
I loved my Medela pump! Make sure you order extra bottles and membranes. I had two sets of everything. Make sure to check with your insurance company, mine covered most of the cost of my pump.
I also loved my reusable bamboo breast pads, as well as some disposables I kept on hand. You will need them! Make sure you read the care instructions on the reusables and they will last you a while.
Loved my Boppy Pillows. I kept one in my bedroom and one in my living room so I didn’t have to go searching for them! I also kept an extra cover for both so I always had it available when one was in the wash!
What’s in my Laundry room?
Here are some things I would recommend having in your laundry area, especially if baby has sensitive skin:
Detergent: Charlie’s Soap will change your life.
Wool Dryer Balls (Dryer sheets are toxic!)
Essential oil to put on the dryer balls (I don’t do this with baby stuff, but I do with my own laundry).
Collapsible Clothes Drying Rack if you don’t already have one! If you have the space outside, it’s nice to have a clothing line set-up to save time and energy on drying (You will do more laundry than you ever dreamed of!)
Dyson Handheld vacuum for the little messes!
What’s good for baby sleep?
I recommend reading James McKenna’s book Sleeping with Your Baby, it has a lot of information on co-sleeping and bed sharing. You have to do what’s best and safest for your baby, but make sure you educate yourself before making any decisions.
That being said, here are some options for safe sleeping:
Bed Rail if you plan on ever having your baby in bed with you, or lower your mattress to floor level.
Halo Bassinet: Unless you’re really planning on using a side-sleeper as your method, I wouldn’t buy this item. Every baby is different, so they may not even like using a side-sleeper. There are co-sleepers that go in the bed, but would only really fit comfortably on a king-size mattress.
We got our crib from my parents (it was my crib), but I read this article if you want some tips for looking.
Crib Mattress, cover & sheets: Just like my changing pad, I love Naturepedic. Their prices really aren’t super expensive in comparison to the other synthetic brands. Burts Bees makes a great organic sheet as well.
Baby sleep sack made with Merino wool is great for year-round sleeping! I love Woolino, I use thier sleep sack and also baby blanket.
Travel Items
Carseat: Chico KeyFit 30 is super easy to use once installed, we bought an additional base for my husbands car so we didn’t have to interchange. According to my research, this is one of the lower toxic infant carseats available.
Stroller: We were convinced we didn’t need a jogger, but as we traveled the sidewalks, our Chico did not hold up and made the ride very bumpy. We upgraded to the Bob, which you can easily find used on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. We ended up getting ours off craigslist, it was a floor model and completely new! When they’re small, get an adaptor to fit your Chico carseat.
Pack & Play: Love the Lotus travel bed and pack and play, super lightweight and easy to use.
Infant Airplane Seat for those who are brave enough to travel with an infant!
Sunscreen and bugspray from Babyganics are great and were approved by my pediatrician.
So what do they wear, really?
My baby girl has LIVED in pajamas for the first few months. I found that long-sleeved body suits were a waste of time, i might as well throw her in pajama onsies than deal with socks and pants. Get a few short sleeved onesies. Burt’s bees makes the best zipper sleepers. Check out their website here. Sign-up on their email list, they are always doing 30-40% off sales, which I wait for and then order the next size of.
Things I put on my registry, but haven’t used yet:
These are things that I had on my registry that I haven’t gotten the chance to use yet. I will keep you all posted on my recommendations as they come!
Feeding Items: High Chair, Baby food maker, flatware, silicone feeder (hint: use with frozen fruit during teething), Manual masher, Glass storage containers, Silicone freezer trays, sippy cup,
Teething: Teething oil, tooth brush, maple teether pair, green sprouts teeters, Natursetten teether, Ashton Bee teethers.
Some fun stuff: Le Petit Prince stargazer, Enfant blanket, Wooden standing activity center, cloth book, wooden baby walker, Speedo baby cruiser, Your Baby Can Learn set.
General Registry Guidelines
- Make sure you register for enough things! I had around 200 items on my registry ranging from $10-$400.
- Don’t be afraid to put the big things on- people often like to get group gifts and all pitch in on one big item they know you will really use.
- If you register with Amazon, most things are returnable for credit, even if you change your mind you can always return, so don’t be afraid to add things to your list.
- Think about what YOU are going to use! I got a lot of advice from other mommas that was helpful, but I wished I followed my own gut. If you think you will use it, get it!
- Use coupons! Sign-up for Babies R Us rewards program, they will send you $10 coupons. Buy Buy Baby sends me coupons in the mail, great for the big items. I signed up for an Amazon rewards credit card to get cash back on purchases. I also downloaded the Honey app, which auto populates coupon codes in your cart on any website.
- For those items that you receive that aren’t on your registry and don’t have a gift receipt, there are scanner apps from the app store that will tell you where they came from. Carters accepts back a lot of their own clothes and Kohls is a great second stop. If there are additional items you can’t figure out, you can always donate and write the estimated value off your taxes. Make sure you get a receipt.
For me it was quality and essentials over quantity. I know I’m bound to accumulate items over time as my little one gets older, but so far I have kept her things very organized. I got big plastic bins to store baby clothes that wouldn’t fit her yet. I also stored some blankets people made for later.
Good Luck Mamas! I hope this was helpful, let me know if you have any questions.