Baby Registry Must-Haves!

Congratulations! Just think: a tiny bundle of tiny toes and a sweet little belly button and eyes like her daddy is all snuggled up inside of you where no human has been before. Of course your nesting instincts are in full-swing. You want to have that nursery ready, diaper bag packed, and the softest blankets ready to snuggle that little one with months before she arrives...just in case.

I am going to try to help you. You have found out some sweet people in your life want to shower you with love and gifts as they welcome you into motherhood. That is a time to embrace those amazing and thoughtful people and to have FUN! Why, fun? Shouldn't I be calculating out the most necessary items to make sure I have what I need because right now I have NOTHING. Is what you are thinking.

You are perfectly right. However, let me tell you it is EASY to fill a baby registry with a gazillion things you "need." and fret that you will not get everything and be ready for the baby. This will only stress you out. With those hyped-up pregnancy emotions, this will seem overwhelming and you will NOT enjoy your little party for your future-little-mini-me. Listen. All a BABY really needs are diapers to keep the messes in, clothing to keep her warm and protect her sweet skin, something SAFE to sleep in, and maybe a gentle baby wash/shampoo product.

Yes, there are plenty of other things that I will talk about, but if you were not to get anything but those three things...you would be just fine and so would your little one. So, here is what I suggest:

1. Register for diapers. You WILL use them and that is 45.00 or so dollars each month you are not shelling out on disposables. Do not bother buying size newborn. They give you size ones at the hospital and they will fit for awhile. Get plenty of size ones, some size twos, some size threes, if you want to go up to size 6, you will be using them a year and half after baby is born. Plus, if they are unopened and from Walmart or Target or Toys-r-us, you can most likely exchange them for a different size at a later date.

2. Clothes. Go peruse: visit Carters or Babysrus or wherever you like and adore all of the intricate little get-ups, but then register for sleepers. Zip-up sleepers in cotton and fleece (if it gets cold where you live.) About eight in size 3, 7 in size 6, 6 in size 9, etc. There. Baby is comfortable and can sleep and eat anywhere at anytime and be perfectly content. I would also suggest, to get the best value, choose ones that are gender neutral and can be worn by multiple children: white, yellow, light blue, turquoise, ivory, light green, you get the idea. Also, a sleepsack by Halo is handy for swaddling.

3. A crib or pak-n-play. Bonus if you can borrow or buy this from a friend and then register for new linens: 3-4 crib sheets to outfit it and a breathable bumper. Voila. Ready to go. I will say, we have both. I wish I had put baby in the crib from the get-go as it was a bit of a transition later on that involved tears (by both baby and parents). The pak-n-play has been great for trips, visiting relatives, playing in once they can sit and crawl some while you want to take a shower, or get some work done.

4. Of course there is Johnson and Johnson, but we went with the foaming Babyganics that smells like lemon lavender verbena or some such relaxing aroma. The foam isn't going to go as far as a liquid, but it seemed the gentlest. It is also fun to use. We bathe baby twice a week and we are still on the bottle we received at our baby shower 20 months later.

So, there you have everything I say you will need, we can look at the FUN aspect of a registry, which is really why you do it! Quick disclaimer, though. I had some complications that made nursing difficult in the beginning so we used bottles. I had received three free from registering at Target, Babysrus, and Motherhood Maternity, I believe. They worked just great. Okay, moving on.

Alright, get ready to have some fun. Of course if its a little girl, those tiny bows and headbands, you will get galore...wethere you register for them or not. Here are the items we found most useful.

1. Exersaucer. Okay, this comes way later, but I remember using it a TON.

2. High chair....another later thing we use every day.

3. Oh! Carseat and stroller....I guess those should have been listed as necessities. Some people recommend getting the convertible because they grow out of the stroller kind so fast. We thought ours was worth every penny. We weren't a fan of the particular model, but it was a DREAM being able to pull a sleeping baby out and around wherever you were without having to wake them up.

4. Diaper bag backpack. IT took us one giant diaper bag to teach us we wanted a hands-free bag. Another upgrade later, we have found our perfect backpack...which is not really marketed as a diaper bag at all. It allows you to be hands-free and have quick-access to everything. It is a day bag that is slightly smaller than a school backpack and has mesh pockets for sippy cups.

5. Carseat cover. We actually had a friend who made one for us and we love it! It was zero degrees when we took baby home from the hospital. Later it came in handy for providing shade, or sheltering a sleeping baby from outside noise and light. It also could be taken off and used as a blanket.

6. Carseat neck support. Our baby really slumped in his seat on the way home from the hospital. As new parents we were very concerned. We stopped and bought one on our way home. Bricca has some nice ones.

7. Lullaby cd. Ours is from Fisher Price and it is one of the items that allowed us to sleep train, create a good sleep routine and we play it for him every night.

8. Bibs for days. Seriously. Our baby spit up a ton adn chanign bibs is way easier than changing outfits. We had above 15-18. Terry cloth is good with velcro. Also, our favorite mealtime bib is silicone but should have had a snap for when they decide they want to take it off and figure out how. It is the easiest to rinse/wipe off and is always dry and ready to go. There's no washing in the washer, drying on a drying rack, or taking on smells/stains.

9. Play mat. We picked the most affordable one that was brightly colored and baby loved it for many months. It was worth it to see him smile and keep him occupied.

10. Feeding spoons. Long-handled are nice for feeding food from jars. Soft edges to the spoon for baby's small mouth is important. For later on, get some metal with plastic handles that are shorter, and for a sippy cup, pick a spill-proof Dr. Brown's.

There you have it! Of course, there are other things we loved, bu they were not necessaries. There were also items we were told we would NEED, that I wouldn't have missed at all. But that is for another Hub, another time. I hope this was helpful, interesting, or beneficial to you in some way. Thank you for reading.