From Shari:
I have to admit, creating my baby registry was just about as overwhelming and time consuming as putting together my wedding registry. Tons of options, everyone’s advice is different, and only you know what products and things you already have or want to avoid. I can tell you that as a first time mom there are several registry tips that I highly recommend which include using the website Babylist.com, getting an example registry to go off of, and starting your registry early enough that you can add and delete things as you progress in your pregnancy. I know more about necessary and unnecessary baby items now at 24 weeks than I did when I created my registry at 12 weeks! Let’s dive in…
This is not an ad for Babylist, but I have to say the website was a huge saving grace when I was overwhelmed at the beginning. Babylist was an easy one-stop shop to put everything in one central place. I didn’t have to make an Amazon or Target list but I could pull items from those places and add them to my organized babylist which made everything noticeably easier for me. Babylist also gives you best seller and top listed products to give you an idea of where to start your registry. I found it super helpful since, let’s be honest, I don’t know much about baby items and there are so many options out there!
The second thing I found the most helpful was another first time mom sent me her registry as an example. I highly recommend exploring someone else’s registry. Their registry will give you an idea of how you want to set up your own. Based on her registry I quickly noticed her theme, how she tagged some items as “must-have”, and she even set up “funds” for meals and diapers which I thought was genius. I would have never thought of that without seeing her registry to know it was even possible. Definitely glad I was able to take a peek at a sample registry before creating my own.
Lastly, start the process sooner than later so you can add and delete items as you progress in your pregnancy. I added some really unnecessary items on at the beginning and as I learned more about baby products, I was able to edit and clean up my registry to the point where it is ready to be shared and viewed (I kept it private and unsearchable for a long time). Don’t stress over your registry, it will all come together. In the meantime here are a few items that were suggested repeatedly to me the past several months…
- The Baby Shusher – new moms have told me they love this little thing, worth every penny apparently!
- The Skip Hop on-to-go changing station – some mommas have said they just take this with them when they are in a hurry.
- The Earth Mama Nipple Butter – apparently this stuff is magic!
- Baby bottle variety pack – unsure about what bottle to get, this variety pack may help you decide after baby comes.
- Water wipes – you never know if baby may be sensitive to somethng, these water wipes are highly recommended by my mom friends.
There you go, my top five most suggested items. Happy registry planning, you got this!
From Kendall:
Well, it’s round two for me! I should be baby registry pro, right? WRONG. So, so, so wrong.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, we were living abroad, not sure how long we would be staying in Spain after she was born, and totally new to understanding the baby market. Very quickly I decided that minimal was best. I didn’t want to come to rely on too many products or have Rosemary rely on them for soothing and play when there was a chance our whole lives would be packed in a crate(s) and then held in military storage in DC. Thus, I went real, real simple.
In addition to be a minimalist, I was living elsewhere in the world. Products change a bit. In Spain, click in and click outs weren’t super popular. They had them but they were far pricier than they are here in the states. Also, a lot of moms found them useless and not helpful in terms of helping a baby to adapt to going back to bed or being flexible. I know some American moms who would go to war because they love their click ins and outs so much! Who’s right? No one. It’s all a matter of preference and availability! Whereas we in the US have a plethora of brands to pick from, the brand options are a bit smaller over there. Standards of safety with certain things change with every country. It was super effing hard to navigate. I was trying to pick products that met all standards of safety in the EU and the US. That’s not as easy as you think, hence the minimalist route I took to my registry.
Shari is right- find some example registries! I loved the “essential” guides from sites like The Bump, Babylist, and Verywell Family. I exhaustively reviewed every item on my registry. It’s important to note that all moms have different definitions of essentials AND this is totally ok. What was important for me may or may not be important to Shari. Lifestyles, price points, budgets, future goals after the baby is born, and the list goes on ALL impact what you are going to want and need. As a stay at home mom who pretty much breast fed on demand, I didn’t need a lot of things for feeding. That can easily change your registry. Bottles, bibs, bottle warmers, disinfecting machines, formula, pumps, etc. can all change based on lifestyle factors. The hard part about this? How do you even know what you will need before you really start living the daily mom life? It’s a bit of a challenge.
Now, it’s time for round two. Here’s the thing, Issy and I still have a lot of things but over the years we did donate some items. During COVID, Vermont was in massive need of baby things. We decided to donate some of the bigger items because we didn’t mind buying them again and we really wanted to help our community out. Right after Christmas, we went ahead and purchased a new crib, crib mattress, swing, nursing chair, an updated carseat for Rosemary, another pack and play (we need two), and pack and play mattress. The essentials are done. The artwork is mostly done. The nursery theme for this little man is The Chronicles of Narnia. I thought we were good. THEN, I realized we do need some things. So I created a registry. It’s still pretty small and basic. New baby towels, wash cloths, burp cloths, and bedding are on the list. There are a few other big ticket items that we didn’t get the first time (but wish we had). All in all, it’s not excessive. I actually have complaints that there aren’t enough things on there… which I find hard to believe! I really don’t know what else to ask for. I really don’t expect people to send gifts again so I feel a little awkward creating one… actually, guilty is the better word. I feel guilty. I am not the greatest at receiving gifts. I am just awkward that way. I really can’t explain it more.
Okay, essentials. Here are my essentials and why they are essential to me! You may totally disagree, and that’s ok! We all “mom” differently.
- Find a baby monitor you love. The baby will sleep with us at night for the first 11 or 12 months of their life in a secure crib fixture. BUT, napping in their own room is essential for a little bit of rest. We are huge fans of the Angelcare monitor system.
- Swaddles. Once we started properly swaddling Rosemary, she began to sleep in long stretches. My favorites were from Aden and Anais. They were lightweight, great for summer activities outside (think lounging in the grass), and perfect for draping over the stroller while the baby naps.
- A milk catcher. If you are a mom who ends up breastfeeding, I highly recommend having this on hand. Did you know that when you start feeding, your other boob can leak? Don’t waste the precious milk. Catch it. Put it in a bottle and save up. You might not need it or always need it. I did for the first 7-8 months.
- Black and white baby toys/books are a must-have for me. The contrast is good for your baby! Just search “black and white baby toys” in the Amazon search bar and be amazed!
- Pick a stroller that’s right for you. For us, we were limited by a lot of factors. Some of the strollers I wanted wouldn’t ship from the US and some strollers in Spain had different safety standards than the US. So our pool was limited. We ended up spending the big bucks on a Bugaboo Fox. I can already hear some of you saying that’s stupid… and to you I say, BACK OFF. My Bugaboo was and IS worth every penny. It had a great suspension system for navigating the cobblestone roads of Spain, Andorra, France, and Germany. It is super sleek and easy to fold down. It has a variety of seat positions and options. It’s lightweight. I LOVE MY BUGABOO. It’s essential to me. And it’s cleaned, ready, and waiting for baby boy.
I think that’s it. Just remember, pick what YOU want. It’s ok to change your mind. It’s ok to ask questions. It’s ok to love something. It’s ok to think something is stupid. It’s ok to budget here and/or splurge there. Have fun and remember none of it really matters- you make do. I did. We didn’t have most of our things for about 5 months of Rosemary’s first year of life. Trust me when I say that she didn’t care or know any better. She is thriving and well… stuff is just stuff. But love and snuggles? Ah, that’s the dream.
The Salty Exchange 