Baby Registry Must Haves

I meant to post this shortly after Gerrit turned one, but I got busy and it didn’t happen. But I have several friends and family who are pregnant with their first babies right now, so it got me thinking about this topic again. Now that we are definitely out of the “baby” stage, I thought I would go make a list of things that I’m so glad were on my baby registry… and things I wish I had thought to put on there! I’ll also make a list of things that I definitely didn’t need.

Breast pump


This is a tricky one, because I have never used the breast pump that we purchased, haha. My breastfeeding journey had a bit of a rocky start, and Gerrit was not keen on nursing. He was sleepy from jaundice, and he had a tiny mouth that didn’t latch well onto my engorged boobs. So I initially did a LOT of pumping. While we were in the hospital, I used a hospital-grade pump that the nurses brought me, and Andrew fed Gerrit with a syringe and tube. I still tried nursing in the hospital, but Gerrit & I both ended up in tears often, and I ended up having to pump anyway because I had to get the milk out.

Once we got home, we decided to use bottles. I had been against it initially, because I was afraid of nipple confusion. We were already struggling, and I didn’t want to make it worse. But it’s not easy doing the syringe-feeding, and Gerrit was going through several syringes in a feeding, so it made sense to use the bottles we had received! We also took the breast pump from the hospital home with us. We were allowed to rent it for a month, free of charge (thanks, military!).

Well, with a lot of persistence (have I mentioned that I’m very stubborn??), I only needed to pump and bottle-feed Gerrit for two weeks. I hated pumping, since it was seriously eating into my sleep time, so once Gerrit was exclusively on the breast, I was happy to pack up that pump! But we had already ordered this breast pump, anticipating that we would be using it a lot. So now I have a brand-new, never-been-used breast pump.

That all being said… I think that if you’re going to breastfeed, a breast pump is probably a good investment. Especially if you are planning to go back to work. I originally planned to find a job shortly after we moved to North Carolina (when Gerrit was 6 months old), but I was not emotionally ready to do that.

Pack n play w bassinet

I am SO glad we got this! It was $100 well-spent. I bought it barely used from someone on base early in my pregnancy. The bassinet part has a stand so it can be separated from the set-up in the photo. And the part on the right side is for diaper changing.

We really only used the bassinet with the stand during the first few months. Gerrit slept in the bassinet at the end of our bed, and we may have used the Pack ‘n’ Play downstairs had our living room been larger. But we needed that Pack ‘n’ Play for when we were PCSing, so it eventually got used. A lot. We used it in TLF in England, at all the houses of family members we visited between our two bases, TLF in North Carolina, and in our new house until we got a crib. Plus any trip we’ve taken since our move: Michigan, the beach, Ohio, Wisconsin, Tennessee… As much as I hate disrupting Gerrit’s schedule to travel, we still do it fairly frequently!

Velcro Swaddlers

Unless you’ve mastered swaddling tightly with those big swaddling blankets, save yourself the stress and get some Velcro ones instead! Andrew got it down pretty quickly while we were still in the hospital, but I could never get it tight enough, especially with Gerrit wiggling all over the place. I had a few used Halo SleepSack Swaddles, and they were so helpful! I tried a few other kinds, but the Halo ones were my favorite. Once Gerrit was done being swaddled, we moved into the regular Halo SleepSacks, and we still use them today. I am planning to start using a regular blanket in his crib instead of sleep sacks once he outgrows the ones he’s currently in.

Moby Wrap

I had the Moby Wrap, but really any of the stretchy wraps out there would be just as good, I’m sure. It took me a bit to master the Moby with a tiny newborn, but once we got it figured out, it was really nice to have. I wish I had tried it sooner and more often, since Gerrit did pretty well in it once he got settled. I think I used the Moby with him pretty often until he was probably 8 or 9 months old. By that point, he was really getting pretty heavy!

Reasons I like the Moby: 1) It‘s easily washed! I used the Moby when we took Gerrit to London for his passport, and he vomited ALL over it. As soon as we got home, it (and my jeans) went into the wash. 2) It’s pretty portable. I could cram it into the diaper bag fairly easily and it wasn’t heavy. 3) It keeps your baby snug as a bug right up next to you. I loved that it was so cozy!

Things I didn’t love about the Moby: 1) It’s really long, so if I was going to wear it while running errands, I put it on at home so I wouldn’t have to put it on in the parking lot and have it drag on the ground. 2) Even when you’re good at putting it on, it still takes a minute.

And one more thing… can we just all say, “Awww!” at that tiny sleeping Gerrit in the Moby?!

My Brest Friend

I had heard good things about this breastfeeding pillow, and I’m glad I got it as a gift! I also got the Boppy pillow, but the Brest Friend pillow gave me the support I needed. The early days of breastfeeding were really hard on my back & shoulders. I think because the nursing sessions are so long, and I was very tense. The Brest Friend buckles around you, so you can adjust it to yourself. Plus it’s much firmer than the Boppy, so it supports the baby without the baby slipping between you and the pillow. Plus the pocket is handy too! I usually kept an extra burp cloth in there, but it would also be good for your cell phone, the remote, a water bottle, some snacks, etc. That all being said, I DID use the Boppy as well. I usually put it behind my shoulders while I nursed, haha. I can’t remember when I started not needing the nursing pillows besides that it was before Gerrit was 3 months old. I’m sure they’ll get some good use when the next baby comes along.

Nightlight

This was something I did not think of with the whole nursing all-freaking-night-long thing. My bedside lamp? Way too bright. Hallway light? Yes, that worked, but it shined right in Andrew’s eyes. So I sent Andrew out to buy a nightlight. Since Gerrit still wakes up to nurse, he still has a nightlight in his room. And now it’s a cute one that matches his nautical decor! 🙂

White noise machine

So I have needed white noise to sleep since college. Moving from my parents’ house in the country to the middle of downtown Milwaukee was a tough transition for sleeping. When I was at school, I needed white noise to cover up all the traffic and loudness. When I went back home, I needed white noise to cover up the deafening silence of the country.

Back to the topic at hand… Andrew & I were already sleeping with a fan in our room when Gerrit entered the picture, so he had white noise from the start. But we didn’t have anything for him when we moved him into his own room at 5 months. So I got a white noise machine that wasn’t too expensive but had good reviews. And I love it! It has several different sound options, but we always just use “white noise.” I can crank it up when there’s extra noise (like the construction happening on the other side of his bedroom wall… 5 houses going up all at once!), and it’s very portable. Gerrit needs as much “sameness” as possible when it comes to sleep, and I love that this is something that can go anywhere we go.

Blooming Bath

I’ve heard mixed reviews on this particular bath seat, but I personally loved it. It’s nice and soft, I could throw it in the wash (and dryer) whenever I wanted, it fit in any kitchen sink, and it’s very portable! The last one was particularly important to me since we were traveling a lot when Gerrit was a wee one.

Look at that itty bitty Baby G! Ah, I can’t even believe he was so tiny. Okay, back to my point… So even after Gerrit was getting too big for the sink and was close to sitting up on his own, I used the Blooming Bath in the bathtub. It was something soft for him to sit on, and it kept him from slipping around. Oh! And it didn’t take up a bunch of room. Our house in England didn’t have a lot of storage, and frankly, our new house doesn’t either.

Bouncy seat

So the only thing Gerrit really liked about his bouncy seat was the vibrating feature. The dangly toy things were barely played with, the music was whatever, and I almost put this on the “don’t put it on your registry” list. But when you need a minute to pee or you want to take a quick shower… this is the answer. I mean, I’m all about baby-wearing, but there are times when you need a break or you can’t baby-wear (like in the shower). The bouncy seat helped with dinner prep many times, and I definitely slid it in front of our shower when I was desperate. I was sad when Gerrit got too heavy for it.

Other than what I already listed, I definitely recommend registering for the big expensive things: crib, dresser, glider/rocking chair, car seat, stroller, that awesome baby carrier that’s over $100, baby monitor… encourage your friends to go in on big stuff together. Because you won’t mind buying the little stuff after the baby is born, but it’s nice to get the big stuff as gifts. 😉

Now for things that I had on my registry that I wish I had NOT put on there:

Diaper Genie (or similar)

I’m actually glad that no one got me one of these. If you’re breastfeeding, those little breast milk poops really don’t smell that bad. You will barely notice them in your garbage can. And once solids were introduced, we just bagged the poopy diapers in one of hundreds of plastic shopping bags we have accumulated. And straight into the regular trash. Plus not having one meant that I wasn’t spending money on the bagging system that goes with this contraption. And it wasn’t taking up space in Gerrit’s room.

Clothes (besides onesies, socks & pjs)

Trust me, even if you don’t find out the sex of your baby, people will buy you clothes! I think we all just can’t help it. Baby clothes are tiny and adorable, and we just have to buy them! I got a lot of clothing gifts for Gerrit even though we didn’t know what we were having. If you want to register for clothes, register for white onesies in a variety of sizes and footed pajamas or sleep-and-plays. I honestly don’t know why I even had outfits for Gerrit in his first 3 months of life. I rarely put him in anything that didn’t zip up from his feet to his neck!

Toys

This is another thing that people are going to buy you anyway. And your baby isn’t going to really play with anything for several months. I was given an activity mat for free from a friend at work, I bought a used jumperoo from another friend, and if you’re on any buy/sell/trade groups, you will constantly find people trying to sell gently used books and toys for babies and toddlers. Unless there’s some very specific toy that you absolutely think you need for your baby, don’t register for it. And trust me when I say that your baby will most likely be much more interested in anything that isn’t a toy. If you want ideas for homemade toys & activities, just let me know… I have lots!

Humidifier

I registered for one of these, never got one, and never missed it. But Gerrit also never got sick during his first year, so that could be why I never needed it!

Bedding Set

I was a rule follower and didn’t put crib bumpers or blankets in Gerrit’s bed. So I figured it would be a waste of money to buy a whole cute bedding set. I registered for a couple of bassinet sheets and two cream colored crib sheets. That’s it. Eventually I got bored with cream and bought two more fitted sheets, but that’s seriously all I got. I ended up crocheting a blanket for Gerrit that I use one in awhile, and for a light blanket, I used the Aden + Anais swaddling blankets I bought (and never used for swaddling).

So I tried to keep this as brief as possible, but I’m sure you all know that that is hard for me. 🙂 I’m sure I missed a few things, but I tried to hit the big ones. If you want more of my opinions and suggestions, just let me know… I love giving them. 😉