What I registered for, what I ACTUALLY used… and what I learned with our son.
What to register for & where to register
When it came to registering for our first son I had a few I had a few very specific goals. I wanted to use hand me downs for as much as possible with a few exceptions (crib mattress, stroller/car seat, breast pump etc.) so I had basically set out to register for ZERO clothes. I also wanted to use as much as I could take straight from the hospital.
There were only a couple of things I was really willing to splurge on & I spent a TON of time researching these. I also didn’t expect anybody to purchase them from a registry because of their price.
Stroller & Carseat travel system (Chico Bravo Primo)
Crib Mattress (Newton Baby Crib mattress)
Camera (Nanit)
Deciding where to register for a baby can be both exciting and overwhelming. With countless options available, it's important to consider your specific needs and preferences. Factors like budget, convenience, and quality play a pivotal role in making this decision. Some parents prefer to register at large retail stores, offering a wide variety of baby essentials, from clothing to nursery furniture. Others may lean towards specialty stores that provide unique and eco-friendly products. I ended up going with ya know, none of those. Honestly, for convenience Amazon’s registry was the way to go for me. I knew I’d be able to do simple returns if I needed to for duplicates. I knew gift cards would be used, and they provide you a 15% discount on all items on your registry that don’t get purchased by somebody else (I added things after my shower had passed to this registry just to get the discount and you can too.)
I used their basic checklist to make sure I had all categories covered, and it was pretty helpful. As you can see here it gives you a pretty good “At a glance” view of the categories you’ll want to consider, even if all the things in that category aren’t relevant.
Most of the things so generic you can’t go wrong. I’m not going to write about every single thing as it would probably exhaust you (here is my actual registry if you want to see) but I’m definitely going to tell you about the things I have strong opinions about (both the good and the bad).
My Personal Must Haves
These are the things I couldn’t live without, the things that I threw other things out for when I found them, the things that worked better than ANYTHING else.
Let’s start with pacifiers. I bought 4 different kinds. These NUK Pacis were and still are the only ones he will actually go back to. We fret when we cant find them.
For bottles we LOVE these Avent bottles and would buy them again. I have the plastic ones but my friend has the glass (its thick) and they love those too. We got some hand me down “Mr. Good” bottles and every single one (even new ones I bought to replace or match) leaked. I’m serious, all of them. ‘
These Muslin burp clothes. Listen I know burp cloths are a dime a dozen & honestly I had more than I knew what to do with, but I’ll tell you what. Just 1 week in I put almost 90% of my other burb cloths away and just kept reusing the pack of these. Why? First, they are light weight and soft, absorbent and not hideous to look at. I get it, so are others. However, MOST IMPORTANTLY - they take up basically no space in your diaper bag. They roll up into the tiniest little ball or can fit in your pocket. They are so wonderful.
Another thing I wasn’t expecting to love so much is this knee pad for the bath. Turns out I would have no idea how I would have been able to lean near the tub without it!
Finally, I would assume any expecting parent knows that you’ll need your MUST have Hatch white noise sound machine.
There are a couple things I found on Facebook marketplace for a steal and didn’t bother registering for. My crib for example. I got the full crib and toddler conversion for $80. I wanted a new mattress, but there are so many cribs in great condition on marketplace I couldn’t bring myself to buy anything new. Go figure that after the first time I pulled apart my Newton mattress and saw it was all just washable plastic mesh I probably would have just bought that from marketplace too.
I’d highly recommend checking out FB marketplace if you are expecting and you don’t mind getting things used. Sometimes you can find these Baby Bjorn bouncers there. I couldn’t live without mine. If not, you’ll want to look at these too. They are just completely superior to all bouncers in every way. They give you a safe place to set baby if you need to run to the bathroom. Our son loves sitting in his watching us cook. They fold COMPLETELY flat and are so light weight. You’ll find a theme in anything I recommend is that it doesn’t take up much space! We took it everywhere
On the “Wouldn’t buy again list
This Diaper bag that turns into a changing table - Super cool for about one use. Has three bottle holders but the quality of the bag is horrible and the pocket ripped the minute the bottles were inside and you try to zip it up… basically rendering the whole bag useless due to the inability to keep any bottle cold.
You can add Mr. Goode bottles & any onesies with SNAPS to this list as well! Snaps can go straight to the dark side as far as I’m concerned.
Finally, I first opted for one of those nice foam changing pads (you can see it on my registry) but I returned it for this magical water proof, leak proof, mess proof glory. Who has time to wash all those changing pad covers? Literally always getting dirty. This was SO much easier!
Finally on my 3 big “splurge items”
The Stroller & Travel System
I ended up opting for the Chico Bravo Primo. At $640 its a high ticket item but in my opinion it has been 1000% worth it. First, it comes with the carseat. Second, outside of “infant mode” it later became our go to stroller. It folds in half super fast and I personally can throw it in the trunk without help. It has tons of storage underneath, as well as 4 cup holders and a cellphone/keys holder. However, the reason I bought it? The all terrain wheels. We take it EVERYWHERE and it excels! We have taken this bad boy to a music festival, hiking, you name it, these wheels can do it. Thats why we love it.
The Crib Mattress
Yes, I like most other super paranoid mamas went with the Newton Baby Crib mattress. If there is something I’m going to splurge on for peace of mind, its going to be breathability
The Camera
Several of my friends have “no wi fi” devices but I just love the convenience of our Nanit + the insights it provides. We are so active and I hate being away from my son. Being able to see him sleeping soundly in his crib if I’m away gives me that calming knowledge that everything is fine and I don’t need to worry.
