Creating a baby registry can be a daunting task. I remember walking through baby stores prior to the birth of my first child feeling so overwhelmed with which items my husband and I needed to put on our registry. It didn’t help that I had no idea what to look for, or what half the items even were that everyone was telling me I needed to add to the registry. I will say, the baby market is constantly changing and new products are always being released. Even since my second child, I have come across certain baby products that were not available just nine months ago. Below are some of my picks for my favorite baby registry items.
If you have the time, I recommend slowly starting to add to your baby registry as soon as you find out you are pregnant. Patterns and colors can always be updated as you learn the gender of your baby, if you so choose. This way you can starting adding bit by bit so it’s a little less overwhelming than trying to do an entire registry in a day. I would also utilize options such as Babylist, which I did not really learn about until after my second child unfortunately. Babylist is a great tool that allows you to create a registry online for your friends and family to see, but you can add items you want from numerous stores and locations all to one comprehensive list, with links to where the items may be purchased.
By no means is this a comprehensive list, however, these are just a few of my favorite, staple baby registry items that I have fallen in love with after having two kids. I will have a more complete list of baby registry items in another post.
- Ubbi Diaper Pail. Easy to use, takes regular trash bags, clean feel with metal not plastic, AMAZING at keeping the smell in the pail! We ended up with 2, one for upstairs and one for downstairs.
- Water Wipes. One of the best baby products ever created. Literally, I was using a wet washcloth to clean my first daughter’s bum at every diaper change when she was a newborn. She could not tolerate ANY traditional wipes without getting a horrible diaper rash. I finally Googled “water wipe” thinking there had to be a product out there that was simply water since that seemed to be the only thing I could use…sure enough, there was! She is now 2 years old and still cannot tolerate any other brand.
- Honest Diapers. I fell in love with these diapers initially for the super cute prints, but really appreciated that they were hypoallergenic and plant-based after learning how sensitive my baby’s skin was. And when subscribing to the diapers and wipes bundle you save about 20% off buying packages individually…Best part, you can select the date on a calendar for when you want your next bundle to ship, whether it’s 3 days later or 8 weeks later. Plus, you can return any unopened items for a refund. (In my case, I subscribe to the bundle to get a cheaper price on the diapers but return all the wipes since my baby can only use Water Wipes. I simply schedule to return online and print off the prepaid shipping label.)
- Aquaphor. I used this stuff at every diaper change to prevent diaper rash. Less messy than zinc oxide, although I would use a 40% zinc oxide if my baby did start to have a rash.
- VTech Baby Monitor. Love the video sound-activation feature, especially with two kids. My husband is a very light sleeper, and this monitor allows us to set the sensitivity level for when the monitor will turn on. We had it on all the time when she was a newborn, but we gradually started turning the sensitivity down as our daughter got older so we wouldn’t wake up at every little sound she made while sleeping. And now with two kids, we can have separate sensitivity levels set for each of their rooms…now with a new baby, we set the sensitivity level higher for her than for her older sister.
- Swaddle Blankets. Muslin swaddle blankets have been one of my staple items for sure! I had to use an easy swaddle for my first child at night because she kept getting out of the blanket, but I used swaddle blankets for my second child even during nap time for the first couple months. But there are endless uses for these wonderful blankets: towel, burp cloth, tummy time, changing pad, nursing cover…the list goes on and on. I still go through just as many of these blankets for my 2 year old as I do for the baby. And I love all the beautiful prints.
- Mustela Baby Bath Products. They smell amazing!! And are gentle on skin…I actually started using these after my second child because of the eczema I have on my hands, mustela products were more gentle on my skin than some other brands of baby bath products.
- Hevea Pacifier. Something about natural products just makes me feel better about giving them to my baby. The natural rubber pacifiers are wonderful and one piece design makes cleaning easy. It also doubles as a teether as she will pull the pacifier out and chew all around the edges. I always get the orthodontic pacifiers after my dentist made a comment to me about preferring that style for development. Also like the round instead of notched pacifier shape, like this one, for mimicking the slight pressure on nose during breastfeeding.
- Pacifier Clip. Let’s just say I got very tired of picking up pacifiers off the floor and washing them…the silicone and wood beads are fantastic for baby to chew on as well! Plus, let’s be honest, it just looks so stylish. Perfect little baby accessory. Probably one of my daughter’s favorite “toys.”
- Sophie the Giraffe and Sola the Goat rubber teething toys. My girls would chew and chew on Sophie the Giraffe, they could not get enough…however, the squeaking always made the dog bark, go figure. So another rubber toy option I plan to purchase is Sola the Goat, just as adorable but with sealed hole for when the dog is around.
- Lovevery Play Gym or Skip Hop Vibrant Village Activity Gym. We purchased the Skip Hop Activity Gym for our second child. I love the lights to encourage visual tracking and the modern design. Great black and white sections with bold contrast to stimulate baby’s early vision, and fun gender neutral colors as baby gets older. Fantastic developmental toys included with tummy time pillow, teething rattle, baby safe mirror, and tactile ribbon toy to name a few. As a mom, I love that it’s machine washable too! I do love this activity gym, but I will say, I later discovered The Play Gym by Lovevery. It looks AMAZING! As a pediatric physical therapist, I’m always looking for toys and baby gear that help support and encourage baby’s development. And this play gym certainly appears to check that box. I love that sections can be revealed or concealed to prevent overstimulation, with 5 developmental zones to keep tummy time entertaining. Plus, it grows with baby, from newborn tummy time to a play fort!
- Bloom Coco go 3-in-1 Lounger. Simple seat and clean design, but with various sitting positions…can be fixed in more upright position. Great if you have a “happy spitter,” as my pediatrician called it. My second child was constantly spitting up so she recommended we keep the baby elevated for at least 30 minutes after eating. When I was chasing after a toddler all the time as well taking care of a newborn, it was a challenge to keep her elevated. I love the clean white look (don’t worry, it’s machine washable).
- Wooden Montessori Rattle. Beautiful heirloom style baby rattle. Great for teething and has such a sweet little sound as the wood clatters when baby shakes the rattle. I love this particular one because it’s handmade in the USA of organic wood.
- Babyganics Foaming Dish and Bottle Soap. Super bubbly, so easy to use! Makes lathering up bottles, toys, and pacifiers a quick task. And gives peace of mind knowing I’m cleaning baby’s stuff without harsh chemicals.
- Kiinde Kozii Bottle Warmer. This has been fabulous for warming milk and food jars. So simple and easy to use!! Just put milk from refrigerator in the warmer for 6 minutes and it’s done. I did not purchase this until my second child, but I wish we had it much earlier…I was told when I was pregnant with my first child I would never use a bottle warmer so I did not register for one. Then I spent a year and a half warming a pyrex jar of water in the microwave to warm the milk in, such a messy hassle! But no more, this little tool has been incredible.
Again, I say this is by no means a comprehensive list. But I wanted to share a few of my favorite items that I’ve either loved having with both babies, or I wish I had the first time around!
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