My Top Baby Registry Items

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The moment you find out you are pregnant is one filled with excitement and joy. However, you quickly become overwhelmed thinking of all the preparations that need to be done and the things you need to buy for this little bundle of joy.

Completing your baby registry should not be stressful or overwhelming! It should be fun 🙂 There are SO MANY products out there for babies that it is hard to know where to start. I remember feeling the same way!

I asked my friends who already had babies for suggestions and did A TON of research online. My friend actually gifted me this book shortly after I found out I was pregnant. Let me tell you, it saved me a lot of time researching. It helped me make a decision about which products to register for. In addition to the name brand reviews, it gives you tips for saving money and finding the best deals on everything you need for baby’s first year. I highly recommend picking this book up for yourself or a friend 🙂 You will NOT be disappointed!

In this post, you will find descriptions of the products I included on my baby registry that I actually used and found highly valuable. After reading, my hope is that you will be excited to start your baby registry and prepared for your little one’s arrival 🙂

Valuable Baby Gear

Pack ‘N Play – We have the Graco Pack ‘N Play Playard with Cuddle Cove Removable Seat. The Pack ‘N Play was located on the first floor of our home and was used as a changing table and place for our daughter to nap. She loved the Cuddle Cove Removable Seat because it kept her comfy and snug. I was able to easily remove the seat and bring it into the kitchen or basement family room. This way, I could keep an eye on my daughter while she was sleeping. The main reason we wanted a Pack ‘N Play was to use as a crib when we traveled to my mom’s house for the weekend (she lives 90 minutes away) or when we went to the beach for a week in the summer. It folds up nicely, making it easy to transport. We made sure to add sheets for the Pack ‘N Play to our registry. We preferred this quilted sheet because it made the Pack ‘N Play a more comfortable sleeping space for our daughter. Plus, it kept the mattress clean.

Rock ‘N Play – Our Fisher Price Rock ‘N Play was a lifesaver! This was a gift and it became the place where our daughter slept the best at night. The reclined seat and snug feel of the Rock ‘N Play helped my daughter stay asleep for longer stretches in the beginning. This product also came in handy when I took a shower. My daughter would sit in it, play with the attached toys and be entertained while I showered. It was light and folded up quickly, which made it easy to carry right into the bathroom with me. The seat cover was easy to remove and could be thrown in the washing machine when it was dirty. Between spit up and diaper explosions, we had our fair share of messes in the Rock ‘N Play! Since my daughter spent most of her time in it, it was important to me that I could wash it easily.  

Swing – Our swing was another place where our daughter spent a lot of her time during the first several months! This was so helpful a few nights when she wouldn’t sleep. The motion of the swing rocked her to sleep so I was able to catch some zzz’s. The coziness of the seat kept her comfortable. She also napped in this a lot during the day. The soft music and nature sounds soothed her to sleep and the mobile caught her attention when she was awake. We kept the swing in the living room and got a lot of use out of this!

High Chair – We love our high chair! It accommodates your growing child, starting with an infant booster and continuing to a youth chair. This 4-in-1 convertible high chair can seat two children with one child in the youth chair that attaches to a regular chair and one child in the infant or toddler booster. Plus, the top of the tray is removable for easy clean-up. The seat cover and straps are machine washable, which is a plus in my book! Our daughter currently eats every meal in this high chair and it is so easy to clean up! 

Feeding

Whether you are formula feeding or breastfeeding your baby, there are several products that should be included on your registry. Breastfeeding worked for my daughter and I so that is my area of familiarity. In fact, I wrote a whole post about my top 9 breastfeeding products here.

The following products won’t be used until your baby starts solid foods. However, they are useful to have on hand and ready to go when your baby is ready to enter the world of cereal, fruits and veggies! 

Activity & Playtime

Activity Mat – My daughter really enjoyed the activity mat with a piano she can kick with her feet and play music. She was always kicking her feet as an infant. This activity mat grew with our daughter, too. The piano turned for when our daughter was sitting up on her own. She could sit and play the piano. Now, the piano separates from the activity mat so my daughter can carry it around as an active and busy toddler.

Exersaucer Moovin’ & Groovin’ Activity Center – This is great item for when your baby can hold his/her head up (around 4-6 months). Our daughter loved jumping up and down and playing with the attached toys. This came in handy when I was cooking dinner or vacuuming the living room. When my daughter became too big for the Rock ‘N Play, I used the Exersaucer as a safe place to put her while I took a shower. I put my daughter in the Exersaucer and knew she was safe and happy.

Fisher-Price Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat – We did not have one of these seats, but I wish I did! Around 4 or 5 months, baby wants to sit up and see what’s going on, but just can’t yet. This seat supports baby in an upright position, allowing him/her to see the world from a whole new perspective. The attached toys encourage playtime for baby and the upright position allows for purposeful interaction with baby (Peek-A-Boo anyone?). This floor seat allows mom to be hands-free when preparing dinner, too!

Toys – The following were great first toys for our daughter. They are colorful, soft and safe to put in her mouth. She loved grabbing onto the Oball and playing with her soft books. The Skip Hop Bandana Buddies Baby Activity and Teething Toy and the Infantino Tag Along Travel Pals are great to take on the go. The clips make them easy to attach to the stroller, cart, and/or car seat. I recommend adding a few of these items to your registry because they stimulate your baby’s developing brain and encourage playful interaction! 

Bathtime

Bathtub – You will need a baby bathtub with a newborn insert. Initially, you will be giving your baby a sponge bath. Then, you will remove the newborn insert and place baby bathtub inside your regular bathtub. We actually used the baby bathtub until our daughter was at least 12 months old. It was a small, contained space and didn’t require filling an entire bathtub with water! One of our friends actually gave us this inflatable bathtub as a gift and we started using that when our daughter was about 7 or 8 months old. A nice feature of this tub was the water temperature indicator. The word HOT appears if the temperature of the water is above 104 degrees. Another nice feature is the recessed drain hole, making it easy to drain the water out of the tub. 

Nursery

Crib – We registered for a convertible crib. This means the crib converts to a toddler daybed to a full size bed. You only have to purchase bedroom furniture for your child once! Just be sure to add the full size bed rails so you don’t run the risk of your particular crib being unavailable years down the road.

Crib Mattress – Our crib mattress is waterproof and firm. It is best for the baby to sleep on a firm mattress because he/she does not have the strength to push his/her face away from soft surfaces.

Waterproof Mattress Covers – This protects the mattress from liquid messes (spit up, pee, etc). I have two. I put a mattress cover, sheet, mattress cover and sheet on our daughter’s mattress for middle of the night messes.

Sheets – You should have a minimum of 4 sheets. You may need to change the sheet in the middle of the night (I’ve done that twice) and it was nice to have a clean one to put on right away. I actually keep two sheets on the bed so I just take off dirty one and there will already be a sheet on mattress.

Glider – You need a rocking chair or glider with ottoman for the nursery because you will be sitting in it A LOT, rocking baby to sleep and feeding baby. I suggest going to the store and testing them out because you want it to be comfortable for you!

 

Swaddle Blankets – Newborns like to be snug and warm because they are used to that from the womb. Swaddle blankets help baby sleep better. The SwaddleMe Original Swaddle was my favorite because it was an easy and secure way to swaddle our daughter. This swaddle blanket gave me peace of mind because it did not come undone and potentially suffocate my daughter while she was sleeping.

Changing Table Pad – Our changing table came with a simple flat pad, but I wanted one with sides that came up to prevent our daughter from rolling off. This changing table pad worked great for us! We also made sure to register for 2-3 changing pad covers. This way, the changing table pad stayed clean and there was always a clean cover when a messy situation occurred. The changing pad covers we chose complemented our nursery decor very well! 

Diaper Pail – I highly recommend the Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail because it doesn’t require any special bag refills or inserts, which can add up to a lot of money. We purchased a large box of these scented kitchen trash bags and use them in this diaper pail. This is the one we use and it does a really nice job with hiding the smell. This product was recommended to me so that is why we chose this one. 

Blankets – I would register for 2-3 because they can be used in a variety of ways! These blankets were my favorite because they were so soft. I would lay them on the floor for tummy time, play time, or a quick diaper change when we were away from home. I always kept a blanket in the diaper bag for the car seat or a quick nursing cover. We also have two of these Muslin Blankets, which are really great during the warmer months! They are thin and breathable, but protect baby from the sun when he/she is too young for sunscreen. They also work well as a nursing cover!

Out & About

Stroller – I recommend looking into a travel system because it comes with the infant car seat and a car seat base. This way, you can use the stroller when baby is too little for actual stroller. You’ll want to make sure you register for an additional car seat base, if you have two cars. We purchased an additional one for my husband’s car.

I knew from the moment I found out I was pregnant that I wanted a jogging stroller. As a runner, I wanted a way to keep up with my running even when I had a little one. Now, I wasn’t able to run with my daughter in the stroller until she was 6-8 months old, but with my husband working long hours, many of my runs were accompanied by my daughter. You can actually read more about my experience running with a jogging stroller here!

Lightweight Stroller – This lightweight stroller travels with us everywhere! It is much easier to transport than the jogging stroller. Once our daughter was sitting up on her own, around 6-7 months, we started using this stroller quite often! It has traveled with us on all our spring/summer adventures, including our drive out to Pittsburgh and our many trips to Walt Disney World!

Diaper Bag – I highly recommend a backpack diaper bag! It is much easier to carry when your hands are full because it won’t constantly fall off your shoulder. I recommend a travel changing pad kit and travel wipes case, too. Most diaper bags come with a changing mat, but I preferred the kit because it has a pocket for holding diapers and diaper rash cream. 

Car Seat Cover – This is great for when you are running errands, outside taking a walk, or walking from car to destination. It covers up the baby and protects him/her from the bright lights inside of stores, sun, wind, rain, and cold. During the winter months, you can’t put a winter jacket on the baby when they are in the car seat so the car seat cover keeps the baby warmer. This particular car seat cover can function as a nursing cover or cart cover, too! I am all about products that serve many purposes.

Baby Carrier – We have the Baby Bjorn Original and it worked well for us. I used this a few times when going for a walk and my daughter slept in it. This is also helpful when you are running errands, going somewhere, or even doing house chores and want your hands to be free, but baby wants to be held. 

There you have it. The baby products I actually used and found highly valuable during my daughter’s first year. I hope you feel less overwhelmed and more prepared to complete your baby registry 🙂 Be sure to share this post with friends or family members who are expecting a baby. They will thank you 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

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