Yes. There are your standard baby registry items.
Bottles. Diapers. Crib. Rocker. High Chair. Stroller. Diaper Bag. Of course. Add all of those.
And then for us, we really attempted to have a minimalist registry. 100+ items later and we still did not register for what everybody says you have to have...
Baby Swing. Diaper pail. Bouncer. Bottle Sterilizer. Bottle Warmer. Bottle Drying Rack. Wipe Warmer. Baby-safe detergent. And we haven't missed any of them.
There are a few things that we have used non-stop in the past four weeks and I could not live without. These are the things I would tell anybody to make sure they had on their baby registry.
1. Baby Carrier/Wrap :: My little ones is a snuggler. I absolutely love it; however, things around the house still need to get done! Especially these first few weeks of life, he did not want to be sat down without some tears and screams. My Solly Baby wrap has been my go-to solution. It allows him to be near me and I can still accomplish so much. Plus it's a really nap time solution. Half the time he's wrapped, he's out!
2. Memory Book :: Something that I did not really think about from the get-go was a memory book. The Lucy Darling Memory Book was my favorite find because it allows me to have a busy life and still capture those memories, moments, and thoughts without much effort. I love the art work and simplicity.
3. Swaddles :: Swaddle blankets, Swaddle Pods, swaddle wraps with snaps or velcro. We have them all. I thought once I started stocking my dresser in the nursery we had too many... but honestly, we don't. It keeps down on having to do laundry every spit up or peeing-out-of-the-diaper accident. We love our swaddles.
Plus Ollie knows its nap time now (and nighttime sleep) based off of his swaddles! It took us a week or so to figure out which ones we liked the best; however, we are currently using SwaddleMe Swaddle Pods for daytime naps and NoJo Just Swaddled Swaddles for the nighttime. NoJo Swaddles allows for a tighter wrap which soothes Ollie so much at time, and I just love his morning stretches when I unwrap him.
We don't use our swaddle blankets much except for regular blankets and I keep one in the diaper bag for on-the-go naps. He's also a bit too small for our Aden & Anais swaddle with snaps. I like it, just still not tight enough for our little guy.
4. Car Seat Cover :: I really didn't think I'd use a car seat cover until winter time; however, that summer sun is BRIGHT! Ollie's eyes squints up tight when we head for a walk or to the car. I love my Personalized Car Seat Cover by Audrey's Bear because it is so practical for summer time as well. It's thin and breathable but keeps the sun out. Plus how cute is the one she designed for me!?
5. Co-Sleeper Cushion :: We had no plans on co-sleeping, and honestly, on a day-to-day we do not. Ollie has been in his crib since his third night home because the whole house sleeps better. However, there is a slim window from 5am - 8am that Ollie hates his crib. Hates it. I believe it is because his room is so bright that he thinks it is daytime, but he's still sleepy. So typically after our second feeding at night the sun is up and he will not let us sleep that final hour or two before the day starts.
That's where our Snuggle Me Co-Sleeper comes in handy. Dusty typically gets up and goes to the gym and Ollie comes and sleeps in his co-sleeper next to me. He loves it enough that some mornings I have to wake him up to eat! It is also super helpful for morning chores and showers. He just chills on the end of the bed in his co-sleeper while I get my stuff done without me having to worry about rolling off. Literally, it is the best invention ever.
6. Nursing Bras :: I wasn't really thinking pre-birth that I would need too many of these things. I am not sure what I was thinking. It's all I can wear! I can no longer fit in my bras from my pregnancy and they are super inconvenient. I stalked the racks of Target in my final months of pregnancy and found some stellar sales on nursing bras, but I wish I had more for sure.
7. Nursing Cover :: Nursing is no joke. It's a lot of work and Ollie really tells me when he is going to eat. 🙂
I have two nursing cover, one from Covered Goods and one from MilkSnob. I love both of them. They work great as Car Seat covers to keep the sun out, as little blankets to help Ollie stay warm in restaurants that have their air condition on high, and for nursing! We are still working on our latching a bit; however, the covers have 360 degree coverage so nothing shows even if we are having some issues.
8. Breastfeeding Care :: Again, breastfeeding is no joke and a lot of work! There are a few things that you NEED: Breastfeeding Cream and Gel Pads. Use both from day one and you will appreciate it two weeks in when you start hurting, cracking, and bleeding. Thankfully, I have no experienced the latter two; however, the pain is real and cream and gel pads have been my lifesaver.
9. Changing Pad Liners :: Although we have several super cute changing pads, I did not want them to be ruined with poop from day one. To help them last, we got some changing pad liners. A week in, and I was ordering more to help cut down on the laundry. Some days we go through three of these with accidents and messes! I think six of them (two packs) is the sweet spot.
10. WubbaNub :: We avoided the pacifier for two weeks. Ollie screamed for two weeks. Although we had a few breastfeeding issues that we had to fix first before introducing the pacifier, now that we have, we love our WubbaNub. Any other pacifier, Ollie manages to lose so quickly. The WubbaNub has some weight with the animal on the end. It helps keep it in his mouth and he loves cuddling it!
