Creating a baby registry can be overwhelming! It’s hard to believe that this time last year I was starting to work on ours. I put SO much thought and research into the products I asked for, and I thought it might be helpful to share what – at 9+ months – we’ve actually used and loved, and what we didn’t. I’ve seen so many women getting pregnant or welcoming babies recently… hopefully this is a help to them! A few of our newer favorite products (like Brady’s giant playpen and playmat) I get questions on anytime I post about in on social media. So hopefully this can also serve as a one-stop-shop for that, as well.
The basics
- Gerber cloth diaper burp cloths – Cloth diapers make the best burp cloths… who knew?! This was a tip we got from another mom, and she was right. These are the best burp cloths we have, and the only ones you need. They’re super absorbent, and you’ll use them for everything.
- Gerber white cotton onesies – and tons of them. Buy them in both the long and the short sleeve, and expect to replace them every couple months as your baby grows out of them. These are great on their own or as a layering piece. They’ll wear them under everything. I’m linking the organic cotton ones, but they have regular, as well.
- Keekaroo Peanut Changer – Life-changing! This changing pad is amazingly easy to clean, which was a must for us. There’s no slipcover to mess with, and you just wipe it down any time they get it dirty.
- Boon bottles – These are the bottles we use for Brady and love. If you plan to breastfeed, they have a wider neck base and are shaped more like a nipple than traditional bottles. They also collapse inward as your baby drinks, preventing them from ingesting air (a common cause of gas). They’re dishwasher-safe, super easy to clean, and they’re pretty cute! I recommend buying the 8 oz. size (not the 4 oz.) so you don’t have to upgrade later on. Just purchase the slow-flow Stage 1 nipples if you plan on introducing bottles right away.
- Philips Soothie pacifiers – If you plan on introducing a paci to your baby, these are a really popular one to start with! Brady never really took to pacifiers, but there were times early on when we were very grateful to have them on hand.
- Dimples booster pads – Once your baby starts sleeping through the night, your challenge becomes keeping them from waking up in a puddle every morning. (Trust me… you don’t want to be changing them *and* the sheets every. single. morning.) What worked for us: A regular diaper with a Dimples pad in it, plus a diaper in one size up layered over top. He never wets himself when we use this combo.
- Luvable Friends booties – Trust me and buy 3-4 of these, in multiple colors. There’s really no need for your baby to wear shoes until he or she is walking, and these are SO much easier than socks, which babies will kick off constantly. Bonus: they’re fleecy so will keep their little toes nice and warm!
- Tubby Todd All Over Ointment – I love this stuff so dang much. We use it on everything from diaper rash to dry cheeks and noses.
- DockATot – I put the Boppy newborn lounger on our registry, but wish I’d gotten the DockATot instead. Nothing wrong with the Boppy lounger… only that we used it for so short a time and it’s not a safe sleep device. The DockATot is a lot larger (hence you’ll get a lot more use out of it), and babies can actually sleep in it. Great if you want to have baby nap next to you on the couch, or on the bed while you get some chores done.
- BabyBjorn carrier – A baby carrier is a MUST for soothing a fussy baby and multitasking. It’s also great for walks and getting outside when you don’t want to bother with the stroller. I put a wrap-style carrier on my registry but didn’t end up using it nearly as much as this one. I just never really got the hang of the wrap (clearly… see below photos for proof), Brady was wiggly and always trying to escape it, and it was always such a pain to have to constantly wrap and unwrap each time. To each their own, though – I know some moms swear by the wrap carriers, and this may be something we use more with future babies!
- BabyBjorn bouncer – Savor the days when your baby is tiny and stationary! Now that our little guy is on the move, we don’t use this *as* much, but this is an amazing way to keep baby occupied and contained while you’re doing something. I would put him in here all the time while showering, getting ready, doing laundry, or doing dishes.
- NUNA PIPA car seat – This was car seat we decided to go with. I tried to prioritize nontoxic baby gear whenever possible on our registry, and NUNA was a great, well-recommended to us brand for this.
- Outlet covers for babyproofing – These were a frantic middle-of-the-night Amazon order when we realized there was an outlet right next to Brady’s crib!
- Babyganics All Purpose Surface Wipes – We love these nontoxic wipes for everything from wiping down toys to playmats to highchairs. Things get dirty when you have a baby!
- Oxiclean spray – Yup. Stock up, and keep it right next to the baby hamper. You will constantly be getting stains out of baby clothes. We buy this stuff in bulk.
- Fragrance-free laundry detergent – We love the Method Free & Clear laundry detergent because it’s nontoxic and fragrance-free… really important for sensitive baby skin.
- Moms on Call Basic Baby Care – More on this in a separate post, but if you have any interest in sleep training your baby, Moms on Call was absolutely life changing for us. I can’t recommend them more highly, but you should do your own research to see if sleep training is right for you and your family.
Bath time
- Boon 3-stage baby bathtub – This bathtub has served us really well! We were able to use it right from Brady’s first bath, all the way up to now (at 9+ months). It’s easily transportable, can be used in a sink or bathtub, and is easy to clean.
- A bath cup for pouring water – Brady loves this little whale cup.
- Tubby Todd shampoo and body wash or Aveeno Baby shampoo and body wash – Tubby Todd is our favorite, but it’s a splurge. For an everyday shampoo and body wash, we use Aveeno Baby (2 big bottles on Amazon will last you forever.)
- Baby bath towel – You really only need one or two bath towels. These animal-shaped ones from Pottery Barn Kids are super cute and soft.
- Baby comb and brush – The brush is super soft and great for scrubbing newborn baby’s heads (it prevents cradle cap!).
Sleep
- Infant Optics baby monitor – This one is great and came highly reviewed.
- Cuddlebug velcro swaddles – It took a lot of experimentation to find a swaddling method that worked well for us. My advice is to go for a swaddle with velcro unless you want to inflict constant pain and frustration on yourself. This was the only brand that could contain our very active 0-3 month old. And was so essential to helping him get good sleep in those early months.
- SNOOZ white noise machine – We love this model! It works great and is easy to travel with. We keep one in Brady’s room, and Ryan and I sleep with one as well. We live in a city so get lots of street noise, but this machine completely drowns all that out. This also really helped us with establishing good sleep habits for Brady early on. The white noise machine turning on is a ‘cue’ it’s time to sleep.
- Gerber zip-up footie PJs – My tips: 1) Stock up and buy a whole bunch of these. These are all they’ll need to wear at night, and they’ll wear them every night. 2) Don’t even bother on the cute, expensive footie PJs. They will grow through these SO fast. Cheap is the way to go. 3) Buy the zip-up footie PJs… make it as easy on yourself as possible. You will not want to be undoing and doing a million little buttons during 2 AM diaper changes.
- Tubby Todd Dream Cream – This is hands down my favorite baby lotion. It’s made with clean, nontoxic ingredients, smells amazing, and is my favorite part of our nighttime ritual. Bath, Dream Cream, PJs, bottle, book, then bed. I always save a little extra for myself, too… it works great on tired, dried-out mama hands.
- SlumberPod – This is the only thing we don’t have on this list! (With one caveat… we had a baby during COVID so haven’t had a reason to buy it.) Other moms say the SlumberPod is a life saver for traveling, and we 100% plan to buy this when we’re traveling again. The SlumberPod keeps baby completely dark while they sleep (you can put your baby monitor in there to keep an eye on them) and helps everyone to actually have a peaceful, restful vacation. If you’re sharing a room with your baby, you also won’t have to worry about your moving around waking them.
Clothes
My favorite places to buy baby clothes:
Breastfeeding
- My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow – I thought a nursing pillow wasn’t a necessity… it is. It’s so helpful for keeping baby in place and nursing with better posture. (Your back and shoulders really take a beating from breastfeeding.) I like the My Brest Friend so much better than the Boppy nursing pillow, personally, and this is what I’d use next time around.
- Nursing/pumping bras – and LOTS of them. These are literally all you’ll be wearing day in and day out if you’re breastfeeding. It’s important to know if you’ll want a bra that can pump AND nurse, or just one. My favorites, after lots of trial and error – these, these, and these. The latter two you can also pump in. The first one is only for exclusive breastfeeding.
- A great lactation consultant – Not ‘gear’ per se, but if you plan to breastfeed, expect that you’ll probably need help along the way. I read a ton and watched a ton of videos about breastfeeding, but there’s really no substitute for hands-on care. RI people – Healthy Babies, Happy Moms in East Greenwich is great, and they do home visits!
- A giant water bottle – The struggle is real to drink enough water while breastfeeding! Find a giant water bottle you love and won’t have to refill that often, and it will make your life a lot easier. I love my Yeti Rambler with the Straw Lid attachment, because I find I drink so much more water with a straw vs. without.
- Nursing pads – Probably a purchase you never thought you’d be making. Nursing pads help ‘catch’ leaky boobs and prevent you from leaking all your shirt. I had them in my nursing bras at all times.
- Lansinoh Therapearls – Breastfeeding can hurt (especially early on), and these are a really nice way to relieve some of the pain. You can use them hot or cold, depending on the kind of pain you’re having and what feels good.
- Farmaesthetics Hand to Heel Softening Salve – A friend bought me Farmaesthetic’s New & Nursing Mothers Set shortly after I had Brady (SUCH a sweet gift!), which is how I fell in love with this salve. It can be used for a lot of things, but I actually found it was the best nipple cream I tried. Everything from Farmaesthetics smells amazing and is nontoxic. And fun fact: they’re a small, woman-owned, Rhode Island based company!
Feeding (once you intro solid foods at 4+ months)
- Lalo high chair – I’ll be honest: I was initially attracted to this high chair because I thought it was very aesthetically pleasing. (I love Scandinavian design.) But it’s continuously impressed us with its functionality! It’s SUPER easy to disassemble and clean (a *must*), lightweight, has great safety straps, and it also converts to a play chair when your baby grows out of it.
- Travel high chair – This portable high chair just snaps right onto a table and is easy to pack/travel with.
- Baby food containers – I love these cute, colorful little jars so much. I have about three dozen of them and used them from 4 months on when I was making my own baby food.
- Self-feeding spoons – These cute little spoons ‘grip’ your baby’s food so they can practice feeding themselves! Great for developing fine motor skills and teaching them to be independent eaters.
- ezpz food mat – This mat suctions to your baby’s high chair tray (or your table) to prevent messes. It has little compartments for different types of food, and comes in fun, bright colors that babies really like.
- ezpz Tiny Cup – We love Tiny Cup! This is a great first open cup for babies to practice with. It’s perfectly sized for their little hands, and made from silicone so it won’t break or hurt them. I probably have a million videos on my phone of Brady with this. Babies drinking from cups is just the cutest thing.
- NUK Simply Natural Learner sippy cup – This is the first sippy cup we introduced to Brady. The handles make it really easy for him to grab onto, and it came very highly recommended to us.
- Silicone baby bibs – Buy these for solid foods, instead of the cloth bibs that will just a million stains on them and be a pain in the butt to clean. You really only need one (we bought 3… which was a mistake), as you’ll just wipe them down in between uses.
- Bumkins Baby Smock – A must-have for baby-led weaning or when your baby starts to feed themselves!
Play
- Lovevery Play Kits – At first I balked at the idea of a toy subscription (and thought it was too pricey), but this was honestly one of the best investments we made. They send you boxes of developmentally-appropriate toys for your baby every 2 months, along with instructions and play ideas. I think it’s saved us a lot of money in the long run, because
- Baby playpen – Ryan and I both agree this was our best baby purchase, hands down. Every time I post about it I get questions on where it’s from. This thing is massive, but it gives Brady SO much room to roam and play, and it gives us so much peace of mind that he’s contained and safe. He spends a ton of time in here, and all the free play has been great for his development.
- Play mat for inside the playpen – I found this play mat to fit perfectly inside the playpen. It’s nice and thick, so if he falls or rolls around he won’t hurt his head. It’s also really easy to take out and clean.
- Fisher Price Rainforest Activity Gym – When I was doing registry research, I found a lot of other moms recommending this activity gym (probably because it’s so much more aesthetically pleasing!). But this was one area where I didn’t want to skimp on the bright colors, since they’re so good for baby’s attention and development. Brady has loved this mat and continues to be mesmerized by it at 9+ months. It’s also a lot cheaper than the Love Every version. Now that we have the giant playpen, we just put this right inside.
- Baby Einstein activity saucer – We’re constantly rotating between the playpen, this, and the Jolly Jumper as Brady gets fussy and tired of one or the other!
- Jolly Jumper – We have this hooked up to the doorframe in our kitchen, and Brady loves spending time in here while we cook or do dishes.
- Sophie La Girafe – For some reason all babies go nuts for this teething toy. Sophie is Brady’s BFF, and if you only get one teething toy, get this one.
Strollers
- Mockingbird stroller – I did a TON of stroller research before Brady came, and this was the one we landed upon. Reviews said it was a best-kept-secret, and a dupe for the $1,000 Uppababy stroller that everyone raves about. We got the Single Stroller, but I’m linking the Single-to-Double Stroller that has since come out. This is what I would have asked for if it was available when I was making my registry. If you’re planning on having more than one kid, it will save you a lot of $$$ down the road.
- BOB Revolution Flex 3.0 – This is the jogging stroller I landed on after a lot of research. It is truly worth every penny and makes running with Brady as smooth and comfortable as possible! It truly has so many well-thought-out features, great storage space underneath, and it’s really lightweight (IMO) for how big it is.
- Milk Snob carseat cover – This carseat cover has been a lifesaver. We mainly use it as a sunshade, but it’s also given me great peace of mind when going out and about during COVID times. This is one thing I put on my registry but wasn’t really sure if I’d use or not. And now I’m so glad I asked for it!
First aid
- Baby thermometer – This one is the best!
- Baby nail clippers – Clipping a tiny baby’s tiny nails for the first time is terrifying. These nail clippers made us feel a lot more comfortable, and I also highly recommend watching this video tutorial from Moms on Call.
- Baby Tylenol – Have this before baby comes. You never know when you’ll need it, and you won’t want to be without it when you do.
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