Baby Registry Must-Haves
I frequently get asked about various baby products and recommendations for different baby gear. As a mama of 6, I’ve amassed quite the opinions (and stuff) over the years! Now please keep in mind that I lived in NYC up until two years ago, so my mom-brain is wired towards space-saving, multi-functional, travel-friendly things. At the end of the day, you know what your needs are and what suites you best! But hopefully this will give you a baseline to start off of!
So here it is, my 12 must-have baby items:
Hatch Rest+
This is hands down my favorite baby product. It is a sound machine, night light, and clock all in one. You can control it with an app, and it is so easy to use. I love it because it serves the needs of all of my kids from infant to 8 year old, all of which share one room. My oldest can read the time on the clock to know when it’s time to put her Kindle away and go to sleep. We also have it programed to turn blue in the mornings when we want them to wake up. Even our little toddlers know to stay in the room until the clock turns blue! With the app, I set a different weekday and weekend schedule, so that Mom & Dad can sleep in a bit on the weekends! This tiny device brings me so much joy! Finally, if you know me, you know what a minimalist packer I am when we travel, and I always pack our Hatch, it keeps our routine consistent even when we’re not at home.
Lalabu Kerier
I have been an ErgoBaby loving Mama for 8 years, but as they have redesigned their product over the years (and I’ve worn my original one out!), I’ve not been as impressed. Shortly after I had Anders, I had the opportunity to try a Lalabu Kerier, and wow, I love it! It is the perfect mix of sturdy carrier and soft-cozy wrap. This is another must!
Baby Bjorn Bouncer
I’ve had this bouncer for 3 out of the 5 kiddos. I wish I had it with the first two! It’s such a simple design, doesn’t take up a lot of room, folds easily (I’ve actually packed it before), and all of my babies have loved using it. It’s how I get dinners made! Inevitably when I need to make dinner seems to be when my babies like to get fussy. This bouncer does the trick and keeps them calm!
Lovevery Playmat
If you step into my playroom, you will quickly see that I am slightly obsessed with this toy company. I’ve always been a bit of a toy snob, favoring wooden toys over plastic-y flashing toys. Lovevery toys are gorgeous wooden toys that are so thoughtly created to help babies practice skills and reach milestones. So all that said, I absolutely adore this playmat! It has been a sweet place for my babies to play, and another one that is super easy to break down and store!
Comotomo Bottles
I’ve tried a lot of bottles over the years, and these are my favorite. They are designed to mimic a mother’s breast and help breastfed babies use bottles a bit easier. Bonus, there are way fewer parts to clean than a lot of other bottles!
Milk Snob Cover
This cover is so versatile. It can be used as a car seat cover and as a nursing cover up. I love that it’s a full 360 coverage and little feet can’t kick it open. I use this one almost daily!
Rookie Human Sheets
After 4 kiddos, I had to replace some crib sheets with this last baby. We have a mini crib, and often times the crib sheet choices are very limited and plain. I found these sheets when pregnant with Anders and absolutely adore their bright playful designs. They have mini crib sheets, regular crib sheets, and twin sheets too!
Wubbanub
These pacifiers are a staple in our house. I love them because they seem to help keep the pacifier in place and not fall out when they’re really little, then as they a get a little bigger, it’s easy for them to grab and get in their mouth. But the thing I love most about these is how easy it makes the pacifier weaning process. With my pacificier-loving kids, we've always just cut the pacifier off and left them with the stuffed animal part. It’s a tough transition no matter what, but getting to hang onto a piece of it defintely helps! Even my thumb sucking boys have kept and played with their Wubbanub stuffed animals. It’s a real Wubbanub zoo in our house.
Babyzen Yoyo Stroller
This is my absolute favorite stroller. And I’ve had 10 different ones. We got this one right before our fourth child was born, and again, this is something that I wish had been around with my first. This stroller is light and compact, yet so sturdy. It folds and unfolds in a snap, has a handy little shoulder strap, making it so easy to manuever on buses and even goes in the overhead storage on a plane. Up until we got this stroller, I always felt like (in NYC) you needed two strollers, a lightweight one that’s easy to carry on public transportation and a heavy duty one. But the Yoyo stroller checks all the boxes. I can clip my car seat to it when they’re really small, carry some bags on it, and I’ve even stacked a second kid on top of the car seat combo.
Inglesina High Chair
Most high chairs take up a lot of real estate. They’re so big and bulky, and honestly even now that I have the space for one, I don’t want it. This high chair clips on to the table. It takes up so little space, it’s easier to sweep underneath, and folds up and travels super easily! My favorite part of all is how easy to clean it is. I swear it has magical powers, because that high chair can be covered in yogurt and week old spaghetti, but throw it in the washer and it comes out looking brand new! Mine is 7 years old and still looks pristine!
Guava Lotus Travel Crib
As I’ve mentioned travel in nearly all of these items, we clearly travel a lot. This travel crib has been a staple for us for the past almost 9 years now. It is incredibly light, folds into a compact case that can be worn as a backpack and stowed as a carry-on. I also love that it sits directly on the ground. When we are using this travel crib for our toddlers, I leave it unzipped so they can get in and out on their own.
BapronBaby Bibs
Bibs are one of those things I never gave a lot of thought to, but I do highly recommend these. Babies can easily tear off regular bibs, and love to do so. I love these bibs because they have arm holes and tie in the back, making it impossible for the baby to rip off. They also cover up so much more surface area than a traditional bib. And they fit well into the toddler years, making great art smocks too!
Finally, I have a few items that I feel like end up on a lot of people’s must-have lists that I don’t actually find necessary at all!
Diaper Genie
I’ve been changing diapers for close to a decade now and have never owned one of these. I usually just tie up the stinky diaper in an old grocery bag, or take it to the outside trash on my way out of the house. This routine has always worked for us, and then we avoid having to change an incredibly nasty trash bag.
Bottle or Wipe Warmer
Babies can drink their milk cold and handle cold wipes. I promise.
Baby Shoes
Okay, so I know these are just plain cute. But they’re not necessary. After my first kid, I’ve not bought a pair of shoes for any of my kids until they started walking.
Diaper Bag
Ooh I’m ending this with a real bang. But I really have come to the conclusion that diaper bags are unnecessary. I’ve tried so many over the years, and you know what my favorite one was? A non-diaper bag. I used my Fjallraven backpack with an organizer from Amazon for the longest time and it was my absolute favorite “diaper bag.” Lately, I’ve scaled down even more. I have a zippered pouch that I keep diapers and wipes in and I throw this pouch in whatever bag I’m using that the moment, like my Madewell tote or beach bag.
Fjallraven + Insert
Madewell Tote + Zippered Pouch
Alright that’s it! That’s my list. I hope it was helpful, and above all, do what makes sense for you and your little one!