Dani + Teddy’s Baby Registry Must-Haves
Being pregnant is overwhelming af. Everyone & their mother keeps asking you the same 3 questions over and over again, (“How do you feel!?” “Are you finding out the gender!?” “Do you have any names picked out!?”) something new hurts every day, you’re wondering how something that has turned you into twice your normal size will possibly fit out of your vag, & trying to create a registry is confusing as shit because everyone has a different opinion to give you. OH and on top of that, there are 50 different versions and 10 different brands that make each item you’re supposed to add to your list!
Well, here’s one more opinion; MINE! Hopefully it will be helpful for you because I’m blunt, have no ad sponsors or biases, & am the opposite of a hoarder. Meaning everything on this list is an actual thing I need and use. Trust me, I know because I’ve thrown out or given away everything else due to the fact that I can’t stand clutter. And babies tend to accumulate a lot of that. So although I’m no expert, everything on this list is something I have found extremely useful and have needed during my own new mom journey. My hope is that with the insane amount of baby products out there confusing us all, that it might help to see another mom you follow giving a “thumbs up” to something you’ve been thinking of adding to your registry.
And with that, I’d like to start with some things you DON’T need:
-a wipes warmer (the idea of this is nice but it gets old REAL fast. you don’t need a little spoiled child getting used to having their ass warmly & royally wiped every time they shit so they can have a meltdown when it’s time to give them a quick change with cold wipes in a public setting like Target.)
-one hundred newborn size baby outfits (so many people will be gifting you baby clothes you haven’t registered for because they’re inexpensive and people love buying tiny clothes because they’re cute af. Your baby will already be in the next size before they get to wear all their newborn clothing.)
-cloth diapers (Idk about you but the thought of putting a shit explosion into my washing machine or worse, hand washing it, is just horrifying.)
Okay, enough of that. Below are my own personal TOP must-have registry items broken down into categories.
SLEEP
1 week old
4 months old
If you’ve followed me since Teddy’s birth, you’ve heard me talk about the SNOO & will probably hear me talk about it forever. It is THE reason we were all sleeping through the night just weeks after Teddy was born. It gently rocks your baby to sleep & plays soothing sounds throughout the night. You rest peacefully knowing he’s safely swaddled to perfection in the little Snoo suit that actually connects to the sides of the bassinet. 10/10 would recommend. It even connects to your phone via app so you can see exactly how many hours of sleep you & baby are getting, be informed if your baby is restless throughout the night, and turn down/up the rocking speed setting right from your phone.
The only unfortunate part is that obviously the baby can’t stay in there forever, so around 4-6 months (depending on your baby’s height/weight) you’ll have to get an actual crib and transition out of the SNOO. Some parents don’t like that idea of a transition period so early on and opt for a regular crib from the start which is cool! But if you’re anything like me (pissed @ less than 8hrs of sleep & legit terrified of sleep deprivation) this is for you. It’s definitely an investment piece with a price tag of about $1200 ish but it’s worth every penny if you care about your sleep!
GEAR
At home, Teddy basically spends his entire day rotating between all the items on this list. You will use THEM ALL! Also, I’ve gone ahead and chosen the most aesthetically pleasing versions of each product because you’ll be staring at them in the middle of the rooms of your house quite often.
Skip Hop Explore & More Baby’s View 3-Stage Activity Center
Teddy can sit and play in this thing for hours. It’s an adjustable activity center that fully rotates 360°. It keeps your baby busy while you’re cooking or doing laundry or whatever else and it isn’t too much of an eye sore because the colors are muted. Huge fan of this product. If you watch my stories, you know I love plopping him in there and putting on Coco pretty much every morning so I can have a cup of coffee.
BABYBJORN Bouncer
This bouncer was super helpful from the time Teddy was born until he was about 6 months old.
He’s finally just growing out of it but I would prop him in this thing probably 3x a day. It was the reason I was able to take a bath or get any work done during his first few weeks of life.
It also is easy to transport because it folds completely flat and is paper thin. We brought it with us anytime we were going somewhere for the day like someone else’s house for dinner, a hotel, etc.
This is a perfect place for the baby to sleep during the day, great for traveling, and a great place to stick the baby in once they’re sitting up just for some playtime with toys.
1 month old
This is a great, safe, comfy spot for your baby (age 0-8 months) to lounge. I would always stick Teddy in here next to me on the bed while I was answering emails, or in the bathroom next to me so I could shower, etc.
6 months old
2 months old
6 months old
This swing is amazing for the early stages of life because it gives you a place to put the baby so they can rest. Teddy always took long naps in his swing & even hung out in there happily just chillin. There are cute lullaby songs for the baby to listen to while swinging and you can adjust the way it faces/how fast it swings.
3 months old
6 months old
Obsessed with this adorable playmat. The best part is it comes with a little booklet that tells you all the different stages of your babies development and how each one corresponds with specific areas of the play center. Also a great napping spot.
Baby Einstein Sky Explorers Walker
This is Teddy’s favorite but he’s almost grown out of it! Perfect for helping with baby’s first steps and best for babies 6-12 months. There’s a 26lbs weight limit that we’re reaching now at 9 months, though. So for bigger babies it will get less than 6 months of use but it’s still so much fun for them. Watching him run around in it is the best!
FOOD
My experience with breastfeeding/a breast pump was short-lived (I nursed for 6 weeks) so I don’t feel experienced enough to give you a whole list of breastfeeding essentials. Instead, I’ll let you make that very personal choice and decision on your own & share my favorite food related registry items instead.
Beaba Up & Down High Chair
I love this high chair because of its modern design, 6 adjustable height settings, safety, & most importantly, quality. It’s a bit wide at the base so I would say it’s not the best “tiny space” high chair, but for us it has been perfect.
These are amazing baby bibs because they catch messes, are comfortable for your baby, & wipe clean so easily after big food messes. Favorite bibs ever!
Favorite burpee bibs. Used them 24/7 when I was breastfeeding during Teddy’s newborn stage.
BATH
In my opinion there are only 5 essential items needed for baby bathtime. It’s simple. Tub, washcloths, baby bath soap/lotion combo, a cute bath toy, & a towel. Here are my picks for each.
This thing is my saving grace. Perfect for 3 stages; newborns, sitting babies, and then toddlers (the insert can be removed completely). Teddy loves it so much and looks forward to bath time because this tub makes it EASY!
The best wash I’ve tried so far. Smells amazing, never irritates his skin, cleanest ingredients, & applying the lotion after bathtime just seals in that amazing smell and keeps his skin soft.
These are the washcloths we use for Teddy’s baths and they are the softest. Love them.
As Disney people, big fan of these. They squirt water, are under $10 and a fun addition to baby bathtime.
This adorable towel (personalization available) from Pottery Barn Kids is perfect for babies after bathtime, and makes for a sweet gift for other mommas as well. Pottery Barn Kids also gives you 15% off your first purchase when you sign up for their email list & has a great registry program within itself.
STROLLERS
The only major stroller I can accurately assess is the Bugaboo Fox, because that’s the one we own, (I’ll talk about it below) HOWEVER, I often think the Uppababy Vista would have been the better choice for us as I’ve seen many friends use it with ease and love it. Because I don’t know much about different strollers, I found this EXTREMELY helpful and knowledgeable article by Babylist which you should definitely check out:
Babylist Best Strollers of 2020
It’s just an incredible stroller guide including the best luxe AND affordable options, safety ratings, weight limits, etc. Check it out!
In the meantime, here’s an honest review of our stroller:
The major pro is that it’s gorgeous and chic. The perfect “blogger” stroller. I definitely went with looks over practicality with our stroller choice, which I often regret. It definitely drives extremely smooth and comes with a few attachments that can hold babies from birth up until 50 pounds which is great, and almost makes the price point seem worth it. My discrepancy with this stroller is that it’s not easy to fold by yourself, and even worse, would be completely impossible to fold with one hand. If you’re often out with your baby alone, I feel this isn’t the stroller for you. If you always have help nearby, and you care about a beautiful stroller, this would be an amazing choice. Either way, I have since bought an easier, more affordable stroller for quick day trips just for practically purposes. You know… a secondary something for when I’m in a rush or just not in the mood to deal with the Bugaboo parts and two-hand folding situation. I urge you to test drive each one you’re thinking about buying either way so you can make the right choice for YOU!
I also bought an attachment off Amazon that allows me to easily pop my Nuna Pippa car seat on top of the Bugaboo Fox stroller base. Life has been much easier since doing this.
CARSEATS
So just like the strollers category, I’m going to share two links (thanks to Babylist again) as I haven’t tested all of the car seats out! I can only speak to my Nuna Pippa which has been wonderful as far as infant car seats go and my Graco 4-in-1 which has been the perfect convertible option. Both made Babylist’s lists and we chose both based on safety ratings, customer reviews, and appearance (duh). Here’s two super helpful links to help you on your car seat navigating journey.
Babylist Best Infant Carseats of 2020
Babylist Best Convertible Carseats of 2020
With all that being said, here’s my personal review of our seats.
2 months old
8 months old
Sleek, lightweight, safe, cozy. These were all things important to me in choosing a car seat for Teddy and this one has exceeded all expectations. The base alone is pretty expensive, and then of course you need to buy the car seat itself as well. But your baby being safe should be the priority above all and this one has amazing safety reviews. I’m especially a fan of the canopy and we use it all the time to help Teddy stay asleep. Holds babies from 4-32lbs which means it’s only a matter of time before we are retiring it but it’s been wonderful since birth.
Having one car seat that holds your child from birth up until 4 years is honestly a dream, especially if you’re on a budget! Another reason I love this seat is the ease of installation. No base necessary. Teddy is super happy in this seat and it’s known as one of the best available as far as safety and comfort goes.
Other Essentials
Best monitor duo in the game. The sock tracks your baby’s vitals so if you’re a paranoid new mom like me, you can rest happily knowing your baby is breathing and getting the proper oxygen. The cam is an HD wide angle lens so you’re getting an amazing picture quality, and also has a room temperature sensor so you don’t have to feel worried about that either. It legit tells me when Teddy’s room is “too cold” for comfort so he can have a perfect sleep. Both are controlled and easily accessed via smartphone app which you know is my favorite.
Best diaper bag! Neutral so dads feel cool using it too. I have a designer diaper bag I never use because this one is just so light, practical, & comfy on the shoulder. 3 big compartments which is perfect for separating food, diapers, clothes, extras and then 3 outside compartments for smaller things like pacis, spoons, current baba, etc. We use them all!
Comes with a great changing pad that we never leave home without.
Ergobaby Carrier, 360 All Carry Positions Baby Carrier with Cool Air Mesh, Carbon Grey
This is my favorite carrier because I needed something easy, quick, and sturdy as opposed to the Solly Wrap or Baby K’Tan which to me, were fine during the newborn phase but required learning the whole wrap system. This is my preference. You might want to try both (I did) and find you like different types for different situations. I recommend this Ergobaby carrier for going on walks, going to the supermarket, and for pretty much doing anything you need your hands free for. It’s adjustable and comfortable, and safe for babies 12lbs-45lbs.
Whether you’re nursing or not, this pillow is so helpful for propping your baby for feedings or a nap, or just for anyone wanting to hold the baby comfortably in those first few weeks of life.
Out of everything I registered for, I’ve probably gotten the most use out of these. You’ll notice them in almost every photo I’ve taken of Teddy.
We use them as blankets, not necessarily swaddles, but they’re great for that too (did in the beginning). We have about 10 of them, and they’re constantly going in and out of the laundry.
Teddy sleeps with them, cuddles his face up against them, & doesn’t feel cozy without them! They’re worth the price. They’re in the exact same condition now as when we first opened them 9 months ago.
Whether you have a changing table dresser or not, this is such an essential. Light and so simple to bring into any room for easy changing throughout the day/night.
With such a low price point, it’s a no brainer to have around. We still use ours daily despite having a changing table area in Teddy’s nursery.
This thing is a Godsend. You control it via phone app so it allows you to change the volume/sound/light throughout the night to suit baby’s needs. We bring this with us everywhere we go because Teddy loves a good white noise slumber.
Great for adding moisture to the baby’s room. (Lucky for us he sleeps in our room so this helps me, too!) So easy to fill and looks pretty cute on the dresser, which is a plus. Comes in a bunch of different colors. Love this product (we turn it on almost every night) & will use for a long time.
SMALL BUT MIGHTY
I didn’t want to list too many smaller items that are personal preference based and super easy to pick up on your own at any pharmacy or Target, because registries can get so overloaded with little things (socks, diapers, wipes, beanies, onesies, pacis) BUT I do want to recognize just a few small standout favorite things.
I stand by everything Fridababy and have loved all their products. This kit comes with the NoseFrida, Windi, NailFrida, and DermaFrida, all things I bought individually. You can list and buy each one separately. I think every mom needs the NoseFrida above all if I had to choose just one.
Let me tell you I have tried EVERY paci in the game and THIS IS IT. Every time I go to Target I pick up another 2-pack of these. They are the softest, best, most durable, and the only ones Teddy goes crazy for. Other pacis are not terrible, just terrible in comparison to these.
Pampers Swaddlers
Like I said, I don’t want to get too into smaller personal items BUT I have to give some recognition to the diaper brand and type that have given us the LEAST amount of blowouts. The fit and comfort of these seems to be just what our little man needs. If you are going to put some disposable diapers on your registry, try these!!!
I hope some of this was helpful for you! I plan to keep this as a “running list” any time I feel something deserves to be on here so refer back anytime or share with a momma friend you think might benefit from it! If nothing else, hopefully you enjoyed the pics of Teddy. Happy to answer all questions/comments on here directly or via IG DM.
XOXO,
dani + teddy