The Things I'd Put On My Baby Registry, If I Was Having Babies Now
Things have changed so much in the past 15 years, and with so many more options, I'd still stick with the new versions of simple things.
My eldest is 16, and my youngest is 11. I’m done having babies. There are so many new babies in our church right now, and its’ gotten me thinking about what things I used and loved when my children were babies, and what things are around now that I wish I had had.
So, if I were to make a baby registry today, here’s what would be on it!
Clothing
Most moms have their own style, for themselves and what they want for their babies, including some clothing on your registry ensures that others will at least see your preferred style, even if they don’t choose to buy it. And because of that, don’t feel bad returning things you don’t like or don’t need. People love to buy baby clothes, especially tiny baby clothes, and you don’t need tons of tiny baby clothes. Just return some things and get gift cards and save them for stuff you really will need in the future.
I’m also a bit of a minimalist, but I like to be prepared, so this is what I recommend:
0-3 months and 3-6 months sizes
8-10 onesies, each size
8-10 sleepers, each size. I prefer 100% cotton, and zippers are easier than snaps for sleep-deprived parents. Some people prefer sleep sacks.
3-5 outfits, each size. Your baby will grow quickly during this stage and sleepers are so easy for day or night. I only dressed my babies in “outfits” for special occasions.
6-9 months, 9-12 months sizes
By the time my baby is born, I like to have onesises and sleepers in all sizes 0-12 months. Babies grow and change sizes quickly, even sometimes overnight! Because of this, I like to have the basics ready to go before Baby comes.
Because babies grow so quickly, you can often buy like-new baby clothes at garage sales and thrift stores. This is a great way to dress your baby well and save money! This is especially true for those special occasion outfits, like for a wedding or a holiday.
Feeding
I breastfed all my babies and rarely used bottles, so I can only speak to that experience. If you have other plans, my list won’t work as well for you!
Nursing bras/tanks: I preferred nursing tanks as they kept my belly covered!
Bra pads: Most women leak, at least sometimes. I preferred washable pads.
Breast pump: even if you don’t plan to use bottles, a single, electric breast pump is a must for me. It comes in helpful when you are making too much milk, when baby begins to sleep longer stretches and you feel uncomfortably full, or if you or baby gets sick and need some help. Most pumps come with a few bottles and milk storage bags that worked for me. You can always start with those and buy more if needed. I had a Medela Double Electric Pump but never used the double option, I wish I’d gotten a single.
Nursing Pillow + covers: I just used extra bed pillows, but a nursing pillow would have been easier to use and easier on my neck and shoulders.
Natural remedies to help the breastfeeding experience:
Postpartum Balance (for hormone balance after Baby)
Mama’s Magic Milk Boost (for healthy milk supply)
Breast Balm Herbal Salve (for sore nipples)
Milk Flowin’ Salve (for clogged ducts and sore spots)
Carrying
There are so many options available in the car seat, stroller, and baby carrier arena, and so many of the available options are all based on personal preference. So, I’ll just share some categories of things that we found helpful.
Car Seat: You will need a rear-facing car seat. Many people prefer an infant seat that snaps into an installed base and that can go from car to stroller. I didn’t care about the stroller part but did appreciate that option to just carry my baby into the house and stores without unbuckling her from the car seat, especially in the winter.
Stroller: I’m more of a baby carrier person so I didn’t invest in a nice stroller.
We had an inexpensive umbrella stroller that lived in car for occasional use (mostly just used a baby carrier).
We also had a regular stroller that we got at a garage sale which I used for walks around the neighborhood.
We did invest in a (used) double jogging stroller that also could be used as a bike trailer. This was great as our babies grew and we added more.
Baby carrier: Once again there is a huge amount of personal preference that goes into choosing s baby carrier.
Wrap style: this worked well for tiny babies (0-3/4 months) for me. However, they can be hard to get on properly.
Ergo-style: this was my favorite type of baby carrier. I didn’t have one when my babies were tiny, so never tried it with the newborn insert, but loved it for up to 2+ years old. I liked that the front carry and the back carry were comfortable even for bigger kids, and that the clips made the on/off process easy.
Exterior frame backpack carrier: We had two different brands of this type of carrier. Both worked well, but one fit me better and one fit my husband better. This was great for hiking and for bigger kids (1-3+ years). It takes up more room, in the car and while wearing so it wasn’t mu preference for everyday use.
Diapering
I chose to cloth diaper my babies when we were at home and only during the day. This worked well for me because it was easily manageable and saved us money. But it wasn’t stressful when out and about, traveling, or at night when my babies kept leaking through the cloth diapers.
Cloth diapers: once again there are so many styles and option s available! So, personal preference is where it is at.
I had a few all-in-one diapers,
many pocket diapers,
and a bunch of prefolds. While the pocket diapers were easy to use, they were harder to keep clean. If doing it again, I’d go with organic prefolds and waterproof covers. These Snappis work great instead of diaper pins. I used these exclusively for my first baby and it as by far the easiest and least expensive.
Diaper sprayer, makes clean up easier!
Cloth Diaper pail: we used a 5-gallon bucket with a lid.
Disposable diapers, once again, I like to be prepared so I like to have plenty of newborn and size 1 diapers on had before Baby comes, as well as at least one box of sizes 2 and 3.
Natural Remedies to help with diaper rash:
Herbal Baby Powder (for rashes and yeast)
Baby Balm Herbal Salve (for diaper rash and other rashes)
Sleeping
Baby will need a place to sleep. And once again, this tends to be a choice made according to your personal preferences. We chose not to co-sleep but instead had Baby next to the bed but in a separate bed for several months. Once baby was sleeping thought the night well, we moved Baby into his/her own room.
Crib
Baby monitor: this is super helpful for a variety of reasons! I’d choose simple and audio only.
Bathing
When my babies were very small I just bathes them in the kitchen sink. I would put a hand towel in the bottom of the sink to prevent slipping and then quickly bathes them with just water or a gentle baby shampoo.
Once they were sitting well and getting dirtier, I switched to bathing them in the bathtub.
Clean lotion (if needed)
Healthcare
Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to find natural and clean(er) options even at big box stores. But I prefer Earthley Wellness and so wish they would have been around when my babies were little! Here are the things I would stock up on (besides the things listed above for breastfeeding and diapering:
Feel Better Fast, safe for 6+ months
Teeth Tamer, safe for 4+ months
Infant Tummy Relief, safe for all ages
Earache Ease, safe for all ages
Homeopathic Earache Drops, safe for all ages
Ease the Ache, for mama’s afterbirth pains
If you are having a baby, or know someone who is, I hope this helps you think through all the things you really need and all the things you don’t!
If you have something that you loved for your babies, please share it in the comments. Because so many choices rely on personal preferences, it’s helpful to see what others liked!
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