My baby boy is almost 7 months and let me tell you, it feels like a yesterday but also a lifetime ago that I made my baby registry. I hate to admit it but I fell into the first time mom trap of cute baby clothes and adorable accessories. Is it my fault that those tiny hats and footies are so dang cute? Well, if you’re expecting, whether it’s your first, fourth, or future baby in your heart, I thought I’d share my top 5 baby registry must haves of things I loved or wished that I had put on my own registry.
- GATHRE PADDED PLAY MAT: Didn’t have this on my registry but wish I did! There are lots of “tummy time” mats out there and it can be overwhelming to choose the right one! We actually had two different kinds but I chose to share this one with y’all because this one grows with baby as they begin to sit up, crawl, and stand! A few things that I love about it: padding, size, and color. This mat is thicc. Yes with two C’s. Call me paranoid but I test out my baby products before just letting by little bubba go for it. With the mat on the hard tile floor, I let my head hit the mat and it was not painful at all! GATHRE mats come in many sizes but I opted for the padded midi circle. Now that my baby is backwards scooting, this mat has more surface are than our fisher price tummy time mat. Lastly, I love the neutral tones and fun prints that GATHRE has to offer. Their mats seamlessly blends into our home without being too bold.
- BABY BREZZA STERILIZER: Had this on my registry and it has been the best since day one. Even if you’re EBF, you’ll still be pumping and will need to sterilize your pumping parts. Let me explain this because I did not understand as a FTM, it’s not enough to simply wash baby dishes and toys, they usually need to be sterilized unless noted otherwise! First, I hand wash all of my baby things. Then, I load them up into this wonderful sterilizer, press a button, and this machine will sterilize AND DRY my items. There is a fan inside that dries them so that they ready for use once the cycle is over. The cycle are as short as 30 minutes and as long as 60 minutes, you can choose that on your setting. No need to hand dry your baby dishes! Just trust me, you need this.
- BABY BREZZA FORMULA MAKER: Did not have this on my registry but wish I did! I was planning on being EBF for at least a year but faced a lot of challenges that has led us to being combo feeders: drinking milk at the breast/pumped in a bottle AND formula to supplement. A few reasons we had to do this: a tongue tie and low milk supply. I’ve seen countless lactation consultants, tried all of the galactagogues (herbs, drinks, or food that help milk supply), pumped endlessly, and tried relaxing. I just don’t make enough milk for what my baby needs and that could be because we let his tongue tie go on for 3 months without getting it resolved which could have impacted my supply… LONG STORY SHORT, there might be a time in your breastfeeding journey where you might need to supplement or want to supplement for your own sanity and I’m here to tell you mama that it is 1000% okay. A fed baby is best! If you’re going to supplement, this formula maker is FANTASTIC and I should have gotten it sooner! We bought the ready to pour liquid formula for awhile but there are two major cons to that: it’s not cost effective AT ALL and heating it up in the bottle warmer takes awhile, especially if your baby is drinking more than 2 ounces. This formula maker is basically a Keurig for bottles! It mixes, heats, and dispenses a bottle in under 10 seconds and can be done with one hand. That is a GODSEND when you have a crying, hungry baby on your hip or when it’s the middle of the night and you’re exhausted.
- BABY BJORN BOUNCER: Had this on my registry and love it! What I love about this is that it’s lightweight and can be moved around easily in the house, is foldable so it’s great to take along to grandparent’s house or a hotel, and it’s powered by baby! It helps teach baby cause and effect: if baby moves, then the bouncer gently rocks back and forth. There’s also a cute attachable bar with wooden toys to help baby’s eyes focus and encourage hand eye coordination even in the early newborn stage!
- ACTIVITY TABLE: Didn’t have this on my registry but wish I did! I know it’s hard to imagine your future baby using this but trust me it happens fast. It never occurred to me to put an activity table on my registry but they are definitely a little pricey and would be a good baby item to have gifted even if you don’t use it for the first few months! My baby LOVES his activity table and has been using it since hew as 4 months old. Keeps him engaged while I cook a quick dinner or do dishes. A caveat: I wouldn’t leave baby in there for more than 20 minutes at a time! It’s usually best practice not to leave baby in a “container” for too long (e.g. bouncers, car seats, high chairs, activity tables, sit me up seats). It is best practice to let baby be what I call “free range” so that they can truly engage and explore the world around them! However, life gets busy and sometimes you need a moment to put baby down to get some things done and this is perfect for when your baby easily “gets bored” because it will occupy them and do wonders for hand eye coordination with all of the fun toys that are attached to the table. I also appreciate the more pastel tones of this activity table versus the other ones that we considered!
Baby clothes are PRECIOUS and adorable but they grow so fast and change outfits so often. Also, our baby only wore newborn size for a week so if you do register for clothes, opt for 0-3 months and up! I hope this helps give you an idea of what type of things you will need/narrow down brands of specific types of items of things you may have been looking at. Practical, every day items are what you’ll really want gifted from loved ones!
XOXO,
