Well, it is just about time that Matt and I start to get serious about preparing for Baby Hunt. Next week, I will hit the halfway mark of my pregnancy...the perfect time to start cracking on the registry process. To be 100% honest, I find myself very overwhelmed every time I start browsing the Babies R Us website; which is where all our faithful readers come in. I am looking for advice/suggestions on all your favorite baby products. I know that all babies are different and everyone has different opinions, but any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
What was your favorite registry item? Is there anything you wish you would have used, but didn't? What did you get, but never used?
We will take any suggestions/ideas/thoughts/comments. Many thanks in advance!!!
8 comments:
Gosh, this is hard because every baby is so different. Plus there is no telling what your baby will like/hate until you have him/her in your arms. Make sure you have a few basics (blankets, burp clothes, onesies) on hand and you can get the rest when you figure out what will make your life easier! PS. Babiesrus is SO overwhelming...don't be afraid to step away and go back another time.
My opinions:
- You can never have enough burp rags or simple cotton onesies.
- Wipe warmers are silly.
- Bottle warmers are silly.
- Boppies are very comfortable (even for us adults when we lay down to watch tv).
- A loose knit blanket is nice when they get a little bit older, but in general we found that the zippered blanket-bags work very well (less chance of suffocation or losing sheets during the night).
- Don't try to guess how big your child will be more than 1 to 2 months in advance. Even though sizes are labeled based on baby age they aren't accurate (because variations between babies and brands).
As far as brands, I am a big fan of Graco. I have had all positive experiences with Graco products. Diaper Champs...now I know there are diaper genies, but you have to buy certain bags to fit the genies and they are expensive. Diaper Champs you can use any type of bags and they are great. Don't worry about having so many outfits in the beginning(not that you won't get a lot(, but onesies are good and blankets to swaddle and with your baby being born in August it will still be hot.
Let's see what else??? I would highly recommend registering for a swing. That was a lifesavor for me since Addy loved her swing. I would also not register for toys and books unless there is something specific you want..leave the registering for the big items that you wouldn't buy yourself. You will get plenty of stuffed animals, toys and other stuff that the baby doesn't need right after he or she is born.
Ok this post could go on forever. I will think of other things. :)
I totally agree with everything posted so far. I have to second the comment on the swing. It is a MUST have in our house. Avery loves it! (Although it is true that all kids are different...I have heard of some kids that aren't fans of the swing.)
Avery is also loving her activity mat right now. (You know, those things where toys just dangle down over them) It keeps her busy for an hour at least.
I could go on forever too. Don't hesitate to give me a call if you have any questions!
Congrats to you and Matt!!
I love the the "ultimate crib sheet"--so much easier to change than a regular sheet...I have 2 so it's perfect when you need to wash one.
Dreft stain remover spray was a lifesaver for us--especially with all the "accidents" we had early on during diaper changes!
The boppy brand of changing pad covers are SO soft...highly recommend those!
The JJ Cole Bundle Me (and Bundle Me Lites) are great to put on the car seat. They zip right up so you don't have to use blankets.
Our condo isn't the most spacious, so we have the Fisher Price space saver high chair--it works great and doesn't take up a ton of space.
Not sure if you're going to breastfeed or not, but if so, for sure get a boppy (with 2 covers for when you have to wash one) and a good pump--as well as a few different bottles should you decide to pump at all, since we had to try about 2 different kinds before Ella "took" one!
I also registered for some items for when she was older (meaning like 6 months)--such as spoons, dishes for food, mesh feeders, sippy cups, etc.
We also registered for a few sleep sacks/swaddleme's, but Ella didn't like them--so luckily we didn't wash all of them and could return them. So I'd just register for one--to make sure they like them. We actually ended up swaddling her with the Swaddle Designs receiving blanket--we have two and they were perfect for swaddling.
I also was majorly "nesting" and washed practically all of her clothes--even some that were 3-6 month ones before she arrived...bad move! She ended up not even wearing some of them-so learning from my mistake, I'd just make sure to wash all the essentials for when she's first born and wait on the others...and keep the tags on to return some of them.
Oh, and Babies R Us takes anything back--even if you didn't get it there...at least that's been my experience. If I needed to return something from a shower (not on my registry) and didn't know where it was from I went there first and almost always they took it back and gave me store credit.
Email me if you have any questions...as you can tell, I like talking about this stuff:)
Its hard to boil down all the essentials into a top list, but here were ours:
- Pack n' Play (gives us sooo much flexibility, she slept in it the first two months and now we take it everywhere for a portable crib - ours is chicco brand and we LOVE it)
- Swing is a must
- Boppy
- Activity gym (we got Baby Einstein)
- An umbrella stroller! We got this big travel system and it was tooo heavy. We got the Chicco umbrella stroller and LOVE it.
- Register for 2 car seat bases (if you have two cars)
- When Lauren got older, we've appreciated having the exersaucer. Its the only way to keep her entertained while in one place, so mommy can run to the bathroom!
- We really liked our bumbo seat and used this to feed Lauren in (no clunky high chair) until she was almost a year old! Great space saver.
As Laura said, babies are so different. We returned the "swaddle me" blankets because Lauren didn't like them, but I know Anna loves hers! Also I agree NOT to wash everything ahead of time (so hard to do) because they truly never get to wear 1/2 of what is bought for them.
A great piece of advice someone told me was to register for the convertible car seat (for when they are a year old up thru like 3 years old) even though it seems so far away. The top brands (Britax) are very expensive and it helps to have a group purchase it for you. I registered for it, received it as a gift, and am SO thankful we didn't have to pay $300 for it last month when we finally took it out of the box.
Lastly, don't take Matt with your first time to BRUs. Its too much. Go first with a good mommy friend, get their advice, "test drive" the major purchases, and then go back with Matt to do the smaller, fun stuff. Your marriage will thank you:)
The little mattress pads (I would use them for changing pads on the couch or our bed when Davis was first born.) You can find them in the bedding section at Babies ‘r Us.
Buy the book, Baby 411. It is wonderful and answers ALL the first time parenting questions for the first few days, weeks, year, and beyond.
Bouncy seat – It’s great to take in the bathroom so that your baby has a place to hang out while you get ready. The portability of those things is wonderful!
Swing – what a lifesaver!!! Davis spent several sleepless nights in that thing when he was first born.
Lots of little baby onsies. As cute as baby clothes are, when they are home for the first few weeks, it’s great to have lots of easy things to change into throughout the day. Between burping up and other things, sometimes Davis went through 6 outfits a day!
Dreft Laundry detergent or All Free & Clear
Having the infant car seat carrier instead of the big boy car seat was wonderful. Especially since babies fall asleep in the car. With the infant seat I didn’t have to wake him up while running errands to switch him to the stroller.
I have a few other tips for things you will need too after you come home from the hospital. Send me an email and I’ll share them with you!
**Make sure you take everything they give you while at the hospital. Leave nothing behind.** :)
This is making me want another baby!!!
Congrats! This is the fun part, the shopping. My absolute necessities were:
1. the bouncy seat - you can put baby there for bouncy fun while you shower, walk around, etc.
2. baby bjorn - for strolls or even around the house, andmost of all for daddy to strap on, very helpful.
happy shopping!
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