Everything you need to know about building your baby registry, including all the must haves!
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Click here to jump to a specific topic: Pregnancy, Postpartum, Nursery, Sleep, Bathing, Feeding, Nursing, Diapering, Baby gear, Travel, Baby care, Clothing, Toys, Hot Weather, Cold Weather, 6+ Months
Pregnancy
Find all my pregnancy must haves here
Pregnancy Pillow: I loved my pregnancy pillow (so much so that I brought it on our road trip to Montana when I was 7 months pregnant!) It's not a deal breaker if you prefer stuffing pillows between your legs, but it did make life a little easier (and comfier) for me.
Water Tumbler: Highly recommend getting a LARGE cup or water bottle at some point during your pregnancy. Not only will you be drinking more while pregnant, but postpartum breastfeeding will have you feeling like you are in the middle of the desert chugging water. This one is awesome and I fill it up before bed every night to leave on my nightstand.
Rebozo: My doula introduced me to the rebozo (which you can use a sheet or scarf instead) but it does amazing things for a pregnant women with relieving discomfort in pregnancy and labor!
Breathing Strips: Breathing is important eh? My husband and I wear breathing nose strips to bed every night but I highly recommend them when you're pregnant to ensure you're getting some good nasal breathing in. Research Nasal Breathing to learn why!
Nausea Remedies: I've got a whole blog post dedicated to these things alone. Check it out!
Postpartum
The list for "postpartum must haves" can get quite extensive but with Amazon being available to most people, I recommend waiting to see what your recovery is like before buying TOO much. (I know its hard to not plan out everything before) Here is my list of what was beneficial for me!
I had a relatively easy delivery, and normal recovery. In the hospital, I lived in a robe that I brought with me, a comfy nursing bra, and the diapers that the hospital provided. *these nursing bras are my favorite because they are so comfortable and I still wear them 7 months postpartum!
When I got home I lived in that same robe and same nursing bras. Your boobs WILL leak while they figure out the right supply, so you'll need some type of nursing pad (either reusable or disposable). I started with the reusable hoping to love them but they absorbed less, I had to wash these often, and when they got full of milk they would get tough and scratch my nipples. Once I figured this out, I switched to these disposable ones and they were much more gentle (and less work since I could just toss them in the trash).
Instead of the diapers that the hospital provided, I wore depends diapers (which were SO MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE), and would line the diaper with witch hazel pads that you CAN buy off amazon but I took home with me from the hospital. I also had purchased ice pads ahead of time but never used them because inflammation is good for healing!
Next to my bed I had a cart with everything I needed for me and baby. This was really helpful because like I said, I spent a good two weeks hanging out in my room loving on my babe. This video shows exactly what I kept on my cart!
Eventually I started getting out of bed and even leaving the house. That's when I switched to large underwear with large pads or leakproof underwear (which was a lot less noticeable). I wore clothing that buttoned up in the front or was a crop top so that I could easily access my boobs for breastfeeding, but didn't buy any "nursing clothing" specifically.
Nursery
Click here to find all of my nursery favorites
Chair (Rocker or Glider): I originally had a lazyboy recliner in the nursery (and I did love it) but it was huge and didn't leave us enough room for activities.. so I found this glider by Dutalier and its small but still so comfortable. ( I'm 5'9 so I needed something that could comfortably fit me and still be cute). You can definitely get away with nursing on the couch or in bed, but I do really love having the chair as an option.
Dresser/Changing Table: We tested out lots of dressers to find one that was tall enough for us to comfortably change Adalynn's diaper on top (my husband is 6'2 and I'm 5'9. This dresser from IKEA was perfect, plus I was able to organize it with these drawer organizers so it's an incredibly efficient system!
Rug: I wanted the nursery to feel bright and open (even with the lack of sunlight) which is why we opted for white everything.. EVEN OUR RUG! This one is from Ruggable and is stain resistant and can be washed in the washing machine! Use my code FUNJESSICAH10 for 10% off at Ruggable.
Black Out Curtains: I HIGHLY recommend having black out curtains in your babies room (and yours if you are room sharing). I'm all for baby learning to sleep in bright lights as well, and napping in the sunlight during the day. But at night you want baby to sleep in a DARK room without flashing lights from police cars, fireworks, or any other light pollution that most of us experience. *not to mention they may sleep longer if its dark in there.. Addy sleeps in till 8:30am!
Decor: The nursery is one of my favorite spaces in our home because I was very intentional about the decor. I wanted it to feel bright and open so opted for white furniture and darker accents. I tried to incorporate the toys into the decor on the shelves and blend in some plants (lack of sunlight meant mostly faux plants). I found a beautiful caddy to keep on top of the dresser to store diapers and wipes. I also tried to make even the ugly things pretty; like our white diaper pail, using a wicker basket as a hamper, and hiding the cord to our baby monitor with this amazon purchase!
Sound Machine/Nightlight: We used the Hatch which is a combo of both a sound machine and nightlight and our favorite for nighttime sleep. The nightlight is perfect for middle of the night awakenings and the white noise is adjustable so you can make it the perfect volume. It plugs in so no need to worry about it dying and shutting off in the middle of the night like wireless ones do!
Storage for Everyday Items: I'm all about creating successful systems so I invested in baby hangers, size dividers, drawer organizers, stacking drawers, and labels. The system was thought about carefully so that it was established in a way that was easy to modify (like easily switching labels) and also would grow with Adalynn as she gets bigger and her needs change.
Storage for Less Used Items: We have bins established in the top of her closet for items that we don't need easy access to like memorabilia, outgrown toys & clothes, and clothes that don't fit yet. I use these fabric bins from amazon and these label clips.
Storage might not be a NECESSITY, but I promise you if you establish a successful system your life will be a lot easier.
Sleep
There's a few different approaches that you can choose when it comes to baby sleeping but in any situation you NEED a safe space for baby to sleep.
1. Co-sleeping (meaning you are sharing your bed with baby!)
2. Room Sharing (meaning baby is sleeping in the same room as you!) If you pick this scenario you have a few different options. Baby can sleep in a bassinet like this one, baby can sleep in a bedside sleeper like this one, or baby can sleep in their crib that you have moved into your room. Whatever option you choose you will need a mattress protector and two sets of fitted sheets incase of any accidents!
3. Nursery (meaning baby goes straight to sleeping in the crib in their nursery!) This option you would just need a crib (or safe sleep space) and then I highly encourage you to get a mattress protector and 2 sets of sheets.
In our home we used the halo bassinet with this mattress protector and these fitted sheets. I also had a heating pad on hand to use during those first few weeks... and here is how I used it! Baby would always fall asleep nursing, so while I nursed I had the heating pad in the bassinet warming up the mattress. I would remove the heating pad and then lay baby down on the warm surface (which mimicked my body heat and made transferring into the bassinet a whole lot easier!
In terms of clothing for sleep.. you have a LOT of options.. but don't "lose sleep" over it! There are lots of good choices! The most important thing is baby temperature... Feel the back of their neck to make sure they aren't too hot (sweaty, clammy) or cold to touch. If they feel warm and are sleeping well, chances are they are good to go. Research TOG ratings and know the temperature of the room baby is sleeping in to easily figure out what will work best for baby.
Some clothing choices you have are
Swaddling Blankets or Velcro Swaddles
Sleep Sacks & Alternative Sleeping Suits
Adjusting room temperature so it's warm enough for baby to sleep in jammies alone.
When we brought baby home from the hospital we continued to swaddle in a muslin blanket like the hospital did for weeks! As baby got bigger we switched to the Halo Velcro Swaddle which made diaper changes so much easier. Eventually Addy got to the age that she no longer needed to be swaddled (and was rolling around) so we switched to the Kyte Baby Sleep Sack (after trying LOTS of other options including the Magic Merlin sleep suit, Nested Bean weighed sleep sack, and Love to Dream Swaddle UP but Addy didn't love them!) Every baby is different so it make take a few tries to figure out what works for them, and for YOU!
Bathing
You might be shocked to hear it but you don't "need" anything for bath time. We don't use a baby bath tub, or faucet cover, or a mat, or soap, or lotion, or hooded towels... Bath time for us means filling up the tub and mom and baby climbing in and bathing together. When Addy got bigger we started putting just a couple of inches of water on the bottom of the tub and laying her down so she could kick around (and keeping a very close eye on her).
I do tend to take HOT baths, so I invested in a thermometer to make sure the temperature is SAFE for baby. We also use wash cloths to get hard to reach places (like under her chin) but one pack of 3 was more than enough. If baby has dry skin, we turn the bath
into a milk bath (using my breastmilk *especially if any was left out for too long and baby can't drink it) and treat it that way instead of using topical lotion.
A couple of other "bath" items we DO have is a brush/comb and TOYS!
This is a bit of a minimalist approach, but my "registry checklist" includes the normal bath items that you will want to consider!
Here's my list of the toys and bath products we use.
Feeding
I'm not an expert in bottles, formula, or pumping because we did 99% breastfeeding in our home. So I'll share the items that made this a million times easier, although the PDF checklist will have all the items for any way of feeding you choose!
Feeding Pillow & Cover: I can't recommend just one because both of these pillows made SUCH difference for me. The first being the Boppy and the second being the My Brest Friend. The Boppy pillow is much more flexible so its GREAT for nursing older babies, propping them up, supporting them as they learn to sit, AND travels well. (We took it on the plane with us to Florida!). The My Brest Friend is VERY structured and supportive which made it easier to nurse my newborn. It also has a clip and attaches around your midsection so you can stand and nurse or even just use it to support the weight while rocking baby to sleep. If possible, I highly suggest purchasing both of these products. Yes you could use pillows from around the house but you spend SO MUCH TIME NURSING, and these will make it so much easier and put less strain on your body.
Bottles & Nipples: We used one single bottle that came in a registry completion kit, since we rarely bottle fed I never purchased more. I also never needed a bottle brush, drying rack, or bottle warmer either. Don't feel like you NEED to have tons of these items right off the bat, wait to see what approach works for you!
Cleaning: We did have things to clean and sterilize but our dishwasher had a sterilization feature and that's what we used. It also had a small top rack so we never needed a dishwasher basket, just used the top rack for small items like pacifiers. When using the dishwasher we ALWAYS choose a safe, non toxic dish detergent (these our my current favorite from Puracy).
Burp Cloths: We used these white cloth diapers as burp cloths because they are SO SOFT and so absorbent. I kept them near the bed, on the couch, in the nursery, in the diaper bag, in the car, and really anywhere I ever went. While these are amazing, you can definitely save money and rip up an old T-Shirt to use as a burp cloth though it won't be nearly as absorbent.
Nursing
Nursing can be a breeze for some and literal torture for others... but there are some items I think everyone will get good use out of.
Nursing & Pumping Bras: A few good, comfy nursing bras are a must, like these ones! But no need to go overboard. 7 months postpartum and I'm back to wearing normal bras and just pulling my breast out to feed. Also, their is a super cool trick to use a normal nursing bra to pump (but if you plan to pump often, I highly recommend a good pumping bra!)
Nursing Covers: Breastfeeding is natural and beautiful and I'm all for embracing that, so I never used a cover.. but if you are more comfortable WITH a cover then find a nice big one that allows for some room for baby.
Nursing Pads: Your boobs WILL leak while they figure out the right supply, so you'll need some type of nursing pad (either reusable or disposable). I started with the reusable hoping to love them but they absorbed less, I had to wash these often, and when they got full of milk they would get tough and scratch my nipples. Once I figured this out, I switched to these disposable ones and they were much more gentle (and less work since I could just toss them in the trash).
Nipple Cream: Pick something non-toxic and natural, cause your baby WILL be ingesting it while eating .I used Earth Mama's nipple butter the very few times I ever needed it. (I only used it maybe a total of 5 times!)
Milk Catchers: We used the Haakaa and the Haakaa ladybug and I liked having both (but I also leaked ALOT in the beginning). I mean I was leaking the month before even giving birth LOL. When Adalynn was eating from one side, I would have either the ladybug tucked in my bra or the Haakaa attached to the other breast so that I wasn't wasting everything that was leaking out. This is actually how I gathered most of my "freezer supply". Speaking of freezer supply, you'll need some type of storage for the freezer. This can be disposable plastic bags, reusable storage bags, or you can freeze your milk in cubes like this and then store them in containers! It all depends on your feeding/nursing/stash situation and what works best for your family.
Pump & Accessories: On very few occasions (4 times in 7 months to count) I needed to pump. I was gifted a Medela In Style Pump and it worked great, although I have nothing to compare it to. I definitely could have hand expressed or used a manual pump but since I had an electric pump on hand it WAS easier to do that way. Obviously, if you are strictly pumping than you'll want to put a LOT more emphasis on these supplies!