This is the ultimate guide to what you actually need on your baby registry! I’ve linked to my favorite products- because choosing a brand/product/model will make your head spin.
Sections
4
Baby Gear Must-Haves
Baby Health/Safety Must-Haves
Nursery Must-Haves
Nursing Mom Must-Haves
Baby Gear Must-Haves
Some of my favorite baby gear musts!
I love a good diaper backpack!! This way Dad can wear it without feeling like he has a purse. 😉 This one has worked for our family for 3 years without showing any damage.
Diaper Backpack
Highly, highly, highly recommend the LilleBaby AirFlow Complete! Probably the baby product I rave about the most.
Structured Baby Carrier
I highly recommend keeping baby rear-facing as long as possible (their spines are very fragile for the first several years!). The Graco Extend-2-Fit 3-in-1 allows them to rear-face until they are 50 pounds and has extendable leg panels for tall kids!
Convertible Car Seat
With my first, I didn’t realize that the car seat and stroller needed to be compatible. Oops! Returns were a hassle. SO, if you’re getting a Graco car seat like the one I talked about above, you want a Graco-compatible stroller.
Stroller
This is our favorite, but it’s large.
Swing
I rave about this automatic bouncer!! So clever! It’s battery-operated and will bounce baby instead of you having to do it.
Baby Bouncer Seat
I recommend this one. It has the bassinet and changing table attachments. Eventually, if you travel, you’ll want to get a Pack and Play mattress to make it more comfortable for your toddler.
Pack and Play
Baby Health/Safety Must-Haves
My favorite health and safety products for baby!
With our first baby, we went cheap- and definitely regretted it! This Infant Optics monitor has been going strong for almost 3 years. The camera is amazing (it comes with a zoom lens, too), and I love that it tells me the room temperature.
Infant Optics Baby Monitor
Yes, we have to teach our kids to avoid dangerous things. But personally, I don’t want to set them up for a deadly mistake. This is a great, affordable pack.
Outlet Covers
This is a good bundle of home safety tools.
House Safety Kit
You want to do your research with this one. Or you could just trust my over the top research. 😉 A bad thermometer means inconsistent and dangerous readings.
Baby Thermometer
Personally, this is one of my top must-haves! After your baby’s first cold, you will seriously be regretting not having this in your home. Honestly, you’ll probably want one for every person’s bedroom. 😉 MAKE SURE it’s cool mist, so boiling steam an...
Cool Mist Humidifier
Just get the Nose Frida. OK, hear me out. I’m telling you to buy something that allows YOU to personally suck the snot out of your baby’s nose using your mouth. (I’ll wait for you to return after throwing up now.) Guysss. There’s a filter and a lot o...
Snot Sucker
Nursery Must-Haves
The nursery products I recommend the most!
We painted a hand-me-down crib for our first baby. Honestly, it’s not worth the effort! You have to be so careful of paint toxicity, and it can easily get damaged during moving or while baby is teething. Just get a gender-neutral crib that you love a...
4-in-1 Convertible Crib
Our babies spend a LOT of time in their cribs, so I highly recommend a non-toxic mattress! Make sure it is water-resistant so you can simply wipe it down after messy incidents.
Crib Mattress
With my first baby, I chose one of the most affordable gliders. It got the job done, but the cheaper ones are pretty narrow. That makes nursing difficult, and my 6’2” husband definitely couldn’t fit into it!
Glider/Rocker
This is our tried-and-true favorite changing pad. You can even get a second one if your house has two stories, so your postpartum, sore, stitched up body doesn’t have to travel far.
Changing Pad
You will want baby to sleep in your room for probably the first 6 months. A bassinet is a safe way to have them feel secure in something smaller than a crib.
Bassinet
We spent HUNDREDS on a million different swaddles and sleep sacks. I finally wised up and purchased the Ollie Swaddle. It’s a cooling, wicking fabric and is one-size-fits-all.
Ollie World Swaddle Blanket
Nursing Mom Must-Haves
The best products for nursing moms!
Don’t waste your time on the disposable pads. They are scratchy and show through your clothes and end up being lots of money. Get these!
Reusable Nursing Pads
Certainly not required, but a lot of moms feel more comfortable with one as they are learning the ropes of breastfeeding. Without a cover, my baby was very distractible. I much prefer the infinity scarf type – the aprons leave your back exposed.
Nursing Cover
Yep. Definitely needed.
Nipple Cream
Another hidden gem a lot of moms don’t know about. Nursing can be very painful!
Microwave/Freezer Breast Compresses
I rave about this in my best nursing-friendly dresses post! It attaches to your nursing bra, essentially turning every shirt into a nursing shirt. You simply detach your bra (like normal), pulling the top of the tank down, but keeping the rest of you...
Strapless Nursing Tank
This is a must-have for your hospital stay and newborn stage. Nursing causes all sorts of milk stains, and you might be too tender for a bra sometimes. A robe can easily be thrown on when visitors are around.