I think there’s the registry you make when you’re expecting, and the registry you wish you made once you’ve been a parent for 6 months. And while I wish those registries were the same, they definitely are not. The items below are the 10 items I personally used (whether purchased new, secondhand or borrowed) and would recommend over and over to any new parent about to jump headfirst into this journey.
I may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase something from some of the links below. Although honestly, not much.
Halo Bassinest
The main things I wanted in a bassinet were:
- Mesh siding
- High enough for our bed & could swivel over (in case of a C-section)
- Breathable mattress
This bassinet had all of the above and more; unfortunately, it wasn’t really in the budget once we looked at things we received from our sweet friends/family & what we still needed/wanted off our registry. Luckily, I came in contact with a friend of ours that was willing to sell theirs at a huge discount, so snatch snatch snatch it up I did.
Once Zoey arrived and refused at all costs to sleep in it or appreciate my ability to secure such a hot commodity for her, I ended up also ordering this mattress and infant insert.
The bassinet mattress is made out of the same material as her crib mattress (much more breathable/air-filled) and the infant insert allowed her to feel more secure, enough to actually sleep somewhere that was not my arms.
A quick reminder that after-market accessories are not recommended to be used with safe sleep areas. Because the two items we purchased are made by and for the Halo, we felt safe utilizing them for Zoey.
When Zoey started to sleep on her side, I panicked. Not so much that she was sleeping on her side, but that it meant we needed to transition her out of her swaddle and her reflex was still so strong that she would wake herself up almost instantly. A friend of ours recommended the Merlin & when they say it’s “magic”, they know what they’re talking about. Zoey slept well (as well as a Zoey could sleep) and we were able to seamlessly transition out of the swaddle (plus she looked like a lil Michelin Man so…added bonus)
Muslin burp cloths
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“Aesthetically pleasing” was what I was going for with baby items (just see our registry…pink…boho…rainbows….need I say more?) However, when it came to burp cloths, we cared much less about what the burp cloths looked like and more about how efficient they were (I love how I say “we” like my husband had so many opinions on what color burp cloths we would purchase). When we were recommended the muslin burp cloths, we immediately ordered 8 billion of them. To this day, I still grab one every morning to feed Zoey and then it just…disappears, and at the end of the day I find 4 of them in a pile somewhere in the house. The ones we use come in a bunch of different colors but we just stuck with plain white. We have noticed some tearing from putting them in the washer/dryer but honestly I think that’s more from how often I wash them (because when I can’t find them and then locate them again, I just assume they’re dirty and throw them in the wash).
White Noise Machine
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Fun fact: regardless what white noise machine you get or how much you spend, they all do the same thing…they play white noise. We have this one in our bedroom and initially, when Zoey was doing her whole “hold me peasant or I will not sleep” thing, I played white noise on the iPad. I quickly changed my ways when the iPad died and my child awoke, absolutely furious with me for allowing Apple to make a product that would need to be recharged. This machine is simple, holds a charge and also is able to be plugged in (which we do ever since the PTSD kicked in from that dark night). It doesn’t have a nightlight or play anything fun but I don’t need it to, I just need it to keep my child from reprimanding me.
The biggest and easiest selling point for this diaper pail is simple: you can use regular trash bags. Much cheaper & more convenient than having to buy specific bags for it. Easy to open, you can lock it (for when baby is big enough to go exploring) and it contains the…uhm…smell, well. During one of my midnight Amazon moments, I ended up ordering these which are safe for dogs and babies and tape to the inside of the diaper pail for added assistance with any smell that may try to escape (solid food poops, I’m looking at you).
Reclining Glider Chair
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We almost decided not to budget for a glider/recliner in the nursery because we have a recliner in our main living space. We changed our minds (RE: I changed my mind. 8 million times) and am so thankful. Zoey would not sleep anywhere other than in my arms for the first 7 weeks of her life, meaning we spent many nights cuddled up in this glider. To this day, one of my favorite things is give her her nighttime bottle in the glider and rock her before putting her to bed. This glider is on the more affordable side and has an inner lever for the reclining feature (less bulky). And for someone that spent all night every night in it for 7 weeks, I can assure you, it’s rather comfortable.
Gathre mat
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This was another item recommended to us by a friend of mine, and another one I would register for over and over and over again. I have the Micro+ mat that I keep in Zoey’s diaper bag so I always have something to set her on if we’re out and about and I need to change her diaper (I just lay it on top of those nasty fold out changing tables in the bathroom). I also purchased the Midi, which is great for when you’re outside (though currently it’s in the middle of our living room floor, which is fun because Zoey learned she can gain momentum on it if she’s wearing her bamboo jammies and slide backwards…)
Pumpables Genie Advanced
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I don’t think I would have been able to triple feed without the Pumpables breast pump. (Read more about triple feeding and increasing your breast milk supply here) Everything online will tell you that nothing is going to work as well as a hospital grade pump but for my journey, this has been a Godsend, and I almost consider it to be the sole reason my breastfeeding journey didn’t have to end.
2-Way Zipper Footies
I’m not even sure where I learned about these but never ever will I purchase full-snap jammies for anyone again. Especially since Zoey was born in January…in Minnesota…she pretty much lived in these for the first 3 months of her life (before I got brave enough to try putting her in something else). These are more expensive, however, most of them we bought in 0-3 months and she still wears them (she will be 7 months at the end of August) and most shops almost always have some sort of discount code. As long as you get the ones with the convertible footies, they last you forever. Pro tip: we dry ours on a lower setting rather than hang them dry and have not had any issues outside of how many I think we need to own.
I’m fairly certain it was night one home from the hospital when I offered a pacifier to Zoey with no thought of nipple confusion…only desperation. The next day, I tried to offer her a different pacifier that was pretty (because #aesthetic) and she would not take it…almost 7 months later and here we are, still attached to these guys. Additional pro tip: when you find a pacifier your child likes – buy them all. Or at least a reasonable amount. We keep one in her carseat, one in her bed, and then a billion extras on the diaper bag (by “on” i mean with this)
BONUS: Baby Monitors
WIFI: Nanit Pro
When Zoey started sleeping in our room and not…on a person…we got the Nanit monitor to be able to keep an eye on her since she would go to sleep around 7 and I would stay up until 9 (or sometimes…715). While I originally purchased it because of the breathing monitor option, we never ended up using it for that as it would just cause extra anxiety (and anyone who’s spoken one word with me knows I don’t need any more of that). The Nanit Pro, although a WiFi monitor, uses “IP addresses that can’t be hacked”. Whether this has been proven or not, we felt comfortable using it for the short amount of time Zoey will be sleeping in our bedroom. We also ended up purchasing this flex stand to better accomodate different spaces.
Non-WIFI: Eufy Pro
Our plan was always to use a non-wifi monitor. We originally registered and received another one that had tons of 5-star reviews and then randomly 6ish weeks in, it just disconnected. Luckily, with Amazon registry returns, we were able to return it and get this one and have LOVED it so far for her nursery. Because it doesn’t connect to WiFi, we don’t have to worry about hackers or it disconnecting from the internet OR needing a babysitter (RE: my mother) to download an app to her phone – she can just use the handheld screen. As someone who stares at the monitor more than the average parent, it is excellent quality (especially those three zoom settings).
Travel: Hello Baby
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I grabbed this last minute when I was going to Duluth. It was incredibly easy to set up, doesn’t require wifi AND was under $40. That’s it. There’s nothing else that needs to be said. 10/10 recommend.
As I was creating this list, I though of a billion more items I would want to add but, in all honesty, as long as your kiddo has loving parents and a warm home to come home to, everything else is just extra. These items definitely made things easier on us in various situations, but nothing beats just snuggling with your newborn and staring at them while they sleep until they will grow up to need therapy.
