Kari asked me if I had any suggestions for what to put on a baby registry. We are only 3 months into parenthood, so though we're by no means experts, I thought it would be fun to look back and review some of the things we received and how they've been used.
Swing/bouncer
9 weeks
This is the first thing that comes to my mind that I am really glad we got. My husband was initially quite skeptical about getting it, but he agreed just the other night that it's one of our most-used items. I don't know if this is really common, but Miriam does not like to be lying down flat; she'll do it for maybe 20 minutes at a time now (up from a max of about 5 minutes at the beginning!). So for most of the day, she's either on me or in my arms, and these arms get tired! So the swing has really proven indispensable. She's in it when she naps, when we eat, when I shower, when I'm cooking, and occasionally when I'm working on some sort of project. If we hadn't been open to co-sleeping, she'd probably be sleeping all night in it.
I'm really happy with the particular one we got, too. It's "travel-sized" (although I don't know who would actually travel with such a thing) which makes it easy to move from room to room. It's also both a swing and a bouncer. I had heard before that some babies only like one or the other, so our bases were covered this way. While we usually just use the swing motion (my husband prefers that to the vibrating), being able to use the bouncer when the swing part ran out of batteries was nice.
Co-sleeper
12 weeks
As I just mentioned, we were planning on having our baby sleep next to us all along. In a co-sleeper, that is. Turns out, Miriam likes to sleep cuddled up next to her mama, and her mama kind of likes it, too. So our co-sleeper is used to hold mama's water bottle, an extra pillow, and some burp cloths. That said, we would actually like to eventually transition her into the co-sleeper, so I am kicking myself over getting the mini sized one. She's already so big that it looks tiny! I registered for the mini one because (a) it was less expensive and (b) it turned into a play pen. But I should have gone for the full-size one because (a) if someone's already spending that much on you, the price probably won't make that much of a difference and (b) I'm not sure I'll ever actually use it as a play pen because it is so small. (Actually, do people use playpens at all? I honestly don't know now - I think they're often used to hold toys instead of babies.)
Soft carrier
3 weeks
A sling, a wrap, whatever - these are fantastic! I have been so glad to have these. When it was super cold I could walk the dog while wearing Miriam and not worry nearly as much about her being too cold as if she had been in her stroller. I always use one when grocery shopping - her car seat carrier doesn't actually fit in the top of the carts at our grocery store, so wearing her is a necessity if I want to fit more than three things in the basket of the cart. Even when I just need to get some things done around the house, I can put her on and have both of my hands free. Bonus: she usually falls asleep from me walking!
I have both a Moby wrap and a Maya wrap, and love them both! I like the Moby when I'm going to be wearing her for a while, because it distributes her weight across both shoulders. I like the Maya for when I need to get her on and off quickly, like during church or just if she's starting to fuss at home. I haven't tried any hard carriers yet (the backpacks and whatnot), but lots of people (especially husbands) seem to like those. At this point I don't see any need to get them in addition to what we have, though.
Nursing tank tops
8 weeks
My everyday outfit: nursing tank, jeans or sweats, ponytail.
I'm wearing it as I type.
This is my base wardrobe of choice. I have several nursing bras that work fine, but I really like having these tank tops. If you're more well-endowed you might need additional support, but I have found these to be perfect for me! They turn any shirt I wear into a nursing-friendly shirt, since I can just pull the outer shirt up and not worry about exposing my stretch mark-covered belly. Plus I can wear just the tank around the house and not feel like I'm walking around topless. And as yet another bonus, they're inexpensive and available at both baby stores and superstores.
Two other nursing accessories that you may want are a tube of Lansinoh (just one - a little goes a long way) and some of those cooling/soothing pads. I hadn't thought to put the cooling pads on my registry but a friend sent some that she didn't use, and it was so nice to have them handy! If you've really taken a beating nursing, you may want to spend the money to get the Ameda Hydrogel Pads. My lactation consultant had me use those (and nothing else) for quite a while to help heal things up. One pair will last for 4-6 days.
Diapers
It's a given to include disposable diapers on your registry, but did you know you could also create cloth diaper registries? The selection of cloth diapers at baby superstores is pitiful, but you have the world at your fingertips if you make a registry on any number of online cloth diaper stores. I really wish I had done this before my showers. Cloth diapers are expensive when you're starting out, and having just a few purchased for you can make a nice difference. Plus you can also register for cloth diaper accessories: I'd recommend 2 large wet bags for storing dirty diapers (one to use while the other's being washed with the diapers), 1-2 small wet bags to carry in your diaper bag (if you'll be using cloth diapers while out and about), and a box or two (or more!) of specific cloth diaper detergent.
Car mirror
It might sound silly, but I absolutely love the oversized mirror on the headrest behind Miriam's carseat. I can just glance in my rearview mirror and check on her. There are smaller ones, but I like the big one. There are also mirrors that you attach to your rearview mirror which are absolutely pointless at this stage. I guess maybe they'd be handy if you have multiple children you're needing to look at behind you, but the one I got is so small and flimsy that I don't think it'd do much good.
Good books
I have one general book on babies and two specific books for nursing, and I have been so glad to have them. When I first was having such a hard time nursing, it was great to be able to just pull out the books, read what they had to say, and stop there. If I had been searching online, I would have just been going down rabbit holes and quite possibly panicking over unlikely issues. By just having a couple sources that I trust, I can check on something and be satisfied.
Other stuff
Cricket claiming the Boppy.
There is a whole host of items that people usually register for that I can't speak to for one reason or another. I haven't actually tried the pump I received yet, so I have no words of advice on that. We've only used our stroller three times and I have no reason to suggest a travel system over a click-in black one, or vice versa. I ended up using throw pillows more than the Boppy, although I'm not really sure why - I know some women love the Boppy. We never got a playmat. We also didn't get a Bumbo, and although I think I might like it, Miriam's still too small anyway (or is she?). She's also too small for her high chair, since she can't sit up yet.
I think that covers the basics, and hopefully it's a little helpful to anyone who's heading out to register. Can you all help as well? What are your most used baby-related items? And is there anything that's not on here that I'm going to need to have during the next several months?