I’ve been meaning to put together a list of the essential things that helped me through Eli’s first year of life for awhile; a friend recently asked for assistance registering for her first child so now I’m finally writing it. Hopefully this will be helpful to you, Anna, and to the other new parents (or parents again!) who read it. It is LONG but I’m of the opinion that more is better when it comes to information. (If you’d like just the bullet points with no recommendations, you can find those here.)
Sleeping
- Pacifiers: Buy one package of three or four different types before the baby is born. Once you find one that works for your child, buy more. Lots more. Because they will disappear behind cribs, get eaten by the dog, and be dropped in stores to never be seen again. We ended up settling on MAM pacifiers because they have an anti-slip coating and were the easiest for Eli to use.
- Muslin Blankets: Aden + Anais is the most famous brand of muslin blanket, and though expensive, these blankets are worth it. They work for everything – changing table covers, burp cloths, pack-n-play sheets, lightweight covers – and are easy to care for. (You will undoubtedly receive lots of lovely, handmade blankets from friends and family and they’ll be awesome too!)
- Sheets: Have at least four fitted crib sheets on your registry because you will certainly have to change them in the middle of the night at some point. We have regular cotton sheets for the summer and fuzzy quilted ones for the winter.
- Crib: We ended up getting a mini crib (or European-sized) because Eli’s room is too small for a regular (or American-sized) crib. It has worked out great, especially because it is the same size as a pack-n-play, so when we travel Eli has had no problem transitioning to sleeping in it.
- Swaddlers: Babies like to be swaddled. Parents do not like to swaddle them at 3 in the morning. So some incredibly smart (and now undoubtedly incredibly rich) person invented these magical swaddling blankets. Register for a couple of them.
- Sleep Sacks: Eventually babies aren’t into swaddling anymore but they are also not into keeping blankets off of their faces. Sleep sacks to the rescue! We liked the Halo sacks and also have an Aden + Anais muslin one.
- Loveys: My mother-in-law bought Eli a cute frog that he adores. I started putting it in his hands whenever we put him down to sleep by himself, and he loves it. He only gets to see Froggy Frog when it’s time for bed and F.F. makes bedtime easier and more special. We’re going to buy another one because it needs to be washed. 🙂 You probably don’t need to register for one of these; just pick one of the many adorable stuffed animals you receive for the kiddo.
Breastfeeding
- Nursing Bra: You will live in these, so find a comfortable one. Buy a couple of sleep bras before the baby comes, and then wait to get more regular nursing bras until your milk comes in and your breast size stabilizes.
- Nursing Tank: I registered for a couple of tanks by Undercover Mama and they are great! They’re slimming and comfortable, and because they attach to any nursing bra, are really convenient too.
- Pump: Breast pumps are now covered by all insurance plans. However, because this is a new law, women needing them soon get to be part of the precedent-setting. This means that it may be a bit of effort to get the pump that you want covered under your plan. Have your OB/midwife write you a prescription for one and start the process as soon as possible; in the meantime, look into renting a hospital-grade pump from a local hospital in case the insurance company doesn’t come through in a timely fashion. (Here in Rochester, Highland Hospital rents them at a great price.) I used my Medela Pump-In-Style Advanced quite a bit and liked it but not nearly as much as I enjoyed the hospital-grade Medela Symphony.
- Lanolin: Register for this. You will need it and appreciate it.
- Nursing Pads: You may not need these but I’d recommend registering for a couple of pairs of reusable ones in case you do. You can always get more. I used Knickernappies. Bamboobies also makes a good product and Dry Mama is a new brand on the market that looks very promising.
- Nursing Pillow: I used a Boppy Bare Naked pillow. If you have any sort of back trouble at all, I’d actually recommend getting the My Brest Friend original pillow instead, as it is much better suited to helping with correct posture. Boppy has started making a new “nursing pillow” that is more like the My Brest Friend, but I haven’t used it myself. My only regret with using a nursing pillow is that the first time I had to travel and didn’t take it because it’s bulky, I was terrified of how to breastfeed without it (I figured it out, though!). They really are quite helpful, although I wouldn’t say it’s a necessity.
- Breastmilk storage bags: Get a brand that will work with your breast pump. There are various features that different brands have; ultimately they’re all pretty much the same.
- Medela Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags: Register for a box of these. They are reusable – 20 uses per bag – and you can steam sterilize pretty much anything in the microwave. I use them to sterilize pump parts and tubing, bottles, pacifiers, you name it. They’re great.
Bottle Feeding
- Bottles: There are lots of good ones on the market. Because I continued breastfeeding Eli while supplementing with formula, I wanted a bottle that was closer to that experience. The Tommee Tippee bottles best fit the bill for us, but the Medela and Avent bottles also both worked well.
- Drying Rack: We registered for a drying rack that was functional and cute. I figured if I had to look at it all day, I wanted to like it. Boon makes lots of great stuff and this is no exception. It also has attachments (Stem and Twig) to add extra drying space.
- Bottle Warmer: You don’t need this. For real. Eli drank pumped breastmilk that was warmed in a mug of hot water; his supplemental formula he got at room temperature. (It was super easy to travel with his formula when I didn’t have to figure out a way to warm it up!)
Solid Feeding
- Booster Seat: We skipped getting a regular high chair and went the booster seat route. It’s nice because it’s portable, easy to clean, and can go in a cabinet or closet easily if we need the chair for company. Another great option (I saw this and thought of you specifically, Anna) is the Tie Chair, which can be bought from various retailers online.
- Bowls & Plates: We bought Tommee Tippee bowls because they were triangular & seemed easier to get out the last little bit. However, now they’re round like all the other brands. If they weren’t so expensive I’d probably recommend the Beaba plates (that are really more like bowls). Once I am brave enough to let Eli have his own plate we’ll get two or three of the OXO Tot divided plates.
- Utensils: When Eli was first starting on purees and such we used the Munchkin White Hot spoons along with Tommee Tippee spoons that are discontinued. Now that he’s learning to manipulate silverware by himself, we use the cheap Take & Toss forks and spoons. Once he has figured out that utensils are for eating with and not for throwing on the floor we will probably switch to the OXO Tot fork and spoon or the Vital Baby silverware.
- Cups: Eli never figured out how to use a sippy cup so we skipped straight to straw cups. (Sippy cups are really just supposed to be transitional from bottles to straws anyhow. Plus all restaurants have straws, so you don’t have to worry about always having a sippy cup around!) The first one I bought was the Playtex Lil’ Gripper Straw Trainer, which can be squeezed when babies drink from it so as to teach them how straws work. From there I moved on to the cheap Take & Toss cups. They worked fine except when Eli threw them on the floor (several times at every meal) at which point the lid flew off and water went everywhere. Or when he tried to tip them up to drink and ended up water-boarding himself. But I can save you all of this by telling you the single best cup to get: the Innobaby Sippin’ Smart straw cup. It is non-spill (for real), has a weighted straw so they always get water, and is durable. We love it.
- Bibs: For awhile we used regular bibs and just changed Eli’s clothes after every meal. But then we switched to a full coverage Green Sprouts smock bib, and no clothing changes required! We did experience quite a bit of mildew on the bib itself but I’m pretty sure that’s because we only had one and it didn’t have a chance to dry between meals. We’re going to buy a couple more and rotate them.
- Storage: Three words – Little Green Pouch. A couple of moms invented a reusable food pouch! I asked for 8 for Christmas and have used them non-stop ever since. I do buy the pre-made pouches sometimes but having my own pouches means I can add things like vitamins or probiotics without much effort. Other than that we’ve just used freezer bags for the applesauce & compote cubes that I mix in with Eli’s yogurt.
- Ice Cube Trays: We have two of the Green Sprouts silicone ice cube trays and they have worked relatively well. I’m sure other brands would be great too, though. If you’re planning on making your own food having trays like these (or similar ones) is a must.
Traveling
- Play Yard: Having one with an infant bassinet is handy; Graco makes a nice, simple Pack ‘N Play that’s around $70 new.
- Toys: We have a few toys for Eli that we keep in the car. He looks forward to seeing them because they don’t get to go anywhere else. Ones that can attach to a car seat handle are the best for little ones.
- Car Seat/Travel System: We registered for a Graco SnugRide 35 because I wanted to make sure we’d have extended rear-facing capabilities. Shockingly enough given his parents’ heights, though, Eli outgrew it in height long before he would have outgrown even a 25-pound weight limit. It did last us a full year though, which was my initial hope. We also received an awesome Graco stroller that the car seat clipped into. This was especially nice before Eli could reliably hold up his gigantic head because he could recline in the car seat while in the stroller. There are much more expensive systems with many more features but Graco effectively served our needs.
- Car Mirror: We received this as a gift and it’s been fantastic to be able to interact with Eli in the car. Plus there’s the added bonus of Eli always getting to hang out with that nice baby in the mirror whenever we’re driving. 🙂 Some brands have lights on the edges to allow the mirror to be used at night; ours doesn’t have it and I haven’t missed it. Ours is similar to the Brica Baby In-Sight.
- Umbrella Stroller: Our really nice stroller has been great for long hikes and long days, but for quick trips out and about I haven’t been able to beat the cheap umbrella stroller my parents bought us.
- Chimes: I bought some of these partially because I liked the sound so much. They’re very peaceful-sounding, and I recommend them.
- Baby Carrier: We were given a beautiful handmade ring sling, a Moby, and an Ergo with the infant insert. I used the sling a lot when Eli was first born and he would snuggle right into it. I tried to use the Moby several times but couldn’t get the hang of it (and PPD took all of my stick-to-it-iveness) so I eventually gave up. But the Ergo was easy to use and has been great for me, even with my back problems.
Playing
- Sophie: Sophie is the best. I don’t know what it is about her, but she rocks. Yes, it’s a $25 teether. Even so, register for one. Babies love Sophie.
- Board Books: I’ll do a post soon on the board books that have been our favorites.
- Toys: Now is your chance to get all of those cool toys that you’ve played with at other people’s houses that you secretly wanted. For me, the Manhattan Toy Skwish was quite high on that list. Also on the list: the Oball rattle, the Haba Color Snake, the Haba Magica rattle, anything with The Very Hungry Caterpillar on it, crazy building blocks… Baby toys are so fun!
- Playmat/Activity Gym: I was lucky enough to find the coolest playmat ever on Craigslist, from a collection that Carter’s did years ago based on illustrations by John Lennon. Eli liked it. I’m sure that any activity gym would be great. Skip Hop has some really great ones but they’re significantly more expensive than the ones by Infantino, Fisher Price, Bright Starts and the like.
- Exersaucer/Swing/Bouncy Chair: Everyone swears by one or more of these. Eli loved his vibrating chair for about two weeks and then he hated it. Sometimes he liked his swing but mostly he didn’t. The exersaucer we borrowed from a friend was our biggest hit. Basically what I’m saying is borrow these or get them used, because they’re expensive and every kid is different.
- Teethers: Gel-filled ones. Pacifier shaped ones. Rubbery ones. Just register for a bunch because the child will use them all, along with things like the coffee table, your fingers, and their own sleeves.
- Activity Table: We borrowed this from a friend as well and Eli can’t get enough of it. I keep thinking that surely it’s gotten old but he still loves it.
- Blocks: We have wooden blocks and BPA-free plastic blocks. The dog likes to eat the wooden ones so Eli gets to play with the plastic ones more often.
- Linking Rings: There are a wide variety of these. Just register for whichever ones you like. They come in handy for attaching things to strollers, diaper bags, baby carriers, car seats, etc.
Bathing
- Hooded Towel: These are a necessity because babies’ heads get cold very quickly after bath time. This 3 Sprouts chicken towel is one of my favorites – Eli has a towel I got at a garage sale but I’m sure if I really loved him he would have a chicken towel. Or maybe a warthog towel. Or a walrus one. (Seriously, click on that link. AWESOME.)
- Thermometer: Eli has a rubber duck with a temperature indicator on it. I think it says “HOT” way before it should. But it’s a good thing to have.
- Toys: The Skip Hop Dunck birds are great. As are the Boon Odd Ducks.
- Inflatable Bathtub: A friend gave us one of these and it was awesome. Plus it doubles as a kiddie pool in the summer AND it doesn’t take up space when you aren’t using it.
Clothing
- Onesies: Gerber onesies are pretty cheap but I found them to run quite small. Carter’s onesies are slightly pricier but tend to be true to size. Hanna Andersson onesies are expensive but have two sets of crotch snaps so they’ll last longer.
- Robeez: Eli can’t get these off, they fit over the top of footed pajamas and thick socks, and they’re great to help him get traction on all surfaces. They are fantastic.
- Leggings/BabyLegs: BabyLegs are great to wear as layering pieces, especially in the spring and fall when babies tend to have gaps between their pants and their socks. I recently got Eli a couple of pairs of DoodlePants leggings and wish I would have gotten them earlier.
- Newborn & 0-3 Month Sizes: Don’t register for these. You’ll get plenty of them as gifts because they’re so adorable and tiny and babies don’t fit in them for very long!
Diapering
- Disposables: A friend recommended the Target store brand to us and they have been the second best that we’ve tried. My favorites are the Seventh Generation Free & Clear diapers. They’re significantly pricier than the Up & Up Target brand but they work so well. (The Seventh Generation wipes, on the other hand, are worthless.) Even if you decide to do cloth diapers, you’ll need newborn disposables until the baby passes all of his/her meconium. It’s also smart to keep some around in the event that you forget to do the diaper laundry. Naturally I’m not speaking from experience about this.
- Cloth: We decided to do cloth diapers because it is cheaper in the long-run. (The environmental impact is actually about the same as disposables because of the detergent and water usage.) We registered for prefolds and covers but if money wasn’t an object we would’ve gone with AIO’s. Update: Cloth diapering didn’t last as long as we had hoped because of Eli’s frequent rashes when using them. So we’d have to switch to disposables while the rash cleared up, strip the diapers (a long and involved process), switch back to cloth, and repeat ad nauseam. After two or three times through this cycle we just gave up. If we ever have another, disposables it is.
- Wet Bag: Register for a couple of small wet bags, as they are great for babies’ frequent clothing changes while out and about. If you’re cloth diapering, have a small one for the diaper bag and a large one to keep dirty diapers in at the house.
- Diaper Bag: Regular diaper bags are handy but a backpack or large purse works well too.
- Diaper Pail/Bags: We got a Safety 1st Easy Saver pail because it works with standard trash bags as well as with standard large wet bags.
- Wipes: I made my own cloth wipes out of flannel scraps. When we use disposables we use Huggies Natural Care wipes.
- Detergent (if cloth diapering): Rockin’ Green makes a great CD detergent, but plain old regular powdered Tide works nicely too.
- Diaper Cream: Boudreaux’s All Natural Butt Paste has worked best for us when Eli’s been in disposables. In cloth diapers, we like Thirsties Booty Love.
- Toilet Sprayer: You don’t need a special diaper one (although we have one and it works great). Any bidet attachment from a hardware store will do the trick.
Miscellaneous
- Temporal Thermometer: I really wish we had one of these!
- Nail Clippers
- Nasal Aspirator
- Gripe Water
- Infant Acetaminophen/Ibuprofen
- Homeopathic Ear Drops
- Monitor: We bought the cheapest monitor on the market to use on vacation. Otherwise our walls are paper-thin so we haven’t had to use it much. I do have friends with the super high-tech video/audio monitors and they love them.
- Childproofing & Safety Stuff: Register for some outlet covers and some cabinet latches. Everything else you may or may not need and should just buy along the way.
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