Registry Questions? What I actually needed.
Making a registry is kind of overwhelming. I definitely had no idea what the hell I really needed so hopefully this helps!
SNUGGLE ME ORGANIC
Baby Koa loves sleeping in the Snuggle Me so much! I’ve even caught my dog sleeping in it at night, ha! This lounger perfectly snuggles your little one, giving him the feeling of being hugged and comforted. The Snuggle Me is similar to the Doc-a-Tot, however, I prefer the Snuggle Me because of the soft material and the ability to change the cover. Don’t be alarmed by the warning on their site saying that a baby can not fall asleep in a Snuggle Me (I’m sure its just a legality thing on their end). My baby is asleep in this all day everyday and is perfectly fine!
UPPA BABY STROLLER
This stroller is beyond incredible. We were lucky enough to get this handed down to us, but I would definitely spend the money on it now knowing how amazing it is. This is a car seat and stroller seat all in one. The car seat clips out and then clips straight into the stroller. We also got the bassinet option and baby Koa loves it so much. He will sleep in there for hours. However, we know two families whose babies did not enjoy the bassinet so its definitely particular to the baby. If you could get the bassinet second hand I would recommend that!
HALO SLEEP SWADDLE SACK
As I’m sure you know, swaddling is the key to keeping your newborn calm. It is meant to replicate the feeling of feeling in the womb, tightly compacted and safe. Most swaddles are a piece of fabric that your meant to wrap your kid like a burrito, but Samy and I have struggled with the science behind a perfect swaddle so we have been using the Halo swaddle sacks instead and they’re amazing. These swaddle sacks zip your baby into a loose sack and then have two loose pieces on the side that wrap your babies arms in. The arm wrap has velcro that latches onto the sack allowing for a tight swaddle the whole night. Samy and I could never figure out how to keep a regular swaddle tight to withstand a squirmy baby all night long, so this was a life saver for us.
FAIRWELL CLOTHING
I’m not exaggerating when I say that these clothes are the softest material ever. When you have a newborn, you want to be sure that whatever you put on your babies skin doesn’t irritate them, and with Fairwell it’s as if your kid is swimming in buttery goodness. Every time I put Koa in a Fairwell piece I wish I had one of my own to wear.
BABY BJORN BOUNCER
This bouncer allows you to bounce baby by placing your foot at the end of the bouncer and softly pushing down with your foot. Babies love to be bounced, it comforts them and allows them to feel like their in the womb. The general rule of thumb for a newborn is to recreate the womb.
BOUNCE BALL
This should technically be a pregnancy purchase, but just incase you haven’t purchased one yet make sure you have it for when baby arrives! As I’ve said a few times already, babies want to feel like they’re in the womb, it was their home for 9 months! So anything you can do to recreate that will give you a calm baby, and bouncing is a big part of that. Anytime Koa feels a bit restless, we will hold him close to us and bounce on the ball. It instantly calms him down. Make sure you buy the correct size ball that allows for your knees to be slightly below your hips.
Keekaroo Peanut Changer
I love this changer because its so easy to clean! Your baby will be peeing and pooping all over the place, and this changer allows you to just wipe it all up with a wipe or paper towel or just stick it in the shower with you!
IKEA CHANGING TABLE
This changing table has a large surface on top to allow for you to have your Keekaroo Changing Pad on top along with all your diapers and wipes. I love this changing table because its cheap but also looks great. There is a lip that comes out giving you that extra space, but you have the capability to remove that lip if you no longer need to use this as a changing table. It doesn’t have great reviews on the Ikea website, granted it’s only two people who reviewed it and they’re complaining about putting it together (its Ikea… they never make it easy. But I put the whole thing together by myself while I was pregnant with no problems… soooooo…).
DAGNE DOVER DIAPER BAG
This diaper bag is good looking and beautifully made. We also have the backpack version which is wonderful. It comes with a changing pad, perfectly placed pockets, it fits most standard laptops and comes with clips for you to clip the bag to your stroller. Most diaper bags make you feel mega nerdy, these bags don’t! I’m obsessed.
ARTIPOPPE CARRIER
This carrier is one good looking carrier. The brand was nice enough to gift this to me and its been a favorite of Koa’s. I’m guna say it again… babies want to feel like they’re in the womb, and carriers are a great way to make them feel like they are. They’re close to your heart beat, the music that guided them for 9 months, and theyre wrapped into a little ball, just like they were when they were in your tummy. I call this a Kangaroo Sack. The only thing about this carrier is that its really thick and can get a bit hot for the baby on hot summer days. So when it’s hot out, I suggest a wrap (see below).
SOLLY BABY WRAP
This wrap is lightweight, breathable, and amazing. It takes a minute to get the hang of how to wrap it on you, but solly baby has a great instruction video that takes you through each step. I also love how this wrap is so easy to travel with because it just rolls up into a little ball, making it easy to bring everywhere!
STORQ NURSING BRA
This nursing bra has been my favorite clothing item. I wear it every single day. This bra makes nursing so easy because you just pull the bra over your boob to allow for baby to feed. It’s also beyond comfortable. I will definitely be wearing the bra even after I’m done breastfeeding. I do recommend buying some nursing pads to prevent leaking through the bra because I end up having to change my bra’s everyday since I don’t wear any pads.
The Obvious Essentials
Diapers - Get lots and lots of them. Coterie is great. They’re softer than generic diapers and soak up moisture better. They offer a subscription too!
Pacifiers - get a few different kinds because babies can be particular about which “nipple” they attract to
Bottles - same as the pacifiers in terms of buying a few different types. One thing to note about bottles (which I didn’t know) is that there are different sizes for the opening, so be sure to get bottles with the P (premie) or 1 size nipple opening to allow for less milk to flow through. Eventually baby will move up to 2 and 3. Read more here.
Burp Cloths - Ask for a lot of these (thanks to my friend Patrice for warning me before hand). You will go through a few of them a day. Koa doesn’t spit up hardly ever, but we use the burp clothes to dry off his bum after each diaper change. You want to be sure to have no moisture on the babies butt when putting on their fresh diaper because moisture creates diaper rash.
Baby Wipes - just like diapers, you will need a lot of these!
Bath Towel - Whenever you decide to start bathing your baby, you’ll need some soft bath towels. We love Burts Bees towels!
Nursing Pillow - sometimes you’ll want some support with holding baby while nursing and to rest your arms on something, so a nursing pillow is the way to go. I like this “My Brest Friend” pillow because it clips around your back, to allow the pillow to snug up on you without moving around.