Hi mamas and mamas-to-be!
I have been so excited to get this post written because I have spent WAY too much time researching products not to share my findings. I actually had so much to write in here, I decided to split this into two posts. For this post you will find travel gear, activity & gear, health & baby care, and nursery & sleep recommendations.
My research over these last few months has come from a variety of places:
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Friends who have had babies and shared with me their tried-and-true products
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Instagram polls, aka hearing from all of YOU
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Dedicated mom accounts on Instagram, such as @karrielocher & @safeintheseat
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My own internet research, reading reviews, and inferring my own thoughts from there
I have compiled a list of everything that is going to be on my registry, from baby bottles to swaddles to nipple cream and every single item in between. You definitely do not need ALL of these items, but that’s the beauty of it – you can go through my list and cherry pick just the things you think will be necessary for you and your fam! Of course, once I have our little dude in December 2021 I will be sure to update this post with my thoughts on the products that we have been using and loving (and those that I would take off the list).
For my own registry, I registered on Amazon because I am a Prime member and I knew returns would be super easy AND you can actually add items from any other stores onto your Amazon registry which I thought was great!
TRAVEL GEAR
Stroller – This is very much up to personal preference. We wanted a very active stroller and the Guava Roam stroller is a crossover between a jogging and a full-sized stroller, which seemed like a great fit for us. You can also get an adapter so that your infant car seat can clip into the stroller easily which we will use until he can sit in the stroller without a car seat.
Travel Crib – The Guava Lotus Everywhere Travel Crib had the best reviews and it comes in a very convenient little bag for easy travel. I think we will be using this a ton!
Stroller fan – Especially if you live in a warm climate (hello FL), this seems like a necessity.
Portable noise machine – This clips right onto your stroller or car seat for on-the-go naps.
Car mirror – This is great to have for your rear-facing babies to keep a safe eye on them while driving.
Toddler car seat – Once baby outgrows the infant car seat (which I believe is about 36 lbs for the one we got), we’ll switch him over to a toddler car seat. We decided on this Graco one for safety features, price point, and we also liked the look of it!
Infant car seat – We decided on the UPPAbaby MESA seat, which has amazing reviews. It will click right into our stroller as noted above.
ACTIVITY & GEAR
Play gym – The Lovevery play gym is on almost every registry I have seen.
Play mat – If you have a corner in your house with room for a play mat, it’s probably a good thing to get. We will probably get a gate at some point to go around the mat, but I know we have some time before he starts crawling so I’ll worry about that later.
Activity center – Another item that came recommended by friends, this activity center is a good place to put baby while you’re trying to get things done and you need them entertained.
Baby carrier – I registered for two carriers, the Solly Wrap and the BabyBjorn. Both have great reviews and you may just need one, but I do plan to use this a lot as I just think it will fit into my lifestyle very well.
Bouncer – The BabyBjorn bouncer was the most highly recommended, but there are SO many brands on the market and I just can’t imagine how much better one can be to others.
Shopping cart/high chair cover – If you plan to take your baby out and about often, this cover is a good way to protect them from germs.
CLICK FOR ACTIVITY & GEAR PRODUCTS
HEALTH & BABY CARE
Pacifiers – Similar to diapers and bottles, no two babies are the same. We got 4 different pacifiers to try and hopefully he’ll like a couple of them!
Pacifier clips – I just found some neutral, cute clips that had solid reviews to try for these.
Baby lotion – Earth Mama seems to be a great non-toxic brand, even though it’s slightly more expensive than others.
Baby basics kit – This includes the NoseFrida, NailFrida, Windi, DermaFrida and is a good baby basics kit to have on hand.
Baby nail file kit – After trying to cut our dog’s nails and accidentally making him bleed, we were hoping to not have to use nail clippers on a wiggly baby’s fingers either. Fortunately, this nail file kit exists which does not involve clippers of any kind!
