One might suggest that you don’t need anything for a newborn except diapers, milk, and a few onesies… but I’d argue there are a handful of things that will make your life much easier with a baby.
This informational campaign comes to you in partnership with the Stark County Community Action Agency.
Creating a baby registry and researching what to add was such a fun experience for me! Not everyone loves it, though. When my friends got pregnant they dreaded the idea of a registry and begged me for a list of all the things I’d requested. I was more than happy to oblige, and I add little notes along the way. And now you can benefit from my registry list, too! Check out a few items that I recommend over and over again!
11 Must Have Baby Registry Items
Creating good sleep habits with your baby will become a necessity. They need sleep and you need sleep. We found a lot of success with the Ollie Swaddle. It can be used before and after your baby is able to roll. We also loved and still use our Yogasleep Hush portable sound machine. It has a few different white noise sounds and the battery lasts all night long!
These Munchkin snack cups are wonderful for little hands and clumsy babies. We still use ours! They are easy to fill, easy to clean, and easy to use!
We didn’t go this route, but I’ve heard wonderful things from those who tried out the Babylist Bottle Box. Parents are able to try different times of bottles and nipples to find the best one for their baby. Fun fact- when our daughter was 3 months old so suddenly started refusing her bottle. After trying different formulas and searching for a missed lip or tongue tie, we realized it was the bottle that she hated. Fortunately, we had another brand in the house we could try and that fixed the problem immediately. Having these different bottles in the house might help you trouble-shoot down the road!
You’re going to remember to add a crib, car seat, clothes, etc. to your registry, but don’t forget these often overlooked items:
- Disposable nursing pads (if you plan to pump or breastfeed)
- A baby mirror for the car (if over time you find that your kiddo gets carsick, try removing the mirror)
- A cozy, quiet, quilted mattress cover to keep the ick off your crib mattress
- A rinsing cup for the bathtub
- It’s gross, but this nose sucker is AMAZING for removing pesky boogers and snot from your little one’s nose
- Diaper rash, dry skin, and scraped knees were all solved with this ointment
Another pro parenting tip? If your nursery is on the other side of the house or on a different level, consider keeping a changing station in the living room/where you most often hang out. At first we were able to use the included changing station attachment on our pack ‘n play, but when we folded that up, we were without a table. We ended up buying a changing table with shelves for books and a bin for stuffies- and it fit in perfectly with the living room decor until our daughter was out of diapers!
Audrey Mattevi
Reporting