Baby Registry Re-Do: What You Actually Need!

When I got married I was so excited to register for items, partly because I’m an inner grandma and love dishes, and partly because you get to choose tons of awesome stuff you would never ever buy for yourself. So when it came time for my baby registry, I was excited to get started…….until I realized picking out items to care for a child is not even remotely close to deciding what color sheets you want or what brand of pans you’d like!

Seriously?! Who thinks it is a good idea to send people who have no idea what they are doing into a baby store. There is nipple cream, butt paste, 12 different kinds of bottles, travel system strollers, infant seats, convertible seats – it is the most overwhelming process!

At least with my wedding, I had used a pan before so I had some idea what I was looking for. But a stroller? Absolutely no clue. I swear at one point we had the tester seat locked in the wrong direction.

I have this genius idea that we as new parents should be allowed a ‘registry re-do’ that takes place after baby gets here, when you have semi figured out what you are doing and what you actually need! Because, lets be honest, the pamphlet they hand you at the baby store with the checklist is crazy. I’ll admit, I followed it at first. But all that it left me is a screaming baby covered in a puke with “2-4 swaddle blankets, 2-4 wearable blankets, and 4-8 receiving blankets” to clean it all up.

Since I doubt my ‘registry re-do’ is going to become a common thing, I’ve created my registry re-do list to hopefully guide parents-to-be and new parents down a better path when it comes to baby gear:

1. The Diaper Bag: Oh I love diapers bags – the cute prints, monograms, purse styles, endless options. My cousin warned me, but down the path I went with a side carry black monogrammed bag. Real cute UNTIL you’re hauling a stroller, a baby, a purse, and who knows what else and you have this giant thing hanging off your hip. A public bathroom stall? Good luck with that. Enter plain black backpack. You can carry it, your husband can carry it, you can bend over, stand up, put something over your shoulder zip everything up. It’s life changing, trust me.

2. Car-Seat Mirror: Something you never know you need until you’re driving down the highway and your baby hasn’t made a peep in quite sometime and you start questioning if they’re breathing: Did they choke?! Is something covering their face that you can’t see because they’re rear facing!! Backseat mirror: get one.

3. Diaper Pail: This is something my mom and I battled over! She could not imagine why people can’t just use a normal trash can and wondered at the need to spend all that money on a fancy pail with special bags, etc. etc. Well, a year later we know why: an open top plastic trash can does you zero favors when it comes to containing the smell that comes from the diaper of that little being. I ended up going with an Ubbi Diaper Pail because you use the same trash bags as you would throughout your house, so it was just one expense up-front.

4. Burp Clothes: The all purpose tool. Heck if you don’t want to buy them cut some fabric and make your own, but these little gems are essential. And unless you want your washer and dryer to physically tap-out, I say the more the better. Spit-up? Boom. Food puke? Got it. Leaking milk? Easy Cleanup. Bad diaper change? Yep. They come in handy for everything. I personally love the Aden + Anais Burpy Bibs as I’m now utilizing them as bibs for my almost two year old, but there are tons of options and great patterns online to meet your personal preference.

5. Booger Sucker: A). Take the one home they give you at the hospital, maybe try and swindle the nurse into giving you an extra. The ones in the store are not nearly as good. Which leads me to part B). Nothing is nearly as good as the kind you suck out for them. As a new parent the thought of my mouth sucking out someone elses booger disgusted me – at 3a.m. the first time your kid has a meltdown because they can’t figure out why they cant breathe MIRACLE TOOL. We went with the Nose Freida, but there are more options out there.

6. Stuff for Mom: I registered for NOTHING for myself, having someone else buy nipple cream or bags to store my milk… oh the horror. Well, I will tell you what is more horrifying – the bill at the store when you have to buy nursing bras, bags, nipple shields, breast pads, valves for your breast pump you stepped on in the middle of the night. Do not be afraid to include yourself – you are what takes care of baby.

7. Baby Clothes – I luckily did not have this problem as we never found out the gender. So I came out ahead with just a bunch of white side-snap onesies (ah-mazing) in different sizes. But I have heard from other mommas that you need to be careful of the clothes on your registry. Regardless of what you check, Great Aunt Sue is still going to buy the onesie with the little puppy dogs on it she thinks is just the cutest little thing. Use those registry spots to make up for stuff that you don’t or can’t buy for yourself.

8. Stuff for when they’re bigger: Admit it, we all love teeny shoes, itty-bitty diapers, little pacifiers, and tiny clothes. Well, what about when that kid is one, or two? Go ahead register for some plates, silverware, sippy cups, and size 18m clothes. Trust me, they go through the bitty stuff MUCH faster than you could ever believe, and then you’re standing there with a 9 month old in the two 18m size shirts you actually own, and Amazon Prime-ing more sippy cups and spoons, because the thought of having to wash the two you have for the 5th time that day is just too much.

What are some items you can’t live without, or something you have now that you had no idea you needed? I’d love to know!