This past Christmas I received the most wonderful gift – I discovered that I was pregnant. My due date is September 1st but my OCD has kicked in and I’ve already started thinking about what baby essentials I’ll need to get for baby #2. I went back to my old baby registry checklist online (the internet is so wonderful sometimes) and really thought about what baby products were the most useful and which were my favorites. Lucky for me, I still have most of them, but I wanted to share my favorite baby registry products with you in case you haven’t come across these yet.
I am not going to go over any of the obvious items like strollers, bottles, burp cloths or baby monitors, but instead I want to focus on things that may not be top of mind yet can really help make your life a lot easier. I’ve listed them in the order of when you’ll need/use them from pre to post baby’s birth.
THE Pillow
Wrap your head, scratch that, your legs around this guy. And no it’s not actually a guy ‘cause by now you’ve probably already kicked him out of your bed. There are lot’s of full body pillows, but the Leachco Snoogle was my savior, especially during my third trimester. I would hug it to sleep every night because it helped support my hips, back, neck and my growing belly. This was definitely one of the best baby products on my baby registry and it allowed me to enjoy my last peaceful nights of sleep before my daughter was born.
Helpful Tip: Once the baby is born you can use it as a support or nursing pillow, especially after a C-section delivery.
Post-Partum Support Belt for the Belly
No matter how many sit-ups you do before or after giving birth, chances are you are going to be left with some baby blubber. Nursing and working out helped me lose a lot of weight quickly but I found this Post-Partum Support Belt was the only thing that helped shrink my belly. It not only helps support your back and stomach, it also has a “suck it in” effect that helps tone your stomach muscles. Please check with your doctor to see how long after giving birth you can start wearing it and whether it’s safe for you to wear both during the day and at night.
Helpful Tip: Buy a size smaller, so if you’re usually a Medium get a Small instead. I found that the tighter the fit the better it squeezed my belly down to its original size.
Baby Briefcase
Let’s face it, once the baby is here the only thing that will be organized is, well, nothing. This Baby Briefcase was not on my Baby Registry but was a gift from another Mommy. It helped me neatly organize all of my daughter’s documents that started to pile up after her birth – from her birth certificate, to hospital and immunization records as well as photos and other paper keepsakes. The briefcase comes pre-labeled and includes customizable tabs so you can organize to your liking.
Helpful Tip: You can also use this briefcase to document and organize your baby’s milestones. I did this in the form of short journal entries and then filed them by month.
Nipple Shield
Nursing is one of the most beautiful things I’ve experienced as a Mom, but it didn’t start this way. It can often be a frustrating or painful experience and anything that helps counts. A Nipple Shield can help when the baby doesn’t latch correctly causing painful sores and bleeding or when the baby doesn’t latch at all. It is simply placed over the nipple while the baby nurses. Many of my friends used this for the first month and once the baby was bigger and latched properly they transitioned out of it.
Helpful Tip: Add this to your hospital bag and take it with you in case you need it right away. My hospital didn’t provide one and I wish I had it my first few days as a nursing Mom.
Nursing Bra
I didn’t invest in a nursing bra until I realized how difficult it is to take off your shirt + bra with a screaming, hungry baby. Instead of having to unclasp your bra from the back, these bras allow you to unclasp just the cup with a simple click. Once you’re done nursing, attaching it back is super easy, even with one hand because your baby will likely be occupying the other hand. To me, most nursing bras look like “Grandma Bras” and that’s perfectly fine especially to wear around the house for comfort. Butttt, if you’re in the mood for sexy you can invest in a prettier one, like this one from Motherhood.
Helpful Tip: Get a supply of disposable nursing pads and insert in your nursing bra in case your breasts start leaking milk.
Humidifier
I like to call this gem the “hummm-idifier” because I found when my daughter was sick and stuffy it was the only thing that would humm her to sleep. I had purchased the Crane Humidifier because it had excellent reviews and I was pretty happy with it. Crane offers these in simple designs as well as fun animal designs like a cow, pig and frog.
Helpful Tip: Add a few drops of Eucalyptus Oil with the water to help open your baby’s sinuses even more. Please check with your pediatrician, mine gave me the “ok” before I tried it.
Crib Soother
If you don’t know, now you know. This was the best thing someone suggested for my registry and I used it until my daughter was 2. A Crib Soother is basically a more entertaining version of a crib mobile + night light that attaches to your baby’s crib. Most of them project lights/images, play music and have fun animals to entertain your baby until he/she falls asleep. My daughter loved falling asleep to the images displayed on her ceiling and the sounds that went along with it and it was like a ritual every night – she would get into bed and at first we, then later SHE would turn it on and listen to it until she fell asleep.
Helpful Tip: If you’re traveling or if your baby is sleeping over at someone’s house, take this along. It’s very easy to adjust on and off and I found it helped my daughter feel more comfortable and more at home.
Formula Dispenser
Shortcuts are a Mom’s best friend! This formula dispenser allows you to measure and separate baby formula into compartments. When you are out and about you can simply open each section and pour it in a bottle and mix with water, without having to measure and make a mess.
Helpful Tip: If you plan on nursing your baby, you can use this dispenser for your baby’s cereal powder instead or remove the separators and use it as a snack cup.
Fellow Mommies, if you have a list of baby must-haves or baby sure-to-loves, please comment below and let me know what they are!
