Congratulations!
Building a registry can be overwhelming, to say the least. I'm here to give my thoughts from the perspective of both a mom of two and also a children's store owner. My personal experience as well as customer trends and feedback has helped guide my knowlege on what baby products are must haves, nice to haves and leave them behinds :)
A few thoughts before we begin.. a philosophy in our store is to keep things simple and we feel the same way about parenthood. Baby marketing is intense and sometimes confusing. My hope here is to guide you through products that I think are (mostly) necessary and have been practical in our life. I'm linking to products we use and love or products that come highly recommended by others.
Also, try not to over-do it on your registry. More things will mean more chaos in a time that's already overwhelming. Get to know baby, find out how you parent. You can always go back and order things you're finding you need as time goes on.
Let's dive in!
How to register with Chicke:
If you build a registry with Babylist you can add items from any website. I highly recommend this over an Amazon or store specific registry so that you can register from small or independent shops. Add the "add to Babylist" button to your browser to make it easy to build a registry from any site.
Nursery
Blankets: A few muslin swaddles are a must. They have so many uses - swaddling, a light cover, lay it on the ground, clean up the spit up.. always keep one or two in your diaper bag.
I love the quality and prints of the Pehr swaddles.
Stretch swaddles are great for sleep swaddling. Kyte Baby makes a good quality stretch swaddle.
Make sure to register for a few larger blankets or quilts. Even now well into toddlerhood we use our blankets for car trips, couch snuggles and so much more. A few of my favorites are the Mellow Blanket by Garbo & Friends, Mebie Baby Quilt and Clementine Kids quilts and swaddles.
Clementine Kids Quilt
Swaddles and Sleep Bags: Babies should not sleep with loose blankets and so sleep bags have become a common way to keep littles warm at night.
Our hospital systems send baby home with a Halo brand swaddle and we really liked this one for arms in swaddling. It felt snug and secure and the price point was right for keeping several on hand - those first few weeks can get messy.
Kyte Baby sleep bags are a customer favorite for keeping baby warm once they are no longer swaddled. They range from newborn size (if you decide not to arms in swaddle) up to about 3 years. They vary in weight (warmth) and come in a huge variety of colors and patterns. We have had no trouble with quality and have used the same as hand me downs for several years now with no special care. *We usually use the 1.0tog all year long.
Sound Machines:
The Hatch Rest does it all. It is a nightlight, clock, sound machine and okay to wake clock and more. We use this sound machine from birth, adding in the nighlight feature around 2 years and eventually the "okay to wake" feature.
** Although this product has a nightlight feature I recommend something different for those early on night feeds.
I find it easier to have something next to the bed that I can turn on and off with a tap. This nightlight is very popular for night feeds.
The Hatch Go is a must have for on the go. It's a portable sound machine that clips to the car seat or stroller to keep baby happy (and asleep) on the go.
The Baby Shusher is another amazing product that I couldn't live without. Unlike a white noise machine this mimics a rhythmic "shush" that puts my babies to sleep almost instantly. It does have a timer that runs in smaller increments so it isn't meant to be used all night long. I always have it on hand for car seat and stroller rides. It's magical during the evening witching hours too :)
Crib: We have had two nurseries set up at once with 2 under 2. There are so many crib options out there and I'm here mainly to say that a crib doesn't have to be expensive if you don't want it to be. We use the $119 Ikea crib for my younger son and I love it! It's held up amazing and doesn't have any of the bite marks that my older son's white crib has (mom's know). That being said, we also loved the white crib to match our nursery decor and it is a 4 in 1 meaning that it converts to a toddler bed and full size bed.
Bassinet: I have similar thoughts on bassinets. Bassinets are a safe flat surface for baby to sleep and most of the differences are in aesthetics not function. Here are a few at different price points that I like.
1. Portable Bassinet: We moved our babies into their own rooms at 3 weeks. That's just what worked for us. For that reason, I'm glad we went with a bassinet similar to this one (although we didn't know at the time that we would use it for that short time)
3. Happiest Baby Snoo: The Snoo is an exception to my bassinet thoughts because it does function differently by soothing baby to help get longer stretches of sleep. Many people will tell you not to get baby hooked on the movement and many will say they couldn't live without it. I'm here to say you should do whatever you think is best for you. We have never used the Snoo but we plan to for any future babies :) You can likely purchase one second hand to save on cost.
Bedding: You will go through a lot of crib and bassinet sheets. Register for a few and cut down on laundry! I love the muslin crib sheets from Little Unicorn. Any standard bassinet sheet will work well too.
Changing pad cover (with matching crib sheet)
Changing Table: Use an simple changing pad and put it on the dresser :) Don't forget the changing pad cover!
Rocking Chair/Glider: We LOVE our glider so much that we bought one for each nursery. It's a great size, reclines and glides and is super comfy - we spent many many nights rocking our second born :)
Baby Monitor: We like having a monitor that is NOT connected to our phone. As with most baby things, we like to keep it simple. We've had luck with this Infant Optics baby monitor and now have 2 cameras connected with the ability to scan back and forth between rooms.
Transportation
Strollers: I could do a whole blog post on strollers (and probably will) but for this post I'll keep it short and sweet.
I have a few simple thoughts on strollers.
1. If you think there's a chance of having more than one child within a few years time - buy the double stroller. You're going to save yourself money and hassle in the long run.
The UPPAbaby VistaV2 is by far the customer favorite. With the ability to be used as a single and grow into a double (with the ability to have a third ride on) you will get years of use out of this full size option.
*A personal note on the Mockingbird double stroller. I get a lot of questions about this stroller. We own a Mockingbird but I do not sell them at Chicke. It has been an ~okay~ stroller. We have had a few pieces break and it has been recalled for safety (more about that here). I think it's a fine stroller option and for us it has worked well enough but I the quality has not lived up to a standard that I would like to carry in our store at this time.
2. If you're confident that you won't need a double, or if you live in a small space - a compact or travel stroller may be the way to go.
The MINU from UPPAbaby is a popular choice. With adapters to attach an infant car seat, bassinet, snack tray and piggyback glider it has many of the functions of the full size stroller in a more compact footprint.
Nuna has several compact options that are popular in this category. Personally, I don't have a lot of experience with Nuna strollers but I do know they are worth looking into in this category.
UPPAbaby VistaV2
Car Seats: Your choice of infant car seat will be largely be based off of the stroller that you choose. Other factors that will come into play are price, weight of the seat and features.
Before I dive in, let's do a quick description of convertible car seat versus infant car seat. A convertible car seat stays in the car and can be used from birth until about 5 years whereas an infant car seat clips in and out of the car and can be used from birth for about 1 year. Infant car seats are popular because of the convenience of getting baby from the car to the stroller (or anywhere) without taking them out of the car seat.
As I mentioned above, we have a Mockingbird double stroller and Mockingbird does not make a car seat. Therefore, we had several brands to choose from that were compatible with the Mockingbird stroller via an adapter. We chose a MaxiCosi because the price was right during a large sale :)
If I were purchasing a stroller brand that also had a car seat I would likely purchase within the same brand. The MesaV2 and MesaMax are the UPPAbaby brand car seat and are very popular choices when purchasing the VistaV2 double stroller. UPPAbaby just announced the Aria car seat which is now the lightest car seat on the market.
If for another reason you prefer different car seat and stroller brands there are usually adapters that can be used to make them compatible. Take the cost of these adapters into account.
Rotating car seats are very popular right now. Personally, I find this to be an amazing feature on a convertible car seat although I've never had one and have gotten by just fine. I'll link a few from MaxiCosi, Nuna, Cybex and Baby Jogger here.
Diaper Bag:
(and what to put in it)
I love a backpack diaper bag that has a mix of style and function. Most of our leather and vegan leather backpacks have all the bells and whisltels a diaper bag "should have". Personally, I've always stuck with something a bit more simple like the backpack from Sticky Lemon. My kids each use these for school and I use either the mini or full size version as a diaper bag and travel bag.
Gathre mats clean off with a wipe. Or the hose, or the ocean, or really whatever you've got—because no one needs more laundry. Made to be used anywhere you want to add beauty and lessen mess. The Micro Mat is the perfect on the go changing pad.
Pacifiers: My only advice is here is buy several before baby is born! Both of my kids had strong preferences and the ones provided in the hospital were not it for them. My oldest took to the Tommee Tippee right away while my younger son preferred the MAM. Make sure to buy the smallest size and then size up appropriately!
*don't forget the pacifier clip!
A few other things to keep in the diaper bag: Burp cloths, a swaddle, pacifiers, a few toys, a mini diaper rash applicator.
Gathre Micro Mat
Health and Safety
The Nose Frida - another must have. We have tried the manual and electronic version and my advice is save your money. We have gotten almost no use out of more than one electronic brand.
Bathing: We love the Puj flight for the first few months. It fits comfortably in the sink, wipes dry, folds clean and can be stored in our linen closet or under the sink.
When baby can nearly sit on their own we like the Munchkin Sit & Soak. This is still a countertop option and although it doesn't store as easily - I prefer storing this to leaning over the bathtub :) I've also heard great things about the Frida Baby tub.
When baby is sitting comfortably on their own we move to the bathtub with no other contraptions.
Bath Soap: Dabble and Dollop makes a fragrance free infant wash. We also love their scented bath soap for our older babies and toddlers.
Tubby Todd All Over Ointment. This stuff is the best. We use it on the whole body while baby is an infant and as toddlers we use it on the face only (we transition to a thinner lotion for the body unless we are dealing with exzema). The pricepoint is fairly high but a little bit goes a long way and it really does last.
A few more things to make sure you have on hand before baby arrives.
- Thermometer - We have had luck with this forehead thermometer. I prefer forehead over ear because it's easier to check while baby/child is sleeping if needed. *Note* It's recommended to take infants temperatures rectally so it's helpful to keep this type of thermometer on hand for those first few months.
- Boudreaux's Butt Paste - This has knocked out diaper rash faster and better than any other brand cream we've tried.
- Diaper Rash Cream Applicator - a must! Keep one in every bag and every room
Feeding
This is a warning that most of this section is going to be my thoughts on why you don't need many of these products :) Specifically in the feeding category I feel that there are a lot of gadgets marketed to make your life easier when in reality they are adding to clutter, dishes and expense.
Bottles: Speaking from personal experience and also our pediatrician recommendation, Lansinoh and Dr. Browns are two very popular bottle choices. If you plan to bottle feed or combination feed, it's worth trying a few brands to see which baby does best with. A simple tip - the more a bottle nipple looks like a boob the less optimal it is for latch.
*A note on sterilizing. We sterilize using boiling water before bottles are used the first time and then we do not sterilize again. If this is something that is important to you then you may be interested in purchasing a bottle sterilizer. Don't feel pressure to buy one because you're "suppose to". This is a product that isn't necessary for us.
If you plan to formula feed you may have heard of the Baby Brezza formula dispenser. This is another product that we have not felt the need to purchase. Cost and counter space were a factor for us using something like this simple tool.
I have the same thoughts on baby food processors and bottle warmers. Don't feel pressured to buy it because it's "easy" but if it feels like the right fit for your lifestyle it may be the right choice. In terms of the bottle warmer, I'm a huge fan of baby drinking room temperature milk - breastmilk or formula. When we exclusively pumped we heated milk bags or bottles in a mug of hot water. For formula we just use room temperature water. Having a baby that doesn't have a temperature preference (if possible) makes bottle feeding outside the home much easier.
Nursing: Of course there aren't many supplies required for nursing but a few good nursing bras are a must. I love a simple pull over style for easy access. Kindred Bravely and Auden from Target are my favorite.
Pumping: There are so many options for pumping and I haven't experimented with enough to give a full review here. My main thought here is to make sure to register for a manual pump if pumping is something you're considering, either alongside nursing or exclusively.
With my first I exclusively pumped for almost a year and I used my Spectra S2 which was covered through our insurance. A few months in, the Spectra needed a new part and while waiting on that I got a manual to hold me over. Once I used it I rarely went back to the Spectra. I found the manual pump to be much more efficient (pulling more milk) and I preferred not to be attached to the wall.
If you're looking at hands free pumping options you can check out the Willow or Medela brands.
If you are nursing or pumping I'm a huge fan of the Haakaa milk collector. There are many ways to use it - for me I always collected the side that wasn't feeding and used that collection to start a freezer collection of milk.
Don't forget the milk collection bags!
Bibs: Bandana bibs like this one are great for drooling teething babes. For eating, I HIGHLY recommend the Bapron Baby Bib. The tie in the back and the lengh of the bib make it a game changer for neat-ish eating.
Burp Cloths: Grab a lot of these! I love having a few pretty burp cloths like the muslin ones from Garbo & Friends. The terry back burp cloths from Pehr are super absorbent and the perfect size for throwing over your shoulder. I also recommend grabbing a simple pack of white muslin cloths. We keep these in every nook in our house :)
High Chairs:
The Stokke Tripp Trapp has been a game changer for mealtime in our family. We don't have room for a stand alone high chair and so we put baby right at the table with the rest of us. We've found it to create good mealtime habits and keep baby feeling involved. The chair grows with baby well into childhood and so to us, it's worth it x10.
The Mini Mat from Gathre is a great option to keep the floor under the high chair clean. We also use it for tummy time in our carpeted rooms and we have one specifically for playdough play!
Before we purchased our Tripp Trapp we had a high chair that sat on our table chair like this one - the price is right. Another popular option that can be taken on the go is the clip on high chair.
Play
Don't overlook this category. There is a real opportunity here so provide your infant with developmentally appropriate toys to stimulate their senses and help build their foundation for play. You'll notice none of these toys have a light or battery. In my house, we tend to stay away from anything that plays "for the child" and stick to things that the child can play with. That's not to say that we haven't introduced the occasional noise making toy, but generally we've found that the more simple, the better the play. Another tip that leads me into a whole new post.. buy your plastic toys second hand :)
Anyway, here a few of my favorite infant toy brands.
WEE GALLERY:
As a graphic designer with a background in Chemistry, Botany and Zoology, Surya along with Dave who was a teacher, was fascinated by the idea of helping our baby’s brain develop by literally playing with visuals. We created a planet of animals, which were designed to entertain and educate, taking into account each stage of development.
Some of my favorites from this brand are the high contrast cards (did you know infants can initially only see black and white?), the crinkle toys and floor play mats.
Plan Toys is another favorite brand for infant toys. Plan Toys creates innovative educational toys for every developmental stage of childhood. They harken back to a time when toys weren’t made of plastic and love was put into every piece! Environmentally sustainable, Plan Toys products are made from non-chemically treated rubber wood and proprietary PlanWood in Thailand. Plan Toys incorporates thoughtful design and age-appropriate challenges to stimulate children's creativity, encourage healthy social interaction, promote natural learning and instill a sense of wonder.
A few others that our kids have loved.
Gear
I left baby gear for last because this category can be overwhelming. Baby marketing is aggressive and many companies want you to believe you cannot parent without their products. This simply isn't true. While many of these products offer convenience, that is nearly all they do. Please do not feel the need over purchase on gear.
Carriers:
I could not live without my Solly Baby wrap. Specifically for the first few months, this wrap offers a secure and comfortable place for the tiniest babies. Please do not be overwhelmed by the wrap. If my husband can use it to baby wear so can you :)
Another wrap that I love is the Happy Baby brand structured carrier. It was voted best light weight carrier of 2024. They now make a version where baby can face out - if I were to purchase another I'd purchase that one.
We also have the Infantino carrier because we wanted one that would face out (Happy Baby didn't have this option when we bought ours). It is not the most comfortable or easy to use but the price is inexpensive and we have gotten quite a bit of use out of it.
Other brands to consider: Ergo Baby, Baby Bjorne, Stokke.
Swing:
We have loved our Graco DuetSooth swing. We initially didn't set it up when our second was born thinking that we could cut down on gear and within weeks we brought it out. For us, it was a lifesaver during the evening witching hour. It is a fairly simple design and occasionally we take the swing seat off and use it as a rocker, say if baby is asleep and we're heading outside to play.
The 4Moms MamaRoo is a very very popular swing/soother. We have never used one but I have had more friends (and parents in the town Facebook group) say that their baby does not like it than any other product. Do with that what you will.. we're big fans of a traditional swing.
Bouncer: We did not have a bouncer with our first. That being said, I do think for our family it's now a must have. The Baby Bjorne bouncer has been amazing. I love that it folds flat and fits under our coffee table when not in use. Also, it's really light weight and can be moved around to a table, into the car to be used when visiting someone else's house etc. We do not have the toy bar that goes across but they do make one!
Activity Center: We have used an activity center and have also done without it. If you have the space I think they can be beneficial for a place to put baby safely where you know they can't move. (Not a walker) We have had one similar to this that was a hand me down from another family.
If aesthetically pleasing is more your thing this is a fun option.
We do not use a walker at our house but do have one at my moms. We like something that has toys built in and can be pushed like this one.
Play Yard:
We have never set up a permanent play yard. We don't have the space and don't find the necessity. That being said, we get a ton of use out of ours as a portable crib when we travel. We have a few really simple Graco Pack 'N Plays. Once our babies are well into toddlerhood we add a mattress insert for comfort.
If you plan to set one up in your home as a nap or play space I suggest getting something a little higher quality. The Remi by UPPAbaby is a popular choice as is the Guava Lotus Travel Crib and Play Yard.
The Slumberpod is a "tent" of sorts to give baby a dark and secluded place to sleep. It is placed over the crib or travel crib. We aren't the biggest travelers but we think it's worth every penny.
Floor Play Center:
I saved the best for last :) The only products in this list I really consider "must haves" are a carrier and someplace safe to set baby down - my preference is the Baby Bjorn bouncer. Beyond that I think many of these things are convenience items that will largely be based off your lifestyle and space available.
That being said, a floor activity center is an absolute must. Maybe this is a given but we didn't get one when we first had Jack! I think I stumbled upon a Skiphop play mat at TJMaxx and decided to give it a try. Our babies have spent so much time occupied on this mat - I can't say enough good things.
*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small income from your purchase. This has not affected the content in this list in any way.
