Once upon a time . . .
There was a first-time mom-to-be who was so excited to be expecting a sweet little boy in just a few short months. She wasted no time obtaining her copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” once the shock of those two pink lines had finally set in.
Soon after, she began her baby binder. This binder was where things started to become “real.” The binder grew with clear sleeves stuffed with magazine clippings, furniture pamphlets, notes, fabric swatches, name lists, family trees, breastfeeding tips, paint colors, measurements, and monogram styles.
One section of the binder was devoted to baby gear and must-haves. This mom-to-be was determined to have the most helpful and necessary items for Baby that existed on the market at the time. She researched, read, Googled, and grilled friends for answers to her questions. Slowly but surely, she came up with a solid list of registry items and must-have baby gear.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, the aforementioned mom-to-be was me. I have tweaked this list multiple times over the years, now that I’m a mother of three!
MUST-HAVE Items for Baby’s First Year
- Infant car seat
- Diapers (newborn and up)
- Wipes
- Rock & Play sleeper
- Swing (Check out the mamaRoo!)
- Changing pad (I love the Peanut!)
- Boppy
- Bathtub (newborn to toddler tub with a little hammock for newborns is a must)
- Bassinet or equivalent (for your room with all of those late-night feedings)
- Bouncy Seat
- Aden & Anais swaddle wraps
- 1-2 packs of cloth diapers (great for burp cloths)
- 0-3 mos snap tee shirts
- 0-3 mos onesies (long-sleeved and short)
- Converter gowns with elastic bottoms (These make diaper changes super easy!)
- Pack & Play with changing area and bassinet
Other Useful Items
- Diaper Genie with refills
- Extra cover for Boppy
- Breast Pump (The Medela Pump & Style is fab!)
- Bottles (Buy a variety to find Baby’s favorite.)
- Storage/travel lids for whichever bottles you go with
- Pacifiers (Buy a variety to find Baby’s favorite.)
- Countertop drying rack
- Bumbo chair
- Bibs
- Play gym/mat
- Infant toys (Sassy and Infantino are really great brands.)
- Snap-N-Go Stroller (In case your “main” stroller is a behemoth and overwhelming to deal with solo. Snap-N-Go is lightweight and the infant car seat clicks right into it.)
- Convertible Car seat (For when baby outgrows the infant carrier.)
- Monitors (video, audio, or movement)
- Stroller
- Baby Carrier (I love my Ergobaby!)
- Hooded towels
- Baby washcloths
- Crib bedding, mobile, etc.
- Bath products (I love Mustela products.)
- Waterproof flannel pads (Great as a changing pad, and in the swing and bouncy seat in case of leaky diapers.)
- Mylicon gas drops
- Gripe Water
- Infant Tylenol/Infant Motrin
- Infant saline nasal drops
- Cool Mist Humidifier
- Thermometer
- Healthcare and grooming kit: nail clippers, nasal bulb syringe, medicine spoon, etc.
- What to Expect in the First Year the book
It’s a LOT of stuff, that’s for sure.
I hope you’ll find this list as useful as the dozens of friends who have asked me to share it with them over the years. Smile, take a deep breath, bring a friend or your better half, grab lunch, then tackle that registry. Make a day of it! Just think, this time next year you’ll be driving around in a car full of baby stuff . . . back to your house that’s even MORE full of baby stuff! Cheers to a happy pregnancy!
