You are having a BABY! Here’s what you REALLY need!

The baby registry. For me – it was rite of passage. It made me a legit preggo person. This was happening. I was going to a MOMMY – finally! I clearly recall bounding (as fast as a person in the third trimester can really bound) into the store and signing up. They handed me “the gun” and we were free to magically zap all things we deemed necessary to raise that bundle of joy.  My husband and I stood overwhelmed at the shelves and shelves and shelves of STUFF.

But then, the baby really came. And I realized…that maybe – just maybe – all this STUFF isn’t totally necessary. For our house can only be so big and I was zapped in the REAL reality that MOMMY-HOOD didn’t mean stuff – it meant HER.  And I was reminded that many incredible mothers raise their children around the world with slings attached to their backs while they work the fields. If they could do it with out a wipe warmer – I could certainly lose some of this STUFF.

So, in my effort to pay-it-forward to my the Mommies that followed me (mostly cousins and dear friends), I decided to divide my list into 3 categories – COULDN’T HAVE LIVED WITHOUT VS. NICE AND APPRECIATED BUT NOT NECESSARY VS. DIDN’T REALLY NEED. This was safely stored for any soon to be Mommies in my Mommy – posse until this December when my hard drive “accidentally” got erased (I know, weep with me – still not over it).  So when a  co-worker asked for help in forming her own baby registry and I couldn’t access my list, I decided to recreate it. And if I was going to do that – then I should share it here, right?

So here it is!

What would you add or change? What did you love to use in raising your children?

THINGS I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT:

Pacifiers (don’t register for many until you know what your baby likes best)

Bottles (see above – ditto)

Diapers 

Swaddling wraps (velcro is an amazing invention)

Sleep sacks

Water proof crib mattress pad

Rocking chair (sweet memories made here my friends!)

A Great Breast Pump

A nursing cover

Hot/cold gel packs of nursing

Crib

Mobile (look for black/white/red contrasts. That’s all babies can see at first!)

Pack-n-Play (for traveling AND for actual playing!)

Changing station (but we suggest finding one that can be used after the baby is out of diapers. Ours is now a book shelf. The drawers underneath hold puzzles).

A monitor (the jury is out on if video is necessary. What do you think?)

Baby carrier (sling type or front/back carrier)

Highchair AND/OR Booster seat (the smaller the better! They take up less space and are easier to clean)

Car seat/stroller combo

Music player or Noise maker for nursery to aid in sleeping

Swing

Receiving blankets and burp cloths

Diaper bag

Bibs (love the plastic ones with wide front pockets)

Medical Kit including a good thermometer

Baby Wash and lotion and diaper cream

Baby Spoons

Books (you can NEVER have enough)

Baby Tylenol and Motrin

Baby gates (if you have steps)

Boppy Pillow

1-2-3 Just Play With Me  – what is this you ask? Click HERE (ask your mother-in-law for one – we ship for FREE!)

THINGS THAT WERE WERE NICE (AND I LIKED)  BUT NOT A NECESSITY:

Play mat

Bumbo Seat (esp. if you have a baby with reflux)

Umbrella stroller

Exersaucer

Bouncy Seat

Bottle warmer

Car seat cover (put this in the section below if you are lucky enough to live somewhere like Hawaii)

Sling or Backpack type diaper Bag (hands free for Mommy and not too girly for Daddy)

Crib skirt (you can’t really see it) and Crib Quilt (you never really use it)

Diaper and wipe case for diaper bag

Basket for diapers or wipes in a room other than nursery

Pacifier case (to keep clean)

Extra base for infant car seat (SUCH a pain to switch back and forth)

Baby bath tub or large sponge to lie on and make tub comfortable

Baby Food Maker (or blender/food processor)

Basinet or Co-sleeper  or Moses Basket (can also use pack-n-play)

Wash cloths and towels

THINGS I DIDN’T NEED:

Diaper Disposer (we found it just as easy to bag diapers and throw in the garage can, plus it was difficult to change the liners)

Wipe warmer

Small Plastic Baby Bowls (glass is healthier any ways)

Baby Bumper (outlawed in a few states due to risk of suffocation)

 Because this made me laugh 🙂