So you've gotten the good news that you're expecting your first little one! Congrats, you're going to love being a mom. Seriously. But let me guess that right now you're a mess of emotions and queasiness? I get it. I've been there. 
I remember stepping foot in Babies"R"Us for the first time and leaving with big crocodile tears streaming down my cheeks. I wanted to make the right decisions about what to buy, but I had no clue what was needed. What should I buy used? What could I borrow? My goodness, how in the world do I choose which bottle is right off of the huge bottle wall?? Do I even need bottles if I'm going to breast feed? Oh no, here comes the emotion...
I had a sweet friend who is a few years older sit me down and with a pen and paper I wrote out all of her suggestions. I read a bunch of books and combined it all together (with lots of tweeking after my babies were born) to come up with this list.
I hope it's helpful. Clearly, your preferences will be different than mine, but if you want an experienced mom's honest opinion, don't even think about registering for that wipes warmer and head over to the stuff you'll actually use. I've dished it all on the list. Pass it on to your girlfriends, they will thank you (mine have!)
And relax, you're going to be a great mom!
If you're interested in how to organize all of these things, check out my post all about how I tamed the baby clutter. Feeling like your little one needs a homemade paci clip, two-sided burp cloth or hanging crib toy organizer? You'll find all the tutorials here.
And shameless as it is, I have to put in a plug for my Etsy shop... I'd be thrilled to paint some nursery artwork for you that matches your bedding perfectly!
Thanks Sarah! We've been stressing over this and it's been great to hear from a few other moms what they recommend so we don't end up missing something or buying stuff we just don't need. Hope you guys are doing well!
ReplyDeleteGreat list but I must say, as a mother of 5 (all 6 years and younger) some of the quantities listed for different items is way too many. I think you say 10 light weight blankets? Maybe if you don't do laundry often at all or have a baby who has reflux. I'd recommend only buying a few of each of those types of items and then getting more if you feel like you just never have enough. Oh, and they no longer recommend alcohol on the umbilical cord anymore. In March when our baby was born they had us do it in the hospital but after that our pedi said no to, that studies show it heals better left alone. March of Dimes backs this, too.
ReplyDeleteI knew this would be a hot button topic! :) (I've gotten a lot of feedback on Pinterest too.)
ReplyDeleteWe'll all have our own opinions about things of course, but that's what was so amazingly confusing for me when I was a first-time mom... there were just so many conflicting opinions out there and I needed someone to shoot straight with me.
Obviously you'll want to change this list to fit the needs of your family, but I hope it serves as a good starting point. All you really NEED is love and God's grace, but these are the products I've used and loved... maybe for the next baby we'll get an Ergo though ;)
What are your favorite items? Did I leave something off?
I'll comment again, if ya don't mind :)
ReplyDeleteWith our 5th baby, my latest new baby product has been the Fisher Price Snug-a-Bunny. It is a little bassinet that keeps baby at a slight angle while sleeping and is safe to use during the night.
I don't know about everyone else but my kiddos never liked laying flat as newborns so when I spotted this at Target shopping for other things, I didn't think twice. Our little Ella sleeps great in it!
The only thing I could think to change would be the thermometer. Temporal thermometers are very affordable now (Costco has one!) and much easier to use :) Love the list though! Too bad you couldn't give a list if cloth diapers were chosen instead of disposables
ReplyDeletethis is amazing! as a first time mom and getting ready to start the daunting registry task it's amazing to have a list like this out there for a good starting point! thank you!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! I will share it with pregnant friends.
ReplyDeleteI am curious about the shoe sizes. My daughter is 9 months old and wears a size 2. The sizes you listed seemed different than what I find in stores. Either that or my girl has tiny feet!
Before I had my baby I didn't understand baby clothing sizes and went to the hospital with only one outfit in newborn size. The rest were 0-3 months. My baby was 7.4 and went down to about 6.6. The 0-3 month outfits were HUGE on her! She wore newborn clothing for 7 weeks until she was over 8 pounds. I somehow didn't realize how little newborns are so it would have been helpful if someone had told me that she would in fact need to wear newborn size. I was really unprepared when it came to newborn clothing!
I noticed on your list that you said newborn clothes fit up to 17 inches I work on the post partum floor in the hospital and the smallest babies are 18 inches most are 20-22 and The weight is also a little off most newborn clothing can fit at babies that weigh up to 8lbs 6oz. Not a huge difference but I wouldn't want new moms to believe that they can't use their newborn clothing :) otherwise great list
ReplyDeletePlease don't recommend that your readers use Baby Bjorns. Those are known as "crotch danglers" and cause serious issues with hip dyplasia and muscle tone. Recommended carriers include the Ergo, Boba, Beco, etc. Baby Bjorn, Infantino, and Snugli are serious no nos and should be pulled from the market.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such a great list! I have adapted it to fit my needs but it was a great starting point! This isn't my 1st baby but since my daughter is 5 yrs old & we are expecting a boy, I have had to kinda start from scratch!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I found your blog via pinterest and feel some relief. I just found out and started freaking when I realized we have NOTHING for a baby and have no clue what to get. Pb kids for overwhelming really quickly! Thank you again!
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ReplyDeleteThe products are strangely specific... There are much healthier/non-toxic options than Johnson & Johnson (babies don't need body wash or shampoo in the first place! Water is fine).
ReplyDeleteBabyBjorns are not good for hip development. A carrier's fabric should extend to their knees, and the knees should be held higher up than the baby's bum.
Alcohol for the umbilical cord is outdated advice (the downfall of using "experienced moms" for a registry list?). It actually prolongs the drying & falling off time. Nothing needs to go on the umbilical cord.