There’s SO much you need for your first baby, it’s crazy! Some things are essential, others are necessary for some but maybe not everyone, other things are wants, and some are simply wish list/nice to have items. This list is covering baby registry product recommendations I’m considering to be essential for our household.
Essential will vary by family, but hear me out on all of it so you can walk away from this article with as much information as possible. There’s a lot to know when expecting for the first time, but every bit of information people have shared with me about baby registry products has helped me make a more informed decision for our family.
Mockingbird Single to Double Stroller
This was a no-brainer. I’ve planned on getting a single to double stroller the second we started planning for kids. This one in particular was recommended by one of my good friends and 3-time mama. You can easily order a second seat for this stroller versus buying a new stroller entirely. It’s not just a money saver, but a spacer saver and how much easier is it strolling anywhere with one single width stroller in front of you?
Aside from it’s many functions and high quality, the modest price tag is what really attracted me to the Mockingbird Stroller. It compares to a lot of the really high end, expensive strollers but won’t break the bank. Plus, they’re conveniently available at Target!
MamaRoo 4 Seat
As the parent with a much more flexible work schedule, I’ll be the one primarily watching our girl during the workday. This mamaRoo 4 seat will be setup right next to my desk so we can keep each other company during the week.
The mamaRoo Seat 4 has five unique motion settings and is bluetooth capable. I can’t see us personally needing the bluetooth feature knowing she’ll always be close while I’m working, but if you’re trying to get some rest and she needs a setting switch just out of reach I can see where this would be an amazing perk!
Maxi-Cosi Coral XP Infant Car Seat
If you’re an Instagram friend, you may recall me sharing our Maxi-Cosi Coral XP infant car seat last month. We are extremely grateful to have worked with Maxi-Cosi, and to have been gifted such a quality, well-reviewed infant car seat. This is what baby girl is coming home in so it’s of the utmost importance that she is safe and secure.
This specific car seat comes in four different color options and is available at Target, Amazon (currently $100 off!), Pottery Barn and Buy Buy Baby.
Maxi-Cosi Minla High Chair
I was determined to find a modern and sleek high chair that didn’t compromise function, and this is it. I’m beyond impressed with the number of positions, heights, tray functions and capabilities this chair has, which is why it was an easy addition to our registry. The picture below is the Maxi-Cosi Minla High Chair in Essential Grey.
This chair comes in four different colors, all available here. If you prefer the Essential Graphite or Essential Blue, those are also available on Amazon.
Dr. Brown’s Baby Bottles
One of the key tips a mom friend shared with me is that you simply don’t get a lot of use out of smaller, 4 ounce baby bottles. Her tip was to register for all larger 8 ounce bottles because you can always fill them less, but once baby needs more than 4 ounces of milk or formula, those bottles are obsolete.
There were lots of Dr. Brown’s bottles to register for on Amazon and I adored these pink ones for baby girl. There’s other color choices and even size choices if you’re determined to have a few smaller ones on hand. She recommended having at least 7-8 bottles on hand because when her three littles were babies they went through at least 6 bottles a day and she always had enough.
Microwaveable Bottle Sterilizer
There are a LOT of sterilizer options out there, like, an overwhelming amount. The best advice I got from an Instagram friend was to get a microwavable bottle sterilizer, and here’s why.
If you get a stand alone, plug in bottle sterilizer, it’s going to be another item on your counter all the time. How often do you use your microwave anymore? For us, I know it’s maybe a couple times a week. With a microwavable bottle sterilizer you can store it in the microwave when you’re not using it and it’s one less thing to look at. Amazing!
Electric Baby Nail Trimmer
Recommended by a friend from college who now has her own little one, she absolutely loves this electric baby nail trimmer. She recently cut her little man’s nails too short and they bled, which is enough to spook any new mama. As such, she turned around to find a better solution to her clippers.
This electric baby nail trimmer is incredibly gentle; she knows because she tested it on herself first. Mama no longer has to worry about scaring herself or baby by cutting the nails too short. Comes in several colors on Amazon, too!
Extra Warm Baby Bath Towels
Another Instagram friend mentioned how badly her baby girl hated bath time. Her husband nor her could figure out why. They eventually realized baby girl was simply too cold afterwards, and once they bought thicker, warmer towels she was just fine!
She specifically called out Pottery Barn Kids’ Bath Towels for being really nice, so I went browsing their selection. This pink hooded kitty baby bath towel and this bunny hooded bath towel are both on our registry. The hooded baby bath towels are the ONLY way to go when they’re really little. Not only are they adorable, but they keep them extra warm so they don’t hate bath time because they’re cold.
A Few Different Sleep Swaddles
I have a number of swaddles on my registry because you truly don’t know what they’re going to like until they try a few. If you have the benefit of trying a few hand-me-down swaddles and then buying new when you know what they like, that’s ideal. However, with our first, we did not. We ended up loving the Halo SleepSack Swaddles though and she wore them well into being a 2-year old, basically as long as she could fit into them.
Now, with our second we had the benefit of trying a Love to Dream swaddle as a hand-me-down. That was fantastic coincidence because she LOVES these! She still wears them and has been sleeping through the night since about two months (FYI, we got REALLY lucky there, that’s not typical). There’s also the Magic Merlin sleep swaddle, which was an experienced mom friend recommendation, for 3-6 months. We have it now in the bubblegum pink color!
Touchless Thermometer
Another mom friend of mine with a now one-year old mentioned how hard it can be to get a good temperature reading on babies. She suggested a touchless thermometer like they have to make that experience easier.
This touchless thermometer from Amazon had excellent reviews at a reasonable price so it got added to our registry!
Newton 100% Breathable Crib Mattress
Especially since this is our first baby, we’re getting the only crib mattress we’ll ever need right off the bat. A breathable mattress is important because baby can roll over when they’re small and not be able to get back, which can be very devastating if a mattress doesn’t have any airflow. With the Newton Breathable Crib Mattress, baby can roll face flat onto the mattress and still breath perfectly fine until you’re able to flip him/her back over safely.
They also carry a 100% breathable waterproof mattress pad for their mattresses, so if you have a regular bed wetter, or are concerned you may, this is a good registry add on.
Are you a mama who owns any of these items? I’d love to hear how essential you find them, or if there are other items you’d put on a baby registry essentials list. Hit the comments to share your experience and expertise, because we’re all in this together and knowledge is power. (Both cheesy, but both very true).
