So I have only been a mom for three and a half weeks now… that does not consider me a veteran or even someone who could really consider themselves a knowledgable source, I totally get that. However, within these three and a half weeks I have found that there are certain items that I haven’t been able to live without. I’m sure that the in the first month the items that I can’t live without are different than the items that I won’t be able to live without in the months later on. So, I am splitting my “baby registry must haves” into three parts. This is part one and it only involves the items that have saved my life in the first month!
But before I get into that I want to share my favorite baby registry site with you, The Baby Cubby. It’s very different than other baby registry sites, here’s how:
What Makes The Baby Cubby Different
The Baby Cubby is for every parent out there who has ever felt overwhelmed or discouraged about becoming a parent (sound familiar? I know that perfect describes the hubs and I). The Baby Cubbyteam is made up of parents who have been there, they know what it’s like and are passionate about encouraging, inspiring, and reminding parents how amazing they are and how important their role is. How nice is that?
The way they do that is by finding the best and safest baby gear and providing it to parents in a fun shopping experience where they do the hard things like test strollers on our stroller track, price match everyday – even amazon, offer free shipping nationwide at BabyCubby.com and actively engage with parents via social media and their cubby community blog to discuss some of those hard topics of parenting.
You can read a little bit more about what they are passionate about and why they do what they do on their “about us” page here – http://www.babycubby.com/
And the three of my favorite things that make them different:
-They always price match, even amazon, so you know you’re getting a great deal
-They carry only the best and safest gear so you can shop confidently (they spend hundreds of hours researching so you don’t have to).
– Free Shipping everyday at BabyCubby.com over $49
Now on to my must haves! These are in no specific order, just whatever order they came into my mind.
Side note: I did not put any clothing items on my registry must haves. From my experience, people get you clothes whether you register for them or not so I put down other items that people might not necessarily think to get you.
- The Owlet Baby Vitals Monitor– if you’re anything like me then you have typical first time mom syndrome and that comes with extreme anxiety for your babies safety at all times, ESPECIALLY at night. This little device monitors your babies heart rate and oxygen levels and alerts you when they fall below a certain level. I am going to do a separate post about how much I love my Owlet. But for now, just know that this would definitely be #1 on my list of must haves in the first month. It has brought me thousands of dollars worth of piece of mind.
- Covered Goods nursing cover– I have used this already more times than I can count. Whether you nurse or not, it is a necessity. The times I have used it the most are when we go out in pubic (because I am paranoid of germs). I put this sucker over Evie’s carseat whenever we go out and it helps me not have a panic attack :).
- Diaper Bag with built in changing pad– Yes one that has a built in changing pad is a necessity. We went to visit my hubs work yesterday and there was no bathroom with a changing table to be found so I pulled out my changing bad and changed Evie on the grass. A blanket would not have been as good because the grass would have still poked her. I LOVE my Little Unicorn diaper bag. It looks like purse but is a diaper bag WITH a fantastic changing pad.
- Ergo Swaddles– these little suckers are literally life changing. My Evie girl has the strongest arms and wants them right by her face at all times. She broke out of every swaddle we put her in. I tried just not swaddling her but that did not work because her newborn refluxes woke her up. So I got these swaddles from Ergo and I couldn’t love them more. She can keep her hands by her face like she likes but they are still snug next to her body so she doesn’t wake herself up. And the BEST part of the swaddles are that they have a removable bottom so you can change your baby in the night without having to unswaddle them…. I think we should all give Ergo three cheers for coming up with the most perfect swaddle that makes every new parents dreams come true!
- Ergo Natural Curve Nursing Pillow– DO NOT GET ANY OTHER NURSING PILLOW! Jk you can, but I promise you won’t love it as much as you would love this one! It was developed by lactation specialists and literally holds the baby in the exact way that you would. This pillow has helped me not have back aches and holds Evie so comfy and close to me. It also holds her up at the right angle to help with digestion.
- Breast Pump– I didn’t plan on pumping, I thought I was just going to exclusively breast feed…well one lesson I have learned in these past three weeks is that you should NEVER plan on anything because it will most likely just go out the window. Evie girl refused to latch in the beginning so my options were to either formula feed her or pump and give her my milk. I chose to pump mostly because I am a cheap skate and didn’t want to have to buy formula :). The Medela pump is the on that I got and I would recommend it to anyone.
- Drying Rack– I love having a good drying rack to hold all of the bottles and pumping materials. Otherwise it would be scattered all over my kitchen not getting dry…. and that’s a problem!
- Bottle warmer– I never knew how much I would love this little sucker. Believe me, when you have a screaming baby in the middle of the night who wants warm milk, you will be singing this bottle warmers PRAISES! We use this about ten times a day, no joke.
- Mama Roo RockaRoo– think I’m a bad mom if you will but this swing is the only thing I could get Evie to sleep in for the first week…so I did. I let her sleep in it (eek!). Please consult your doctor before you make any rash decisions and let your baby sleep in the Mama Roo. I really don’t know what I would have done without this swing, especially that first week! Evie still loves to sit in it during the day, it was worth every penny!
- Carseat and stroller– The stroller and carseat combo from Quinny and Maxi Cosi are one two of my very favorite items that I would recommend to any new parent. Evie LOVES the car seat, it is comfy and holds her so snug, just like she’s being held by me. It also attaches in the stroller so easily, you can do it with one hand. Both my hubs and I are just absolutely in love with the ease of these two items! Right now The Baby Cubby is doing an incredible sale (hundreds of dollars off) of their City Select Strollers although this isn’t the stroller that I have, I know of SEVERAL moms who swear by them so I feel totally okay recommending them to you, especially with this steal of a deal! It only goes until the end of the month so run, don’t walk.
- Bassinet- I got this specific one from Target and I love it. It has wheels on it so it can be wheeled in and out of rooms. It’s small so it fits in my room without being a nuisance, and its pretty which makes it fun to look at which is a plus haha.
- Nuroo Pocket Shirt– I have use this shirt more times than I can count. I use it for skin to skin time at least once a week and the week we got home from the hospital it was what I wore every day :S. I loved that at any given moment I could put Evie in my shirt and cart her around with me! It is also very high quality and is a cute shirt whether you have the baby in it or not + it’s nursing friendly!
I’m wearing it in this picture with my cute sis in law and her baby! It’s kind of hard to tell but it really is so cute, comfy, and useful! - Baby Sling– I use this on a daily basis. Sometimes the only way Evie is content is if she’s being held (which I hear is typical newborn behavior). Also, I know you might think this one is weird but I even used it in the hospital. It was so nice to be able to put Evie in the sling and walk around the hospital room. I love this specific baby sling from Baby K’tan. It ships free with Amazon Prime, which is also a plus!
- A Hospital robe from Pink Blush Maternity– This item was honestly life saving. It was so comfy and created easy access for all the time the nurses need to come and poke you in the hospital and if you choose to breastfeed, it was SO easy to have for the times you need to strip down for that :). The best part about the robe is that I felt a whole lot better and more like myself it it than in the hospital gown.
- Little Remedies Saline Drops– Newborns have a lot of gunk in their noses that they need to clear out and often it sounds like they have stuffy noses. I loved being able to put a few drops in her nose and suction it out which helps her breath better…which helps me breath easier :).
- Safety 1st Healthcare Kit– I have already used this kit several times. It comes with the following items: Nail Clipper, Brush, Forehead Thermometer, Emery Board, Finger Toothbrush with Case, Nasal Aspirator, Comb. These are so nice to have after you bring your baby home. Especially the nasal aspirator to suction their noses out and the nail clipper because their nails get so long and they scratch themselves.
- Little Remedies Gas Drops– Evie girl has quite the gassy tummy. I give these drops to her several times a day and it helps calm her tummy.
- Tummy Time Play Mat– believe it or not, doctors suggest to start tummy time asap! This cute little mat makes tummy time fun for your baby, it has tons of cute toys and a little pillow to make your babe comfy as well!
- Changing Table and Pad– I change Evie’s diaper at least ten times a day. I love that I have a changing table with a good pad to be able to change her on. It is one of the only typical nursery items that I would say you actually need in this first month. She hasn’t slept in her crib once yet but I have used that changing table 10 times a day since she was born! This specific one is from Ikea. I like that it folds down into the changing table and you can still put it away to look nice when you’re not using it.
- Puj Soft Foldable Tub– I honestly don’t know how I would have bathed her yet if it weren’t for this tub! It’s soft and holds the baby just right, especially itty bitty newborns. It also fits perfectly in my small sinks and drains the water as you bathe your babe so you never have to worry about the water getting too high!
- Bookroo Book subscription– I know that newborns can’t totally understand books at this point however this is on my list in the first month because it helped me establish a nighttime routine with Evie form the get go and that has been super important! Something I was surprised about when we brought her home was that newborns have their days and nights mixed up which causes them to sleep all day and be awake all night… which is hard to adjust to! So one way to help them figure it out is to establish a nighttime routine early on so they start to learn what daytime is and what nighttime is then they can adjust! This books subscription is so nice especially for first time parents who don’t have a good selection of books because they send you books (wrapped in the CUTEST ways) every month! This will help you get your book supply up in no time and they have the cutest and bet section of books. I even have a coupon code for you! Use “WHIJOH” at checkout for $10 off any subscription!
What are your baby registry must haves for the first month?
