Fun fact: though we were trying to conceive the entire year of 2014, we decided to take a break for a couple months as to not have a baby the following May and June. Knowing that we’d be moving to a new state and changing jobs in those months, adding a baby to the mix did not seem wise.
You know what happened next. A positive pregnancy test and a due date in the middle of May. Second fun fact: My original due date was actually May 16, my birthday (which I was not excited about). It was thankfully moved to May 8 at my first ultrasound and gave us a little more time to recover before moving. While still chaotic, it turned out to be a pretty good time to bring a new human to our family.
While other mamas did their usual nesting by mopping floors, cleaning baseboards, putting together a nursery, I did mine in researching and cultivating the perfect-to-me baby registry. Knowing we’d be moving a few weeks in, there wasn’t a point to making a nest in our current space. Our nest was somewhere else. I was looking for a minimalist baby registry, multifunctional items combining beauty and purpose, the best of the best. My hope was that the items we collected would fit my style enough to provide a sense of home and comfort in the midst of transition.
I loved viewing other’s baby registries, like my sister-in-law’s and searching on Pinterest. Baby stores are too overwhelming and it’s more helpful to hear from real mamas and their reviews. Using the different advice from these mamas and thinking about our own lifestyle, I was able to navigate compiling a registry that worked well for us. I hope this serves as an inspiration or start for you. I wrote some tips on starting a registry if you’re interested, here and my 5 favorite products.
BABY GEAR
This is usually a good place to start when starting a registry. These are most often going to be the biggest purchases that you will need to make, so I’m starting here. I’m sharing with you the items that were on our baby registry as well as some tips to picking out your own baby gear.
Stroller and Accessories
1 | I’ve written about this stroller before, we’re big fans. Two years and many many miles later, this thing is still holding up. They now create a travel system with a car seat that would be worth looking into. A stroller was something we didn’t mind investing a little into and we’re so glad we chose this one. My favorite feature of this stroller is how easily it folds up with just one motion and hand. And is fairly compact as well. I could have Ruby in one hand and be able to open and put away this stroller with ease.
A few other things I enjoy about this stroller: The seat lays completely flat which means you can start using it earlier
2 | Instead of going with the BabyJogger brand, which didn’t have the best reviews at the time, I went with a cheaper parent console. It’s held up great and is clean, simple and everything you need.
3 | We also picked up the stroller tray even though it’s definitely not necessary. We didn’t even put this on the stroller until around one year when it was useful for snacks and a sippy cup. Ruby and I take walking lunches often so it serves us well.
4 | Our stroller supported an attachment to connect our car seat making it usable from day 1. Since it was summer for the newborn days for us, we didn’t use this often and we eventually switched to laying down the stroller seat for her at around 8 weeks.
Make sure that the attachments you get are compatible with your car seat.
Here’s a video I made to help you if you’re thinking about the BabyJogger City Mini GT:
Infant Car seat, Baby Carrier, & Travel Crib
1 | You’re going to need an infant car seat. If you’re like me, then you’ve probably thought of all the ways you can start immediately with a convertible car seat and make it work. And good for you, you’re doing the right thing!
Here’s why you need an infant car seat to start with even if you only need it for the first year:
- Babies fall asleep in car seats and who wants to wake up a sleeping baby?
- You can take the car seat out of the car to carry said sleeping baby to dr appointment, stow in the grocery cart, or in the house to quietly (hopefully) sit while you unload the groceries
- It’s a heck of a lot easier to get a baby in a car seat when it’s not in the car
Here’s the thing about car seats, you can’t really go wrong. They’ve all been tested for safety and will work well in keeping your child safe in the car.
Some things to think about when picking out a car seat:
- If you’re planning on having more kiddos, maybe go for a neutral color so that it can be passed down. And it will be living in your car, for the most part, so a good rule of thumb is to match it to the interior of your car
- There are a lot of stroller/car seat combos now that can save you some money and already work well together
- In the same thought, pick a car seat that works well with your other baby gear. We already have a double stroller in mind for the second baby, so I will be looking for a car seat that goes with it or can easily attach with minimal extras.
- Look at the weight of the car seat, those suckers can be heavy. We originally wanted the Maxi Cosi infant seat because it’s so lightweight.
- You don’t need a convertible car seat right away, but it’s not a bad idea to add it to your registry. We love our Maxi Cosi Pria 85 – this is actually where you want to invest and research because they will be in this seat for the longest.
2 | A back seat mirror, while technically isn’t recommended is really nice to have. It could possibly be a hazard, but we really liked this mirror because it stays on firmly and doesn’t move. I feel safer using a mirror because I’m one of those crazy moms that has to check if her baby is breathing all the time. They’re sit rear facing for 2 years if not longer, so it’s worth it to grab one!
3 | A baby carrier is almost essential for mamas these days. While you can just carry your baby normally or even use a stroller, once you’ve gone hands-free you won’t want to go back! A soft-structured carrier like the Ergo is a good investment because it is very supportive, comfortbale, and lasts for a very long time, we love and still use ours. Tula and Lillebaby are also other good brands. When searching look for carriers where baby’s bum is seated below the knees.
Wraps and Ring Slings are also great babywearing options as well.
We especially loved the wrap for the early newborn days. I used the Solly Baby Wrap daily and especially in the evenings when baby is most fussy. I recommend the Solly over other brands like Boba because the fabric of the Solly is lighter, softer and way easier to use. I’ll keep you updated if I find another wrap comparable to the Solly.
I didn’t have a ring sling with my first baby and I wish I did, a beautiful Sakura Bloom sling sat lonely on my registry for the longest time. One of the first items I bought for this baby was a Wildbird ring sling, which is more affordable. When I got it Ruby instantly wanted to be carried and loves it even as a toddler. I’m now kicking myself for not getting it sooner!
4 | Travel Crib – Think about this purchase before you make it: Will you be traveling with baby to a place where there isn’t a crib? What kind of traveling will you be doing? Just to Grandmas? Staying in hotels? Flying? Do you plan to use the travel crib at home? Your answers to these questions will determine whether or not this is something you’ll actually need, what type of travel crib you need, or if it’s a worthwhile investment.
If you’re not going to be traveling much and don’t plan to use it at home, just skip this one. You can easily borrow one if the occasion arises or get one cheap off Craigslist like we did.
I knew that we’d be traveling a lot and would need a very portable travel crib, so I really wanted the Bjorn travel crib. It’s lightweight, very easy to setup, and very simple. The only thing is it’s really pricey, so I scoured Craigslist and found it for 6o bucks. We’ve taken this thing with us across Europe, camping, on planes, to Grandma’s house, and we’ve loved it. I would only recommend it if you’re doing ALL THE THINGS with it, though. Otherwise, you’d probably be fine with a cheaper model or borrowing one.
OK, so I will never actually post this if I don’t stop writing. I have so many other things to share, so I will start another post with some more items from our registry. I hope this was helpful for you and please let me know if you have any questions!
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This one is for Ashley, who requested this post, a dear friend who is expecting a little girl any day! Sorry that this is sooo late and not useful at all anymore, I started it forever ago as I do with all things. But, I was inspired by our conversations to post it anyway. And to all my other favorite pregnant ladies right now. 🙂
