After having three kids in three years, I can say three things.  One, there are a lot of baby items that I’m glad I received.  Two, there are a few things that I wish I would have registered for.  Three, I’m done having kids.

Where should you register??  Well, that depends on what’s available near you.  Personally, I’m a fan of actual stores, but there are a lot of items available on Amazon that you might not have access to near you.  (I’ll be inserting Amazon links soon for quick access to my favorite products)  My absolute recommendation is Buy Buy Baby.  Not only do they have a great selection of items, but their return policy is hands down the best.  Babies R Us is okay.  They have a pretty good selection, but I just don’t like the overall vibe and service there.  Target is my third option.  It’s easy because most of us are familiar and comfortable with Target, but they have the most limited selection and I’ve experienced them not updating the registry accurately.

Natart Crib and Dresser  This isn’t really a registry must have, but a major baby purchase.  Buying nursery furniture is extremely important and buying quality furniture should be a priority for all new parents.  This is where I’m willing to splurge.  With my first two children, I was able to buy nursery furniture that is made in the USA.  Unfortunately, that company outsourced to China in 2014 just days after my second child’s born.  I never know my baby’s genders until they are born so I wait until they are born to order their furniture (I like a certain look for boys vs. girls).  When my son was born in December 2015, I spent weeks researching to find a quality company that was made in the USA.  Well, I actually ended up going with a Canadian company and I actually love the furniture!!!  Natart is made in Canada and takes about 12 weeks (15 for us, long story) to arrive.  We went with the Belmont crib and dresser in dusk and are very satisfied with our purchase.  We purchased the crib conversion kit so our crib will turn into a toddler bed and then a full bed.  (Did you know that most double beds are the same price as the crib/toddler/double conversion

Medela Pump In Style Advanced  Your insurance might cover a breast pump.  It it does, choose the Medela option.  If it doesn’t, then buy the Medela PISA.  I also have the Medela Freestyle and likes that as well.  I breastfed all three of my children, but I exclusively pumped for my middle child.  This pump, along with a Symphony, made it possible.  I whole heartedly believe in all things Medela.  They provide excellent customer service (sent me a brand new Freestyle once!!) and all of their parts are readily available in most baby stores.

Boppy  If you’re planning on breastfeeding, you’ll need some sort of pillow.  I always use the Boppy.  I make my own slip cover.

Rock n Play  Honest moment here.  My firstborn slept in her car seat until 5.5 months old.  She needed something with an incline that was cozy.  I later learned that the rock n play provided just that.  My second born loved her rock n play and slept in it for awhile.  My third tolerates it and sleeps in it sometimes.  This thing is totally worth it just for the portability.  We bring it everywhere, from my parent’s house all the way to Disney.

 

Baby K’Tan  I am a serious baby wearing enthusiast.  With my first, I just had a poor quality non-ergonomic carrier from Walmart.  But when I had my second baby (my first was only 16 months old), I knew I needed to step up my game.  I did all the research and was determined to figure out what was the best carriers for baby wearing.  There are three that I recommend for use with a newborn.  The first is the Baby K’Tan.  This is a stretchy wrap (similar to Boba and Moby), but it’s not quite a wrap.  It’s stretchy fabric that is two loops connected to each other.  You also get an extra piece of fabric for a support.  Essentially it’s a stretchy wrap without actually having to wrap.  It comes in lots of colors (I have purple) and you buy it based on size.  I’ve never had a problem with sizing, but if it gets loose you can wash and dry it and it should shrink back to size.  I typically use this from birth until around 2 months.  I have really big babies (all born over 8 pounds) so they get heavy quick and I don’t think that the K’Tan provides enough support for a heavy baby.  I purchased mine at Buy Buy Baby with a coupon.

Woven Wrap  The second ‘carrier’ that I recommend for a newborn is a woven wrap.  There are a lot of brands that make these.  I have a Fidella woven wrap.  It’s a European brand that makes their wraps with organic materials in Turkey.  Woven wraps can get pricey so this is something that you might want to ask for as a gift.  You can buy it directly from Fidella or find another retailer.  My gift giver found a retailer in Ohio that mailed it the next day.  Woven wraps are cool because there are a variety of ways to use them.  They are strong enough to hold children into toddlerhood and can be used with both front and back carries.  I personally only use a front cross carry.  Wrapping can be tricky at first, but there are plenty of youtube videos that can help.  Woven come in a variety of patterns.  I choose the one below because I wanted something gender neutral.  Also, I want to note that Fidella makes a Flytie that is a combination of a wrap and a structured carrier for those who might be hesitant to wrap.

Ring Sling  The third baby carrier that I absolutely recommend is a ring sling.  There are lots of brands of ring slings out there, including many Etsy shops, but I absolutely recommend Sleeping Baby Productions.  This is single handedly the greatest $40 investment I have made as a parent.  Yes, this wrap cost me $40, plus shipping.  For being a custom item, this is definitely a fair price.  I purchased a linen sling in khaki with a teal ring.  Here, you get to pick both the fabric type and color and also your ring color.  I purchased mine in a last minute effort to prepare for a weeklong trip to Disney World (three kids three and under, including my nine week old).  My 9 week old seriously survived a week at Disney solely in my ring sling (never held for long periods, never in car seat, or stroller).  Now that he’s six months, I have tried other structured carriers, but the ring sling is the only one he’ll he happy in.  He’s a husky boy in the 95th percentile and I still feel that he’s secure in the ring sling.