So, Scarlette is two years old and several people have asked me to do a post on my favorite baby products/registry recommendations. Two of those friends have already given birth to their children. Obviously I am very on top of things over here. The good news about writing something like this when your child is two years old is that you know which products have had some longevity in this house and which ones you could have done without.
I’ll be posting a new list each day this week, broken down by category (i.e. toiletries, nursery items, baby gear like carseats & strollers, etc.) To kick off, here are my favorites, aka The Top Ten Things You Should Totally Put On Your Baby Registry. Like, if this were the Olympics of Baby Registries, these are the random things that would win the All-Around gold medal.
1.) Summer Infant Baby Touch Digital Color Video Monitor – This was one of my spendier purchases but well worth it. I can move the camera remotely to see her entire room, which is great now that she is older because I can let her play in there while I make dinner and still keep an eye on her. Being able to talk to her through the monitor is really helpful too (“Scarlette! We don’t jump off our bed!”) And the sound sensitivity is great, when I was a scared new mom putting her in her crib for the first time I was really thankful that if I turned the sound up all the way I could hear her breathing. Now I keep the sound turned all the way down and if she makes a lot of noise the side of the monitor flashes light at me, which will wake me up if I don’t hear her.
2.) The Twilight Turtle – This little nightlight is basically the infant version of sticking glow-in-the-dark stars to your ceiling. Scarlette has loved to watch the stars on it since she very first came home from the hospital and she asks me for “tahrs” every night now. It’s important to note, though, that if you own this nightlight then you will not be able to resist the urge to sing “Look at the stars, look how they shine for you…” every. single. time. you turn it on. This is not at all annoying to your husband. Thanks for that, Coldplay. And they were all yellow…
3.) Boon Inc. Lawn Drying Rack – I have no idea why but everything dries so much faster on this thing. I used it for drying pump parts and bottles and now I use it for a billion sippy cup pieces and tiny utensils. I recommend the lawn version just because I found that the grass one wasn’t quite large enough for us.
4.) Aden + Anais Burpy Bibs – I admit to being totally skeptical and thinking that the A+A stuff was just for label-conscious mommies. But someone gifted me these and I got rid of all our other bibs in favor of them. They are the best for absorbancy, keeping clothes clean and serving dual purpose as a bib or a burp cloth. I only own four of these and that seems to be plenty for us. Also, Scarlette now calls these her “capes.”
5.) Infantino Shopping Cart/High Chair Cover – I still use this every single time I go to a store with Scarlette because we have to be so careful about germs with her. I can get it on and off with one hand, which is super important to me since I normally have a squirmy girl in the other. And it covers a lot more of the buggy than the other cart cover that I have. It is bulkier than other cart covers but the extra padding makes it more comfortable and it’s definitely the easiest to get her in and out of without her feet getting stuck so I think it’s worth it. It can also be used as a high chair cover when we go out to eat, which is nice since I can attach toys to it to entertain her.
6.) Balboa Baby Adjustable Sling – I ADORE this sling. Scarlette is twenty eight months old and I still use it occasionally (although she DOES only weigh twenty one pounds, so there is that) but I used it constantly for the first year. She loved to be worn and this sling was the best for shoulder/back support. I wrote an entire post about baby wearing here with more details one why I chose this particular sling and some bonus pictures of my wearing Scarlette in it as an infant and as a toddler.
7.) Fisher Price Newborn Rock ‘n Play Sleeper – Scarlette slept next to our bed in this for about four months. It is awesome. It keeps the baby inclined to reduce reflux, is easy to clean and is portable so you can move it around the house. You can easily rock it when your little one is fussing in the middle of the night. I recommend this to pretty much every expectant mother I talk to. We loaned ours to some family members and they agreed that it was super convenient. (I recently saw this recall for it but I washed ours constantly so I never encountered a problem with it and the other moms I’ve talked to that own one didn’t have that issue either. The new ones on the market are not under a recall.)
8.) Safety 1st Perfect Fit Baby Gate – We move this one all around the house and it is SO easy to use. If you don’t need one that you screw in, definitely get this one. It’s the best baby gate I’ve ever used. I actually found ours for $9 at a consignment sale, which was a total score. I even use it on the back porch when we go outside to keep both Miss S and Lucy Dog from escaping.
9.) Boon Pod Bath Toy Scoop – We’ve had this for nearly two years as well and it’s the best for keeping her bath toys together. It attached easily, has never once fallen off the wall even with Scarlette pulling on it and I’ve never had a speck of mildew on our bath toys. Plus, it’s cute. I wrote an in-depth review of it here. We have the ladybug but there is also a whale and a frog.
10.) Munchkin Shampoo Pitcher – I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking you could just use a cup to rinse your baby’s hair. I thought so too but this ended up being my favorite shower gift, after someone showed me how you use it. It’s flexible so you press one side against your baby’s forehead and it creates a seal so that the water will rinse their hair without getting on their face or in their eyes. If you have a wiggly baby like me, this is a huge help. And if you have a toddler who screams when you try to rinse her hair out, even though she totally sticks her own face under water all the time, it’s a godsend. Plus, it’s a great registry item because it’s pretty inexpensive!
Other tips for creating your registry (I just really like giving advice, y’all):
- We registered at Target and Babies R Us. If I was doing it again, I’d forego Babies R Us in favor of an Amazon.com baby registry. Amazon has a huge baby section now and their shipping is much more affordable. Plus, it seems like everyone uses Amazon and would have better access to it. And now you can add products from any outside website, which means if you want baby bedding from Anthropologie, you can add it to your Amazon registry.
- Go inside to register at any brick & mortar store you may be registering at, like Target. Head to the customer service desk and let them know that you are starting your baby registry for the first time. They often will give you a gift bag full of coupons, samples and gift cards for registering with them. Our registry gift bag from Target included a $20 Target gift card and a coupon for free baby announcements from Shutterfly, among other things.
- If you are not registering but just picking up items for yourself, I recommend going through Ebates.com first because then you will get cash back for shopping at Target and other places. I never shop online without going through my ebates account first, not only for cash back but because they almost always have exclusive coupon codes. Here is a post I wrote about how ebates works.
- Using the registry gun is ridiculously fun.
(I’ll have a new post up each day this week with a list of my favorite baby items in each category such as baby gear, bath and body, etc. I’ll also have a list of misses- things I didn’t love- so that you don’t bother with them. I think the “things I didn’t end up using” posts are just as useful, lol! Thanks for reading and sharing! ♥)
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