Baby Registry: Things We Love

Here are some of the smaller items we absolutely love and used (or continue to use) daily. I'll keep toys and food-related items for future posts, this is just all the other stuff we needed.

sling

I LOVED my Moby wrap. This was a necessity when Marc was under 6 months - it was the only way I could get him to nap until we figured out the perfect combination to get him to sleep on his own during the day (white noise + vibrations + DARK). I wore it while doing dishes and laundry, on short walks to the store and whenever Marc needed a bit of quiet time. It was a bit tricky to get on at first, but once I figured it out it was easy. I liked that as he got a bit bigger, we could still use it with his legs out. The only issue is that it is a very long piece of fabric: so if we were driving to the store, for example, I needed to get it on before going.

carrier

Which is why we eventually picked up this Infantino carrier too. It's a lot easier to strap on quickly and allows Marc to sit facing outwards (or on our back, something we actually haven't tried). Pat also felt more comfortable wearing this as opposed to the wrap. It's comfortable and sturdy, so it's a great option for when you don't necessarily want to lug around a stroller.

car seat cover

Since Marc was a winter baby, we used this car seat cover all the time. It fit perfectly over his car seat, so we would get him all buckled in before heading out the door. It was perfect in the car as well as during our long walks in the spring.

bibs

I'll go into more length on the various types of bibs we use in my food-related post, but here are the ones we love for catching drool. I have to admit, while I was pregnant and for the first few months, I didn't think I would have Marc in bibs all day. He has so many cute shirts, why would I cover them up? And then the drool started... and hasn't let up yet! It is much easier to change a bib than a onesie! We started off with an Aden and Anais set (I can't find the dinosaur pattern we have, but these are similar) and this Little Unicorn set and I do love them. But in terms of fit and price, these can't be beat. We got them off Amazon in packs of 8 - one set is by ALVA and the other set is by Mabay Baby but they are literally the exact same bibs. We just searched for the cheapest sets. The patterns are fun, but what I really love is how they fit. The inside is fleece, so they're cozy; they're very absorbent; and they have 2 sets of snaps so that Marc can continue wearing them as he grows. The snaps are key - any of his velcroed bibs are ripped off in a matter of minutes. They do say to hand wash but... HA! No. I machine wash and dry and they've held up just fine so far. Unfortunately, they're all quite stained now, but that's to be expected. I highly recommend stocking up on these!

burp clothes

It goes without saying that we used our receiving blankets a lot - as burp clothes and to wipe up spit up (Marc was very pukey until he started on solids) - but these Aden and Anais burp clothes were particularly nice while I was breast feeding. Marc was a bit of a drippy drinker, so these saved my nursing bras, tank tops and shirts (I would tuck them into my open nursing bra). Another nice feature is that you can use them as bibs too; the size gives really good coverage and as you can see in this photo from a month ago, they'll fit for a while yet.

diaper bag and change pad

Obviously, every mom needs a diaper bag. I basically never use a purse anymore! I love my Skip Hop diaper bag - I chose it for both the pattern (love!) and the shape/size/pockets. It also has extra little straps so that I can hang it from my stroller handle, which is really awesome since it leaves the under-stroller storage space open for groceries, our lunch bag or towels for when we go swimming. I also picked up this Skip Hop change pad - a small one came with the diaper bag, but I like that this one comes with a small container to hold wipes as well as a few pockets. This way, I can grab just this to go into the washroom for a diaper change instead of bringing the entire bag in. Extra convenience is essential!

bath thermometer

We have this Safety 1st rubber duck bath thermometer which we still use all the time. I'm pretty sure I don't really need to use it anymore to know the proper temperature (practice makes perfect!) but it was really helpful when Marc was brand new and we had no idea what was safe. Now it's really just another bath toy!

mobile

Pat's sister found us this woodland creatures mobile for our not-really-a-theme-but-woodland-ish nursery. It's really cute! I love that it's handmade with felted wool and isn't super matchy-matchy with our woodland quilt (one of the first things I purchased for Marc's room) but does still sort of match. Marc loved looking at it spin before he could flip himself over and now he loves trying to catch them when we hold him up to it. Although not a necessity, it's a really cute addition and made his room feel more like a nursery (which was really exciting when we were waiting for his delivery!).

I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, but these are some of our essential items. What are some of the smaller items you can't / couldn't live without?