When I created my baby registry, I think it had something like 57 items on it. We didn’t know the sex of our baby, and so our registry was filled with actual baby THINGS and not necessarily baby clothes. I am SOOO grateful for everything that we got at our baby shower, and I love that I kept the list pretty small! I actually had some friends tell me to add more things to the registry because there was nothing left for them to choose from! haha.
So I thought I’d share with you today some baby registry items that we STILL use today, 2.5 years later!
- Baby monitor. We actually didn’t start using these regularly until we moved to MA last year. Up until that point, our bedroom was next to Lily’s and we were in a small house, so I only used the baby monitor if I was going outside to work while she slept! I registered for the simple monitors that don’t have video, and found that they work just fine! Though, now that she’s older I sometimes wish I had a video monitor so I can see if she’s actually awake and being super quiet or is sleeping, haha. But for the most part, I’m super happy with our baby monitor!
- Boppy pillow. I used this a lot for nursing Lily, but I used it a lot for propping her up or laying her down on the couch. To this day I still use it to sit on in the rocking chair (my tailbone was damaged during labor so I try to protect it whenever I’m sitting!) and Lily LOVES to use it for her stuffed animals! In fact, I used it this morning with her while we were playing “doctor kit” in her bedroom!
- Stroller. We got the Graco infant seat with stroller and we still rock that stroller like no one’s business! It’s the kind of stroller with three wheels, which I definitely prefer! I feel like it handles better, and just looks more appealing to me, haha. Especially living where we do now, Lily and I walk SO much and though now she’s starting to be able to walk far distances without the stroller, we still use it very regularly! It’s also the kind of stroller that you can close with one hand!
- Graco Pack and play. This is what Lily slept in until we moved her into her crib at 7 months. This thing is awesome because we can bring it with us when we travel so she still has a bed of her own to sleep in. Once she stopped sleeping in regularly we started to use it to contain her, haha. I’d be cooking a dinner and she’d be all over the place, so I’d set her up in the pack and play with her toys and she’d play away! I love this thing! We had one that had the bassinet, napper, and changing table attachments which was SO helpful for the first few months! This was permanently set up in the living room for about 8 weeks until she started to sleep in it at nighttime in our room!
- Sound machine. I’m not sure this needs much explanation but we use it ALL the time while she’s sleeping! We even bought a travel sound machine that is battery operated so we can still use it while camping. This is great not only for giving her some background noise, but it also BLOCKS the noise that could come in from other rooms, which definitely comes in handy in our new place. Her room is right off the kitchen area and that’s where we often congregate with friends!
- Boba carrier. There are sooo many carriers out there, but having one was absolutely essential for me. I did a ton of research and landed on this particular brand! I LOVE it! We actually used it a few months ago on a climbing trip so we could carry Lily on the front of us while still being able to carry our climbing packs on our backs!
- This one is kind of a bonus, but it’s not something I’ve personally done. I’ve heard SO many things about this sleep training course so I figured I’d drop a link for it here! Cara’s online newborn baby sleep course!
Well, I hope that this list will help you in creating your own registry! I really wanted to focus on things that will last a long time so that people were spending their money well! One thing we didn’t register for that I wish we had was the next size of her car seat! These things are expensive, and the infant ones only last for so long! So, if you can plan ahead for things that the baby will need once they’re older, that can be very helpful as well!If you are a parent and have any must-have registry items you want to add to the list, comment below!
Linda is a Boston-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com. To sign up for the monthly newsletter full of encouragement and real life, click here!
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