Stella’s been working on her registry this week and taking tons of Laura’s tips as a 7-weeks in mom for what she actually needs and what’s useless. Both of us love researching so we’ve spent a lot of time finding the best products and narrowing down what should be on this list. This goes beyond the traditional car seat, stroller, crib items you’d find on a traditional registry list and gives you a few ideas for those unconventional items that might surprise you with how useful they are in those first few weeks of baby-dom!
You might get a few questions from friends and family on these so we’ve included descriptions of what we’ve used (or plan to use) them for. And remember most registries do a completion discount so anything you don’t get from friends you can buy for yourself and get a deal.
1. Puppy Pads
Puppy pads are the perfect multi-use item for the early days of having a newborn. They work as disposable changing pads to take with you on the go and are perfect for naked tummy time (an excellent way to get rid of diaper rash!). We also love that you can use them for yourself as a postpartum bed liner. In the same category, we recommend getting waterproof liners for your mattress, the crib mattress, and their pack n’ play – even if they soil the sheets, you’ll keep the mattress in good shape!
2. Dog Poop Bags
Keeping with the dog theme, dog poop bags are the perfect size for dirty diapers and they are easy to store in your diaper bag since they already come on a roll. We love this unconventional (and cost-saving!) registry item.
3. Grapeseed Oil
Oh wow, add this to the we-use-it-for-everything list! Grapeseed oil is an excellent moisturizer for mom during pregnancy, so you’ll start using it right away. You can also use it once the baby arrives — it prevents meconium from sticking to the baby in the first days and provides a moisturizing barrier in place of diaper cream if you’re not dealing with a rash. We recommend getting one with a “soap dispenser” style top for easy dispensing.
4. Baby-Safe Ink Pad
You’ll want to document those cute little hand and footprints right away and these ink pads are specially designed for safety. We recommend giving them a book like this one as the perfect way to document the day your baby is born.
5. Books for Mom
We’ve both been doing a lot of reading during pregnancy and early motherhood and it’s helped both of us feel informed and educated about everything. These are our top picks for books we’ve loved: Expecting Better, Cribsheet, Bringing Up Bébé, Like a Mother, Nurture, Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide, and Nurture.
6. Clothes for Mom
These are probably items you’ll end up buying for yourself, but your family and friends might also be looking for things for you. Since pregnancy is ~9 months long, you are bound to have a birthday or anniversary or other celebratory events where people will want to buy things for you, too. And even if you do end up buying these things for yourself at the end, at least you’ll get that completion discount! We recommend nursing bras, pumping bras, a belly wrap/girdle, nursing tanks, and a hospital outfit.
7. Things For Dad
Everyone is so caught up in things for mom during pregnancy that you often forget about getting a few special things for dad. We love this bonding shirt that is perfect for skin to skin connection, this “manly” (slash gender neutral) diaper bag backpack and this book for dad: The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be.
8. Cleaning Supplies
You’ll need all kinds of cleaning supplies for your new baby and you have to be careful to use things that are full of good ingredients. A few items we recommend: laundry detergent, stain remover, and bottle dishwashing liquid.
9. Furniture
Sure, your registry checklist probably prompted you to add a crib, changing table and maybe even a rocking chair, but you can keep getting creative! What about adding a bookshelf, laundry hamper, lamp or dresser.
10. Nursery Decor
Bouncing off the furniture idea, there are some large decor items you can request as well like a rug or curtains. You can keep getting creative and add a few themed items like wall decals, curtain tie backs, art, or a teepee. Obviously, you don’t NEED these things right away, but if you plan to decorate the nursery anyway, put them on the list!
11. Quake Hold Wax
Quake hold wax is a great addition to your registry. It sticks stuff to high up bookshelves in case a toddler wiggles it. You might also want to add a furniture anti-tip kit, which you can use to hold bookshelves to the wall in case your toddler tries to climb it.
12. Baby Monitor Accessories
You’ve probably already added a baby monitor to your registry, but there are a couple extra things we recommend, too. Depending on the layout of your nursery, you might need a mount to hold the camera in place or a wide angle lens for a panoramic view of the entire room. We also recommend an extra camera cord that you can bring with you to other parts of the house or on vacation without having to deal with unplugging everything.
13. Extra Car Seat Base
If you happen to be a two-car family like we both are, you’ll want to make sure you have car seat bases in both cars. You don’t need to buy two car seats (unless you have two babies of course!) but having a base in each car will save you a lot of time. It’s also good to have an extra one of these on hand for a nanny or grandparent to use or in case you get in an accident, you’ll still have one that is good to go. Make sure you buy one that fits your current car seat model.
14. Nursing Comfort Kit
We’ve put together our own list of things for a “nursing comfort kit” – so many things you’d never think you need! We recommend: sunflower lecithin supplements (which helps prevent clogged ducts, ouch!), wishgarden happy ducts herbs (same but theoretically fast acting), nursing pads, nipple cream, and the book Work. Pump. Repeat.
15. (Extra) Carbon Monoxide Alarm
It’s good to always be prepared, you might want an extra carbon monoxide alarm to add to the baby’s room.
16. Breast Pump Accessories
If you are planning to breast feed, be sure to also have a breast pump on hand for when you and the baby can’t be together. There are some things that don’t come with the pump that you may want to add to your registry: bottle/pacifier wipes, milk storage bags, breast milk alcohol test strips, dishwasher basket for bottle parts. If you are planning to return to work, you might want a breast pump bag as well.
PS – be sure to check with your insurance, they might cover all or part of the breast pump purchase, so you’ll just need accessories.
17. Mini White Boards
You forget everything when you’re sleep deprived, so scatter these little boards around the house to have somewhere to quickly jot down feeding schedules, to do lists, etc. They are also fun to have for age/pregnancy progress announcements, though you might want to add something specific for that too (like these: stickers, blocks, felt board)!
18. Exercise ball
An exercise ball is great for hip opening and labor prep at the end of pregnancy. And it serves a dual purpose because after birth it’s great for bouncing baby to calm him/her down when they are fussy and as an alternative “tummy time” spot!
19. Pregnancy Pillow
This is a game changer during the second and third trimesters. Even before you start showing, the backaches may begin and you’ll appreciate all the support you can get. Invest in a pregnancy pillow so you can sleep through the night (at least until the baby comes!).
20. Prenatal Vitamins
These are no joke before, during, and after pregnancy. Since you’ll need so many – why not add some extras to your registry! Laura is a fan of Vitamin Code Raw Prenatals and Stella has been using Care/of‘s mail service. We also recommend having some iron and magnesium supplements on hand. You’ll lose a lot of blood and electrolytes and sometimes it takes a toll on your levels so it’s good to have these supplements at the ready!
Have you created a baby registry lately? What unconventional items did you add? Let us know in the comments!