Caroline's Favorite Things For Baby

Before you begin your baby registry, new mothers-to-be are generally clueless about what they need, what brands and items are best, and what can/should wait until after baby is born. Here is a list of my favorite things as a new mom. Hopefully this will help with some of you new moms and new moms-to-be. The Baby Bargains book is also very helpful for creating a registry.

Caroline's Favorite Things For Baby:

1. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets - Josie still loves to be swaddled (we are just beginning to wean her from it by swaddling with arms out), and she grew out of regular sized receiving blankets so fast (she only was able to use them for a few weeks, and she was a small baby!). You may want to skip registering for those small receiving blankets, and get some of these or other large swaddle blankets. The Aden + Anais ones are big enough that you can also use them as a nursing cover and stroller/car seat cover...and they are made from a nice cotton muslin.

2. Nuk pacifiers and pacifier strap - Even if you think you won't need a pacifier for your baby, it's good to have a few on hand...just in case. The hospital gave us a Soothie pacifier, but Josie likes the Nuk better. When your newborn won't stop crying, you'll try anything to make them happy! I like the paci straps that clip to their clothes too so the pacifier doesn't hit the ground too often. The First Years makes pacifier wipes that are good to put in your diaper bag too!

3. Infant Swing - Josie still loves her swing. We have one upstairs AND downstairs! It's great for when Dad watches baby...or Mommy needs to take a shower!

4. Medela Pump In Style breast pump and accessories - If you plan to nurse but you anticipate that there will be times that you will have to be away from your baby (even for just a few hours), this is a necessity. We actually use the Medela bottles to feed too...you can pump right into them, store them in the fridge, and put a nipple on them for baby to eat. So easy! Also, Medela Pump & Save bags are nice to pump into and put them straight into the freezer...although I like the Lansinoh bags better because they are bigger (but you can't pump into them).

5. Medela sterilizer bags - No need to buy a bottle sterilizer for your plastic baby bottles! These bags come in sets of 5, and each bag can be used 20x before you throw them away...so you get 100 uses from one package. These sterilize your bottles AND all of your breast pump accessories in the microwave. So easy!

6. Nursing cover - If you ever plan to nurse in a public place (even a mother's room at the mall), this is nice to have so you can nurse your baby while upholding some modesty. It's nice to have one with a neck strap so it stays up.

7. Nursing Pillow - Either the Boppy or My Brest Friend. The Boppy is also good for tummy time and propping baby in a sitting position.

8. Pampers Swaddlers diapers and Pampers Sensitive THICK CARE wipes - Swaddlers are soooo absorbent, and thick care wipes are so soft and thick...keeps baby from getting diaper rash!

9. J J Cole Bundle Me - These come in different thicknesses depending on climate and season. For winter in Colorado, a thick Bundle Me was so nice for keeping baby warm in the car seat and stroller. We rarely needed extra blankets or snowsuits (only on the REALLY cold/snowy days), and the fleecy fabric made the infant car seat so snugly!

10. Infant Carseat/Carrier - While you don't have to buy an infant car seat (since convertible car seats can be used rear-facing from birth), they certainly make your life easier when you are out and about with a newborn! It's great to move baby from the house to the car to the stroller to a booth or cradle sling at a restaurant without ever having to wake and/or unstrap baby from the seat. We have the Graco SnugRide and love it. We didn't get the whole travel system (we decided to get the Bob stroller with infant car seat adaptor instead), but there are many strollers that accommodate Graco infant car seats.

11. Sleeper Outfits - There is a reason why you see so many of these one piece long-sleeved footie outfits for babies...they are great! Josie will not keep socks on, so outfits that have footies are best for keeping her feet warm. Great as pjs for sleep or as a play outfit during the day so it is easy to transition baby to nap time. Look for outfits that have zippers instead of snaps...they are quick and easy for diaper changes!