Best Baby Registry Items Part 1-Bourbon Edition

Woo-hoo!

I have several friends getting ready to have (or already had!) their first baby so I wanted to finally post this! I started this post LAST May...oops! I apologize in advance if my selections are OLD news.

Here is my MUST have items for new moms. This list is pretty obvious but these are the gadgets that helped me the most!

I went with the Chicco KeyFit 30 Carseat and 2 Bases. With that we used the Snap and Go but now Chicco has their own Snapper. I loved the Chicco and I only have two gripes. 1. It doesn't have the notch cut out of the bottom like the Graco so it can't sit on the grocery cart. 2. The rubber top part of the handle should be the button to make it go back...I have T-rex arms and to reach over to the orange button to lower the handle was a pain. Otherwise LOVED it!

Angel Dear Lovies...buy tons! Ford sleeps with about three of these. And now after going to their site I think he would love the spots on the Dalmation! $13

Fisher Price Lil Lamb Infant Seat $69.99. He didn't love this as much as the swing below but I would put this on our bed (not recommended) but M was right there and they would hang out while I showered for work. He didn't love the vibration device that much but did love the hanging toy.

Fisher Price My Little Lamb Cradle & Swing. $179Another MUST. Items like this, the chair above, and the bumbo are all Bluetooth devices...AKA Handsfree. Sometimes he would nap in this for a few hours! They aren't cheap so maybe either share with a friend who has a child 5 months older or younger than yours. 

 Dr. Brown's Newborn Baby Bottle Feeding Set $24.99. We are STILL using these. I can't get him to take a sippy cup! I will say the number of parts annoyed me about these bottles but we loved them.

My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow $35. This thing is like an attachable booby TV Tray for your infant. And I won't lie, sometimes I left it on and put my plate on it. Some people prefer the Boppy but I LOVED this thing! And I could store my shield in the little pocket. (This is the shield that I had to use..ugh)

Speaking of breastfeeding....you have to either get an app or that Itzbeen timer thing. I was lucky enough to be married to a geeky programmer and he wrote me an App! Unfortunately some loser said he had the patent on booby milk apps and M had to remove his from Itunes. LAME. This thing was a huge help...(ignore the image above..that was in testing phase)

Snappies-search the internet. Looks like a simple thing but they attach straight to your pump and then go straight to the freezer so if you have to pump and feed the first few nights you just heat these puppies up, put on a screw on nipple and feed!

More Milk Plus $23.95. I had supply issues pretty much the whole time but I swear this stuff helped! Makes you smell like maple syrup..not too bad! 

Gillian and O'Malley Nursing Tanks $16.99 from Target. HOT right?? I LIVED in these things the first few months. Not attractive but throw on a cute cardigan and you are good to go.

Fisher Price Aquarium Bath Center $34.99. The nice little sling keeps him in the water but you don't have to hold him up and its not hard plastic!

Diaper Dekor Plus Diaper Disposal Pail $39.99. I thought this one was the least hideous!

Enfamil Newborn 6-pack 2oz Formula. The hospital and Pediatrician's office gave us lots of these and they were great to toss in your diaper bag and use if you were on the go and didn't have pumped milk with you. Yes I supplemented....I'm still a great mom! 

MAM Start Pacifier 0+ Months BPA Free Silicone. Ford didn't love the pacifiers from the hospital so we gave these a try and he was hooked! We now use the 6mo+ size. Trying to curb that habit.

Ultimate Crib Sheet $19.99. What? A sheet on top of your sheets? Yes, it actually is necessary. Especially when they start getting colds and you are washing the sheet every 3 days. This sheet snaps around the sides so you aren't making up a crib all the time. 

Moses Basket (One shown is Restoration Hardware). Ford spent 90% of his time in his moses basket the first two months. I tried the crib and it was a no-go. A friend gave me the insert and that combined with his swaddle and he was golden. I didn't buy the rocker attachment until too late but if I have another little one I will definitely use this again!

Carter's Sleep gowns $20/2, Kissy Kissy $40-$50. I love the open bottoms, you just pull up and change a diaper! Zippers and snaps are too hard to comprehend in the dark at 2:00am anyways.

This isn't a huge revelation but I preferred the super soft "minky" changing pad covers from Target. And make sure you buy the Boppy Liners. Yep, another liner on top of a cover but these were easy to wash and replace after all that peeing up in the air.

Infantino Toys. These things are the only toys that don't get stuck on the Chicco when you put down the handle. Ford LOVED these little toys and still plays with them! Marshalls or TJ Maxx typically has them for cheap.

Lamaze Freddie the Firefly. We have the Peacock but Ford loved these Lamaze toys! They have the krinkle, soft, hard and mirror sensory features. AND they clip on to things....necessary!

Aden + Anais Burpy Bibs and Regular cloth diaper burping cloths on Etsy. Ford had reflux and I went through about 7 burp cloths a day! The A+A ones are a little pricey so just get a few of those for going out in public. You can use the old boring white cloth diapers at home.

Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets $34.99. These are so versatile and we used them for everything from a blanket outside, a stroller cover, swaddler, nursing cover....etc!

Graco Pac 'n Play Portable Playard with Newborn Napper $169.99. My friends gave me this at my shower and it was another of the MUST HAVE products. We set this up in the TV room downstairs and changed all his diapers here and had him nap here. You have to have this one! Don't buy any other brand!!! Look at my little peanut sleeping!

Bumbo $39.99. AKA the Drunk Sailor Seat. This was great if you just needed to do something real quick (pee, change the laundry, fix a cocktail...etc)

Bob Stroller $300+. I asked the facebook world if the Bob was worth it and got over 40 responses all in agreement that it was the way to go. I was fortunate enough that in one of those responses a friend from High School was selling hers! We love the Bob and I agree that it is the best! I don't really jog but we do go walking, golf tounamenting, farmers marketing.

BabyBjorn Baby Carrier $79.99. Yep, that's me and my buddy Ian at the Vineyard Vines store opening in Charlotte. The Bjorn was an absolute LIFESAVER! I could work at my computer with it, attend parties with it, go walking, drinking, use the bathroom (yep....I admitted it)....it seriously is one of the best items you could get. I'm so sad he is too big for it now!

Skip Hop Funky Farmyard Activity Mat  $59.99. Tummy Time isn't as boring when you are on this colorful mat! Ford loved it and I hung more toys from the loops.

Sleep Sheep Sound Soother $24.99. I put this on heartbeat every night since we have a white noise machine going also.

Fisher Price Time for Sleep Monitor with Dual Receivers $64.99. We went back and forth on if we were going to do a video monitor. We ended up purchasing the Fisher Price monitors which work great. The blue light on the receiver is nice as a nightlight. Our security company sent us a free webcam so we plugged that baby in Ford's room and we can see him on our phones from anywhere! Some people say the monitor isn't necessary and they are right but it is nice to see if he is just re-positioning himself at night or if he is really awake. Its also nice to peek in on him when we are using a new babysitter!

The NoseFrida Snotsucker. Don't ask, just buy.



AND FINALLY...
If your kid doesn't have one of these he will be bullied via babyfacebook. You could just buy him/her one of these and call it a day. What? Its not French? Its for Dogs? Oops.