Motherhood

Baby Registry Favorites - Part 2

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Hi, friends! I'm back with Part 2 of our Baby Registry Favorites (see Part 1 here)! This time around, I have our recommendations for waste management products (AKA how to deal with all the poop, all the time), bath time/health & safety/breastfeeding essentials, as well as all the gear we use to get out of the house and maintain a semblance of our former lives. Enjoy!

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Waste Management (AKA POOP GEAR)

1. Diaper Backpack: I think this might be one of my favorite finds and I get compliments on it ALL THE TIME. I wanted a nice-looking, gender-neutral backpack with lots of pockets and this guy checks all of those boxes and more. Beau likes carrying it as much as I do (WIN) and it's so nice to be hands-free. It fits all of our CRAP (literally), keeps everything organized with tons of pockets, and even comes with a changing pad. I don't think I'll ever carry a purse again and I LOVE IT.

2. Wipes Dispenser: Keeps your wipes from drying out and looks nice sitting out on top of a changing table. Win-win.

3. Changing Pad: I debated getting one of those changing pads that are fully wipeable/not made out of fabric, but couldn't justify the price. We live in a 3 story townhome and spend most of our time NOT on the same floor as the nursery, so to be honest, most of our diaper changes happen on the floor with a mat (see #5 on this list). This changing pad was highly-rated and affordable, so we got it for the changing table in the nursery. We use liners (#8 on this list) on top of the cover, so we honestly haven't even had to wash the changing pad cover yet (3.5 months in). So in my opinion, you can go the cheaper route like we did and not be stuck with a ton of extra laundry. 

4. Changing Pad Cover: Because I can't get enough of this adorable print. 

5. Gathre Mat: As mentioned above, we do the majority of our diaper changes on the floor in the living room with this mat. I keep a big basket underneath the coffee table with diapers, wipes, the changing mat, a few toys/blankets, etc. and pull it out during the day and hide it away when we're done. This mat is wipeable and pretty and we like it a lot. 

6. Wipes: We saw these on a lot of friend's registries and ordered them for ourselves. They're great! Just FYI...the top on these is just a sticker, which makes it good to use with the wipes dispenser (#2 on this list). If you were to use them without a dispenser (i.e. carry them around in your diaper bag, keep on a floor farther away from the dispenser, etc.), I might recommend this kind which has a more durable top to keep the moisture in.

7: Diapers: If I had written this post a month ago, we would have recommended Pampers as our diapers of choice. We primarily used Pampers for her Newborn and size 1 diapers and liked them a lot. When you do your registry through Amazon and a certain dollar amount is reached, you get $100 of free diapers (a big selling point for us!). But, when it came to use our $100, we realized you could only use it on participating diaper brands (Pampers was not available, but Huggies were). We semi-reluctantly switched to Huggies (because they were free, duh), and as soon as we started using them we discovered that we liked them a lot more! We have WAY less blowouts these days, I find that the Huggies are a lot easier to put on, and superficially, I think the designs are a little cuter than Pampers. I think Huggies are a tad bit cheaper as well. We're converts! I don't think you could go wrong either way, though. As for quantities and how many boxes of each to order, here's what happened for us: Miles was 7.5lbs at birth (super average, apparently). She was in Newborn diapers for about a month (I'm not sure how many boxes this was...we were lucky and were given a bunch of Newborn diapers from friends whose kiddos had grown out of them). She was in Size 1s for about 1.5 months (we went through 1 big box and 1 smaller box). Now she's in Size 2s. We sized up every time we started noticing more blowouts and the larger sizes seemed to help. 

8. Changing Pad Liners: Love these things! We primarily use them on top of the changing pad cover (in case of a blowout you only have to wash the liner rather than stripping off the entire cover). You could also throw one of these down anywhere and change a diaper, so they're super versatile. And cheap. 

9. Portable Wipes Dispenser: Great for the diaper bag!

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Bath Time/Health & Safety Essentials

1. Bath Caddy: Great for keeping all of her bath/health stuff organized.

2. Baby Bathtub: Who knew there were so many options for baby bathtubs? A friend recommended this one and it's also pretty inexpensive so we went for it. I like the little sling...it keeps Miles a little more upright and it makes it easier to move her around while you're wiping her down. Our kitchen SERIOUSLY lacks storage so we actually don't use this in the sink. We put it in the shower floor in her nursery (unfortunately it's a standup shower and not a real bathtub) and switched out the shower head with a handheld nozzle. It's worked out just fine so far!

3. Bath Kneeler: If you're a weirdo like us that gives your baby baths in the floor of a standup shower, this is a real knee-saver. :)

4. Nursery Care Kit: I ordered this because it seemed important and was cute (LOL), but it ended up impressing daddy the pediatrician! Lots of handy little tools in there. Pro tip: If your baby has tons of hair like ours, the brush in this kit is great for shampooing. 

5. Bath Rinser: We won't use this until she's a little older (right now we're just squeezing a washcloth over her head), but I like that the little lip seems like it would keep water out of her eyes. Time will tell!

6. Hooded Towels: So cute, SO SOFT, I want one for myself. 

7. Nose Frida: We recently battled our first cold (poor baby) and this thing works WONDERS. Miles doesn't love having boogers forcefully sucked from her nose, but it's way more effective than the bulb syringe route. 

8. Gripe Water: Baby girl was pretty gassy and hiccup-y when she was a newborn, and I'm not sure how, but this stuff really worked. If she ever got hiccups in the middle of the night, a few drops of this and she'd calm down and go back to bed. We haven't really used it since, but might be nice to have on hand for those first few weeks at home.

9. Infant Tylenol: We thankfully haven't had to use this yet, but it's nice to have in case disaster strikes in the middle of the night. 

10. Aveno Bath Set: Get all the essentials in one set. Done and done.

11. Washcloths: Washcloths have been great for bathtime! We usually wet one and lay it over her tummy to keep her warm and then use another with soap to wipe her down. These are soft and great quality.

12. Outlet Covers: Full disclosure—we haven't actually bought these yet, but I intend to when we start baby-proofing. I like that you don't have to pull out the outlet cover every time you want to plug something in...you just slide the cover over. Hopefully they work as well as I imagine they will!

13. Safety Gate: Our house is NOT toddler friendly (staircases everywhere, lots of open shelves from which to pull everything off and destroy, etc.). I'm not looking forward to baby-proofing. We have these ready whenever Miles decides to start crawling...I'll let y'all know how they work when we get them up!

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Nursing/Feeding Essentials

1. Nursing Cover: Looks like my gray and white stripped one is sold out at the moment, but I linked another cute color. The brand is Copper Pearl and it's soft and fully covers Miles and I while I'm feeding her in public. To be totally honest I much prefer feeding her without the cover and I've surprised myself by how often I've done it in public (I was pretty modest before baby came along and now I don't really care). But this is a great option for those times when you want to be a bit more covered up. 

2. Boppy Pillow: Big Boppy fan over here! I brought it to the hospital and the first time I used it was the first time that we actually had a successful latch. It really helped me figure out how to position her in the beginning and now it's nice to not have to support her body weight while feeding her. We use this waterproof cover and this decorative cover with it. 

3. Boon Drying Rack: If you've been to any baby shower lately you've likely seen these grassy-looking things. They're weird but GREAT for drying bottles (which you end up doing a lot of if you pump). I was happy to find this skinny rectangular version. We don't have a ton of counter space in the kitchen so I preferred this to the larger square version.

4. Clip-on Highchair: Another item we technically haven't used yet, but it came highly recommended from a friend. We plan to use this as her highchair at home (again, not a ton of kitchen space). And the nice thing about it being a clip on is that we can take it with us to restaurants, on trips, etc. Apparently it packs down really small and is easy to use and clean. 

5. Nursing Pads: I have a few reusable ones, but I find that these disposable ones work so much better. 

6. Pumping Bra: This photo horrified me when I was pregnant. It truly looks like a torture device. But this bra is pretty clutch and helps me continue working while pumping on the days that Miles is at daycare.

7. Bottle Brush: Not much to say about it other than it works great. :)

8. Burp Cloths: These are super soft, absorbent, and not hideous. All things I'd look for in a burp cloth.

9. Milk Storage: Pro tip: Lay the bags flat to freeze, and then once they're frozen, store upright in these. Takes up way less space in the freezer.

10. Hand Pump: I got a free electric pump with my insurance (THANKS, OBAMA), but I've been surprised how much I've also used this hand pump. It's small and easy to keep in the diaper bag in case you need it while you're out and about. I also used it a ton to help with engorgement those first few weeks. 

11. Breastmilk Storage Bags: Cheaper than the Medela ones and work just the same!

12. Bottles: We got a few of these for free in our Amazon Registry Welcome Box, liked them, and decided to get a few more. We have 4 total which has been plenty on the days that Miles goes to daycare.

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On The Go

1. Bob Revolution Stroller: Okay, this one is spendy. But it's probably one of our favorite things. We wanted to spend money on things that would allow us to get out the house/continue to enjoy the things we enjoyed before baby and this is one of those things. It rides like a dream (can't believe I just said that...haha), hops up and down curbs with ease, and allows Miles, Walter and I to get out for a jog in the park most afternoons. We use it with a car seat adapter now until she gets head control, and because we live in the rainy Pacific Northwest we always keep this rain cover in the storage area below the seat. To save money, we bought ours via Amazon Warehouse. If you don't know about this, LISTEN UP. Under the "Add to Cart" buttons to the right, there's usually a section called "Other Sellers on Amazon". Click on that and look for any with the "Amazon Warehouse" logo next to it. Usually these items have damaged packaging/have been opened/etc., but the item itself is brand new. We saved $100 on our Bob because the box had a tiny dent in it.

2. Chicco Carseat: We got lucky and ended up borrowing one of these and 2 bases from a friend who was done with them. It's great! Easy to click in and out and on the more affordable end of the car seat spectrum. 

3. Chicco Caddy Stroller: I debated whether or not we needed this for a while, but I'm really glad that we have it. It's super lightweight and lives in the trunk of our car for use at the grocery store/when we're out and about around town. It's so much easier to get in and out of the car and navigate on busy sidewalks/through tight doorframes than the Bob. So basically, this is our errand-running stroller and the Bob is our neighborhood walk/jog stroller. 

4. Ergo 360: We love this baby carrier! It's more heavy-duty than the fabric wraps and we've already taken Miles on a ton of hikes with it. It's easy to get on and off and distributes her weight really well. A friend also sent us this winter cover that goes with it and it's been great to keep her warm this winter (we even took her snowshoeing in it and she stayed nice and warm the whole time).

5. Solly Wrap: I love this thing because it facilitates constant snuggles. It's nice to wear her around the house if she's fussy and I still need to get a few things done. In the early days (before I wanted to start getting her to nap in the crib), she took a lot of naps in this. It's a bit tricky to figure out how to tie it at first, but you'll get the hang of it after a few tries. And the colors/patterns are so beautiful.

6. Back Seat Mirror: Great for keeping an eye on her while we're in the front seat. 

7. Car Seat Cover: This has been perfect for our winter baby! As you may or may not know, you're technically not supposed to put your kiddo in bulky jackets while they're in the car seat. This cover allowed Miles to be safely strapped in AND warm, without having to take jackets on and off a million times. 

8. Osprey Pack: We're big hikers and fittingly, this was the first baby gift we received (Beau's best friends from high school went in on it for him). We can't wait for Miles to get head control so we can bust this out!

9. Pack N' Play: Great for travel and sleeping at friend's houses. This was the least ugly one I could find. :)

10. Burley Bike Trailer: Another spendy one that we thought we'd wait to find at a consignment store, but Beau's sweet residency class went in on it for us. Portland is a big biking city (we probably only drive 1-2 times a week and bike every day), so this thing is going to get some serious mileage. It's another thing we can't use until Miles gets head control but we're counting down the days until we can take her along on some bike and brew tours. :)

11. Portable Sound Machine: If we're ever out past Miles' bedtime, we do our bedtime routine on the go, put her down in her carseat, and strap this bad boy to the carseat handle. Works like a charm. 

12. Outdoor Blanket: We love this thing and will probably get even more use out of it as the weather continues to warm up! It's waterproof, wipeable, and a great size. It also folds down to a manageable size (I kept it in my backpack when we went snowshoeing and then we opened it up and sat on it in the snow to eat lunch. Clutch).

That's it, folks! I hope you find this (and Part 1) helpful as you build your registries and/or pick out baby gifts for friends. I also want to reiterate...these are things that worked for us and we were lucky to be gifted and/or borrow the majority of these items. All babies are different (some like swings, some don't; some like Pampers, some like Huggies, etc.). My recommendation would be to borrow as much as you can and buy minimally at first, see what your baby likes, and then go from there. It's amazing how much STUFF you can accumulate and it's even more amazing how quickly your baby will grow out of it all. So just be mindful about your lifestyle, budget, and priorities and know that your baby will be just fine whether or not they have all the latest gadgets.

 

Love & Respect,

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Baby Registry Favorites - Part 1

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For such tiny creatures, babies seemingly require so. much. stuff. As someone on a budget who doesn't like a lot of visual clutter all over my house, I was on a mission to find affordable, versatile, and as-visually-appealing-as-possible baby stuff. We spent a ton of time reading product reviews and building our registry, so I thought I'd pass along some of our favorite finds to those of you who are trying to figure out if your baby needs two swings, a bouncy seat, AND a rock n' play as well as 16 different strollers (*eye-roll emoji*). Also, is the Dock-A-Tot worth the gazillion dollars that it costs? Read on, my friends...

P.S. This post started getting super lengthy so I decided to break it up a bit.  Look for Part 2 of our Registry Favorites coming soon. :)

P.P.S. We ended up finding a lot of the items below at consignment shops and/or borrowing from friends. So my overall tip for those of you who are on a budget (like us!) is that you can often find a lot of these items for a lot cheaper (or free). Ask around and visit some consignment stores before purchasing. There's SO much baby stuff out there that people are looking to get rid of once their little ones grow out of it. Better to look there first before spending tons of money!

Where did we create our registry?

If you know us personally, you know that Beau and I are obsessed with Amazon Prime. So choosing the Amazon Baby Registry was an easy decision. It seems like most people have Amazon Prime these days, so we thought it would be easiest for our friends/family to make purchases with Amazon and not have to pay for shipping. AND it came with a ton of perks: $100 worth of free diapers if a certain dollar amount from your registry is purchased, a 15% completion discount on anything left on your registry, a free "welcome box" with really great products, and a few other freebies like Shutterfly prints and baby books. It was easy to set up and you can technically add products from any site that you'd like (doesn't technically have to be from Amazon). We highly recommend it!

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Nursery Decor

Overall, we looked for pieces that could transition with Miles as she grows and/or be used in other rooms in the house someday. 

1. nuLoom Rug: It took a lot of convincing to get Beau on board with a rug (he's Mr. functional and didn't think this was necessary), but I pulled the "I'm huge and pregnant and I deserve this" card and won. This rug is SUPER pretty and affordable too, which helped my case. 

2. Baby Relax Miles Dresser: I randomly came across this dresser on Amazon and it was called the "Miles" so it was a no-brainer. Beau made a wooden changing table topper (it looks like this) and it's great for changing her diaper AND storing all her stuff. We love it!

3. Ikea Gulliver Crib: Simple, modern, white, safe, adjustable, affordable. Just FYI...I linked the Amazon version here which is more expensive than it would be if you bought it AT Ikea (I believe it's $100 at Ikea). But I know not everyone has an Ikea in their city, so here's an easy way to get one shipped to you. :)

4. Curtains: I found these beauties at World Market. They fit the vibe of the room and were very affordable. Note that they're not light-blocking, but I didn't want Miles to be dependent on a pitch-black room in order to fall asleep. So far she's napped during the day with these and it hasn't been a problem.

5. Jute Ottoman: Sadly the one we have is sold out, but this one is similar. Just search "jute ottoman" on Amazon and you're likely to find a good one, and maybe at a lower price than this. 

6. Petit Pehr Pom Pom Bin: We have this bin on the shelf in her room holding all of her blankets/swaddles/etc. It's REALLY cute. We use baskets all over the house to corral her stuff now and Petit Pehr makes some really nice-looking ones. So does World Market!

7. Cube Organizer: This guy lives in her closet and we use these cubes to organize all of her clothes by size. It's handy and keeps the clutter at bay.

8. Elephant Bookends: Because these are adorable. And they're sturdy enough to hold up the zillions of books that we have on her shelf.

9. Rocking Chair: I saw this rocker in a friend's instagram post and immediately messaged her to ask where it was from. To my surprise, it was actually pretty affordable and available on Amazon prime! It's really nice-looking in person and comfortable too. Nailed it.

10. Letter Board: Add a little hipster flair to all of your monthly baby photos. :)

11. National Park Posters: Beau and I collect these posters for every National Park that we visit together. We hung three of them in her nursery and LOVE them there. 

12: Ikea Shelf: Miles' nursery used to be my office, and we actually already had this shelf in the room for all of my art supplies. We're now storing her pajamas/sleepers, onesies and pants in the drawers (which is basically all she wears), and books, baskets, etc. on the open shelves. It's perfect!

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Apparel

1. Target Cloud Island Sleep N' Play Set: If you buy one item of clothing for the newborn stage, buy a set or two of these. They're cheap, they have an inverted zipper for easy diaper changes, and they have built in booties and mittens to keep the babe warm. Miles LIVES in these. Also, for sizing reference, Miles was 7.5 lbs at birth and was in the Newborn size of these for about 2 months. She is on the smaller side, but I thought that'd be helpful to know.

2. Old Navy Footed Sleeper: Same as above. These are convenient and Old Navy has a bunch of nice solid colors and patterns. Size-wise, she started in the 0-3M size and has been wearing them since birth. She's 10 weeks old now and I think we can get another month and change out of these!

3. MiracleWear 5 Pack Onesies: How cute are these colors? And they're cheap and available on Amazon. Win.

4. Brave Little Ones Knotted Gown: My best friend got this for Miles and I LOVE it. The knotted bottom makes for easy diaper changes and it's super beautiful and soft. 

5. Gerber Longsleeve Mitten Cuff Onesies: Simple, cheap, great.

6. Carters Pants: The cutest little pants to pair with onesies. Technically marketed for little boys but we named her Miles, so....

7. Zutano Fleece Hat: Adorable. Warm. Great for winter babies. She wears this pretty much every time we leave the house.

8. Bows and Headbands from Lottie Lemon: Super cute and affordable bows and headbands from a sweet little Etsy shop. 

9. Laughing Giraffe Sleeper Gown: Super soft and makes for easy middle-of-the-night diaper changes. 

10. Halo Sleep Sack: We technically haven't used this yet (Miles is still being swaddled at night), but apparently this is what she'll sleep in after we drop the swaddle. I'll keep you posted. :)

11. Zutano Booties: Quite literally the only warm, sock-like thing that will stay on homegirl's feet. These have been a life-saver this winter!

12. Freshly Picked Moccasins: We got these as a gift and LOVE them. So super cute and help keep her socks on. Win-win. 

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Sleep

1. Avent Baby Monitor: We originally registered for and received a baby monitor that projected the video feed to our iphones via an app, but we quickly realized that we didn't like it! The video feed was unreliable and since we live in a 3-story townhouse, the wifi connection wasn't very strong upstairs (where we used the app most). Luckily we were able to return it and bought this guy instead. I like that it doesn't drain my phone battery and the connection between the camera and video thing (what do you call this?) is super strong. It's also VERY easy to set up and use, which is great. Much happier with this one!

2. Miracle Blanket: We call Miles "The Littlest Houdini" because she busts out of EVERY swaddle. Except for this one (for the most part. ha). It's easy to wrap her up in this in the middle of the night and I like that it doesn't have any loud velcro like some of the other ones.

3. Dock-A-Tot: Okay, I hesitate even including this because it is SO ridiculously expensive for what it is. I purposefully didn't add it to our registry because I thought the price was so ridiculous for something you'll only use for a few months (it is), but a friend graciously offered to let us borrow hers so of course I said yes (I'm such a hypocrite). Turns out, it's probably the baby item that we use the most. Miles takes at least one nap a day in this and it's so easy to carry her around from room to room in it if she falls asleep. Speaking of which, I should mention that Dr. Beau does NOT allow Miles to sleep in this unsupervised. It's technically not considered a "safe sleep environment" but it's great for supervised naps and lounging. It's lightweight and easy to transport, so we regularly bring this over to friends' houses if we know she'll need a nap while we're away. I also LOVE putting her in this on the counter while I'm cooking dinner. She hangs out and we sing and cook and it's probably the sweetest part of our day together. So...all in all, I'm a big fan. If the price of this is prohibitive, I think something like this or this would be similar and just as great. 

4. Little Unicorn Crib Sheets: I LOVE this company. They have the sweetest patterns for crib sheets, swaddles, changing pad covers, blankets, etc. We ended up getting this "Prickle Pots" pattern for Miles' crib sheet and changing pad cover and the colors ended up informing the design of her nursery. If you're an Amazon Prime user (can you tell we're obsessed with Amazon?), some of Little Unicorn's patterns are available on Prime (like these swaddles, bibs, crib sheets, and this lovely quilt. 

5. Dohm Sound Machine: We actually already use one of these in our room so getting one for Miles' nursery was a no-brainer. It's a nice, simple white noise (no weird running water sounds that make you feel like you have to pee). 

6. Arms Reach Bassinet: Another item that we borrowed from a friend and LOVE. It's the perfect height and has lots of pockets for diapers, wipes, extra swaddles, etc. We keep Miles in this right next to our bed (it's the perfect height), and it's been super easy to grab her out, feed her, and put her back to sleep during nighttime feedings. It's also on wheels so I can pull it closer/further away from the bed as needed, which has been really helpful. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it'll just be in our room for a short season so I'm dealing with it. :)

7. Burts Bees Crib Sheets: These were cheaper than the Little Unicorn sheets, so I got a set as a backup. One of the mom-hacks I heard was to layer a crib protector, a sheet, another crib protector and another sheet on the crib. That way, if/when baby wets the bed in the middle of the night, you can just rip off the top sheet and crib protector and not have to re-make the bed. 

8. Crib Protector: See my comment above for why you need one or two of these. This one is great and fully covers the mattress.

9. Mom's On Call: Multiple friends recommend this book. It's written by two pediatric nurses and has tons of helpful info on baby care and dealing with different illnesses. We've been loosely following the nap/sleep schedule from this book and sweet Miles has been sleeping for 7-8 hour stretches at night ever since she was 6 weeks old. I think it's largely because of the tips we learned from this book! Highly recommend it.

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Happy Baby, Happy Life

These are things that Miles seems to enjoy. I'm sure this list will grow as she gets older/more coherent. :)

1. Baby Bjorn Bouncer: We ended up finding one of these at a consignment shop (fo' cheap!) and bought it on a whim. Miles loves it! We clip the toy arch (#8 on this list) to it and she'll sit there and stare at the dangling toys for a good 20 minutes or so while I shower, get a few quick things done, etc. It's super light and folds down so it's easy to transport from room to room (or even outside if I need to put her down somewhere while I'm throwing the ball for the dog). Annnnd we'll sit her down in this after bath time and dry her off, which has been convenient. Oh, and it's not hideous. Win! If you're looking for a more inexpensive option, I've heard great things about this one. 

2. Pacifier Clips: Miles is obsessed with her pacifiers, so we have one clipped to just about everything (her car seat, her Dock-A-Tot, her bassinet, etc.). Babies cannot seem to keep these in their mouths for more than 30 seconds at a time so the clips are helpful to keep them from falling on the floor. :)

3. Avent Pacifiers: We bought Avent bottles, so we figured Avent pacifiers would be good too. She likes them!

4. Wubbanub Pacifier: Every mom friend told me that we needed one of these. I can't tell if Miles prefers this to the regular pacifier just yet (all pacifiers are a win in her book), but she seems to be able to hold onto this one and keep it in her mouth a little better than the others. And I'm sure once she's old enough to realize that there's also a cute stuffed animal attached to it she'll be an even bigger fan. 

5. Tummy Time Blanket: Be warned that this thing is WAY smaller than you might imagine (we were shocked when we opened it because we were picturing a large blanket...ha). But it's the perfect size for Miles and we'll lay her down on it a few times a day for tummy time. There's a mirror, some ribbons, crinkly paper, etc. for her to interact with (although at this point she really just lays on it and wiggles her floppy head around for a while and then cries when she gets tired). 

6. Graco Swing: Another thing we were so fortunate to be able to borrow from a friend. Of the bouncy seat, swing, and rock n' play, this one is by far her favorite. She'll hang out in there looking very content for quite a long while and it's honestly been a life-saver. EVERY BABY IS DIFFERENT, but if you want my advice on the great swing vs. bouncer vs. rock n' play debate, I would probably suggest a swing and a bouncer. A bouncer because it's portable and versatile, and the swing because if your baby is like mine, it's one of the only things that calms her down when she gets worked up. Also, for those of you that are ballin' on a budget like us, look at consignment stores and ask friends if you can borrow theirs before you buy your own. You never know what your baby is going to like and it would be a bummer to spend big money on a swing that your baby doesn't even like sitting in. 

7. Rock N' Play: This was something that seemingly everyone said was a mandatory purchase. The verdict? Miles likes it, but I might not say that it's a necessary buy. We live in a 3-story townhome so I keep this one on the main floor and the swing in our room (both are pretty bulky so it's nice to not have to haul one up and down the stairs). We clip the toy arch (see below) to this and she enjoys hanging out in there and looking around. Another FYI: a lot of people swear by this as a sleep aid but that was a big No-No from Dr. Beau and his stringent safe-sleep rules (the downside of marrying a pediatrician is that you can't get away with stuff). So Miles doesn't sleep in this...it's more of a place for her to hang out if I need to set her down somewhere.

8. Toy Arch: It looks like the Prime version of this may be sold out, so keep checking back for it to be re-stocked (it should be about $20 from what I recall). Miles is weirdly entertained by this and it easily clips onto her rock n' play, bouncy seat, etc. 

9. Whozit: The first toy that Miles seemed to notice and she loves it! Lots of crinkly things to touch and crazy designs to look at. Babies are funny. 

10. Jelly Cat Stuffed Animals: We got a few of these as gifts and they're all so adorable. I was a big stuffed animal fan as a kid and it looks like Miles is going to be as well. She particularly loves her Toothy Donkey which is so ridiculously cute.

11 & 12. Books: One of my favorite things about parenthood so far has been reading to Miles. It seems a bit silly to read to an infant who clearly has no idea what's going on, but apparently it's good for her development. And it's been good for MY development too because all of these books are SO DANG ADORABLE and have such positive messages. This one makes me laugh and this one makes me cry. But honestly, I love them all. If you're looking for a good gift to bring to a new parent, BOOKS all the way. 

That's it for Part 1! I remember scouring the internet for registry guides, so I hope you'll find this to be helpful. As always, feel free to reach out in the comments or on instagram with any questions. I'd be more than happy to provide any more advice you need!

I'll be back with Part 2 (our favorite products for bath time, health & safety, diapering, feeding, and travel gear) soon. Stay tuned! :)

Love & Respect,

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