First of all, if you are reading this and you are expecting, congratulations! It is the most incredible thing to welcome a baby into this world.
Let’s get right to it!
Don’t Fall Into the Trap of Thinking You Need Everything
Registering for a new baby as a first time mama can be super overwhelming. Of course it’s also quite fun to pick out little outfits, blankets and teddy bears but there are literally thousands of baby products out there to filter through. Each company works hard to convince you that you cannot live without their products.
I fell into the trap of registering for anything and everything that appeared to be functional for a baby. The result? I ended up receiving a mish-mosh of items I would never use and had to buy a bunch of essentials that I did need.
Be Cautious in Registering for Diapers/Wipes & Pacifiers
Yes, you will need an absolute ton of them. BUT, your baby may be sensitive to a specific brand of wipe and you do not want to end up with hundreds of packages of them that you cannot use. Consider having a cash fund for these essentials.
The Babylist registry worked out great for us. We went through 4-5 brands of diapers before finding one that fit our daughter best. We also ended up with several cute wub-a-nub pacifiers which I opened and sanitized prior to baby’s arrival and then she would NOT take a pacifier no matter how much I offered one. Needless to say I ended up giving them away to a friend who’s baby does love them.
Search for Non-toxic Baby Products and Materials You Feel Good About
Now more than ever I am aware of the materials I bring into our home and making sure our home is as safe as possible for our daughter. When I was pregnant I naively figured all baby products must have passed some safety standards and would be acceptable. As registry items started arriving to our home, I noticed many toxic smells and strange materials. I started to research and ended up returning and exchanging so many items for safer versions. I wish I had realized this before our baby shower as I could have saved 9 months pregnant me a lot of headaches…
Learn From My Mistakes
My advice to you mamas is this: register for your absolute must have items first and then add a few nice to have things.
This way you will end up with more of the things you really need. Do your research on what materials you are comfortable surrounding your baby with. In my opinion, quality baby items are worth more than a large quantity of them. We are by no means 100% organic, however I do try to go organic wherever possible for my daughter and our household products and food.
Check out my post here on my top 10 most used registry items (with reviews!).
Happy registering mamas, this is one of the best times of your life!
Xo,
Kinzy
PS – check out this article on meaningful baby shower games for some awesome game inspiration!
