Per Your Request: Registry

After last weeks post I had quit a few requests for me to share my registry items I had chosen. I would love to! But before I start, there's just one

Disclaimer: Obviously, I have not yet first hand tested any of these items with baby. Therefore all of these opinions of that of my dear mommy friends, and those of my own brain making decisions off reviews. So you may have your own completely different train of thought about these items, and that is perfectly ok with me!



First off I have to admit how lucky I am. I have a cousin who had a baby boy last year and has provided me with so many hand-me-downs that I'm not having to register for. These items include 1) A Bumpo Seat (I hear it is a must) 2) A Boppy (I hear it is not that necessary. You can just use a pillow. If you are looking for a great nursing pillow I recommend the Brest Friend, although it's expensive.) 3) A Floor Play Mat 4) An Infant Travel Bed that folds up to look like a brief case. Very cool if you will be traveling 5)A Baby Bath (look for the kind that have more than one function: there is one that starts out as an infant bath, then to a bath tub you put in your regular bath tub, and the base then flips over to a step stool, or a seat for you to sit on when your washing your kid in the regular tub. 6) A bottle warmer



Items carefully chosen:



Car Seat: Graco Snug Ride. This style of car seat is extremely safe and also is adaptable to sooooo many other things. I will get to those in a minute. Originally my hubs and I were going to go with the Graco Up To 35lbs car seat until we realized 3 things 1)Unless your infant has a thyroid problem they will not reach 35lbs until they are ready for a regular booster seat. 2) It is more expensive and 3) It does not adapt to anything else.



Stroller: BOB Revolution Stroller. THIS STROLLER IS AMAZING. Originally we had registered for the whole Graco travel system with stroller and all. Thankfully my sister in law introduced me to the BOB. It is perfect for any mom who eventually wants to have a jogging/running stroller, yet it is still adaptable to an infant car seat when you buy the extra BOB Trailer Infant Car Seat Adapter for an extra 60 bucks. Now yes, the BOB is expensive but in the long run you are saving yourself from ever having to buy an exercise stroller. The wheels are bigger and smoother and they last longer than the travel system. It is so light weight and easy to fold and put in your car. My girlfriend has one and when I visited her a few weeks ago she let me play around with it. It is amazing. It has this shock system on it which makes you feel like your kid is riding on the most comfortable bike ever. It also has other adaptable features you can buy to turn it into a two kid stroller. Best yet...IT IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE GRACO SNUG RIDE CAR SEAT!



Umbrella Stroller: You always need that smaller, more compact stroller for quick trips to the mall or when you are at a very crowded event like a festival. After reading tons of reviews I picked the Chicco Capri Stroller. It is very reasonably priced and all the reviews stated they have used it from as early as 4months to as late as 4 years old and it has held up great. Other ones that were smaller had reviews that their kid grew out of it too early, or it broke.



Sleeping: Summer Infant SwaddleMe Microflece. I know there are debates on whether or not to swaddle your infant anymore but I hear it is a must to keep your baby sleeping longer, and more comfortable. Without the swaddleme your baby will flinch and things during it's sleep and hit itself in the head and wake up. You can always swaddle with a regular blanket but I've seen these things in action and with a couple of velcros your baby is swaddled in no time. Also I went with the fleece just because my baby will be an infant in winter so I thought it would be warmer. I know there are cottons ones out there that are great too.



Diaper Rash: Boudrauex's Butt Paste. I have no idea, just heard it works like a charm and is a must have.



High Chair: Now I went back and forth on this one a few times. My decision was between the Graco High Chair or the Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair. I went with the Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair. My reasons: 1) It was about 80 dollars cheaper 2) I saw it being used first hand at my friends, it can sit anywhere and tilt back for an infant feeder, 3) Can be strapped to your regular dining chair for a toddler and 4) It can be used as a booster seat. Plus 5) my kitchen table is a pub style table and is taller than a regular high chair. I didn't want to feel like I was feeding down toward my kid. Now I can just strap this seat to our tall pub chairs and he can be our height and lastly 6) When company is coming over you can easily unstrap it and put in in a closet. I LOVE THAT because I hate having things just sit out. You can't do that with a regular high chair.



Baby Carrier: Originally I though for sure I would get the Baby Bjorn just because of the name brand. I mean, you have to have the Bjorn right? Well, no, I decided against it. When I started doing my research I found that first off the Bjorn was way more expensive than any other brand. So I started looking for a similar style baby carrier that most importantly had the cris-cross straps in the back which gives you the ability to easily slide it on over your head with only one hand! That's huge if you're holding your baby in the other hand. I decided on the Jeep 2-in-1 Baby Carrier. Reasons I love this 1) IT HAS A ZIPPER POUCH for passi's and such. The Bjorn has no pockets. 2) It's less expensive 3)still has the cris-cross strap design for easy wearing. 4) plus it got all great reviews from both moms and dads.



Trash can: I'm going with the Diaper Champ. Main reason, I hear it works great, plus it takes regular size bags. You don't have to spend extra money on special refills like you have to with other brands.



Feeding: Ok this one is huge! Obviously I really have no idea what I'm talking about yet but I've gotten so much great advice. First off I'm going with the Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breast Pump. I hear the best thing for this is to go ahead and buy yourself an extra set of parts just in case you don't get to cleaning it right away. Also buy a few extra storage bags but not many is necessary if your going to be home with your baby. Plus, your breast milk changes as the baby changes. I.e. some weeks it might have more carbohydrates in it, and the next few weeks it might have more protein in it depending on what the baby needs. Therefore, it's not that healthy to store your milk for too long and give your baby month old milk. Also, if you're planning on being home with your baby in the first few months you really don't need many small bottles, because at that point they will be eating right from the boob. Stock up on 8oz and 9oz bottles as that is what you'll be using most. Also, don't stock up on too many bottles just because you don't know your baby yet. For example, you don't want to have 10 medela bottles only to find out your baby will only eat from a BornFree bottle or an Avent bottle or something. Same goes for passi's, don't get a whole lot until you know which nipple your baby likes best.



Cleaning: Medela Quick-Clean Micro Steam Bags. A must. A few minutes in the microwave and your boob pump is ready to go. Just don't over heat, they do melt. Plus any type of bottle brush and drying rack will do the trick.



Swing: Again I went with the Graco swing but I hear the swings that go side to side as well as front to back are awesome. Then, I also hear that some babies just never like the swing. Up to you.



Seat: Many moms like to get a bouncer seat to put their baby in. I think those are fine. I however chose the Fisher-Price My Little Lamb Infant Seat because it is sturdy enough to put on any surface and know your baby will be safe. I saw it in action at my sister in law's. Up on the table, on the bed, it works. Plus it's soft, vibrates, and plays music.



Pack n play: Graco Pack n Play with Newborn Napper: Honestly, I don't think I will be using the napper that much on this pack and play but I love it because it also comes with a changer station which is so convenient. I'm planning on having my baby sleep in this pack n play for the first few weeks in our bedroom. Having the changer right there will be so convenient at night!



Sippy Cup: Finally, what you've all been waiting for right? I'm going to go with the Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Weaning Cup. All the reviews say it really is leak proof and the mouth piece is soft like a nipple so they don't choke on too much liquid coming out. Plus, I love this one because it has two handles on it which I think will be better for a baby to hold on to a handle than having to put both hands around a plain cup.
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All the rest is fluff!!!!! The towels, the teethers, hangers, clothes, wipes, EXTRA SHEETS, blah blah blah. You know the essentials! Hope this helps!