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Baby Registry Revisited

I got an e-mail from a former Purposeful Conception kindred spirit (she’s due a couple weeks after I am!), asking for my thoughts about the items on our original baby registry. Would we still want all those same things now that we have the benefit
of knowledge and experience? What would we do differently? What do we wish we had put on there? What items did we never actually use (if
any)?
I have to preface this post by pointing out that every “Must Have” baby item list I’ve ever read (even from bloggers whom I turn to every day for other advice and insight) has never even come close to my own list. I think it’s simply that what we need, want, and the kinds of babies we have vary so much from person to person. 
With that said, I still think it’s worth going through this exercise, as long as I explain my thinking behind my preferences. That way, you can see if my rationale resonates with you on any of these things.

Also, keep in mind that most of this stuff can be purchased used. All of these items are personal preference; none of them is absolutely critical. My strategy was to try and think of everything we would need until Christmas. Then, at Christmas, I try to think of everything we’ll need until the next birthday. Then, at his birthday, I try and think of everything he’ll need until Christmas. It means we may have to store things in the closet for a while, but it helps us save money.

So, here we go (in no particular order):
Items I’m so glad we received (or purchased):
Day-to-day items that I’m glad we stocked up on:
Items we got but wouldn’t necessarily ask for again:
Things I wish we had:
Items we purchased after having Henry that I would have added to our registry:
Things we didn’t get and didn’t need:
  • Sterling Silver Rattle and Bag This item is way too expensive for the short amount of time it’s used.
  • Changing Table: We still use a folded towel on the bathroom counter and it works fine for us.
  • Rocker/Glider: Everyone in the world says we needed one of these, but I didn’t want to invest in one. I felt like we wouldn’t use it for very long. I did use the front porch swing for several weeks, but other than that Henry has been fine without that kind of rocking motion. If I really felt like I needed one, I would probably make one like this.
  • Dresser: We just use a baby organizer that hangs in the closet. It has two bars (one up high and one low enough for a toddler to reach) and cubbies. We keep Henry’s clothes to a minimum, so one of these organizers is enough for us. 
  • Multiple Strollers: We only received and use one stroller, the BOB Revolution. I love it.
  • Swing/Bouncy Seat/Playyard/Etc.
So there you have it! Definitely let me know if you have any comments or questions. We’re going to have a baby shower for Bambino #2 like we did for Henry (basically a fun party that we throw for ourselves). Instead of a bowling theme, I think we’ll paint my belly to look like a beach ball and then throw the party at a swimming hole. I’m looking forward to it!

15 Comments

  • ALICE

    It's funny you post this today… I'm just about to make my first order from Michael Olaf for my son due in 11 days! I'm planning on ordering the two mobiles you mention and a hanger. Anything else you'd add to that list? I'm also considering the book Understanding the Human Being as I don't have a Montesorri background at all (I've just read MOntesorri from the Start and have stalked MOntesorri blogs for the last couple of months).

  • Kelsey

    My registry is very similar so I'm glad to know you really used all these things! I also hope to avoid using a swing although so many people swear by them. I did register for a simple kind of seat that bounces from the baby's own movement although if no one buys it for us I probably won't but it. I figure if we have a really colicky baby we might try a swing to see if that might help but we'll wait to see if we really need it.

    We also purchased plenty things used – a set of 18 bum genius cloth diapers and sprayer, Chicco KeyFit car seat and two bases (made sure it was in excellent shape and warranty is good through the next several years), and glider ($40!).

    A note – we already got a small Planet Wise wet bag and the small size is really small! I'm not sure it would even fit one cloth diaper, it would probably be best to hold wipes. So just a suggestion to check the dimensions and make sure you know what you're getting!

  • Robyn

    Great timing! I just had a baby shower this weekend and was trying to make a list of what we still need for our first baby, arriving end of March. It seems like we have similar baby philosophies, so it is useful to see such a comprehensive list from your experience with Henry. Shopping for baby stuff is so fun–but also so overwhelming! Especially on a tight budget with a small house. But I love the challenge, these constraints force us to "practice what we preach".

  • Anthropolochic

    So I hacked that chair completely independently of the blog post you linked to here. Turns out we used the same method and parts – so i can recommend the swivel attachment for sure…it rocks and turns very well.

    The chair is another matter. It was great for the first month. I now have a two month old that is simply too long for the width of the seat pan – the chair arms get in the way of her head and legs. It is impossible to nurse in it and very difficult to rock her as well. I still love the chair for sitting and rocking, but if I could do it again I would drop the extra $100 on the full sized ektorp armchair and prolong its life as a place to nurse and rock the baby in positions other than straight up and down.

    Thanks for the advice on the other items. Lots of stuff I've never seen before. Always nice to see new things and get new opinions.

  • kacey

    Hi Sara,

    Can you talk about your decision not to pump? A breast pump is one of those "must have" items that we have not invested in yet, because I'm just not sure what our routine is going to be. Any insight on this would be appreciated!

  • saracotner

    Hi, All!

    @ Alice: Yes to Understanding the Human Being. I've never read it (I'm embarrassed to admit), but Kylie over at http://www.howwemontessori.com really recommends it. In fact, I'm going to add it to Baby Registry #2 right now. Thanks!

    Hi, Kelsey! Yes to the mentality that you can buy things (like swings) later if you need them. Amazon is a miracle worker for those kinds of things (especially when you are recovering from birth). And thanks for the tip about the wet bag. I almost put a small one on Baby Registry #2 (it said 1-2 cloth diapers!), but then I realized that Henry will probably be done with the wet bag his school gave us. I'll just use that one. P.S. Can't wait to see you Saturday!

    Hi, Annaliese! I bought a simple baby closet organizer at Target. It's held up well for us (we've used it constantly for two years now).

    Hi, Anthropolochic! I nursed mainly on my bed or on the couch. Babies do grow fast!

    Hi, Kacey! It's such a personal decision and most of my breast-feeding friends pump. When Henry was born, he would eat and eat and eat and eat. Seriously, he would eat for at least 45 minutes at a time (at a minimum). One day, he ate for a total of nine cumulative hours. So in those early days, I was overwhelmed with the thought of spending so much of my day breastfeeding AND then making time to attach myself to a pump. We borrowed a high-grade pump from a family member, but it never worked well for me. I'm not sure if the attachments just weren't the right size for me or what. I definitely could have gone to a mother-centered store for help. However, I just didn't enjoy pumping or trying to make time for it, so I cut myself a break and decided not to pump.

    Then, breastfeeding got a lot easier and faster (at the three-month mark), and I decided that I would commit to being near Henry for a breast-feeding session every 3-4 hours. Sometimes it was very tough! I was a stay-at-home mom for a year, but there were a couple times when I had to go to very important trainings. Once, a friend of mine drove from Louisiana to our house in Houston and then rode with me to Austin. I went to a training, while she hung out with Henry in the city. She would bring him to me every 3-4 hours, and I would leave the training to go breastfeed in the car. Another time, I put Henry in the daycare at Matt's work for two days and again had to leave the training every 3-4 hours to go breastfeed him. Matt disagreed with my decision not to pump because he saw the difficulty it brought into our lives at times, but it was important to me.

    But aside from those exceptions, it really wasn't too difficult. I liked the idea of following nature's lead and being close to my baby frequently throughout the day. It felt like it was helping to develop Henry's sense of security.

    BUT, it's definitely not for everyone! I followed my doctor's advice about not feeding Henry in the night early on (there are other posts about how I did that), so it wasn't like I was the only one getting up with Henry all night long for a year. That would have made not pumping much, much harder.

    If you do pump, I definitely recommend investing in a high-quality pump. It will make pumping so much easier and more enjoyable.

    Good luck figuring out what works for you!

  • Nici

    Sara,

    I heard that both the bobby and the brest friend nursing pillows have fillings with toxic flame retardants. A great alternative may be the less known Theraline Plushy Moon: http://www.theraline-shop.com/us/plushy-moon.html. All my European friends use it. It is filled with micro beads and is super soft yet supportive. Can be used as sleep support during pregnancy and long after as well.

  • Kate

    In my area of the country (Northeast) people almost never host their own baby shower–a friend, not a relative, would host it for you, and usually only for a first child. Is what you're doing common among your friends?

  • saracotner

    Hi, Kate! No it's not common among the people I know to host your own baby shower. For me, it's just a celebration of our impending baby, so it doesn't really matter who hosts it. And because it's a celebration of our impending baby, I think it's important to have one for the second baby, too.

  • Beginning Montessori

    Thanks for this post! Great timing as we add to our baby registry. We're planning to have a one-month celebration instead of a baby shower (prior to baby's arrival). We were able to purchase what we think at this stage are essentials for baby's arrival (any day!) and then add to the registry those things we think we'll need in the first year, or like you said, until Christmas. I guess I'd better add a diaper sprayer but I'm keeping the silver rattle on the list. Almost every baby that I observed using it absolutely loved it and what a special heirloom gift. We'll see what we are blessed to receive of course.

  • Julia.

    Hi! I hope comments are responded to long after the original post! I'm going to be planning our baby shower soon and would like to know where you registered online so that you could include the wide variety of shopping sources for a list like the one you've posted. Amazon seems complicated for returns and doesn't include many of these online vendors.
    Thanks!

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