When we were a couple months away from our baby shower and had to start thinking about what to register for or even what we'd need to buy ourselves, it was overwhelming to say the least. There are a million brands of strollers, clothes, bottles, things for sleeping, swinging, lounging, you name it. I tried to narrow things down with suggestions from friends who had babies, but I learned a lot more {and learned what we didn't need} once Ruby came. I've previously posted a short list of a few favorites, but my friend Jenna is expecting her first baby this Spring, so I've been working on master list of suggestions for her and figured I might as well share it with you mamas-to-be out there too! Many items are personal preferences based on you and your baby, but there are definitely some things I wish I knew we'd need over other things I registered for simply because they were cute or pretty!
As to where to register, even though we had our shower locally here in LA, I found that having a registry where people could order online and have shipped to you was the easiest, both for those who came to our shower and those who didn't. We registered for some of the more design-y stuff at Giggle and then everything else at Amazon. Amazon has so many options, and I loved that the remaining items on our list that weren't purchased, we could buy ourselves at 10% off a month before our due date. Also, there are lots of items friends or relatives may give you, so be open to hand-me-downs, especially for things that are washable, pricey, or you'll only use for a short time. It helps so much to be able to save some money where you can.
Update: I've added in things as we go through new stages and I can recommend additional items. All additions are in italics and noted with an asterisk (*).
Clothes
Hands-down, clothing is one of the most gifted items you'll receive when you have a baby...especially onesies...we must have a hundred of them. Most people want to give you something cute that baby can wear. Since newborns grow out of clothing so quickly, people tend to give 3-6m or 6-12m items, but newborn stuff is great too as you need those in the first month when your baby can't fit into those bigger pieces yet. The clothing I registered for was cute, but not as practical as we needed, so we ended up buying some additional pieces after Ruby arrived. Here are my musts on what baby clothing is the most useful during the first few months and what I'd recommend registering for. You don't need to register for decorative or cutesy onesies because you'll get a ton of those from friends and family.
Wrap shirts...these tend to be mostly made for newborns, but they're great to pair with Kushies Footed Pants or Cuffed Pants just with a diaper. We loved these long sleeved wrap shirts from Gerber with built-in mitts and these short-sleeved ones by Disney. They're basic, white cotton and great for those early months.
Snap-up Pajamas...Carter's Sleep n' Play are our go-to clothing option for daily use especially during the cooler months. Ruby wears these both in the day and at night. The newborn sizes have built-in cuff mitts which are so helpful. And I highly recommend the kind with snaps, as opposed to the zip-up kind, as it's much easier and more comfortable for the baby to check a diaper by unbuttoning a few snaps, then to have to unzip the whole thing just to check.
Sleep Gowns...having easy access to the diaper for middle of the night changes is so helpful and we love these sleep gowns by Tadpoles and Carter's. They are roomy and have the always handy built-in mitts.
Wrap Onesies...you'll get plenty of regular short-sleeve and long-sleeve onesies, but it's nice to have some that snap for when baby is being extra fussy and want to avoid having to put something over their head. My favorites are from Petit Bateau {so soft!} and Tadpole {great snaps!}. These ones are a bit more pricey so save them for 3 months or bigger when they can get more use out of them.
Baby Mittens...Ruby was super active with her hands and arms since birth and has scratched up her face quite a few times, so we used these Satsuma Mitts {along with regular nail trims} and these GuavaMitts to protect her from her nails when her tee or pj's don't have built-in mitts.
*Update: We used these just for sleeping for her up until 4 months. We continued to like the GuavaMitts because they stayed on a better once she got smart enough to figure out how to take the other ones off.
Booties & Socks...a multi-pack of cute socks will always come in handy for keeping those toes warm. But socks don't stay on well unless they fit perfectly, so we use these Nature Baby Booties a lot too.
Shoes...your baby doesn't really need shoes, but that doesn't mean you won't get some super cute ones as gifts or want to pick up a pair or two yourself when you see them. Even if they won't be walking for another year, they're super fun for display in the nursery.
Hats...for colder climates and months, a couple hats are great for cold nights or outdoor adventures. Hats don't really stay on baby's heads super well {my favorite was actually the one they give you in the hospital}, so cotton hats with a bit of stretch usually work well. I love the ones by Nature Baby, American Apparel, and Satsuma.
Hamper & Laundry...I have a DwellStudio storage bin that we use as a hamper {the handles make it easy to take to and from the laundry room}, and we love Mrs. Meyers baby detergent and Method baby dryer sheets for her clothing.
