Favorite Baby Registry Products and Gift Ideas
There are so many baby products on the market, but some of our tried and true from Parker we also repurchased, or reused, for Emerson! I thought it would be fun to share with you what those were if you are looking for the perfect baby shower gift or for your own baby on the way. We honestly do not have as much for Emerson as we had for Parker. Obviously every baby is different, but here is what we plan on using with Baby Cejka 2!
Baby Thermometer | MAM Pacifiers | Nose Frida | Dr. Brown’s Bottles | Dr. Brown’s Sterilizer | Carters Sleepers | Boppy Changing Pad Liner | Sleep Sack | Love to Dream Swaddler
New Mom Must Haves
We loved Dr. Brown’s bottles for Parker. Although, I do have to admit he wasn’t too picky when it came to eating. He also liked the Kiinde System bottles. The only downside to these bottles were lots of ‘parts’ to clean, but they worked well for us! We currently haven’t given Emerson a bottle yet, but we did purchase the glass Dr. Brown’s to use when we are ready.
Sleep Sacks worked wonders in our home. Parker didn’t like to be swaddled because he didn’t want to be contained so we went through SEVERAL versions of these. The sleep sack above was the winner for the first month or so and then these in various thicknesses (season dependent) were used until he was 2. Not sure if that was why he didn’t ever try to climb out of his crib or if we just got lucky, but these wearable blankets were great. Emerson is enjoying them as well and doesn’t seem to have any complaints other than also not liking being swaddled.
The Love to Dream swaddler is similar to the sleep sack but a tighter version. Parker loved this one for his version of swaddling, but wanted his arms free. This was a great option because his body was snug and arms free! Emerson liked it as well, but in Illinois in the winter it felt too cold to have him in just that so we opted for the thicker blanket ones.
For the love of all things that are good PLEASE do yourself a favor and get yourself zipper jammies. In the middle of the night for the 1001th diaper change you are not going to want to deal with snaps. Carters has a ton of great zip up options for PJs. Plus, there are several now that have a double zipper so you can keep their chest covered and warm while changing their diaper.
Bonus tip, around $7 seems to be a decent price per PJ, or $14 for a set of two. Of course you can always find better sales, but in a pinch they regularly go on sale for that price.
Baby Jogger City Mini G2 Stroller | Baby Jogger Snack Tray | MamaRoo | Gerber Cloth Diapers | Lovevery Play Mat | Pack ‘N Play | Stroller Caddy
New Mom Must Haves
Oh man the MamaRoo! I’m not sure why there is so much controversy surrounding this gadget, but Emerson loves it and so did Parker when he was a newborn! It’s nice to be able to put Emerson down where he can watch what I am doing, or rather I can watch him, but he is being soothed by the motion and ocean sounds. Luckily they are sturdy machines so we didn’t have to repuchase our MamaRoo and rather reused the one we had from Parker. However, as with any baby products everything varies baby to baby, but both of our kids seem to be fans and we have the newborn insert as well.
The Pack N’ Play, or playard, was a necessity in our home, but if I’m being honest I wouldn’t get one that has all the bells and whistles. It didn’t seem necessary. The top cradle part was nice to have those first few weeks so I didn’t have to bend over the edge to get our Parker and maybe one with a diaper changing area, but overall the pack n’ play was mostly utilized in our downstairs area as a safe place to lay Parker down to sleep without going upstairs or for when we were traveling. We didn’t utilize all the extra parts and that is one area we could have saved money. This go around we haven’t had to use the Pack N’ Play yet. I know we will use it when traveling in the future, but again this is one of those items that you shouldn’t need to repurchase.
If you find your little one is spitting up a decent amount and normal burp cloths are just not cutting it we used these cloth diapers. They soaked up a lot more and were for sure ALWAYS on hand for us in multiples. We are also reusing them for Emerson. He isn’t as spitty as Parker by any means, but they get the job done!
Portable White Noise | Pampers Swaddlers Diapers | Huggies Natural Care Wipes | MAM Pacifiers | Bright Starts Lots of Links Toy | Pacifier Wipes | Pacifier Case | Disposable Diaper Bags | Secure-a-Toy Straps | Itzy Ritzy Wet Bag
Diaper Bag Must Haves
Our first born was pretty good about sleeping through most noise, but he 110% had FOMO so getting him to relax while out at a restaurant or running errands was sometimes difficult. We have the older version of the portable white noise machine that still works, but this was AMAZING to have white noise while out and about. You can also download white noise apps on your phone, but I didn’t like having to leave my phone in the carseat/stroller if we were out and about.
Someone gifted the disposable diaper bags to me at my baby shower with Parker and I had no clue what I was looking at, but man were these useful. You don’t realize how often you end up changing baby in the back of your car or somewhere you don’t want to toss a stinky diaper and you can wrap it up in one of these bags to prevent the stink. Of course you can also use doggy bags too for a cheaper cost.🤣
Anyone that has had a baby has likely had to deal with the surprise blowouts that happen. These Itzy Ritzy wet bags are nice to stick the dirty clothes in to keep the diaper bag clean, but then toss them all in the washer when you get home. We now use them for wet swimsuits after swimming class so they have grown with our family and we will be utilizing them in the diaper bag again very soon. Plus, they have so many cute patterns!
The toy rings are a toy that keeps on giving! They were great for my newborn into toddler time from looking at them, shaking them to create noise, sorting them by color and so much more. Then as my toddler aged they became toys for part of his various imaginative games. They are cheap and I totally recommend them because we will be purchasing a set for baby 2 they were well loved in our home the last 5 years!
These secure-a-toy were what we needed for Parker as he started riding in the stroller. He was FAMOUS for tossing toys out over and over. These allowed us to secure them to the car seat, stroller, or other items so they didn’t hit the floor.
Munchkin Nursery Fresheners | Oxo Wipe Dispenser | Oxo Diaper Caddy | Ubbi Diaper Pail | Baby Bjorn Bassinet | Vava Baby Monitor | Aquaphor Diaper Rash Cream | White Noise Machine | Humidifier
Nursery Items
The white noise sound machine is still going strong 4+ years later! Parker still uses this in his room, even though I’m pretty sure he doesn’t need it at this point. However, he enjoys falling asleep to the sound of the waves and it is still in great shape even through 4 moves and a toddler handling it. Emerson listens to it from his bassinet through the monitor in Parker’s room.😜
There are several diaper pails out there, but we really enjoyed our Ubbi Pail. We have it in a navy shade and it is one sturdy thing. We liked that we could put our own garbage bag in it and the smell was sealed when it was closed up without having to buy the inserts of the Diaper Genie. It did a great job locking in the odors the first year and by the time the diapers got too smelly we disposed of them differently and stopped using the Ubbi. We are using our Ubbi again for Emerson.
If you find that you do have a smell issue in your Ubbi Diaper Pail, Diaper Genie, or anywhere else in the nursery we purchased these Arm & Hammer Nursery Fresheners to act as a diaper pail deodorizer. While they didn’t completely eliminate all scents they did assist with toning it down.
Can’t forget a humidifier! This is a fun tear drop shape, but really any will do. We have enjoyed this one over the years and it is easy to use and adjust.
Boppy Breastfeeding Pillow | Medela Soft Shells | Hydrogels | Medela Pump in Style Advanced | Haakaa | Camelbak Water Bottle | Camelbak Coffe Mug | Kiinde Milk Bags | Lanolin Cream | Hands Free Breastfeeding Bra | Feed Baby App
Breastfeeding, Pumping, Feeding Necessities
We actually have two Boppy pillows with multiple waterproof covers and outside covers.🤣 Parker was a spitter and we always needed backup. These were easy to slip on, not too expensive, and did the job. In our first house we had one upstairs and one downstairs that I used religiously for breastfeeding. We will be reusing them for our second as well!
This is for my breastfeeding mamas and oh my lord I have shared these with so many people. Medela softshells were a lifesaver with my first and I’m 110% buying new ones for my second. Sometimes when you are breastfeeding you might get cracks and scabs, especially at the beginning. Slip these into your bra and they allow airflow during the day so your breasts can heal faster. HUGE HUGE MUST!
I have to admit I haven’t tried many brands, but this Lansinoh Lanolin cream worked well for me while breastfeeding Parker and so far for Emerson as well. It worked well to sooth and protect and when it didn’t that’s where the softshells above came to great use.
There are several different milk pouches on the market, but we enjoyed our Kiinde System. I was able to pump directly into these, freeze them, or use them as a bottle right away. Super easy to use!
