The ULTIMATE Baby Registry Guide

As a seasoned mom of (almost!) three, I have seen my fair share of baby gear.  I get asked all the time about which brands and items are my favorite and I love sharing.  Baby gear can be overwhelming!  There is a lot to choose from and it can be hard to know exactly what you'll need.

I remember when I was pregnant with Sloan and Eric and I walked through a big baby store registering for all the tiny things.  I wanted to take my time, reading about every item, and carefully deciding which item was the best and would suit our needs.  After the first section of items Eric was over it.  He wanted to hurry things along which frustrated me.  We made it through about half the store before deciding we needed to finish on another day.  Selecting items for your baby can be stressful!!  The lists of what you "need" are endless, there's too many items to choose from, and on top of it all a lot of baby gear items are pretty spendy!!

So.  In hopes of helping another frustrated or overwhelmed couple, I present you with the ultimate baby registry!  These are all of the items that we've actually needed and used with each of our babies. I've also included which brands and specific items we've used and loved.

Baby Gear
-Carseat.  We have the Cybex Cloud Q infant carseat.
-Stroller.  We have and love the Uppababy Vista.  We also have the rumble seat and glider board so that all three of our kiddos can be carted around :).
-Bassinet.
-Baby seat.
-Rocker and/or swing.
-Baby Carrier.  I love the Solly wrap when they're really tiny and the Ergo 360 when they're bigger than a newborn.  You can use the Ergo when they're a newborn, just make sure you get an infant insert!
-Pack n' play/play yard.   
-Owlet Care monitor.
-Dockatot (especially great if you're co-sleeping, but also great for baby to use in their crib).  We've used the deluxe and the grand and my kids have loved sleeping in and lounging in them.
-Diaper bag.  My favorites are my Fawn Design bag and my Honest Company diaper bag.

Nursery
-Crib.
-Crib mattress.
-Changing table/dresser.
-Changing pad.
-Glider and ottoman.
-Hamper.
-Bedding.  I went with custom bedding from Madly Wish and I cannot recommend them highly enough!

Feeding
-Bottles (6-8).  We love the Comotomo bottles, I highly recommend them.  I suggest not opening and washing all of your bottles until after baby comes.  Baby's can be finicky with bottles and you want to make sure that they like the ones that you choose.
-Bottle drying rack.  I love the Boon lawn and suggest getting the twig accessory.  Even if your baby doesn't end up bottle feeding, you will use this item often.  We've used ours for bottles, breast pump parts, sippy cups, pacifiers, and much more.  You definitely need one!
-Bottle brush and baby safe dish soap.  We love dapple dish soap.
-Highchair.  My favorite is the Stokke Tripp Trapp chair with the baby seat accessory.  It is so easy to clean!
-Burp cloths.  My favorite ever are from Witts End Design.
-Breast Pump (if you plan on breast feeding).  I highly recommend the Medela freestyle hands free double electric breast pump.
-Breast pump accessories.  You'll need storage bags, nipple cream, breast pads, soft shells for sore nipples (these really come in handy those first few weeks when nursing can be painful).
-Nursing pillow.  I have tried a few different nursing pillows and always go back to my boppy (it has so many purposes, I promise you need one!!).
-Nursing cover.

Bath and Diapering
Diapers & wipes.  Once you've decided which brand you'll be using (we use the Honest brand), register for a variety of diaper sizes.
Diaper rash cream.
Diaper pail & liners.  We have the Dekor diaper pail and really like it.
Baby bath.  We love the angelcare bath seat.  It doesn't take up much space and is especially useful if baby bathes with siblings.  It's also so lightweight and can be used with even teeny tiny babies.
Hooded towels (2-3).
Washclothes (8-10).
Baby's toiletries.  You'll need a shampoo/wash and lotion.

Health and Safety
-Baby monitor. 
-Sound machine and nightlight.  We use the Hatch Baby Rest for both and love it.
-Nail clippers.
-Comb/brush.
-Nail aspirator.
-Thermometer.
-Gripe Water.

Comfort Items

-Boppy.  I know I already mentioned this one, but you really do need one for several purposes (I actually have two, one for upstairs and one for downstairs).
-Pacifiers and pacifier clips.  Our favorite pacifier clips are from Loved By Sophia Claire.
-Swaddle blankets.  My favorites are from Aden and Anais, Max and Moose, and KB Cute Designs. I also highly highly recommend getting a few Halo sleep sacks.

Clothing

I personally never registered for clothing.  This was something I wanted to get on my own and even if you don't register for clothing, people will buy it for you anyways!  Everyone loves picking out tiny baby clothes :).  Just make sure you have a few onesies (side snap onesies are my favorite), gowns, and mittens (I love the goumikids mittens) for those first few weeks.

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Fourth of July Favorites!

Happy Friday babes and happy Father's Day weekend!  We have a low key weekend planned.  A few house projects, movie night (which will most likely end up in a living room campout), a birthday party, and of course lots of spoiling and kisses for Dada on Sunday!

I thought I'd share some Fourth of July outfit inspiration this Friday since the Fourth is in less than three weeks!  I love love love Fourth of July.  Obviously I love celebrating our country and our freedoms, but the darling red, white, and blue outfits, fireworks, smores (and cakes and pies) don't hurt either!  The Fourth will be the last holiday we celebrate as a family of four!  It was also the last holiday we celebrated as a family of three before Phayre was born (her birthday is July 30th).  This fact has me feeling super emotional!  I want to hold and kiss my baby boy SO badly (ahh the anxiousness!), but I'm also a little scared of our life changing.  Buuuuuut that's for another time and another (very lengthy) post!

Back to the Fourth and some darling outfit inspiration for the littles (because I know, I know that's why you're here!).

Floral dress  /  Star romper  /  Ice cream sandals  /  Button up romper  /  boy's tank and shorts  /  Stars and stripes jammies  /  Red sandals

It's no secret that I love occasional dressing.  Gimme a good theme and I will run with it!  I also love getting a lot of use out of the girls clothing, so I don't usually buy things that are too themey (yep, that's a word).  For the Fourth, my girls will of course be wearing red, white, and blue, but you won't catch them in giant American flag tees :).

I love buying clothing that I know they can wear beyond the holiday and adding accessories to match the holiday or theme.  The girls are wearing bows and knee highs from Zozu Baby, felt flower headbands from Fancy Free Finery (check out the berry headbands!!), and necklaces from Hooray Everyday.

If you're trying to coordinate siblings (especially if they're different genders), make sure you check out June and January!  They have a ton of great mix and match styles for boys and girls!  They are releasing a bunch of goodies tonight at 9pm EST too (if I don't score play dresses for the girls I might cry ;)).

A few more Fourth of July Favorites:
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My favorite clothing shops for boys!

Alright mamas, it's no secret that I'm new to this whole boy mama thing.  Remember when I first found out he was a boy and I was like, "BUT I CAN'T PUT A BOW ON HIM?!"  Well I quickly got over that and cannot wait for my tiny boyfriend to get here!  I love children's clothing and am so excited to dress him in all the tiny clothes that are waiting so patiently in his closet.  I have been collecting goodies for him over the last few months and it makes me so excited for his arrival!  Oh and P.S. anyone who tells you there aren't cute boy clothes?  Liar liar pants on fire.

Lot's of you have asked, so I wanted to share some of my favorite boy clothing brands and finds to far!

June and January
I am a long time fan and buyer of June and January.  The girls wear a ton of J&J so they were my first stop when I found out little guy was in fact a guy.  They offer the best basics for boys and girls in a huge variety of colors.  I wish I could order one of everything, they are seriously my fave!  I especially love the newborn bodysuits and sleeper gowns.  They also have a bunch of new goodies releasing this Friday (6/16)!

Baby gown

H&M
I have found soooo many cute baby boy clothes from h&m, probably more than I've found anywhere else.  Their baby boy clothing is super simple but still really stylish.

Jumper

Old Navy & Gap
Ok so this one seems kinda obvious, but they have so many cute summer pieces right now it's worth mentioning.  I love Old Navy's basic solid pajamas, P had one in every color when she was a baby.  I've picked up a few for baby brother as well, they're a fave!  And every baby (boy or girl) needs a Gap bear ear hoodie.

Striped jumper

Jumper

Tank onesie

Nordstrom
Nordstrom is often the first place I look for something.  They have awesome brands and the best customer service around.  I love the Nordstrom Baby collection, this romper and this kimono set for baby are faves.

Onesie

Hoodie

Hello world tee

Candy Kirby Designs
I'm not even going to admit how many knotted gowns I've bought for baby boy, but I will say they're my fave ever.  I had a few when Phayre was a baby and loved them so much.  I love the heathered fabrics and will basically buy anything in the "cadet" color fabric.

Knotted beanie

Childhoods
I loooooove how super soft and comfortable Childhoods clothing is.  I am currently crushing on the new short tank rompers.  I am also a huge fan of their classic hooded sweatshirts and sweatpants.

Zara
Zara pieces are usually a bit more trendy and less basic, but you can find some really cute boys clothes!

Ice cream tee

Tate + Tess
My friend Karissa actually showed me this brand and you can't beat the prices!  Lot's of simple basics in neutral colors, I really love their jammies and hoodies!

goosebumps
This is a brand I just recently found and I love pretty much everything!  I love the tie die shibori look and they have mastered it!  The blankets are super soft and the clothing is just darling (the clothing only comes in size 0-3 month though).  I hope they extend their sizes in the future!

Jammies
My babies live in super soft jammies for the first month of their lives.  My absolute favorite brands for footed jammies are Paige Lauren, Kyte Baby, and L'oved Baby, and Kickee Pants.

A few other finds...

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Traveling with toddlers: Airplane essentials

Pink backpacks

I get a lot of questions about traveling with the girls!  Traveling with toddlers can be a crapshoot.  They're usually either really good or their behavior resembles a feral cat.  I will be the first to admit, my girls are USUALLY super easygoing travelers.  They have always been great, especially on airplanes... until our last trip to Disneyland.  Our entire day was delayed, turning our hour and forty-five minute flight into an all day (8.5 hour) travel day.  When we finally landed in California, there was construction at the airport which caused us to have to taxi in the airplane for about an hour.  This is when the girls started to lose it (which was also coincidentally when Eric and I started sweating through our clothes as we felt ALL eyes turn to us), but I was able to somewhat hold things together because I was prepared!

I am self admittedly an over-packer, BUT I am also always prepared for the very worst.  Through all of our flights I have come up with a lengthy, but really useful packing list.  I usually bring my diaper bag with all of the usual items (diapers, wipes, etc.) and then a second "plane bag" with additional toys, activities, snacks, and extra clothes.  Now that the girls are getting older, I got them their own backpacks and they can carry their own toys and snacks (so I only have to carry one bag!).  Plus the girls looked SO cute walking through the airport with their little pink backpacks!  Below you will find everything I bring when we're traveling, let me know if you have any questions in a comment below!

What I bring in my diaper bag 
(I always travel with a diaper bag that can be worn as a backpack, my favorite is my Fawn Design bag):
-Diapers & wipes
-Extra clothes and underwear, for each kid, even if they are very much potty trained.
-An extra shirt for me.  Sloan threw up all over me on a plane once.  I never travel without an extra shirt for myself now!
-Pacifiers/comfort items.  Even if you aren't traveling during nap time, your travel plans could be delayed and your kiddo may need to nap while traveling.  Make sure you have their comfort/sleep items on hand.
-Snacks
-Bib
-Covered Goods nursing cover.  Even though I'm not nursing right now, I never leave the house without my Covered Goods nursing cover.  I have found countless uses for it, including tying it on Sloan like a skirt when she had an accident and I didn't have any extra clothes for her!
-Swaddle blanket.  I always bring a small swaddle blanket just in case one of the girls needs to nap.
-Infant/childrens Tylenol
-Hand sanitizer
-Disposable bags.  If you do have an accident, you will be so glad you have bags to contain messy items.
-Gum and suckers, for takeoff and landing to help them pop their ears.
-My personal items (phone, wallet, chapstick, etc.)

What I bring in my "plane bag"/the girls backpacks
I bought the girls these little pink backpacks for our most recent trip!
-NEW toys, books, and activities (see what I brought for the girls on our last flight below).  I will usually throw in one or two of the girls favorite toys, but I try to stock their backpacks with a few new toys, books, and activities.  Giving them new toys keeps them engaged for a lot longer (and quiet!).
-iPad and headphones
-Snacks.  All the snacks.  I usually pack each girl a ziplock bag full of their favorite/non messy snacks.  For the girls I usually pack the strawberry toddler mum mums, fruit snacks, crackers, nuts, and dried fruit.  I don't pack anything that could potentially be messy like granola bars (melty chocolate fingers, no thanks) or applesauce.
-Sippy cup.  Whether we're on a road trip or an airplane, I always bring each girl a sippy cup.  My favorites are the Re-play sippy cups because they never ever leak.  This comes in handy when the girls want water on the airplane-I don't have to worry about their cup falling off their tray and soaking their laps
-Sweaters.  It gets cold on planes!

Like I said, I always bring the girls a few new toys, books, and activities when we're traveling.  I always bring new items because those items will keep them busy, quiet, and engaged for an extended period of time.  For Sloan (just turned four) I brought a tape activity book, a letter tracing book, a princess look and find book (Sloan is obsessed with find it books and can do them by herself now which keeps her busy forever), and some new princess figurine toys.  For Phayre (21 months) I brought some Monster's Inc. figurines, a new baby doll and bottle (P is obsessed with baby dolls, she always has one under her arm), and a color wonder coloring book and markers (highly highly recommend these for younger toddlers).  I also brought them each a book or two, a little notebook, and a ton of stickers (they will sit and stick stickers on paper forever).  If you have an older toddler, play dough is another great activity that they can play with on their airplane tray table.

Another super fun idea when traveling on an airplane is to bring a pack of the little gel window clings (you can find them in the dollar section at Target usually).  I did this with Sloan once and she spent at least half the flight rearranging them on the window.  I did not do it this last time because we only had one window seat and the girls definitely would have fought over doing this.  Hashtag sister probz.

I hope these lists were helpful!  My best advice is stay relaxed and try your best to go with the flow.  Unfortunately travel plans can be delayed or change and it's important to set the tone for your kiddos. Stay calm and order yourself a glass of prosecco, even if it is in a tiny plastic airplane cup and cost you $7, it is more than worth it my friend ;).

Xo,

M