When I was pregnant with my first baby, I had no idea what items I needed to put on my baby registry. Honestly, I think the first version was mostly filled with adorable clothes. My friend actually went in and added things to help me out because I had no clue.

There are so many baby products on the market, many of which are necessities and others which just take up space and are completely nonessential. Now that Dylan is six weeks and Perry is 21 months (!) I thought it would be helpful to put everything in a blog post for any soon-to-be mamas out there trying to figure out what they really need.

By now, you’ve probably read that you need a bunch of different things from many different sources, but below is what worked for us!

A&D Ointment

We use this so much that we have a one pound container sitting on the changing table.

Solly Baby Wrap

If I need to do things around the house or if I really need Dylan to go to sleep, I put him in this wrap and within a minute, he’s relaxing. Within 5 minutes, he’s sleeping. It’s a miracle worker. Before Perry got too heavy, I would put her in the wrap when we went for walks in the park or if I had to go pick something up at the store and needed both hands. It’s portable and easy!

J used the Ergobaby 360 carrier with the newborn insert at first and then without. I felt like it was too big for me but he loves it and so do the kids.

Milk Snob Nursing Cover

This is one of my favorite baby purchases because it gives me the freedom to go somewhere for a few hours with my baby without having to worry about getting back home or finding a private area to nurse. I have one in the diaper bag and one in my purse and quickly throw it on when I need to nurse Dylan. It’s also an infant car seat cover, which I love because it prevents people from hovering over the baby, especially when you’re traveling in tight areas (like airplanes!). Also, check out the owner, Melanie on Shark Tank. She had three competing offers from the Sharks!

I’m really excited to announce that i’m partnering with Milk Snob to host a giveaway for two different nursing covers. Check out @StreetStylePhilosophy on Instagram to enter and win your own Milk Snob Nursing Cover! 

Spectra S1

If you follow me on Instagram Stories you know that I often post while pumping and nine times out of 10, a few girls send me messages saying how much they love the Spectra. For me, and i’m sure many others, it’s a love hate relationship. Nursing and pumping would take hours and multiple blog posts to get through but here are a few highlights.

I originally got the Medela Pump In Style and thought it was okay. Everyone is different though so it may be a great option for you! I’m in a few Facebook mom groups and someone recommended the Spectra. It was worth every penny for me because it took half as much time to pump twice as much milk. I have the S1 and the only difference between the S1 and S2 is that the S1 has a rechargeable battery. The S2 is less expensive and requires an outlet. You can also get a free pump through your insurance company so definitely explore that.

Simple Wishes Hands-free pumping bra

This is an essential item if you need to multi-task. It was a life saver when I went back to work with my first baby because it allowed me to pump while answering work emails! Even now while i’m on maternity leave, I spend so much of my day nursing or pumping so it’s great to be able to do some work at the same time. For example, writing this post! 🙂

Life Factory Bottles

Some people have a strong preference on which bottles they want to use. We started with the Life Factory glass bottles and didn’t want to mess with a good thing so we continued to use them. I also think they look nice and come in fun pastel colors, which you would think doesn’t really matter but when you’re using them throughout the day and every day, it’s nice to look at something pretty. 🙂

The First Years Sound Machine

This is so helpful for blocking out any noise around the house. You can play music, the phone can ring, and everyone can laugh and speak freely without having to worry about waking up the baby. When we first started using it, I thought it was way too loud and irritating but now it’s just part of my background noise and I don’t even notice it.

Zippered onesies

We’ve tried a few different onesies but the easiest were those with zippers. With all the diaper changes and spit-ups, the ones with buttons or snaps were way too time consuming. It is so tempting but try not to go too crazy with buying newborn clothes. As adorable as they are, they don’t last very long and you’ll most likely get a bunch as gifts.

Definitely invest in 4-5 zippered onesies to have in rotation and save yourself some time fastening all those tiny buttons.

MAM Pacifiers

Any pacifier is a wonderful thing. We tried the Wabbanub and Nuk pacifiers but Perry ended up liking the shape of the MAM ones. We had read that it’s best to wait to offer a pacifier until your baby is 4 weeks old and you’ve established an effective breastfeeding routine but we were getting desperate and ended up giving in at 3 weeks with both kids. I have no regrets because they made such a huge difference in our day!

Also, get a pacifier clip. Otherwise, they fall on the floor all the time and it’s a pain to wash them every 5 minutes.

NoseFrida Nasal Aspirator (aka The Snot Sucker)

This sounds disgusting but it’s the best thing ever for boogies!

Summer Baby Monitor

I really like the Summer baby monitor because it’s wide screen, color, and you can talk to the baby through the monitor, which sort of makes them do a double take and wonder where your voice is coming from but this can be very effective!

Activity Mat

We were lucky in that we inherited our activity mat from family. We used it all the time. It makes for a safe play area and has lots of colors and attachments for the baby’s development.

Aden and Anais Swaddles

Aden and Anais swaddle blankets are so soft and come in an assortment of beautiful designs. Get a few so you can interchange them.

Halo Sleepsack Swaddle

We actually didn’t use this with Perry but I recently discovered it and it’s my favorite swaddle for Dylan. The hospital gave us one as a gift and I love how quick and easy it is. It’s a bummer anytime he spits up on it because I need to throw it in the laundry and wait to use it again so I just ordered another one that we can have on rotation. 🙂

We have an entire basket of swaddles that we have accumulated with Perry and Dylan but I love the sleepsack. It’s easy to use and keeps him nice and snug so he can fall asleep quickly. I also love that there are no lose blankets in the bassinet while he’s sleeping.

Uppababy Vista Stroller

This stroller is one of the best baby items we have. It comes with a bassinet, which is so useful for the first few months before you eventually switch over to a toddler seat. You can also purchase a car seat adapter separately. We loved being able to move Perry from the car to the stroller whenever she would fall asleep. It also comes with a rain cover and bug shield that we keep in the bottom storage area.

I know that it is really expensive but we love it. It is such a smooth ride, the wheels never go flat so you don’t need to worry about getting stuck somewhere with a baby, and the storage is excellent. I would sometimes go grocery shopping with Perry and put everything in the stroller storage area until it was time to check out, instead of having to push a cart and a stroller.

When we’re traveling, we use the Mountain Buggy because it’s smaller, lighter and fits in the overhead compartment on planes. If you guys are interested, I can do a separate post on must-haves when traveling with a baby. We learned the hard way!

Chicco Keyfit 30

The Chicco Keyfit 30 is one of the most highly rated car seats on Consumer Reports. It’s lighter compared to other car seats but still pretty heavy when your baby gets a little older. I recommend going to Buy Buy Baby and trying a bunch of different ones out. They even have a 15 lb bag of sand you can put in the car seat to get a feel of what it’s like to carry the carseat with a child in it. Check out Consumer Reports to get full details and ratings on each individual model to figure out what is best for your family.

One thing I didn’t realize was that half of all car seats are installed incorrectly. You can actually go to the fire station and have them check your car seat to make sure it was installed correctly.

Also, get as much free stuff from the hospital as you can. You can get a decent supply of diapers, wipes, a swaddle, baby wrap shirts and feminine products. The first few days after you bring home a newborn can be hectic so the last thing you will want to do is run to the store.

I remember asking all my mom friends for baby registry recommendations and piecing everything together so hopefully this helps you! It’s a combination of tips from friends and family and my own trial and error.

If you’re a mama, is there anything you wish you added to your baby registry? What would you add or remove? xo, Tanya