While I’m not a mom (yet), I have done many hours of research on the best items to have on a baby registry. I thought I’d share what’s on ours (and what’s not), in case any of you need some help getting yours together one day. We are registered at Babies “R” Us and Amazon.com.
Let’s start with the most researched baby registry items: Gear!
1. The First Years Wave Stroller – Every time I think I might like another stroller better, I find another awesome review of this one and my choice is confirmed. I was actually registered for the black one with the red sunshade, but I realized this one with the patterned interior is $100 cheaper, so I immediately switched the color. Mr. TTT’s grandmother has already told us we’re getting this for Christmas!! I can’t wait.
2. The First Years Via Infant Car Seat – I don’t need a car seat that matches the stroller, but it gets great reviews and it isn’t too expensive, so why not? I’ve also registered for an extra base so we can easily go from car to car without re-installing.
3. The First Years True Fit Convertible Car Seat – I know some people say to skip the infant car seat and just get one of these, but I know how convenient it is to transfer a sleeping baby from car to stroller to house with the infant one (I have a 10 year old brother). This one we’ll save for when he grows out of the infant seat. I originally registered for this car seat in all black, but it’s no longer available, so grey it is.
4. BABYBJORN Baby Carrier – I was registered for this popular baby carrier until my sister in law gave us the exact same one! She rarely used it, so it’s in great condition and I’m so happy we get to try it out!
5. Skip Hop Duo Deluxe Diaper Bag – Designer diaper bags aren’t my thing. I want something that’s going to last forever, hold all I need it to, and something my husband won’t feel uncomfortable carrying. I like messenger style bags to keep my hands free and the Skip Hop ones all come with cool stroller attachments.
6. Inglesina Fast Table Chair – We already have the Ikea Antilop highchair, but I saw this on MODG blog and thought it would be nice to have for traveling. I like the dark, neutral color and compact design.
7. Moby Wrap Baby Carrier – I can’t wait to try this sucker out. Jenna from That Wife did a great how-to video on this and I’m excited to use it with our little guy. It seems like the easiest way to go shopping with a cart, travel, or anything else where you need two hands. Plus, I’ve read that babies who are carried in slings like this cry less.
8. Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard – A mommy friend told me to get a pack ‘n play with bassinet attachment to use right after the baby is born instead of a separate bassinet. I’m all about saving money and space, so I think it’s going to work great for us. It also matches our bedroom perfectly!
What do you think of our gear choices? Is there anything we forgot?
Part One: Gear
Part Two: Activity
Part Three: Eat, Sleep and Poop
Part Four: Furniture, Decor and Clothing
Mrs. Tic Tac Toe’s Visual Gear Guides part 1 of 10
1. Our Registry: Gear by mrs. tictactoe2. Our Registry: Activity by mrs. tictactoe
3. Our Registry: Eat, Sleep, Poop by mrs. tictactoe
4. Our Registry: Furniture, Decor, and Clothing by mrs. tictactoe
5. Maternity Must-Haves by mrs. tictactoe
6. What's in our Hospital Bags by mrs. tictactoe
7. The Essentials: Newborn Edition by mrs. tictactoe
8. What's in my diaper bag by mrs. tictactoe
9. The Essentials - 6 Month Edition by mrs. tictactoe
10. Clothes for the Working and Nursing Mom by mrs. tictactoe
Mrs. Tic Tac Toe’s Registry part 1 of 2
1. Our Registry: Gear by mrs. tictactoe2. Our Registry: Activity by mrs. tictactoe
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
I have the Moby and Phil & Ted’s lobster table chair. Sadly, I didn’t use the Moby. Going to see if I can use it for baby #2. I LOVE Phil & Ted’s lobster. It’s AMAZING! We get compliments every where we go, and it’s so convenient for eating out.
Table chairs are definitely a MUST have.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
I have the same diaper bag. No complaints here. I also liked the Moby when Baby Y was small, though it is a lot to wrap, and for that reason I mostly used it around the house. We use the Bjorn comfort carrier now and love it.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
we have the same pack and play and it’s served us well! affordable and charlie has always slept great in it. perfect for grandma’s house!
as for the moby, i wasn’t smart enough to figure it out. if i were to get one again, i would get a german wrap like the didymos.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
I wasn’t smart enough to figure out the moby either. Way too much cloth for me and too much of a hassle. I vastly preferred my Ergo… I still use it to this day and my daughter is almost a year old! I read that the baby bjorn is not good for babies – it’s called a “crotch dangler”… And even though it has the forward facing feature, it’s not recommended to have young infants forward facing because you risk overstimulating them. I’ve never used it myself so this is just third party info I’m passing along!
I have the skip hop versa and I love that bag! I’ve gotten soo many compliments on it and it doesn’t look like a diaper bag. Mine is black with a beautiful teal lining.
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
@babychin: I have heard a lot of negative comments about the Bjorn, but since we got it for free, I don’t see us buying another one like the Ergo. I’ll wait and see how much we use it and figure out if it’s worth the investment to get a better one.
guest
@mrs. tictactoe – very true… can’t beat free…
cherry / 207 posts
Two of my top buys are a bouncy chair and a portable high chair with tray.
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Precious-Planet-Giraffe-Bouncer/dp/B001GQ2RVW/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1324628788&sr=8-16
A bouncy chair is great for baby to recline after feeds, sleep, play etc safely while you do stuff around the house.
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Precious-Planet-Healthy-Booster/dp/B001GQ2RXK/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1324628788&sr=8-10
SB is 28 months old and still using this whenever we eat out. We started her on this when she could sit and trained her to sit in it whenever we eat out. This way, she can eat with us and when she is done, play while we finish eating. Aso, I prefer to have her to eat from her tray
I have the Phil’s & Ted table chair but I still prefer my Fisher Price. Note that it does not clasp on to every type of table and for safety reasons, I always place a chair beneath.
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
@j0s1e267: I’m planning to do a post about the “activity” items next, which includes a bouncy seat!
guest
I totally agree with @babychin; we LOVE the Ergo. I borrowed a Bjorn for a bit and it KILLED my back/shoulders, despite adjusting it properly. It was fine early on when the baby was tiny. From about 5 months on, the Ergo was AWESOME. I never got tired carrying her all around and you can carry on the front, the side, or the back. The support around the waist band does the trick. Great for long treks out in terms of comfort and ease. We were able to take her all the places that the stroller was iffy…beach, apple-picking, hiking, shopping, etc. and I’d use it around the house when she was really little and wanted to be held so I could get light chores done. I put all this here in case anyone finds the Bjorn to be uncomfortable on the shoulders after a time. The weight limit for the Ergo is also great: up to 90 pounds (you’d likely be using the “wearing on the back feature” for heavier weight)! So, you get your money’s worth for sure.
honeydew / 7968 posts
thanks to this post, i added the table chair. =)
i had already added the graco playard – the question is, should i request 2 for both babies, or will 1 do. lol
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
@tequiero21: Hmmm… I’m not sure. Do you read “In This Wonderful Life”? She has twins and blogged about how they used pack n plays at first, but realized it was much better to get them in the crib early.
honeydew / 7968 posts
@mrs. tictactoe: haven’t heard about in this wonderful life, but i’m planning to use a crib after they grow out of the bassinet (i put the argington bassinet/crib/toddler bed on my registry). but i also wanted the pack and play for when we travel (either to parents and in-laws or anywhere else)….
guest
We have that same diaper bag – it’s great for day-to-day use but if you are planning on being gone all day from home, with baby in tow, I find it to be a little small (or maybe I overpack). So I’m looking into getting a larger diaper bag for those longer days.
Thanks for the suggestion on the Fast Table Chair – we’ll have to pick up one of these.
We love our Baby B’jorn, but our baby is only 13 lbs right now.
guest
Anyone have any good (larger) diaper bag suggestions? Maybe there has already been a post on Diaper Bags and I’ve missed it.
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
@carrie: I also registered for a large lands end tote for longer trips. I think the skip hop should be fine for most days, plus I live in LA and usually have my car where I can stash back up items.
kiwi / 718 posts
I have a moby as well. This is our first & I got it off craigslist for $20, so I figure if we don’t use it, I can just re-sell it.
I wanted to get a baby bjorn, but I’ve heard so many mixed reviews about them, I’m hesitant to. I’ve seen them supah cheap on craigslist, though, so I might buy one off of there. Or I might just register for an ergo since everyone that has one of those seems to love it.
I have one of those table chair things on our registry, too. my husband used to be a waiter & itsn’t super fond of those b/c he’s seen kids tip the table over {pedestal table, to be clear, and then everything from the table pile onto the kid} if both parents got up at the same time, but I figure most places don’t have pedestal tables & since we know that can happen, we’ll have to be vigilant at restaurants that have those kinds of tables. so heads up!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@mrs. tictactoe: I had used a Baby Bjorn as a nanny, as a teenager I didn’t have any issues with it, but while reviewing carriers for my baby, I found out that the reason “crotch danglers” are bad is because suspending a baby from their hips negatively affects their spine and hip development. You need to get a carrier that puts them into a seated position. I have the Beco Gemini which does just that, definitely a little more expensive, but worth it if it really does affect my baby’ development. Many chiropractors greatly discourage the use of carriers like the Bjorn and infantino.
I LOVE my moby. I honestly don’t know why people had such a difficult time with it. I watched a few youtube videos and got it the first try. It is really comfortable and does allow me to have my son hands-free, he sleeps so much better in it than he does anywhere else. I love it for when I go somewhere too, then his naptimes aren’t interrupted.