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When we had Ella, I knew that we were planning to have more children in the future. Josh and I always wanted a big family and thought we would have at least three children. We often joke about how naïve we were and how funny it is when non-parents make grand statements about what they will or will never do! Not only did we register for every single thing available on the baby market, but we kept all of those things for subsequent children. I had a plastic container for every size that she ever wore and a few more filled with gear and blankets and tchotchkes that we really had no use for. When we found out that Sophie was a girl, we were so thrilled to have all of those baby boxes filled to the brim. What we didn’t realize, though, was that we would get just as many gifts for baby number two — without having a shower! — and end up with more than we bargained for. Once I realized a third child wasn’t in the cards for us (hahahahahaha), I had a huge yard sale and got rid of almost everything in my stash. I reserved a few items of clothing to share with my grandchildren, but since I’m not super sentimental anyway, I was able to part with almost everything we had been storing. Now, let’s fast forward almost eight years.
People don’t tell you that you won’t actually need all of those things you registered for and especially not in the beginning. I feel like I learned a TON from those first two pregnancies and the fact that I’m almost ten years older this time around, makes me think I could have survived with much less. I’ve been casually shopping for a few months, but I’ve only purchased a few things at this point. I’m sure we’ll have a small shower for close friends and family, but I’ve decided that I want to approach this third experience with much less stuff. I don’t want clothes that never get worn and toys that never get played with and I certainly don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on bottles to discover that this little one prefers a different brand. And not to be ungrateful, but I’m also loving the fact that we don’t know what we’re having and can’t be inundated with ridiculous graphic onesies for boys and overly ruffled, uncomfortable pink things for a baby girl. My sister asked me if I wanted to wait and have a shower after baby was here so that everyone would know who to shop for and the answer was a hard no. I’m much more excited about receiving practical gifts and adding to our infant wardrobe as we need it.
Instead of registering at a particular store, I opted to create a Baby List registry, where we could add items from every on-line store imaginable — even Amazon! I tried to focus mostly on things we would need, knowing I can do laundry as often as necessary and stock up on more clothes and accessories once baby arrives. I know the word “minimal” can be interpreted to mean very different things to different people, so while I know we could survive with much less in the beginning, I wanted plenty of options for our families to shop from, while still focusing on the things we would actually use.
1. Dockatot Deluxe+ Dock with Carrera Marble Cover* $195 | Infant loungers and sleepers seem to be all the rage right now and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. While we were never co-sleepers with our girls and these aren’t meant to be used in a crib or bassinet, I love the thought of having somewhere safe for baby to lounge while we’re all hanging out together. I think it might help to establish boundaries between baby and little visitors and animals who want to get too close! We opted for the Dockatot Deluxe with the standard white cover and then added this Carrera Marble cover, so that we’ll never be without one — even on laundry day! There are so many cute covers to choose from, but I loved that this one was both gender neutral and would coordinate well with the nursery and existing home décor. Use this link for $10 off of any Dockatot purchase!
2. Lorena Canals Washable Rug in Bereber Canvas* (similar rug pictured) $219 | We used to have a huge washable rug in Ella’s room and it was such a game-changer, that I knew I wanted to do something similar in the nursery. While we’ll be getting new carpet installed before delivery, I know that we will spend plenty of time playing in the floor and I wanted somewhere soft for baby to spend time. The rugs available at Lorena Canals are such great quality and are all MACHINE WASHABLE — meaning they fit in your standard, at home, washer and dryer. Somebody insert some praise hand emojis right here! Even better, they are all crafted with natural dyes, handmade, eco-friendly, and contain no harmful VOCs, like most rugs and carpets. I opted for something a little less “baby” looking, hoping it will be able to grow with us.
3. Project Nursery HD Wi-Fi Baby Camera $99 each | One of Josh’s biggest requests in this home, is to integrate everything into some sort of a smart home system — whether all items work under a single umbrella or within separate apps isn’t as big of a deal to us. When shopping for monitors, I wanted something that wasn’t crazy expensive, but would allow us to monitor the baby’s room from our phones. This Project Nursery camera gets great reviews and up to four cameras can be integrated into a single system. Did I mention it works as an intercom system and plays white noise?!
4. Skip Hop Greenwich Simply Chic Diaper Backpack $99 | We used our fair share of diaper bags while the girls were little and the one that is still ticking, is our original Skip Hop Duo bag. We have been known to carry it as recently as last summer, for a park / zoo / Disney experience. It held up so well, that I knew I wanted to order something else from their line. This leather backpack checks all of my boxes and I love the olive green version — it’s my favorite color and will mean that dad won’t be embarrassed to hold my bag!
5. Evenflo Pivot Modular Travel System $279 | We’re opting for a travel system this time, which is something we didn’t do for either of the girls. After doing some research, it occurred to me that I could find something much less expensive if I purchased it all together. This system from Evenflo looks much more expensive than it is, only comes in neutral colors (praise be!), and has both a car seat and bassinet attachment. While I’m sure there are much nicer car seats on the market, they are all put through rigorous testing and have to meet the same standards for sale in the U.S. I decided to save my dollars and invest in a much nicer convertible seat after baby outgrows the infant carrier.
6. Keekaroo Peanut Changer $133 | Okay, so I’m willing to concede that this one is a little frivolous, but I’ve had it bookmarked since I was approximately two days pregnant — ha! I love the idea of something easy to clean and I hated removing the covers to wash pad covers when the girls were in diapers.
7. Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock* $50 | Do you know how much room an infant seat takes up in a shopping cart?! Essentially, if you take your baby to the grocery store and don’t baby wear or have a second set of hands, you can only purchase a single day’s worth of groceries at a time. Not cool, grocery stores. I tried balancing our infant carriers in the seat portion of the cart, but you basically can’t see anything over the top. If you place it in the cart itself, you’ll be piling up groceries all around baby or making multiple trips a week to get it all home. This hammock straps across the back of the cart and can be used as an actual hammock or to support an infant carrier, up to 50 pounds. This will be one of those items you stash in your trunk, because you never know when you’ll need it. Use this link for 10% off any Binxy Baby purchase!
8. Ollie World Smarter Swaddle* $59 | When Ella was a baby, we lived and died by the swaddler. She would not sleep unless her arms were tied down like a baby burrito. I became an expert at wrapping her in receiving blankets, but Velcro swaddlers were a complete lifesaver in the middle of the night. This Smarter Swaddle is made from the softest, moisture-wicking, fabric to help keep baby from overheating and is armed with Velcro strips for the tightest wrap, no matter how big or small your little one is. Now, do you want to know the very best part? Unlike many other brands, these swaddlers are open at the bottom, allowing for easy diaper changes without unwrapping baby! Use this link to get 10% off all products at Ollie World.
9. Jacquard Print Upholstered Neyla Armchair $349 | Several weeks ago, Josh and I went to a local shop to look at some tribal print chairs and were so disappointed with their quality. They were nowhere big enough for him to sit comfortably and the fabric was so scratchy and itchy. Imagine my surprise when I found something similar, that I liked even better, at World Market a few weeks ago. They didn’t have these in our store, so we’re relying on reviews, but all signs point to this being exactly what we wanted. I know getting something that doesn’t rock or glide seems counter-intuitive for a nursery, but we didn’t love the chair we had in Ella’s nursery (Side note: we picked it out and loved how it looked and were crazy appreciative of his parents for purchasing it, but it proved not to be the best option for napping with baby and Josh never could fit into it very well!) and opted for something completely different this time around. We’ll have a full sized bed in the nursery for sleeping and resting, so we decided to choose something that would work long-term in our home. Now we won’t find ourselves with a pastel glider that we don’t know what to do with, a year down the road.
10. Comotomo Natural Feel Baby Bottle $15 each | I have a lot of feelings about nursing, which I might eventually share, but I’m trying to go into this pregnancy with a very open mind. I’ve come to recognize that I don’t have to make any decisions before baby gets here, but I’m planning to be fully armed no matter which feeding method we eventually choose. I’ve already ordered my insurance-covered breast pump (this one), but I figured I should be armed with a can of formula and a few bottle options, just in case things don’t work out as intended. These bottles are designed to mimic the breast latch, are soft and squishy for little hands, easy to clean, and made with 100% safe materials. Also, they are adorable.
* These products were sent to us in exchange for blog coverage. I will be offering a full review of all products, once baby arrives and we are able to use them!
You can check out our full list of registry items on Baby List, if you’d like to see everything we’re crushing on. Is there anything we’re missing? I would love to know all of your tried and true favorites, especially since the baby market has changed so much since our girls were infants!
