Little Calvin is somehow already 3 months old. I have been trying to savor every minute I can at every stage with him, and that includes making this parenting thing as easy as possible so that we can really enjoy every aspect of it. I have a few friends who are now pregnant (yaayy!!), and they asked me this question: what have you really used from your registry.
I went through both of my registries (we registered at Amazon and Target), item by item, to see what the most useful items have been. Obviously some are still N/A as they're meant for when he's older, but of the items I chose for this stage of Cal's life, here's what we have used (and what we haven't)...
1. Happiest Baby on the Block - I registered for this book AND bought myself the T
aking Cara Babies newborn class. The two really go hand-in-hand, and I suggest this to EVERYONE. I cannot tell you how much this has helped with Calvin's sleep, and we are using her 3-4 month e-book right now, and plan to sleep train him with her class when he gets to be 5 months old. Also make sure you
follow Cara on Instagram - she shares so much!
2. Sleepea swaddle - Calvin is a baby Houdini. We learned all about swaddling in our baby classes, but little dude can get out of anything, no matter how tight it is. These sleepea swaddles are so good; you can click
here to see a video of how it works. He sleeps in this every night, but we still swaddle him in blankets during the day.
3. Owlet Smart Sock and Video Monitor - The Owlet is a lifesaver. We sleep in a completely dark room, so if I needed to check to see if he's breathing at night, I would need to put my hand on his chest. I can check my phone for his vitals anytime I want, and their camera is really good quality. I know Owlet products are a little pricey, but they are so. worth. it.
4. Ergobaby Omni 360 baby carrier - We started using our Ergo when Calvin was 2 weeks old. You don't need any infant insert, and it grows with him. He sleeps well in it, and it fits either me or Mike with minimal adjustments. During the first two months, I hadn't figured out my ring sling yet, so this was how I wore him.
5. Diaper Genie - This is one of those items that you'll see on a "you don't need this" list for babies, but we needed to buy a new trash can for his diapers anyway, so why not pay a few more dollars for this. FYI I would not skimp out and get the
Expressions pail to save $15. I love the foot pedal on the original, and it seems much sturdier. One thing you
can save money on, however, are the bags. We've tried the
Target and
Amazon generic brands (both linked), and they all work great.
6. Dockatot - A Dock is definitely a splurge item, but we have loved having Calvin nap in the living room so that we can be with him all the time. We have this on one of our couches, and every single daytime nap has been in it. One of the silliest pluses is that it helps keep his pacifier in his mouth when he sleeps - haha!
7. Marpac Rohm - I had never heard of white noise machines before the Dr. Harvey Karp book and Taking Cara Babies class, but these things are awesome, and I'll never go back to sleeping without one. They actually also make a
Hushh specific for babies (for a few dollars more) with the ability to lock the volume so that kids can't access it. However, it also has a night light, and I am NOT a fan of lights in the room when we're sleeping (PSA everything baby-related has lights - get that electrical tape out).
8. Wipe Warmer - Another thing babies don't
need and another thing with a light you will want to cover, but this one is great! I like the warm wipes as much as he does, and if you're going to buy a wipe dispenser (so you don't have to fumble with individual wipe packs and you can save money by buying wipes in bulk), this is basically the same price as a simple plastic dispenser.
9. Wubbanub - Calvin's favorite is definitely the
giraffe. If you're going to register for one, I'd suggest looking for one of the bigger ones that lays flat. We had no idea that they were all so different. My favorite is the
dragon, but it's surprisingly much smaller and Calvin isn't able to grab onto it like he does with the giraffe's neck and arms. The
llama and
hedgehog are also adorable but don't lay flat on baby's chest.
10.
Boon Bottle feeding set - I was power pumping during the first two months (pumping for 10-15 minutes after each feeding to fully empty and get my supply up), and we were giving Cal a breast milk supplement two times per day, so this was great for drying all of those little parts!
Now for the things we didn't like during the first two months. Please keep in mind that this was just
us. I can imagine that many of these are must-haves for other families, and I know that we will be using many of them in the months to come.
1. Sleepers and night gowns - Calvin was born in South Carolina in May, so he basically wore only a diaper for the first few weeks of his life, and when he sleeps, the swaddle is more than enough to keep him warm.
2. Tommee Tippee bottles - I registered for a few of these and Dr. Brown's because I heard that babies tend to have a preference or do well with a certain kind. Because we are only giving Calvin small amounts of milk out of bottles, the Dr. Brown's work better for us - he even cried the first (and only) time I tried the Tommee Tippee.
3. Any other pacifiers - They make tons of different pacifier shapes and sizes. Calvin like the round
"soothie" kind that comes with the Wubbanub, and we like the Wub animal to help keep it in his mouth as we're rocking him.
4. Burt's bees burp cloths - These are so nice and soft, but holy moly, they are expensive. We bought another pack of
muslin cloths shortly after Calvin came home so that I wouldn't have to do laundry every. single. day.
5. Ring and wrap carriers - Within the first two months, these just did not work. The most we have used the wrap carrier for is to block light from coming into the bedroom under the door.
