What You REALLY Need for Baby

After reading every Parent Magazine the doctor's office had available in the lobby and reading every Pinterest post I could on things babies need, I had it.  A registry filled with everything our little snugglebug would need once she made her arrival.  Perfection.  Except... it wasn't.  Real moms gave me things I didn't register for and hey guess what, I actually used them!  Things were not bought that we thought were necessary and guess what again, we didn't need them!  Here is a quick run down of some of my favorite "needs" for baby: 

• Aden blankets.  I hadn't even heard of these.  How did none of the lists on Pinterest mention them?!  They are these fantastic light weight white blankets perfect for baby.  They have cute patterns on them for boys, girls, and those going neutral.  Having a summer baby, we needed blankets that wouldn't be heavy and uncomfortable.  Yet, with the air cranked to keep our house at a cool 68 degrees (that's right, 68) baby does need something on those little legs of hers.  We also loved them to lay on her in the car seat and when taking walks in the stroller. They come in packs of 3 or 4 and you'll use them all constantly.  Not on our registry, but something we use every. single. day.
• Many sets of pump parts.  You'll need these if you ever plan on pumping milk throughout your pregnancy.  One set will not cut it.  I have 4 sets and honestly, it still isn't quite enough.  If you don't want to spend precious moments of your day washing parts, buy lots ahead of time.  Membranes, valves, breast shields (I think that's what they are called, I'm still learning), and containers to pump into.  Do not buy a fancy pump because your insurance should cover one for you when you are at the hospital.  I got a nice Medela free of charge!  The hospital also hooked me up with coolers, ice packs, and extra milk containers as lovely little parting gifts.  Look into this because Enfamil and Similac should give them out as samples in the hospital.
•  Burp rags, burp rags, burp rags.  Apparently babies spit up a lot.  Like, I'm talking it will shoot out of their mouth and all over your beautiful new upholstered rocking chair (more about that later) after each feeding.  The burp rag you use will quickly be covered in spit up and need to go into the laundry pile.  Keep a stock of several burp rags that you can grab from throughout the day.
• 2 changing pad covers (at least!)  You know those fantastic changing pads you can set on top of a dresser?  Get more than one cover for them for when baby pees or poops on one.  They do that by the way.  Even girls can pee as you change them.  Didn't know that...  Anyway, when you put one in the laundry, you'll need to have a clean one ready to use until the other one has been cleaned.  When you have a new baby, getting a load of laundry washed, dried, and removed from the dryer is quite the task.  Have a spare.  Trust me.
• A good camera.  Nothing irritates me more than moms who only take pictures on their phones.  You can't print them, the quality is crap, and your child will never get to look back at them when she is older.  Get yourself a decent camera and you won't regret it.  Now you don't need to go as far as getting a fancy Canon with separate lens and carrying case (we did and LOVE it!) but at least get a little point and shoot to throw in your purse.  They are fairly inexpensive these days and you will be happy you have one.
• Thank you cards and stamps.  You will need loads of thank you cards handy following your baby showers.  What I didn't realize is how many gifts I would get following her birth.  We had probably 20-30 gifts arrive in the month after she was born.  Having stamps and thank you cards on hand make it easy to properly thank the kind people who have showered your little peanut with love.
• A sound machine.  Babies love white noise.  Read, "Happiest Baby on the Block" for why.  Another thing you should get actually.  We have a Cloud B Sleep Sheep.  My husband and I have enjoyed the sounds of ocean waves and rain falling each night.  FYI: Get a sound machine you can tolerate too because if your baby is sleeping in your room or you plan on using a monitor, you will also have to endure... I mean enjoy the sounds of the sound machine.
• Fisher Price Rock n Play Sleeper.  A MUST have.  This wonderful little rocker acts as a bassinet (I only let her sleep in it during the day when I can see her because it is very plush) a bouncy seat, and an all around wonderful place to put baby when your forearms are sore.  She can watch us as we cook, do dishes, put laundry in, etc.  She also sleeps really sound in it because it almost holds her as she sleeps.  I just rock it with my foot and she's out in minutes and sleeps well!  The best part?  It folds up and can easily be stored behind a couch or tossed in the back of the SUV to take to a friend's house.  We absolutely do not want baby clutter in our living room so this was perfect for that!
• Diaper Genie.  Unless you want baby's room to smell like her own feces, get one.
• Baby Gym.  I registered for one of these because it seemed like something our baby should have.  Little did I know that I would be using it daily.  Babies have periods of wake time between eating and sleeping and are supposed to be stimulated during that time.  Putting baby under the lights and hanging toys is very stimulating and exciting for a newborn apparently!  My baby lights up and is now smiling when she watches the birds fly in a circle above her.  And again, it folds up easily and is hidden in a cabinet in our living room when not in use.  Yay!
• A comfortable rocker for baby's room.  I had a vision for her baby room and it did not include an old fashioned wooden grandma rocking chair.  If that's your style, awesome.  It is not mine.  I wanted an upholstered chair that rocked with an ottoman.  We searched high and low for the chair I had in my head.  When we found it we had sticker shock.  Apparently those chairs are not cheap.  But I was in love!  My oh so practical husband tried to negotiate the matching ottoman with me.  Do we really need it?  Um, yes.  To this day we both agree it was great money spent because we feed her in this chair all the time and rock her to sleep here every night.  We chose the color carefully to be sure it could be used in a family room one day when our babies are grown up (I don't plan on rocking my 18 year old to sleep at night.)  Great purchase, worth the money, buy the chair YOU love!
• An itzbeen pocket nanny.  A WHAT?!  I got it as a gift during one of my baby showers and the mom who gave it to me said I would really love it.  My husband started it up once she was born and we haven't been more than 2 feet away from it since.  It's this device that helps you time everything you do with baby so that you don't have to remember yourself.  For example, you push the "Feed" button when you begin feeding your baby.  It begins running a timer and now you know how long it will be until the next feeding.  If baby is fussy again and it has only been an hour since she ate, you know she's not hungry, it must be something else.  You also click a "Diaper" button and my personal favorite, the "Pumping" button.  Ok, so it isn't really a pumping button but it is for anything you need it to be.  Once you get your little precious bundle of joy home, you'll realize that everything revolves around the clock. We take it everywhere and would be lost without it!

All in all, accept advice from other mom friends if they have suggestions for baby gifts.  Turns out, they know what they are talking about!  Happy registering!