Baby gear

I have been planning for a while to write up a review on all the baby stuff we registered for and received. We were fairly conservative in our registering - really honed in on the basics. So most of the things we received are in our regular rotation. This list might look long, but these are all things that we use regularly - much of it daily, and the rest of it weekly if not more often.

GEAR

• Travel system - After lots of research and reading lots of reviews, we settled on the Britax B-Agile stroller/B-Safe carrier travel system. We love it. The stroller is lightweight and easy to maneuver. The carrier is super-safe...and heavy. The weight of the carrier is the only thing I don't love. But it snaps easily into the stroller and into the car seat base, and the car seat base was super easy to install. No regrets about this purchase at all.
• Baby seat/swing - We registered for a baby seat (Summer Infant Resting Up Napper), which is helpful for setting Sam down when we are downstairs in the living room, but ended up getting a swing a couple months in after we figured out that Sam could be soothed by motion. Not sure that we need both, but we wouldn't have known that ahead of time.
• Carriers/slings - I didn't register for any, but received a Mei Tai, a Baby Bjorn, and a ring sling from friends as gifts & hand-me-downs. The Mei Tai is my favorite - feels very secure and is nice and simple in concept. We also have had good success with the Baby Bjorn. We haven't made the ring sling work for us, but others love it. There are tons of other babywearing options, too. I know that the Boba wrap is popular, as is the Ergobaby line.

SLEEPING

• Bassinet - We put Sam in a bassinet next to our bed for his first couple months. Very nice for when you are up lots overnight...and if you're somebody like me who couldn't imagine her newborn sleeping in an entirely different room for his first weeks. :) We got the Fisher Price Rock 'n' Play Portable Bassinet. It folds nicely for travel (we brought it to Chicago for Christmas), it is flat (there are lots of similar products on an incline, even from Fisher Price), easily cleanable, and really a great place even just for setting Sam down while I'm getting dressed in the morning.
• Crib/mattress - We bought a crib from IKEA and like it very much. We bought the Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams crib mattress because it got great reviews and was quite inexpensive. He didn't start sleeping in his crib until he was a couple months old, so we haven't used either of these things heavily yet!
• Baby monitor - We have the Philips Avent basic baby monitor (Hrm. Maybe they don't make it anymore? It was NOT this expensive when we bought it). It is working great for us (we didn't use it until Sam started sleeping in his own room). I don't know much about video monitors or motion detect monitors.
• Swaddle sacks - We learned how to swaddle Sam in a blanket, but when you are up multiple times a night to do diaper changes, well, it's hard to re-swaddle a baby when you're half-asleep. So we ended up LOVING the swaddles that we received. We have two of the smallest size of SwaddleMes, which are simple and great. Bonus: they have a slit in the back so you can see through to baby's diaper without having to unswaddle him unnecessarily. Now that Sam is bigger, we prefer Halo Sleep Swaddles. We received a fleece one from the hospital, which is so so warm. The cotton ones are better for us; Sam doesn't overheat as much in them.

DIAPERING

• Changing pad/cover/liners - We opted for a changing pad on top of a low dresser instead of buying a separate changing table, and its working well for us. We are using the Summer Infant changing pad and like it, but there are probably others that we'd like the same.
• Diapers - We aren't cloth diapering. We've been using Pampers Swaddlers and like them a lot.
• Diaper pail - This is the one we got. Nothing fancy. Really just a garbage can with a flip top. It's not overly big, which means taking out trash more often, but also means that it doesn't every have time to get too stinky. We haven't needed any other air fresheners or anything for it at this point.
• Diaper bag - My only advice is to buy/register for one you love. We registered for a plain, messenger-bag style diaper bag (nice and unisex!) that we both really liked, but then my mom gave me a Vera Bradley diaper bag for Christmas, and I've been using that one because it doubles as diaper bag and giant purse (with room for iPad, pens, checkbook, wallet, etc.) But really, shop around for something that suits you. You'll reorganize it a thousand times as you go!

LINENS

• Swaddle blankets - We have a ton of these, from a couple different companies. We use them least often for actual swaddling, as it turns out, but they are great multi-taskers. Good for wrapping up cold babies, good for draping over his carrier when it is windy outside, great as impromptu nursing covers, as burp cloths...I have at least one with me at all times.
• Burp cloths - We have a zillion of these (though people were slow to purchase them for us...they're boring, I guess). We have a variety. One package of prefold cloth diapers (these are Matt's favorite burp cloths because they are think), one package of thinner cotton burp cloths, and a couple aden + anais Burpy Bibs. They all work just fine. I use the Burpy Bibs when I'm trying to be a little cute. :)
• Other linens - I have a serious crush on all things aden + anais. We have a few of their swaddle blankets, a couple of their changing pad covers, some bibs/burpy bibs, and a crib sheet. But we also have other crib sheets, other changing pad covers, and other burp cloths that work just as well. :) It's nice to have a few each of crib sheets and changing pad covers...helps with the laundry situation!

CLOTHING
I'd register for basics, so that people have an idea of what you want, and then wait to buy much yourself until after your shower(s).

• Kimono shirts - In the hospital, Sam wore just a diaper and a kimono shirt (long sleeve, with mitten cuffs). Kimono shirts are great because you don't have to pull anything over baby's head to put them on. Also, when we used the SwaddleMes, the kimono shirt was better underneath than a onesie, which covered up the diaper and rendered the SwaddleMe slit useless.
• Sleep gowns - Especially in the first weeks when we never left the house and didn't so much bother putting Sam in actual outfits, long-sleeved sleep gowns with elastic bottoms were great. They kept him covered and warm, but made for easy diaper changes.
• Plain onesies - We still got plenty of use out of plain white stretch onesies. We registered for both long and short sleeved onesies; we probably would have been fine just with long sleeved onesies, but in the summer, you might find you want some short sleeved as well.
• Pants - It was a pain to come up with a stash of baby pants. They are harder to find than you'd think. But especially for a winter baby, it's nice to have a pair of pants to pull on with a kimono shirt or onesie, especially when you're going out, because the sleep gowns don't split down the middle for putting a baby in a carrier.
• Socks - More useful than I'd expected. Again, really easy to just have Sam hang out in a onesie and socks when bumming around the house.

BABY CARE

• Baby bath - After reading a bunch of reviews, we registered for the Puj Flyte infant bath, and we LOVE it. It fits easily in even our weird sinks, and it folds flat and hangs up for easy storage. Definitely one of my favorite items.
• Toiletries - We didn't register for baby toiletries, but got some anyway. Both the Burt's Bees and Johnson & Johnson baby washes we have are great.
• Towels/washcloths - We have a slew of baby washcloths and hooded towels of all varieties - necessary objects, but I have no particular brand preference.
• Other stuff - Of other toiletry items, the ones that we have used the most are baby nail clippers (those tiny nails really are as sharp as they say!) and a nice digital thermometer (shop around for one you like). We registered for pacifiers, but ended up getting some from the hospital, and Sam doesn't like pacifiers as it turns out, so we've been through a few varieties trying to find one he might use. Your mileage may vary.

NURSING

• Nursing pillow - I registered for a plain Boppy and then a couple different covers for it. I don't have strong feelings about one particular nursing pillow over another, I just know that having one makes for much easier nursing sessions, especially when I find myself multi-tasking (nursing while eating, nursing while answering email on my laptop, etc.)
• Nursing cover - I registered for a Bebe au Lait nursing cover. I love it, but honestly, I really only use it when I'm out in public. At home, I either don't bother to cover up, or I grab the closest swaddle blanket/quilt/afghan if I want something over me.
• Breast pump - I have the Phillips Avent Double Electric breast pump, which works great, but it is worth reading reviews and checking with your insurance to make your own decision. My insurance didn't cover an electric pump, but you might have a different experience. I also bought a hands-free pumping bra, which looks RIDICULOUS, but is a saving grace.
• Nursing bras - I have a bunch of different ones. I'm not sure I love any of them, but that might just be how it goes. My only advice is not to spend lots of money until you have a sense of what you like. Same goes for nursing tanks. Target and WalMart have both been helpful for buying some random things to experiment with.
• Nursing pads - I like the Nuk Ultra Thin nursing pads a lot better than other nursing pads, mostly because they are thin, soft (not plasticky), and don't have adhesive backs.