The Ultimate Go-To List for New Parents – Part 2 of 5

This is a continuation of the 5-Part series “The Ultimate Go-To List for New Parents.”

Here’s a quick reference list for your convenience, The Ultimate Go-To Baby Registry Checklist for New Parents. I made it available as a pdf!

Part 1 covers nursery basics. In Part 2 here, we’ll cover all the basics of baby gear. Part 3 goes over everything feeding related; Part 4, lists out and explains the essentials for Bath & Body, and Health & Safety; and Part 5, goes over Clothing and Toys & Books for a newborn, in case you want to jump to those posts.

In addition to my two cents on everything below, I have noted things not to bother with here. I’ll tell you exactly what products I used, what worked and what didn’t!

Gear

• tote

  I so very much wish that I had never bothered with a diaper bag and had just bought totes (one for Spring and Summer and one for Fall and Winter). Or this timeless and ever popular bag that’s fashionable all year long!

  Diaper bags have come a long way to be made to look like purses. But you know what looks like a purse? A purse! There’s a much larger selection of big purses and totes than diaper bags. Plus, you can continue to use it after your child has long outgrown the need for diapers. This happens much faster than you think!. You can even just use a backpack if that’s more your style. There is no reason you must buy a diaper bag.

• tote organizer

  Okay, so hopefully by now I’ve got you convinced to get a tote instead of a diaper bag. “But what about bag organization?” you may ask. “Diaper bags usually have all those pockets and handy whatnots for doodads.” There’s lots of purse/tote organizers as well that you can just slip in and out of your bag. It makes it easy to switch up bags. They come in different sizes and you can even try and make your own. (I wish I was better at sewing…sigh.)

• portable changing pad

  I love the J.L. Childress Full Body Changing Pad because it’s just that – full body size! My baby was pretty big and he’s always been a squiggly worm. So it took nothing for him to wriggle right off the small changing mats that come with diaper bags. When I’m changing him in public restrooms, I like that the full body pad (it’s more like a mat) is large enough that he won’t be resting on the changing table. Yuck! Even if you don’t have a large baby, this large mat is nice for containing a diaper change disaster. The mat easily wipes clean!

• stroller

  Strollers are so subjective. Here are some things to think about when getting a stroller;

  • Cost vs. Duration of Use – As in, you don’t want to buy something expensive that your baby will quickly grow out of. For example, the Doona Infant Car Seat/Stroller looks amazing. It’s not only an infant car seat, but it also has wheels that extend out to become a stroller. Sounds awesome right? But you’ll soon find that your baby will outgrow their infant car seat and then what? You’ll have to get another car seat PLUS another stroller. Save yourself the expense! Get a regular stroller and an infant car seat for now that will get switched out for a convertible car seat.
  • Handle bar height – If you’re super short or super tall, you may want to take stroller handle bar height into consideration. It takes no time at all to get a sore back, arms, or shoulders from pushing a stroller that isn’t the best height for you. And you know, that baby is only going to get heavier! I absolutely love the BOB Revolution FLEX Jogging Stroller. We were fortunate that a very generous friend gave it to us because it was definitely more than we had intended on paying for a stroller. It is an absolute dream to use though. It’s so incredibly smooth that I can steer it with one hand. The rubber tires and shocks make it so that uneven terrain is nothing to worry about. And it has an adjustable handle bar so that I can lower it for me (I’m 5’7″) and my husband can tilt to up for him (he’s 6′).
  • Urban vs. Suburban – If you live in an urban area and plan on using mass transit, I’d definitely stay away from jogging strollers. They’re huge and on the heavier side so you lack mobility. If I hadn’t received our BOB stroller, I would’ve gotten the Baby Jogger City Mini because of it’s versatility. It’s lightweight and nimble. If you live in any place let’s populated than a dense city, then you can pretty much go with whatever suits your taste.

• stroller clips/hooks

  Clips/hooks for strollers are a mommy essential. I use the OXO Tot Handy Stroller hooks. It’s a simple enough hook that let’s me hang things from the stroller. Plus, in the future, I can have him hold on to it when learning to walk. I’ve also heard good things about these gigantic Mommy hooks. They’re much larger than the standard clips and very strong, which is great for hanging a ton of shopping bags.

• drink holder/stroller organizer

  I use the Skip Hop Grab n Go Stroller Organizer and I have to admit that it’s just okay. I like that it has a detachable wristlet so that you can have your wallet or phone at the ready. The only con for me is that my drinks are never secure. Cans and most cups are too short so it’s difficult to get them out; or, they’re too tall like my coffee thermos that wants to jump out. I never put anything in there without a lid on, that’s for sure!

  If I could do it again, I’d get this one. It has the detachable wristlet too but also a more secure cup holder, a mesh pocket (perfect for phone or keys), and a center flip top (for keep things out of sight).

• baby carrier

  Like strollers, baby carriers are highly subjective. Some women love sling carriers, and some prefer wraps. Personally, I liked the Baby K’Tan because it was so easy to learn that my husband didn’t even mind it. I really liked that I could slip this on while sitting in my car and put my baby in it to go, instead of standing in the parking lot. Since my baby easily overheated easily I got the Baby K’Tan breeze, which is partially mesh and is ultrabreathable.

  I also have the Ergobaby Original baby carrier with the infant insert, but for some reason he hated it as soon as I put him in it. He warmed up to it when he got a little bit older though; which, was great because he outgrew the Baby K’Tan around 6 months (he was a BIG baby).

  That’s the thing about baby carriers, whether you get a sling, wrap, or harness type, you’ll probably have more than one kind because kids take to some better than others (just like swings or bouncers – see below) or they just get too big/too heavy for certain types. My best advice to save money is to get a harness type like the Ergobaby (I’ve heard great things about the Boba carrier too), with an infant insert.

• swing or bouncer

  We had the Fisher Price Cradle and Swing, the Mamaroo Baby Swing, and the Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo. My baby liked to chill in the Fisher Price Cradle and Swing and the Rainforest Jumperoo which bought me time to load the dishwasher or go to the bathroom. He got big enough for the Rainforest Jumperoo around 2 months of age with the help of some blankets stuffed in. But he also had excellent head and neck control (probably because of adapting to his giant head early). It’s something to keep in mind if your baby doesn’t have great head control yet.

  He never cared for the Mamaroo and honestly, I have no idea why. It’s got all the bells and whistles (meaning, it costs an arm and two legs). We were lucky to sell it on Craigslist for close to what it originally costs because we had barely used it. I’m sure there are other parents like me who did that too and you might score a deal through there. The seat on the Mamaroo has a removable seat so you can wash the one part that has fabric. Note: I’ve talked about swings and bouncers in my post about sleep, so look there for more tips on getting your baby to sleep.

• car seat

  The Britax B-Safe 35 and the Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seats are consistently rated the highest. I went with the Britax B-Safe and a friend of mine got the Chicco Keyfit, so I’ve had a chance to test both of them out. The Chicco Keyfit 30 seems to have more padding all around and the belts don’t get tangled as much as the Britax B-Safe. But it’s really hardly noticeable. Also the Britax B-Safe has a larger canopy. They’re both solid car seats and you really can’t go wrong getting either (unless you improperly install them or your baby in them). Special Note: Please check out The Car Seat Lady for everything car seat safety related. It doesn’t matter how great a car seat is rated if you don’t install it correctly, or you don’t strap your baby in correctly.

  Instead of an infant car seat, you could get a convertible car seat. A convertible car seat converts from rear-facing to forward-facing; whereas, the infant car seat is rear-facing only. Infant car seats double as a carrier; whereas, the convertible car seat stays in the car. One of my friends skipped the infant car seat for her second baby and just got another convertible car seat. She wears her baby most of the time and found the infant car seat to be too cumbersome for carrying around. You’ll end up getting a convertible car seat anyway so she figured she might as well save her money.

•  childcare journal and schedule log

  I loved this childcare journal and schedule log for tracking daily activities. And I don’t mean fun activities like going to the park. I mean more important things like eating, sleeping, and diaper production. Every time we went to the pediatrician for check ups, she always asked how many poop and pee diapers the baby had and how much did he sleep. Well, I or my husband (who wouldn’t have had a clue otherwise) would just whip out this journal that we wrote everything down in and see.It was kind of a pain to record everything in the journal but that would be the case for any log book. It really came in handy not only at the doctor’s office but in so many other ways.

  I could keep babysitters on their toes by asking them to record everything down in the log book. Also, they could refer to it to see what they needed to be doing at that time.

  My baby had GERD so I needed the log for jotting down when I fed him, how much and how long it took to breastfeed (gives you an idea of foremilk, hindmilk, etc.). It also made keeping track of medications easier.

• playard/portable crib

  We got a hand me down Graco Pack N Play Playard which we used for nap time, play time, and travel. It’s definitely a work horse. You may be thinking about getting the fancier ones with the bassinet and changing pad. But I’m going to say don’t bother. I ended up getting one of these fancier models and it didn’t pay off. My baby got too heavy, too big, too strong, too everything for the changing pad. Also, the height of the changing pad killed my back. I detached it and used the fancy playard just the same as the original playard.

Gear for the Car

• car seat base

  It’s possible to skip the car seat base by strapping in the infant car seat into the car using the seatbelt. But it’s definitely easier to install a base. With a car seat base installed, you can just click in the car seat and go.

• car seat cover – Please look but don’t touch!

  This is the one item that I knew to get even before I was pregnant and researched all other baby essential checklists. I went out to the mall with a friend and her three month old baby girl to the mall during the holiday season one year. Nearly everyone we passed insisted on getting right into the baby’s face. It was like moths to a flame! No one asked permission or anything! I love a cute baby as much as the next person. But I don’t go around touching people’s baby without permission, nevermind a stranger’s baby…during flu season! Okay, enough ranting….deep breath….My point is, get this cover, or something like it, and it’ll allow people to ooh and aah over baby without actually touching them.

• baby car mirror

  You want to be able to see your baby in the back seat while you’re in the front right? Then a baby car mirror that you strap to a backseat headrest is a must.

Did you get all that?

Yeah, it’s a lot isn’t it? But this whole parenting thing is a lot to take in.  But I’m here to help! That’s why I made The Ultimate Go-To Baby Registry Checklist for New Parents so that you’d have a reference you could go-to. Don’t worry, everyone gets through it and so will you!

Were there some things you expected to see but didn’t? Or maybe some things that you didn’t expect to see but did? Share in the comments!