Baby Registry Guide for the Smart New Mom – Part 3

Feeding

Nursing Pillow
- All Moms: Combo Nursing Cover and Car seat Cover and Boppy Nursing Pillow
  - It takes some practice, but once you get the hang of using a nursing cover, you can feel comfortable taking baby anywhere. Of course, you have the right to breastfeed without a cover in public, so more power to you if you want to go that route.
  - The fact that this nursing cover doubles as a car seat cover is genius. Technically, you’re not supposed to use flammable material on the car seat. However, it can be useful, say, if you want to go to brunch and you want to let baby sleep right through your peaceful meal.
  - Breastfeeding for the first time was SUPER hard for me. It hurt so much, and I couldn’t figure out if I was doing it right. What did help was my Boppy nursing pillow. The pillow helps you get baby in the right position. And, when you’re feeding every two to three hours for what seems like eternity, you want both you and baby to be as comfortable as possible. Don’t forget to get the waterproof cover and another cover on top of that. I know, it seems excessive, but there will be spit up. You’ll want to be able to wash just the top cover while keeping the spit up from soaking into the pillow itself.

Nursing Pads
- All Moms: Organic Reusable Nursing Pads
  - You WILL have leakage! I used a lot of disposable nursing pads before I switched to these reusable/washable ones. These will save you money too. If you’ll be using these exclusively, I would put two sets on your baby registry.
- Nipple Cream
  - All Moms: Organic Nipple Cream
    - If you’re planning on breastfeeding, this is a must! Most of the moms I have asked said breastfeeding is super painful at the beginning. Your nipples will crack and bleed and blister. Am I getting you excited about being a new mom yet? I generously applied this nipple cream after each feed. You can also squeeze a little breastmilk out onto your nipples and let them air dry. Breastmilk has natural healing properties. Aren’t our bodies amazing?
- Bottles
  - All Moms: Kiinde Feeding System
    - As I mentioned above, this is a milk storage and bottle feeding system all in one. It comes with adaptors for the most common breastpumps and allows you to pump milk directly into storage bags. Then, you put the plastic sleeve over the storage bag and attach a nipple. Of course, you can also mix formula into the bags. The best part for me was that I didn’t have to wash any bottles, just the nipple. This is a huge timesaver.
    - My sister asked if she should buy a variety of different bottles to see which one her baby likes the most. That can get expensive, so I would just start with one bottle and then buy others if for some reason the first one doesn’t work out. Supposedly, the Dr. Brown’s bottles are “the best.” They are supposed to be good for babies that have reflux. The down side is that there are lots of parts to wash.
    - A lot of people use the Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags, but I have used a whole box of these and I hate them! It is difficult to pour milk into this Ziploc-type bag. Also I have had multiple bags that have broken when I reheated them from the freezer – huge mess! The Kiinde bags are definitely more expensive but so much easier to use. Also, you can easily store baby food in them and attach a Kiinde spoon to the opening for feeding directly from the bag.
    - This set includes the Kiinde bottle warmer, which has worked well for us over the last four years. The down side is that it heats for a certain amount of time that you set. By the end of that time, the milk could be too cold or too hot, depending on if you chose the time correctly. Also, the warm water won’t reach the top of your bottle or bag, so if you’re reheating from the freezer, the top may not defrost. If you don’t want to deal with all that, consider the Phillips Avent Bottle Warmer, which heats until a preset temperature and the light flashes when it’s done. If you still want to use the Kiinde bottles though, you can get this set without all of the extras.
- Pumping
  - The Minimalist Mom: Hakaa Silicone Manual Pump, Spectra S2 Breastpump or Medela Freestyle Breastpump. Add Freemie attachments.
    - At the beginning, the Hakaa manual pump can be helpful for increasing your supply if you don’t want to spend extra time pumping. Hello, you will be exhausted! I used the Hakaa to collect the breast milk that would drip out of one breast when baby was feeding on the other side. This allowed me to store several bags of breastmilk in the first couple months. And, it helped me increase my supply. It doesn’t always stay on very well because it uses a suction mechanism, but overall, I think I would still use it again.
    - For Jo Jr., I used the Medela Freestyle breastpump that I got from my insurance company. It wasn’t the battery-operated one which was kind of annoying because I often found myself pumping in a closet or storage room that had a plug. If you can, get one that is battery-operated.
    - When I had Missy Jo, I got the Freemie pump and attachments from my insurance company. I would highly suggest the attachments, but don’t get the Freemie pump. It does not empty as well as the Medela. The Freemie attachments allow you to keep your shirt on and use a regular bra to pump (no need for a pumping bra). Since I often had to pump in between cases as an anesthesiologist, not having to take my shirt off and change bras saved me at least 2-3 minutes each time. When you pump 3-4 times a day for a year or more, that adds up!
    - Plus, when I was working in the ICU, I even left my door open so that my residents could still reach me for important stuff. Everything is covered up, although the sound still kind of freaked people out. It was kind of funny. Keep in mind, when you’re using the Freemies, it’s obvious there is something bulky under your shirt. So, you probably don’t want to be attending board meetings with them on. Or, maybe you do, and then you’d be my mommy hero. My bada** cardiothoracic surgeon and mommy friend, wears these in the operating room attached to her clip on Spectra pump. She said she never has issues with spillage. Each side can hold 8 ounces.
    - Everyone that I talk to that has a Spectra S2 pump raves about it. It empties the breast very efficiently and is as close as you can get to a medical grade pump. It’s not as portable as the Medela, however.
  - The Frugal Mom: Spectra S2 Breastpump or Medela Freestyle Breastpump. Add Freemie attachments
    - Ask your insurance provider which companies you can go through to get your pump. Look at their websites and see which of them offers the breast pump you want. It should be totally free! And, you get one per baby you birth.
    - You’re not supposed to use used pumps due to contamination/infection reasons I guess.
  - The Convenience Mom: Spectra S2 Breastpump or Medela Freestyle Breastpump. Add Willow Wearable Breast Pump.
    - See Minimalist mom above.
    - The Willow Wearable Breast Pump is pretty new. It is cordless so you’re completely untethered. You just stick them inside your bra and pump whenever you want. The disadvantages are that the milk bags only hold 4 ounces each. And, did I mention it costs $479.99? I don’t think insurance companies are offering this one, yet.
- Burp cloths
  - All Moms: Plain Burp Cloths
    - Just like baby towels, these come in all sorts of patterns and are super cute, but they’re also a rip off. The ones I selected are cheaper, plain white ones.
    - If you’re baby is like Jo Jr. and spits up a lot, you will need tons of these.
- Bibs
  - All Moms: Baby Bandanas, Catch-all Plastic Bibs, , and Long-Sleeve Bib
    - Baby Bandanas are great for spit up, drooling/teething babies, and new to baby food babies.
    - Catch-all plastic bibs are excellent for babies who are trying to feed themselves but not quite hitting the target consistently. This phase can last a pretty long time, so be prepared!
    - Long-sleeve bibs are awesome for when you really don’t want to change their outfit yet again.

Furniture

Dresser
- The Minimalist Mom: go without one
  - If you’re like my SIL and space is limited, consider going without a dresser and using the all-in-one pack ‘n’ play to store diapers and other frequently used items. The rolling cart is also good for storing baby stuff. A third option, you could hang wall shelves or get an over-the-door organizer. Furthermore, maximize your storage space by using under the bed storage.
- The Frugal Mom: 3-drawer Ikea Hemnes dresser
  - Put a changing pad on top, so it doubles as a changing table.
  - For a little style, I changed the knobs to these crystal ones for Missy Jo’s room.
- The Convenience Mom: 8 drawer Ikea Hemnes dresser
  - This is the dresser we have in Missy Jo’s room. It holds so much and doubles as a diaper changing station.
Glider
- The Minimalist Mom: go without one
  - If you’re limited on space, you may have to go without a glider/rocker. These things are pretty bulky. Alternatively, you could put a couple recliners in your living room and use these as your normal seating. That’s versatility at it’s best! And, you can keep using them even after baby gets older.
- The Frugal Mom: glider/recliner
  - I have spent many hours nursing both of my babies in our glider/recliners. Without thinking it through, I bought a new glider/recliner for Missy Jo’s nursery instead of convincing Jo Jr. to give up his. I got Jo Jr.’s at Costco for $300 and Missy Jo’s on Wayfair.com also for about $300. Anyways, you’ll be feeding your baby, rocking her to sleep, reading to her, and playing with her in this chair, so pick a good one!
  - There are many different types of nursery chairs: glider/recliner, rocker, rocker with ottoman, rocker with sliding ottoman. We went with the glider with reclining function. Initially, I thought about getting the glider with a matching gliding ottoman, but I didn’t find any that also reclined. The reclining function is not absolutely necessary since you shouldn’t fall asleep with baby in the chair. But, if you want to use the chair in a different part of your house later, you may think about getting a chair that reclines.
  - Look on Wayfair.com, Costco.com, and Amazon.com. You should be able to find a good quality recliner in the $300 range.
- The Convenience Mom: glider/recliner
  - See above for frugal mom.
  - If you think you will use the reclining function, pay attention to where the latch is to pull out the recliner. If you have a sleeping baby in your arms, it may not be ideal to reach over to the outside of the armrest and pull a latch. Some recliners have a lever in between the armrest and the seat cushion. Of course, these chairs will be more expensive.
  - As always, remember that babies should only sleep in their cribs! Many cases of SIDS actually occur outside of the crib and in a rocker, for example.

Gear

Car Seat and Stroller
- All Moms: Chicco KeyFit Infant Car Seat, Ombra and Chicco KeyFit Car Seat Base and Chicco KeyFit Caddy Stroller
  - As with everything else baby, there are a million different car seat options out there. We went with the Chicco KeyFit because it was the best value recommendation from the Baby Bargains book and it has served us well. It’s pretty lightweight, which makes taking baby in and out of the car easier. It also clicks easily right into the lightweight and inexpensive KeyFit stroller. If baby is asleep, you can transfer in and out of the car easily without waking baby up.
  - The KeyFit car seat base is definitely a lifesaver. Although optional, it allows you to put baby in and take baby out of the car with one click or pull of a latch. Without the base, you would have to strap the car seat in with the seatbelt each time. We bought four of these, one for Mr. Jo’s car, one for my car, one for my parents, and one for Mr. Jo’s parents.
Baby Wearing
- The Minimalist Mom: Ergo 360 with newborn insert
  - I cannot tell you how much I love my Ergo 360. With Jo Jr. (my first rugrat), I started off with the Baby Bjorn because that’s the only baby carrier I had ever heard about as a new mom. After he got past 2-3 months of age, my back would hurt when I used the Baby Bjorn because there is no back support. So, I switched over to the Ergo 360 and it was so much more comfortable. It has lasted through two babies now and functions like new. I even put Jo Jr., who is almost 4 and 30+ lbs, in it on our Grand Canyon Road Trip when he refused to walk, and he fit!
  - When I bought the Ergo 360, I didn’t know about the newborn insert. Several of my friends have it and they all like it.
- The Frugal Mom: borrow an Ergo 360 with newborn insert from a friend or buy used
  - The Ergo 360 ain’t cheap, but this is one item I would splurge on if you can’t borrow it from a friend or buy it used. When baby is colicky, teething, sick, etc., you’ll be glad you can carry them to sleep, nurse, and soothe all day while keeping your hands free to do other things.
- The Convenience Mom: Boba Wrap and Ergo 360
  - Let me just say that there are millions of baby carriers and wraps out there. It was and still is overwhelming to try to figure out the pros and cons of each one. If you have time, do your research on the baby wraps. There are even Facebook groups dedicated to the art of baby carrying.
  - I used a boba wrap for Missy Jo for the first two months. One of the advantages of the wrap (vs carrier) is that it’s super soft and not bulky. You have to wrap it super tight, but baby feels like they’re in your womb again. Once baby gets a little bit bigger though, you’ll probably need more support, which the Ergo 360 offers.