Baby Registry Guide for the Smart New Mom – Part 2

Sleeping and Soothing

Pack ‘n’ play
- The Minimalist Mom: all-in-one pack ‘n’ play
  - This versatile pack ‘n’ play has a bedside sleeper, infant bassinet, toddler play yard, diaper changing pad, and diaper storage all in one. What I like the most about it is that the detachable bedside sleeper can also be a rocker and has vibration for soothing. In addition, it has different incline positions. A lot of babies have acid reflux, so elevating the head a little can be very useful. This pack ‘n’ play pretty much eliminates your need for a changing table, bassinet, and rocker.
- The Frugal Mom: simple pack ‘n’ play
  - This is the pack ‘n’ play we have in our home. The bassinet has a slight head up position, which helped with Jo Jr.’s spitting up. When you flip over the bassinet with one click, it becomes a changing table on the other side. While this adds to the versatility, I wouldn’t plan on changing every diaper in here, especially if you’re a tall person. You have to bend down quite a bit, which might hurt your back after the 1000th diaper.
- The Convenience Mom: HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper and DockATot
  - The HALO bassinet allows you to pick the baby up, nurse, and put the baby back to sleep, all without getting out of bed. It’s the closest thing to co-sleeping, without actually co-sleeping. Usually, you need to change a newborn’s diaper with each nighttime feed though, so make sure you have a plan for that. Daddy perhaps?
  - I have heard incredible things about the DockATot. It’s supposed to mimic the closeness and coziness of the womb and soothe the baby. If you end up co-sleeping, you can put it in bed with you, which allows some margin of safety. Or, you can put it in your pack ‘n’ play or crib.
Pack ‘n’ play mattress
- The Minimalist Mom: go without one
  - Pack ‘n’ plays will always come with a thin pad. You can try that out first and if it starts folding up at the creases like mine did, then purchase a pack ‘n’ play mattress. Anyway, you may have moved baby to the crib by that point anyway.
- The Frugal Mom: go without one
- The Convenience Mom: pack ‘n’ play mattress
  - This mattress is 3″ thick, which is significantly thicker than the pad that comes with the pack ‘n’ play. It’s more sturdy, and will hold up to use by multiple babies. We have this same one at our house.
Pack ‘n’ play pad waterproof cover and sheet
- All Moms: pack ‘n’ play waterproof cover and pack ‘n’ play organic sheet
  - These will fit the standard pack ‘n’ play pad or a pack ‘n’ play mattress. Be sure to put two of each on your baby registry so that when one set is in the wash, you always have a clean set of linens to use. Trust me, they will be in the wash all the time.
  - There are definitely cheaper sheets out there, and you don’t necessarily have to get organic. But, when I was buying fabric at Joann’s recently, the lady at the fabric counter told me most fabrics have formaldehyde in them! Ugh! I didn’t know why I purchased organic before, but now I’m glad I did.
Crib and Dresser
- The Minimalist Mom: go without a crib initially
  - You can definitely keep the baby in a pack ‘n’ play until they are big enough to crawl out of it. There’s no rule that says you have to have a crib.
  - For storage, you can get a smaller dresser if you have room for it and put your changing pad on top. Then again, I would consider getting a multi-level rolling cart. It can house all of your frequently used baby items such as: diapers, wipes, lotion, bibs, burp cloths, etc. After you’re done having babies, it can be repurposed for kitchen or bathroom use.
- The Frugal Mom: 5-in-1 convertible crib and Ikea dresser
  - Convertible cribs are all the rage now. They are super versatile because they have different height settings for when baby gets more mobile. Also, they can convert to a toddler bed and then a full sized bed with headboard and footboard.
  - We got the Hemnes 8-drawer dresser for Missy Jo and changed the knobs to shiny crystal ones. It’s super cute and holds so much! We also bought a changing pad to put on top, so it doubles as a changing table.
- The Convenience Mom: 5-in-1 convertible crib and Ikea dresser
  - see above
Crib Mattress
- The Minimalist Mom: go without one if you have the pack ‘n’ play
- The Frugal Mom: two-sided foam mattress (value choice)
  - As a new baby registry creator, I felt most overwhelmed by all of the different types of baby mattresses. There’s foam, coil, different thicknesses, and different firmness. There are lots of options now for organic, eco-friendly, and hypoallergenic mattresses.
  - Most importantly, I would pick a two sided mattress, with a firm side for baby’s first year. Firmer mattresses decrease the risk of SIDS, so it’s a no-brainer.
  - Waterproof mattresses are a life-saver. Your baby WILL pee and poop in their crib, even if they are in diapers! Of course, you could also just purchase a waterproof mattress cover.
  - Foam mattresses tend to be more lightweight and affordable while coil mattresses are more durable but also more expensive.
  - Be sure your mattress meets industry standards for fire and chemical safety and are phthalate and lead free.
- The Convenience Mom: two-sided foam mattress (high end) or two-sided coil mattress
  - We got a top-of-the-line two-sided coil mattress for Jo Jr., mostly because I had no idea what I was doing the first time around. Like a typical second child, Missy Jo got a less expensive two-sided foam mattress. Admittedly, the coil mattress did hold up better while the foam mattress has started to dip just a little in the middle.
  - Investing in a good quality mattress is a good idea since you will likely be using it for several years since you’ll convert the crib to a toddler bed.
  - Again, be sure your mattress meets industry standards for fire and chemical safety and are phthalate and lead free.
Waterproof Crib Mattress Cover
- All moms: mattress cover
  - This is a must! Put two of these on your baby registry so you always have a clean one.
Fitted Sheet
- All moms:
  - Pick one that fits the decor of your nursery; there are so many choices! Luckily, there are also many organic choices now too. Again, put two of these on your baby registry so you always have a clean one.
  - Remember NOT to use any crib pads, crib rail covers, blankets, pillows, etc. due to risk of SIDS. The only thing that should be in your baby’s crib is your baby! I was even paranoid to put a pacifier in the crib for the first few months.
Crib Skirt
- All moms:
  - A bed skirt is cute and all, but when you’re baby starts pulling to a stand as early as 7 months, you’ll have to drop the crib to the lowest level. At that point, you won’t be able to use a bed skirt anymore. Save your money and just get a cute fitted sheet.
Sound machine
- The Minimalist Mom: Munchkin Nursery Projector and Sound System
  - A sound machine is a must-have on your baby registry. Before your baby is born, it is used to hearing lots of different noises: your heartbeat, your bowel sounds, your voice, etc. In the outside world, baby is soothed by these types of sounds. Thus, it is critical to get a sound machine
  - This Munchkin sound machine is the one we have at our house. In fact, I think I have 3 or 4 of these. If you look at Amazon reviews, it only gets 3.5 stars. Admittedly, it’s not the most well-made gadget. Frequently, the projector lens gets stuck so the images don’t rotate. Still, after extensive searching, I have not found another sound machine that has all of the features the Munchkin one has.
  - Most importantly, this sound machine has a voice activation function. Once the sound turns off (it has a timer), baby can reactivate the sound machine when he or she cries. Jo Jr. and Missy Jo both would let out one cry when they woke up in the middle of the night, hear the sound turn on, and go back to sleep. It’s amazing how smart babies are even at a young age.
- The Frugal Mom: Munchkin Nursery Projector and Sound System
  - see above
- The Convenience Mom: Hatch Baby Rest Night Light, Sound Machine and Time-to-Rise
  - I don’t have real experience with this sound machine, but it has excellent reviews on Amazon. It can be remotely turned on by using an app on your phone, so you don’t have to go into baby’s room. Also, it has a customizable night light and time-to-rise function for toddler years.
Video Monitor
- The Minimalist Mom: Nest Cam or Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor
  - For versatility, if you already have a Nest Cam, or other home security camera, in your home, you could use it as a baby monitor as well. We have these in both Jo Jr.’s room as well as Missy Jo’s room, mostly for security purposes. The Nest Aware functionality allows you to save the recordings for 3 hours. For an additional cost, you can save recordings for 5, 10, or 30 days.
  - My sister asked me whether she could buy Nest Cam and use the smart phone app to monitor her baby. While this is a potential option, it wasn’t a great option for us when it came to monitoring a newborn. If you wanted to monitor your baby continuously with the Nest Cam, you would have to keep the app open, which would drain your phone battery. Alternatively, you can set the app up to send you push notifications when there’s noise or movement in your baby’s room. If you’re asleep, you may miss these. I prefer to have a video monitor that is always on, so there’s no room for error.
  - See The Convenience Mom below for information on Infant Optics Baby Monitor.
- The Frugal Mom: VTech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor
  - Video baby monitors can easily be over $200. You’re probably wondering if that expense is really necessary when you can just use a much cheaper audio monitor. After all, isn’t that what our parents used? And we turned out ok-ish.
  - I would say, if you think you’re going to be a pretty chill mom (not OCD like me), an audio monitor could work for you. Just keep in mind that there will be times when your baby is kind of moaning or light crying and you’re not really sure if he or she is about to fall asleep. If you saw on the video monitor that baby was laying down and pretty still, you might save yourself the trip of going to the nursery. Baby just may fall asleep if you give her a minute. If you’re ok with the uncertainty, an audio monitor may be for you.
  - The VTech audio monitor I have listed above has two-way communication. We use one of these along with the Nest Cam in Jo Jr.’s (4 years old) room now. Sometimes we will have 20-30 minute conversations on it before he goes to bed. Cute, but not cute at the same time.
  - The VTech DM111 Audio Baby Monitor is half the cost but does not have two-way communication.
- The Convenience Mom: Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor
  - The Infant Optics Video Monitor has over 20k reviews on Amazon with an average of 4.5 stars!
  - I would recommend spending some time researching video monitors. There are tons of different features, so you have to pick what’s right for you. For example, do you have a big house and need a monitor that can reach a wider range? Are you having twins and need a monitor that has a split screen which allows you to view and hear both of your babies at the same time if they are in separate rooms? Will you need a battery-operated camera that will allow you to quickly move from one room to the next?
Wubbanub pacifiers
- All moms: giraffe Wubbanub or caterpillar Wubbanub
  - These weighted pacifiers are another must-have. Unlike regular pacifiers or pacifiers on a clip, they are more likely to stay near your baby and are easier to grab. Jo Jr. began sleeping through the night at 5.5 months, right when he developed the dexterity to pick up his Wubbanub and put it in his own mouth.
  - I would suggest putting the giraffe or caterpillar Wubbanub on your baby registry. I have purchased many different ones, and my kids loved these two the best. They both have antenna that for some reason, is really soothing to touch with their little fingers. Alternatively, look for the Wubbanubs that have horns.
Swaddles
- The Minimalist mom: SwaddleMe Original Swaddle
  - For some reason, I could never swaddle my babies tight enough. They would wiggle out of the regular blankets in about 2 minutes flat. Then, I found the SwaddleMe blankets. These are so incredibly easy to use. The only downside is the velcro is kind of loud when you undo the swaddle.
- The Frugal mom: use the free ones from the hospital
  - Check out this video on how to swaddle a baby.
- The Convenience mom: Woombie Convertible Swaddling Blanket
  - This is essentially a straight jacket for a baby. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s actually pure genius. Babies are used to a cramped environment when inside your belly. It soothes them when they are tightly bundled up, which is why we swaddle them. The Woombie convertible blanket is nice because it’s easy to zip up and you can unbutton the armholes to let baby’s arms out when she’s awake. They come in a range of different sizes.
Rock ‘n’ Play
- The Minimalist mom: go without one initially if you have the all-in-one pack ‘n’ play
- The Frugal mom: Fisher Price Auto Rock ‘n’ Play
  - A lot of moms swear by the Rock ‘n’ Play. Several of my friends said that their babies would only sleep in this contraption. Of course, the official recommendation is that babies should only sleep in their cribs. However, you may have a baby that refuses to sleep anywhere but on a human body. The coziness of a Rock ‘n’ Play may be your only alternative.
  - The regular rock ‘n’ play comes without the auto rocking function. It’s only a few dollars cheaper, so I would definitely pay for the auto rocking function.
- The Convenience mom: Fisher Price Auto Rock ‘n’ Play
  - I was tempted to buy the Rock ‘n’ Play with SmartConnect, which allows you to remote activate the rocking motion from an app on your smart phone. Thankfully, Mr. Jo talked me out of it, and we got the Auto Rock ‘n’ Play instead. You push the button on the bottom and it rocks on its own and plays music. I think the SmartConnect function is totally unnecessary.
Bouncer/Swing
- All Moms: Fisher-Price Babys Bouncer
  - Bouncers and swings can be tricky because there are so many of them out there and people will tell you how you have to have a certain one. Since some of them can be pricey and quite bulky, I would start off with this affordable and super compact bouncer that can vibrate too. If your baby loves it, then great. If not, try borrowing bouncers from your friends or buying them used. I made the mistake of buying a MamaRoo and then realizing later that Jo Jr. hated it. Thankfully, I bought it on Craigslist, but it was still $140.