My minimalstic baby registry

As a first time mum I found it to be so overwhelming to.. well be a mum. So many expectations, cultural mindsets, opinions, things I am supposed to eat or not, things to do or not to do, things to buy.. too much information and not enough information at the same time.

I’ve had many friends who started having babies around the same time as I did and I felt like I wanted to share about things that helped me along the way. So this is a little blog to comfort new mamas out there. I just want to encourage, support and give some simple steps to help you feel more informed and less overwhelmed. One new mama to another.

So I want to start with the fun and simple - baby registry.

In this blog I will share what I have had on my baby registry that I found very useful and things I recommend getting that I didn't get through my registry but ended up getting myself. 

I believe that less is more and the right investments can help improve your life. This is a very basic list to help you have an idea what to put on your registry. Plus a few more resources. I broke it down into: baby care essentials, breastfeeding essentials, travel and miscellaneous items on the top.

You can put more and I recommend putting what you essentially want. Hope this list helps you to create your own!

For the registry itself I used myregistry baby and I love it. Baby list and amazon registry are also great. I used myregistry cause it allows you to add links from different websites rather then just one. I think babylist is similar to that as well. I also had a cash fund on my registry for a stroller. 

All amazon links are affiliated, so if you would like to support one mama to another you can shop through my amazon links. I will also add a link to the full list below. Everything else is not sponsored or anything just sharing my favourite things.

Feel free to reach out on my Instagram @mira.knott to say hello or if you wanna chat about baby things

Enjoy!

This is not to help you self diagnose anything but rather to give a piece of mind. Not all babies move a lot and it can be very nerve racking to not feel them. So this neat little device helps you to stay sane.

I loved listening to my babies heartbeat every night. And it kept me calm on days when I didn’t feel her move much.

This bassinet attaches to the bed. This is a good compromise if you don’t want baby in your bed but want it really close. I used this bassinet for my baby a lot in the early days attached to the bed. When I need to feed her it’s much easier to just reach out and bring her in bed to feed from an attached bassinet then to get up in the middle of the night when you are so tired and sleepy. More on sleep and safety of cosleeping in the next blog.

This particular bassinet also doesn’t have to attach to the bed. It’s on wheels which trust me is very useful and has an option to rock which is also very useful.

Skin to skin and just carrying your baby is very good for your babies developing brain. Baby carrying helps establish life long mental health and stress resilience. It’s also just very sweet and nice to snuggle like this. My baby almost never wants to leave my arms and she loves sleeping in her carrier. These soft fabric carriers are great starting from newborn and up until certain weight. There are other carriers you can get that support your back more as your baby gets older but these soft ones are the best for the first little while. It makes them feel cozy like a little koala bear snug on their mum. Humans are mammals and mammals keep their babies close. And you will love it trust me =)

Put some diapers of your choice (the brand doesn’t really matter) on your registry and ask people to get you various sizes. Babies aren’t expensive but one expense you will actually feel is the diapers. So if you can stock up on them through your baby registry that’s great. Hello bello is a brand I like cause they are the softest diapers. They have a good unscented wipes as well.

These wash cloths were a life saver to me. We didn’t use burp clothes cause we had these. They come in big packs and they are so so soft and gentle. I had them in little baskets all around the house so I could grab one whenever and wherever I needed one. We used them for bath time, as burp clothes and just to wipe babies face.

Mum hack: you can stuff these (the smaller ones) in your bra instead of nursing pads. Will save you money and these are so much nicer on your skin. You need nursing pads because breast milk tends to leak out. I found that nursing pads were  always bunching up in my bra and the sticky part would just hurt my skin.

This is an amazing tool that helps preserve breast milk if you want to store it away. When you feed on one breast the other one tends to leak. You can get a very decent amount of breast milk just from leaks. I would feed my baby on one side and stuff the Hakka on the other and then switch. When we were done feeding I would dump the milk in a little container (linked below) and then freeze it or use it that day for a bottle.

What you want in your pump in a nutshell:

Double and hands free. Option for making it a single. Optional pumping bra.

One mistake I did was not getting a hands free pump. I was breastfeeding but also bottle feeding and I ended up pumping a lot cause we had some weight issues and had to top her up. I’m not saying you are gonna have issues! But if you wanna store your milk away getting the best pump possible will just make your life as a busy first time mum so much easier. Mom cozy is known for its awesome pumps. I haven’t used it but I know mama that did.

You definitely want at least a double pump. The beauty of hands free one you are not stuck holding your pumps. I had a single medela one (linked below) which is great! I was always stuck to it cause you have to hold it which makes a bit awkward.

Whatever pump you get make sure you can get flange inserts to customize the pump for yourself. I found out from a lactation consultant that you need the correct insert to optimize your pumping and actually make it more comfortable. Pumping doesn’t hurt but it can definitely be not most comfy experience if the Falange size is wrong and it pulls too much or not enough on your nipple.

Find out what size flange you need here

These are lovely bottles that help to get the bubbles out and help baby be less gassy. I’ve heard many moms use these and my baby likes them. The bottles come as both plastic and glass which is also very nice to have options . The plastic ones your baby will be able to hold themselves (like if you are out) sometime around 9months old. But the glass ones are just nice to use and a bit healthier.

Okay there are lots of bras out there. Most of them are the ones where the part of the bra clips of. I know mums that love them but personally I can’t stand them. It just makes me feel claustrophobic when I can’t get the clip undone and my child is crying or fussing. I have one of these just in case but I almost never wear them.

So I use these very light, pull bras. Technically they are sleep bras but I just find them so much easier. Sometimes they come with padding.I just find pulling the bra on the side is so much easier then unclipping a clip.  They come in cotton fabric as well which are so much better and gentler on your skin.

I thought that nursing pillows is a joke and a money grab. Like why cant I use a normal pillow? Well you can but its not the same. The first little while you are learning breastfeeding and you spend A LOT of time sitting crunched over your baby and oh boi it hurts your back. I was in so much pain I gave up and asked my mother in law to get me one and it is such a life saver. I just wish I used it right of the start ( like in the hospital). Don't worry you dont have to carry it with you every where you go. Eventually you and your baby become very good at breastfeeding and you wont need it anymore. But to make your life easier the first 2-3 months please get yourself a nursing pillow.

This is a cream you wanna use for the first little while. While you are breastfeeding and adjusting to it it’s good to make sure your nipples are clean and have this cream after feeds it’s harmless for the baby and no need to rinse off before feed.

There are so many strollers out there. I’m not gonna push any particular one on you but I can give some solid advice how to pick your perfect one and where to buy it cheeper.

Every brand of stroller has a comparison chart of their strollers. The strollers are sort of judged by weight, ability to use one handed, the ability of wheels to go through different terrain, the compactness of the stroller in the car, ability to become a double stroller and ect. Think of what you need most out of your stroller amd go through the companies comparison of different models. For example I wanted my stroller to fold up easy but to be able to go through different terrain like a trail in a forest (friendly to a stroller) so I picked a stroller that had thicker wheels and was rated as an al terrain stroller. This is the one I have and here is the comparisons chart in their website.

The actual stroller I got of this incredible website that has very good discounts for open box or used baby gear .

Not affiliated with rebelstork

Don’t worry about a car seat too much! Just get one that is compatible with your stroller (or you can always get an adapter for the stroller). All car seats go through a very thorough safety inspection so they are all pretty good in terms of safety. I got maxi cosy of a market place and had adapters for it I found on rebelstork.

If you have a baby born in colder months this type of a car seat cover is great way to add warmth to your babies car seat. You can’t put them in snow suits and in a car seat so you can just layer some blankets on top and use this cover. There are many different kinds so you can pick a different one but this is an example of what I have.

Below is also a link for a car seat mirror that I like and a bunch of my friends like it.

Some diaper bags come with a small changing pad but this station is nice cause you can have a few diapers in it and even your wipes. It also comes apart to make it smaller if you feel like it’s taking too much space in your bag.

Can't sugar coat it. Diaper bags are expensive (like most of things with baby gear ) .But also unnecessary expensive. The only thing that I think is a must in diaper bag is an insulated

section for milk. Don’t overthink it. You can always sell yours after sometime using it and get another one.

This is a good diaper balm that has a lot of more natural ingredients. They also have a nipple butter which is probably good considering how nice is the diaper balm.

I do find it pricey so I also used coconut oil or tallow cause it’s also a very clean option and much cheeper. With any creams you put on your baby it’s important to just watch for any reactions . This diaper cream didn’t give my baby reaction so I take it as a good signZ bit using coconut oil or tallow is also fine as long as your baby doesn’t react to it .

This pad is cheep, inflatable and easy to clean. They have covers for it but we just wipe it with a baby wipe. It’s great! They also have covers for it if you prefer.

You start using them when baby starts teething and slobbers a lot or if your baby spits up a lot these will save you laundry either way. Just make sure whatever bibs you get - there are many of them ( cause you want to change them frequently) and they are good gentle fabric like cotton or bamboo. My baby used to spit up a lot ( which is perfectly normal don't worry if it happens to you) so I used these to save myself from changing her all the time. 

Is an excellent thing to have in the same room where baby sleeps. When they are first born they are still a little bit plugged up from the mucus they were covered in and the humidifier helps them breathe better. This one I love it’s quite and has red light that isn’t stimulating and allows the parent to see okay at night.

If you don’t have a bathtub this is a great option for you. This tub has a newborn insert and one more insert for 4months old and it will just transition for the next age as well. We would put it on our dining table and bath her there. Later we started putting the tub in the shower and bathed her there. You do t have to bath your baby (unless you have a c section) till about 2 weeks old.

I like these swaddles cause they are the softest thing ever and made from natural fabric. I didn’t swaddle my baby a lot cause she didn’t like it but I used these as a blanket or a nursing cover. Swaddle blankets can be very versatile in their use so don’t be discouraged if you plan on not swaddling but have a bunch of swaddles and don’t know what to do with them. They can be used later for many different things. I use mine like blankets and also in cold winter months they are a good layer if you use multiple things to stuff in your babies stroller.

These items are pretty much everything you need to get started. Or at least the things that I found most useful specially in the early days. 

A couple more useful links for you below. 

This app helped us to time the contractions when I went into labour. We did pay for it but its worth it.

After your baby is born its helpful to track their diapers, sleep cycles and feeding times. I like this simple app for that. 

Bridget Teyler is my go to childbirth educator. I know many mamas who watched her YouTube channel and found it to be the most helpful resource when it comes to preparing for labour.

These are the books I read after I had my baby and I wish I read a few of them ahead of time. More about books for the first time parent in the next blog! For now Number 1 book I recommend is Nurture Revolution. If I only had to read one book about pregnancy, baby care, baby sleep and parenting it would be this one.