Setting up a registry can be one of the most exciting parts of preparing for a new baby. I mean, what’s not to love? You’re basically setting up a wishlist of all the most adorable stuff and then you just sit back and wait for your friends and family to snap them up for you. Your baby shower will be filled with cute outfits, blankets, and crib sets in the most beautiful colors!

Okay, now let’s inject a little reality into this picture. Everyone LOVES to get baby a sweet dress or pant set, and who wouldn’t? You and your guests will be oohing and ahhing over how cute your baby will look in them. In reality, if you’re like most moms, you’ll find your baby spends most of his or her days going from onesie to onesie, hoping each diaper won’t blowout like the last one.

Supplies:

Diapers!

This won’t sound nearly as much fun as unwrapping one cute outfit after another, but what you’re going to need are diapers, and lots of them. Let’s face it, babies poop a lot. After those first few days where you’re rejoicing over each wet and dirty diaper, counting on the hospital checklist how many times your baby needed changing, you’re going to realize pretty quickly just how much money each diaper costs. You’re also going to notice how fast they’re making it from the package to the diaper pail. While we’re talking baby doodie, add plenty of baby wipes on the list as well. My coworkers threw a baby shower for my 4th baby, and when the tissue paper cleared, my husband and I realized we had enough diapers to last the first 5 months. Hallelujah! Those suckers are pricy!

Spit rags.

And let me mention, the best spit rags are cloth diapers. Don’t even bother with those cute little things actually labeled burp cloths, you’re going to want something that soak up the spit-up faster than it can drip down onto your shirt. They’re so versatile, in fact, you can use them for pretty much anything, and if you happen to run out of disposable diapers, guess what! They’re diapers too!

Gear:

Bouncy seats.

I made that plural on purpose. Having a nice, fluffy, fancy bouncy seat is really nice and I loved mine as much as my babies did. But moms are busy, we have a house to take care of, sometimes other kids and a husband, laundry for sure, and just maybe, we can squeeze in a shower for ourselves. By the 4th baby, my husband and I had accumulated a few bouncy seats, and let me say, they all went to use. One stayed in the living room, one in the corner of the kitchen (in a very safe area) and one in the bathroom. Taking the baby into the rooms with me made all of us much happier than enduring the crying when they were very little.

Sidecar Co-sleeper

A sidecar co-sleeper is basically a bassinet that securely attaches to the side of your bed. The side that is close to the bed can be lowered, so that while your baby is sleeping safely in his or her own space at night, you literally don’t even have to get out of bed to check on them. With the recent advice to have baby sleep in the same room to prevent SIDs, this is hands-down the easiest and most space-saving way to accomplish that. I used the Arm’s Reach Cosleeper and it was an absolute lifesaver, I got way more sleep in those early weeks when I used this with the babies I didn’t use it with. Plus, it has storage on the sides and under it.

Miracle Blanket.

Swaddling in itself is practically a miracle. Babies love being bundled up like tiny burritos and amazingly, it calms them down like nothing else. But after a few weeks, its hard to keep their impressively strong little arms from breaking free. The Miracle Blanket helps solve that problem with flaps to position their arms up or down, and moms far and wide (this one included!) swear by it as the BEST blanket for keeping wiggly babies snugly swaddled.

Baby Carrier.

“Baby wearing” as it’s called these days, may or may not be on your radar, but if you haven’t already, give it some serious thought. Without getting philosophical about the pros and cons, the fact of the matter is you’ll be holding your baby a LOT in the early weeks and months. The awesome thing about front baby carriers is that you’re holding your baby, without holding your baby, meaning you will have two, yes count that, TWO hands free to get manage the rest of your household. I might be a little over-excited about this one, but in those early weeks anything that makes life simpler can’t be over-stated. The Moby Wrap and the Baby Bjorn are two popular styles, depending on your preference. The Baby Bjorn is a specially designed “pack” style carrier with straps and buckles, while the Moby Wrap is a long piece of fabric that you wrap around your body and the baby’s body, then tie. Some moms prefer the strap-and-go Baby Bjorn style, and some moms prefer the wrap style. It’s really up your preference, I like the wrap style myself because of its flexibility!

Don’t Need

Wipes Warmer.

You of course want the very best for your baby, and the thought of a cold, wet wipe on your baby’s behind might send shivers up your own spine. Thing is, your baby is going to complain anytime a cold wipe touches their little bottom, which will probably be during those already hectic moments when you’re away from the warmer, which is probably like 90% of the time. Plus, we all know how germs love warm, dark, moist places, and guess what it’s like inside that warmer? Yup.

Specialty Diaper Pail.

It sounds good in theory, a container to lock out all the stinky, poopy diapers and keep your home smelling fresh. The pails themselves are fairly pricey, but you’ll be going through these bags pretty quick and the refills aren’t cheap. A cheaper alternative is to just take your trash out every day, because honestly, these pails fill up so fast that you’ll be doing that anyway.

Baby Laundry Soap.

Baby’s skin is sensitive, but as long as the laundry detergent says “free and clear”, you’re good to go. You’ll be washing so much laundry, your budget will thank you.

Diaper Stacker.

Yes, I know. The diaper stacker is always a part of beautiful nursery designs. They’re also hard to fill and diapers are hard to remove from them. Just fill up a basket with diapers and call it a day. Chances are that after the first week of filling and emptying and refilling the stacker, you’ll abandon it anyway. Why complicate things?