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Writer's pictureMann Clan

Favorite Baby Items


When it came time to create a baby registry I had no idea what I needed. So I researched countless items and put together what I thought was a great registry.


In reality I didn't need a lot of the things I thought were so important to have. Now Claire is 5 months old and I want to share my favorite "baby" items with you.


1. HaloVa Diaper Bag - While my husband would rather not bring the diaper bag places (or just use a regular backpack) when it's just him and Claire, this diaper bag is awesome! It's not the one I registered for or even used the first few months, but when I got it, I don't know how I used anything else. First, I love that it's a backpack. When you're trying to carry a carseat, a purse, a diaper bag, and anything else you need for the day you can only have so much hanging from your side. Being able to throw this over my back and have more hands free is a major plus. Second, the storage in this thing is great! There are lots of pockets and so much room inside the bag; this bag is probably half the size of my first one and can hold everything and more! Third, insulated bottle pockets = amazing! Claire drinks milk cold, straight out of the fridge, which I love so we don't have to waste milk, however when I wanted to take bottles with me before I would need the bottle lunch bag and the ice pack and that would take up a lot of room. Now with the insulated pockets I can put her bottles in there, throw in a Munchkin ice pack for extra coolness and we're good to go. I could probably go on and on about this bag, or you could just get one for yourself (did I mention it is only $35 on Amazon?) It comes in different colors and is super easy to clean. It's a great diaper bag and I can't believe I used anything else.

2. Maxi-Cosi Mico Seat - I felt like a car seat was a tough item to put on the registry. There are so many options out there and for first time parents it can be overwhelming. I wanted to be able to use it with other children we might have, but I also didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on it. I love the Maxi-Cosi Mico car seats (we have the carrier and the Maxi Cosi Mico AP Infant Car Seat - which we use now and the Maxi-Cosi Pria 70 Convertible Car Seat - for when she outgrows the carrier through her toddler years), not only does it do it's main job, keeping her safe, but I love the fun bright colors and patterns and the compliments we get on it all the time. Every baby has those super fun "poop up the back" moments, which are even better when they're in the car seat, but this car seat cleans up so easily with just a wipe! I think the oatmeal color cloth helps hide any left over stains. The Maxi Cosi AP Infant Car Seat comes with a base, but can strap into any seat with across-the-body seat belts, which is super helpful when she goes between cars so much. We got ours on Amazon, but you can find it on eBay or other baby websites.


3. Contours Bliss 4-in-1 Convertible Stroller - I love how versatile this stroller is! It converts easily from infant car seat stroller to pram stroller and toddler stroller, it's stylish simple and the only stroller you will ever need. It is such a smooth ride and turns great for any crazy sharp corners you might need to take :) We also got the Contours Universal Infant Car Seat Adapter (sold separately) and are able to use it with our carrier car seat, so we don't have so much bulk to take with us when we travel.

4. Halo SleepSack Swaddle - in one word, amazing. We had pretty sleep sack things on our registry, but didn’t end up getting them. My friend gave us a Halo SleepSack Swaddle and we also got one from the hospital after we had Claire, and from the first night we brought her home and put her in the Halo SleepSack she slept like a dream. I’m not saying she slept through the night from day one or that we never had frustrating nights, but they have been few and far between. She feels the security of the swaddle and it’s lights out. When she started to outgrow her newborn swaddle we got a bigger one, same concept but a different brand, SwaddleMe, and we hated it. I love how Halo has a “wing” that you can pull all the way over baby and then has the velcro material all over one side. So you can tuck the “wing” and velcro it wherever to make it as tight as you need to for your baby. SwaddleMe doesn’t have the “wing” just half a “wing” that stops with velcro in the middle, the the other side with the velcro wraps over baby. This flaw, in my opinion, makes it easy for baby to become unswaddled during the night and wake up. The wrap around part on the SwaddleMe aren’t as long as on the Halo so Claire’s hands would stick out the bottom. So obviously we had to get a bigger size Halo, and now she sleeps great again! I also love that these swaddles let you easy into their arms not being swaddled. Swaddles are amazing things I don’t know what we would do without ours. You can get this on Amazon (lots of prints available), Target, Walmart, some hospital gift shops might have them too.

5. Multi-Use Cover - I love getting as much use out of things as I possibly can, so when I was registering for a nursing cover I saw one that you could wear as a scarf which I thought would be great, until I actually used it. It didn't sit very well as a scarf or stay around me to use as a cover when nursing. So I decided I needed to try something else. This Multi-Use Cover is wonderful! I'm sure there are lots of brands that make covers similar to this, but I went to the wonderful Concordia University Nebraska for college and two of my classmates, since graduating, have started a baby accessories business called The Good Baby, and this cover was one of their items, so of course I wanted to support them, and it really is a great product! It's a nice jersey cotton material that isn't too heavy, but that you can't see through, and not only can you use this as a nursing cover and wear it as a scarf, but you can also use it as a shopping cart cover, and (what I probably use it the most for) a car seat cover to help keep baby out of the wind and chill. You can get this from Amazon or on their website (www.thegoodbaby.com). It comes in lots of different colors and patterns. I wanted a color that, if I were to wear it as a scarf, I could pair with a lot of of different outfits (because let's be honest, when you're a mom you don't have time to worry about matching your outfits to your multi-use cover.)


6. Assorted Baby Bows & Headbands - When we found out we were having a girl I was excited to add baby bows and headbands to the registry! However none of the ones I registered for fit Claire's head (and she had a big head - literally, the doctor's first words when Claire came out were "That is a big head!") So for awhile I tried to safety pin them smaller so she could actually wear them; but I didn't want Claire to suffer for beauty quite yet, so we just didn't wear bows. Then my Concordia peps, aka The Good Baby, came out with these assorted bows and headbands that would actually fit babies and could be worn through the toddler years too. I love all the different materials colors, patterns and sizes of bows, and the bands are made out of nylon material, so it's soft and doesn't bother Claire at all. You can get these at Amazon or from the Good Baby website.


7. Medela Harmony Manual Brest Pump - This was something I saw recommended in someone’s list of what to put on a baby registry, so I did. When we came home from the hospital, since Claire came 2 weeks early, I didn’t have my electric pump yet, so I tried pumping with this manual pump...it didn’t go great, so I kinda forgot about it. I didn’t realize that my milk was still coming in when I had tried to pump with it the first time which explained why I didn’t really get anything. I tried using it again, over a month later, when I had to pump during the early hours of the morning and didn’t feel like getting all the pieces of my electric pump out. It took a little while but overall it worked great. From then on it became something I used regularly. It’s nice because I can just throw it in the diaper bag and use it whenever I need to without the mess of tubing, chords or needing a plug in. You can get this handy pump on Amazon, or your might even be able to get one from your hospital.


8. Bamboobies - Any new Mom figures out pretty quick about leaking milk. You’re feeding baby every 5 minutes (or at least that’s what it feels like), your tired, sore and the last thing you want is something touching/rubbing against “those”. I tried the shield guards and they worked so nothing was rubbing, but that’s about all they were good for. They look ridiculous under your bra or shirt. They have “air holes” which I would forget about and when I’d bend over or lean forward...milk everywhere. My electric breast pump came with some disposable nursing pads, but like I said earlier, I really like getting my money’s worth and lots of use out of things, and with the disposable I was just throwing money away. So I found myself at Target trying to find another solution, and I decided to try Bamboobies. They were amazing! First off they are ultra-soft and made from rayon bamboo so they didn’t irritate or hurt anything. Second they are heart shaped and thin so they don’t show up under your bra/shirt which is a huge plus because I hate when you can see lines under clothing. I’ve tried other brands that are also bamboo pads and they are very visible underneath clothing. Third, they are machine washable, so you can just throw them in the laundry and keep using them over and over. Fourth, and probably most important, even though they are thin do a great job of absorbing leaks. You can get packs that have “overnight” pads as well. I haven’t tried those, but I do know that they are round pads, unlike the heart shaped ones, and I would imagine are thicker and probably show lines through clothing, but they’re for overnight so who cares; and at night you want something thicker anyways.


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