When I was pregnant, I did sooo much research for my registry. I read numerous product reviews, and watched multiple videos online trying to determine what I actually needed, versus what was helpful (trendy) but not always necessary.
If you have been following along you will know that this is my second post in my series of baby item recommendations. This post is all about my favorite items related to feeding baby, specifically in the first few months of life, before starting solids. (That is an entirely different beast – to be covered at a later date!)
So from one new mom to another, here are the top 8 feeding-related items I highly recommend putting on your baby registry, and also some items that I think would have been nice to have!
1. Nursing Pillow
At first I thought this might be unnecessary, but honestly a good nursing pillow saves your arms, supports your back, and helps get baby in the right position. Unfortunately my breastfeeding journey did not go as I had hoped so I stopped nursing sooner than I thought, but I still use this pillow every single day!
It is great to get comfy with baby for bottle feeding and now that my son is a little older he is able to sit propped up in this pillow holding onto the bottle himself. (*tears stream down face* – my baby is growing up!)
The BEST nursing pillow: Boppy Original Nursing Pillow
2. Burp Cloths (And Then More Burp Cloths)
Trust me: you cannot have enough. These catch spit-up, milk dribbles, mystery stains—you name it. I received a few duplicate orders of burp cloths for my baby shower and I thought I had too many. I was mistaken! The more the merrier, we were going through burp cloths like crazy the first few months.
My favorite burp cloths: Burt’s Bees Baby Infant Burp Cloths
Close second: Muslin Burp Cloths
3. Bottles
Even if you plan to exclusively breastfeed, it helps to have a few bottles on hand. Babies can be picky, so a bottle variety pack is a great idea. These are the two bottle starter packs I decided to try because they seemed to be the most well known and popular. After a few months my baby decided he had a preference so we ended up purchasing more of that brand and retiring the other ones.
My baby’s fav: Philips AVENT Newborn Baby Gift Set
Another great option: Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow® Sippy Gift Set
4. Bottle Sterilizer
At first I thought this was just a bougie item that was not really necessary, but as my breastfeeding journey ended my pumping journey began, let me tell you…holy pump parts! There are so many of them and when you are pumping up to 8 times a day, constantly washing the parts is a pain in the booty! It was so nice to give them a quick wash & then throw them in the sterilizer.
When I was first researching I saw that sterilizers were a little pricey, especially the big brand ones like, Baby Brezza Bottle Washer Pro and Momcozy KleanPal Pro. I found a more affordable option on Amazon, it had amazing reviews and it worked great for us! Not to mention, it’s available at a much better price point.
Our sterilizer: Papablic Baby Bottle Sterilizer
5. Breast Pump
It doesn’t matter how great your breast pump is, the first few weeks of pumping are extremely challenging. You can get pumps through insurance (yay!) so I would definitely start there. I eventually also purchased a wearable pump so I could be a little more mobile during pump sessions. If you plan on pumping this is a great addition to your registry.
Again, there are sooo many options for wearable breast pumps. For me, this was not my main pump so I opted for one that was not as expensive but it still had great reviews and I purchased during a sale so bonus!
Breast Pump: Spectra – S1 Plus Electric Breast Milk Pump
Travel/Wearable Pump: Hands-Free Wearable Breast Pump
6. Bibs
These are great to have but in all honesty I did not use these very much in the first few months. We mostly just kept burp cloths everywhere and used those as needed. Bibs were mostly used when we were out and about. If you are planning on mostly breastfeeding, these aren’t really necessary either.
Bibs we used: Baby Bandana Drool Bibs
7. Bottle Washing – Bin & Brush
Throughout all my research I found that a lot of moms were using a technique where they had a bin in their sink that was used only for washing bottles and pump parts. I loved this idea because it keeps all the baby items separate from the rest of the dishes. We kept hot water and soap in the bin and as baby finished each bottle we rinsed it then threw it in!
When we were ready to load the sterilizer we washed the bottles really quick with our fav bottle brush, then loaded & ran the sterilizer. Easy peasy!
Bottle Bin: Collapsible Dish Basin with Drain Plug
Our fav bottle brush: Dr. Brown’s Baby Bottle Cleaning Brush
8. Bottle Parts Storage
If you are as ✨extra ✨as I am, you might be planning to create the ultimate bottle storage station. In my opinion, it is totally worth it. I love how aesthetically pleasing it is and also staying organized in those first few months is crucial to keeping a positive mental state.
Depending on how many bottle parts you are planning on storing and also how much counter space you have the number of storage bins you need might be different. I loved having these to help keep organized, we used these to store all the bottles, pump parts, pacifiers, etc. They made everything seem organized and it kept all the baby items in one spot.
Storage bins: Stackable Clear Bin – Plastic Organizer Drawers
Items I Wish We Added to Our Registry
1. Formula Dispenser
Now I know this is insanely bougie! However, my baby ended up having a mixture of pumped breast milk and formula and this dispenser would have been very convenient! Especially those middle of the night feedings when you are half asleep, stumbling to the kitchen, trying to keep your eyes partially closed so you can get back to sleep easier when you are done feeding. PLus it warms the bottle, what a game changer! The Keurig of the baby world! 🤩
2. Bottle Warmer
If we did not get the formula dispenser then I would have opted for a bottle warmer. Heating water and then sticking the bottles in and waiting for it to get warm was not always the most effective, especially when baby was REALLY hungry!
Final Thoughts
Feeding a baby is messy, beautiful, and nonstop. I’ve learned that it’s okay to try a few things before you figure out what works. I’ve also learned that no matter how much thought and planning you put into your feeding (breastfeeding/pumping) journey, sometimes it just does not work out the way you wanted it to and that is okay!
Some days, the bottles are all in the sink, there is spit up stains down my back, and I’m reheating my coffee for the third time—but we’re getting through it, one burp cloth at a time.
If you’re building your baby registry, I hope these insights have helped even just a little. Remember you are not alone, all of us moms are in this together.
You’ve got this, mama. 💕
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