It happens to all of us…

You are in Buy Buy Baby, armed with your scanner gun, ready to fill up your baby registry. Excitement is building as you dream of your little one! Then you take a look at the sheer size of the store, not knowing where to begin. Panic sets in. What if I don’t scan the right items? How do I know what I will need right away and need later? What if my baby doesn’t like the items I’ve picked out? What if I get too carried away and want to scan everything? (This last one almost happened to me, but luckily my dear hubby saved me.)

Completing a baby registry is usually quite fun, yet it can be so daunting (and tiring) if you have no clue what is necessary for your baby or what will never end up being used. So with the help of my good friend and fellow mommy, Jacey, we’re here to help! We’ve compiled the following list of only some of the most essential items we feel are needed for a new mom. (Please note that this list is only a bare minimum. If we were to list everything, we’d be here for quite a while and you’d end up feeling overwhelmed.) Since I’m going to be having a newborn again soon in a couple of months, this is a great time for me to start thinking about what I used for my daughter and what I will need to get for my son.

As a general reminder, be sure to register for both pricey and inexpensive items. You may luck out and have a couple of people pitch in for a big ticket item like a crib! Score!

• You must have a safe, age-appropriate car seat if you plan on doing any traveling with your baby. Even if you are planning on keeping baby at home for a while, away from germs, loud noises, and strangers, you will have to take your newborn to the pediatrician for check-ups.
• Burp clothes are a must, unless you don’t mind getting baby’s spit-up on your clothes and smelling like sour milk all day.
• Diapers and wipes! It goes without saying that your baby is going to go through a ton of diapers, so register for different brands and sizes. Sometimes the cheaper generic ones work, sometimes they won’t. You won’t know until you try them out. (A helpful hint: if you end up getting tons of packages of newborn-sized diapers, which your baby will quickly out grow, you can always take them back to the store and exchange them for bigger sizes.)
• Onesies. These simple outfits will keep your baby clothed, are easy to open at the crotch for diaper changes, and there are so many stylish ones available.
• Infant gas drops saved both my daughter and me many tears. Before I knew about these drops, Emily would cry and fuss from the gas pressure and pain in her belly, and it would just break my heart feeling like a helpless mommy who couldn’t provide comfort to her baby. A friend of mine told me about these wonderful drops, and they provided relief for my daughter.
• A diaper pail should be considered. The smell of diapers is not something you want building up in your regular household trash cans! Pretty much all brands of diaper pails will seal shut each time you place a new dirty diaper in it, therefore sealing away any offending odors. The one I had was also pretty easy to change once it got full.
• Lastly, you might want to consider registering for some bottles, even if you plan on breastfeeding. There may come a time when your husband wants to feed the baby, and he’ll need a way to do that with your milk. (Bonus points to him if he does one of the nighttime feedings so that you can sleep just a little bit longer!) Or if you return to work, your baby will need a way to drink the milk you’ve pumped. I am a big fan of Dr. Brown’s Bottles.

Have fun, take a snack with you, and don’t worry if you go overboard. Enjoy being a first time mom. Now get to scanning!