The Baby List: What do I put on my Registry!?

When I first got pregnant I didn't even want to plan a nursery because I like to think I'm a minimalist when it comes to necessities but I also can't stand the colorful, obnoxious baby stuff that looks like it can only be used by a baby. It drives me crazy and I don't want it in my house. So, the basis behind my thought process and lists consists of simplicity, safety and as ecofriendly-made without burning the wallet. I know this child will takeover our life but I also want her to fit into our lifestyle, not deplete our hobbies and interests and become slaves to our (hopefully) 7lb gene make-up. We're big on traveling and want to take our little one with us on adventures so a lot of my choices were based on the compatibility of traveling; I didn't want to buy separate items for home and play. We're also big believers in 'buy right or buy twice' which is another reason for all the research.

I've been a research freak, like driving myself nuts over what to put on my baby registry. It gives me anxiety imagining mini here and not having the necessities, especially if I didn't know what the actual necessities are, everything that would make my transition to parenthood easier. I'm sure all the moms reading this are thinking, you'll never be prepared enough, and I know I can't foresee what my little mini is going to like and dislike but it calms my nerves when I'm prepared... proper planning prevents piss poor performance. I love alliteration.

Through-out my process of specifically choosing the perfect products I Googled other blogs and read what felt like every review of pros and cons. Learning from other Mom blogs has been the BIGGEST help/tie breaker/savior/over-time/sudden death decisions so with all of my collections of research I'm sharing my findings that I foresee working for us. I plan to revisit this post down the road to compare what actually worked, didn't work and admit the, What was I Thinking! Hopefully this help any future mamas-to-be at least start their research and registry because I'm pretty sure I had an anxiety attack when I first realized all the shit I needed to buy but didn't know what shit I really needed to buy.

STROLLER
I hate strollers! I wish I didn't have to buy one, I mostly hate them because people use them as weapons and take them EVERYWHERE. A double stroller in J.Crew... seriously? Seeing things like this is what really makes me hate strollers. I plan to wear my mini (I hope she likes it!) everywhere and as much as possible (plus it's better for baby than always being in a stroller) but I know I'll need one and she probably won't let me carry her everywhere. This has consumed so much time in my life, I can't believe myself. All in all I'm happy with our decision and I'm excited to actually use it (I totally just said that...).

Stokke Xplory - This stroller is just beautiful and if I had the extra dollars I would buy this stroller just for walking around the block and having lunch downtown. It just didn't hit all the

Pros: Baby sits very high and you don't have to bend down, baby can face any direction
Cons: heavy and not as easy to fold
Orbit Baby G2
Pros: Baby can face any direction easier than the Xplory, the lights are helpful for night time strolling and high handle bars.
Baby Jogger City Mini GT
Pros: It's lightweight, easy and quick one-handed fold (Google a video!), 3 wheels, all-terrain, 65 lb weight limit
Cons: Foam filled tires instead of air, 8.5 sized tires instead of 12' like the Elite and Bumbleride Indie, velcro peep hole instead of magnetic
Bumbleride Indie
Pros: Lightweight, 12' tires and air filled,
Cons: Compared to the baby joggers this is not a quick one-handed fold, velcro peep hole, 45lb weight limit

WINNER: Baby Jogger City Mini GT

My final three decisions came down to the Baby Jogger City Mini GT, City Elite and Bumbleride Indie. We basically chose this one because we wanted something lightweight, had 3 wheels that were all-terrain and simple. If the weight and size wasn't an issue the Elite would have been my choice but the GT is a few inches slimmer and 5 lbs lighter. Plus, the one-handed easy fold was a no brainer for traveling. We live in a driving city so I plan to use the stroller on outside walks, at markets and on trips.

CAR SEAT
I first thought the travel systems would be the best bang for my small dollar but once I began the search I had one of those, what was I thinking moments. Since we live in a city that requires a car I thought this was a duh! but most products that are made for convenience and 'best deals' aren't the safest and most reliable. A foot doctor doesn't know how to best treat your ear infection; there's specialties for a reason and I think products follow suit. I also wanted to choose my features within a stroller and a car seat separately.
This component of my important items was actually the easiest decision. Safety was my biggest concern and since I wasn't choosing the travel system I only had to focus on one item. There's quite a few different models so I registered for two Britax seats, one for each of our cars, within my findings this brand was the safest.

WINNERS

Britax Marathon 70-G3

Britax Pavillion 70-G3

Compare All Britax Here

I chose the convertible car seat option opposed to the infant car seat because... really, why do you want to buy another car seat so soon? I also didn't choose the combo option that turns into a booster seat because i'm not traveling with a human-toddler-sized car seat. It's easier and more cost efficient to just buy a booster seat when it's needed. The other models I was choosing between was the Advocate (top of the line but I read it blocks baby's view on the sides and baby needs to see the scenery... even when she's napping) and Boulevard. All the specs are the same on these four models so it just comes down to the nitty gritty details, here.

DO YOU NEED AN INFANT SEAT?
I don't know? But I've opted not to purchase a separate infant seat just for six months of use. From reviews and other blogs, an infant insert has worked just fine.

CRIB
My main 'wants' for a crib came down to Eco-friendly made, longevity and aesthetics.

Stokke Sleepi System - This checked off on all our needs but the price tag is high and everything you need to go inside of a crib has to be bought from Stokke, I did find another bedding company that sold just their sheets, but nonetheless it seemed like a pain in the butt so this was a big negative.

WINNER: Babyletto Hudson

I found this in my research for eco-friendly made cribs. I basically wanted a crib made of real wood and no toxins seeping from the paint and finishers. I chose the Hudson instead of the other models because I like the mid-century appeal and I have this thing (OCD?) of being able to see under furniture. I want to know what's under it, be able to clean under it Roomba be able to clean under it and maybe use it for storage. I feel like this opens the room up a little bit too.

WRAPS & CARRIERS

Wraps: I think these just come down to preference and how it fits. I've chosen to try the Moby Wrap and Boba Wrap basically out of customer picks and popularity, so we'll see how it goes.

ERGObaby Travel:  Again, I'm looking for more travel friendly options and this is a quality brand. There's regular versions for everyday use that don't have the extra 'travel' compartment and I would absolutely love to try one of these but if I"m going to purchase one it's going to be the ...

WINNER: Stokke My Carrier

This carrier lasts the longest through baby's weight, has 3 carrying positions and has rave reviews about giving the best back support for you as you carry baby.

HIGH CHAIR
This was something that wasn't on my radar for some reason... but as soon as I read about Stokke's Tripp Trapp I was sold. I only looked at these two brands. A high chair was another baby item I couldn't stand looking like we transformed our house into our kid's playhouse.

Bloom Fresco - The base of this chair is...ridiculous. A little too Jetsons for me and the amount of stubbed toes...oy vey. But it's pretty.

WINNER: Stokke Tripp Trapp

Lasts forever. Adjusts with your growing child and fits up to a 300lb adult weight limit. The 3 of us could sit in this chair! Buy right or buy chairs forever...

ACTIVITY GYM
THIS is that baby item I refused to want but read and heard everywhere that babies LOVE it, so i ended up finding a more subdued one that didn't include every color of the rainbow.

WINNER: Pottery Barn Activity Gym

DIAPERS 
I would use cloth but I don't have patience and don't want to waste my days dealing with it. I still don't know which brand I'll like but I'm open to trying them all. I'd prefer more Eco-friendly made but i could buckle at convenience and cost when the time comes. I used this site as a reference.

Earth's Best - This seems to be the most friendly-made as well as cost effective
Nurtured by Nature - same as above
Up & Up - I've been told by many that they love Target brand! These are very cost effective and are free of chlorine, latex and other hypoallergenic concerns. I have a feeling I'll be using these.
Pampers Swaddlers - When it comes to the big brand I've heard moms love these. There's nothing health or Eco - friendly about them but they're great for absorption.
Honest Company - A dream of diapers and wipes arriving at your door every month, but it will cost you. I would love to use these but I don't think the cost is worth it when you have these other brands that can ship to you from Amazon.

BREASTFEEDING
Basically, electric and double pump. Check with your insurance because some of them actually give you a mac-daddy electric double pump! I don't think I'd recognize the difference in these two until I've used them but these are the best I've discovered and heard.

Hygeia: More expensive $318 (with tote)

WINNER? Medela: $260 (with tote)

BABY MONITOR
This is the one product I needed Nate's opinion. He won.

Motorola MBP36: This was my winner after the Dropcam...the longevity, app option and aesthetics is what sold me on the Dropcam.

Summer Infant Baby Touch: Not very good reviews on Amazon; 18 five star but 17 one star. This camera seemed like the perfect combo of monitor and app viewing...i had an iffy feeling about this one because it sounded too good to be true. I like some of the summer infant products but this is a prime example of a company trying to do it all, which ultimately leads to poor quality.

WINNER: Dropcam

We're a pretty pro-tech family so this was at the top of the list for Nate. This camera can last long after a baby monitor and it allows you to view the camera over wi-fi or remotely. We've chosen the regular model instead of the Pro, which is actually less expensive and it's HD; see the basic differences here. We currently have a Mobotics camera in the house and I love how I'm able to keep an eye on the dogs everyday while I'm at work. I was worried aout how quickly the app opens but to be honest my phone and laptop are attached  to me so carrying a monitor on top of it seems pointless. 

Things I found you just NEED
The following items are those I just read that saved peoples lives, not literally. So after research these are the items I've decided to try and I'll have to let you know how much I can't live without them.

1. Travel Boppy (it zips for easy portability | 2. Trumpette & Nature Baby Drawstring Socks (they stay on baby's feet) | 3. Aden & Anais swaddlers | 4. Molar Muncher Teether | 5. Water Bottle Cap Adapter (genius) | 6. WubbaNub (allows baby to grab on it easily) | 7. Mama/Rockaroo (Rockaroo is the 2014 version) | 8. bebePOD | 9. Lotus Travel Crib (folds up super easy & a plane carry on) | 10. Halo Sleepsack (like mamas womb) | 11. Sophie | 12. Lansinoh Gel Pads | 13. Nosefrida Snotsucker