Registry Re-Do: First-Time Mom Briana

What’s the saying—hindsight is 20/20? Welcome to Babylist’s Registry Re-Do series, where we chat with both brand-new parents and moms and dads who’ve been around the block a few times about what they’d do if they could wave a magic wand and build their baby registry all over again. We believe that learning from other parents is one of the best ways to prepare for parenthood yourself—and we hope that by reading others’ experiences that you’ll come away with some of your own tips and tricks as you build your own baby registry.

• Name: Briana
• Age: 28
• Where you call home: Oakland, CA, with my husband Oreste and 13-month-old son, Julian
• Job: Content Production Assistant at Babylist
• Where you registered: Babylist*

Editor’s note: Briana didn’t work for Babylist when she created her baby registry—we promise!

About how many items were on your baby registry? Looking back, was this the right amount?

We have a small house and wanted to be intentional about all of the baby items we brought in so I only had about 40 items on my registry. We added a mix of bigger and smaller items; some of the key things we focused on were:

• Rocking chair
• Bassinet
• Play gym
• Sound machine
• Humidifier
• Bottles and bottle warmer
• Bathtub
• Toiletry items (soap, lotion, diaper cream)
• Diapers and wipes
• Swaddles

How much time did you spend creating your registry?

A very, very long time! And I kept going back to add or remove things. It was such an exciting time and getting to choose things I would use for my baby was so much fun. I actually still add to it as a way to save things I want to get him in the future.

What resources did you use to create your registry and how were they helpful for you? What are some of the best that you think other parents-to-be should know about?

There are so many different products and terminology that it can easily get overwhelming. I read through Babylist’s guides and articles—they were so helpful. I also follow a bunch of bloggers and parenting/baby-related accounts on Instagram who sometimes review and recommend certain things.

A few of my favorite guides were:

• How Many Baby Clothes Do I Need?
• Best Big-Ticket Items Worth Adding to Your Baby Registry
• Chic & Ultra Modern Baby Gear
• Best Sound Machines
• Nuna Pipa VS Pipa Lite LX
• Best Infant Car Seats

What product categories (car seats, strollers, etc.) and specific items did you research the most, and why? What about the least? Looking back—would you have changed that?

I definitely spent the most time researching car seats and strollers since they are such important items and usually the most expensive. Due to Covid-19, we spent most of 2020 at home and sadly haven’t used our stroller much and didn’t get much use out of the infant car seat. I spent less time looking for bottles, sound machines and humidifiers because I sort of had an idea of what I wanted.

I do wish I would have spent more time researching bassinets and co-sleepers. I spent the least amount of time looking into these and ended up registering for a lower cost portable bassinet that just didn’t work for us.

What registry items have you used the most since your son was born?

• Hatch Rest+. With two dogs in the house, the Hatch sound machine was so helpful in drowning out background noises during naps and at night.
• Lovery The Play Gym. We used this play gym from a very young age for tummy time and Julian used it up until almost a year old with the cover on it like a little fort!

Which items have you used the least? What do you think you could have skipped?

I’d planned to exclusively breastfeed but registered for a few different bottles and a bottle warmer just in case so my husband could help feed the baby or I could leave for errands or a little me time here and there. My son ended up not taking any bottle, period. He wouldn’t take any of the bottles I registered for (or bought in addition to those to try when he refused the ones we had). We also basically spent all of our time at home due to the pandemic so I didn’t really need to pump or give him bottles because we were together 24/7.

In hindsight, I would have registered for a sample box, like the Babylist Bottle Box, to try out instead of going all in and buying a ton of bottles. I also learned it’s better (sometimes easier) to warm up expressed breast milk in a warm bowl of water and the bottle warmer was one more thing to take up space on our counter and maintain the few times we did use it.

Are there any items you wish you’d added to your registry but didn’t? Why? What about anything you wished for more of?

We chose to purchase our stroller, car seat, crib mattress and floor bed frame on our own. I felt uncomfortable putting such expensive things on my registry and didn’t want people to think I expected them to spend so much. Looking back I would have included those things because people really wanted to contribute to preparing for a new baby and buy the big things! I would probably add them with the group gift feature.

I also wish I’d asked for more help and favors. I personally have a hard time asking for help and didn’t really have a clue what I’d want help with before Julian arrived. And to be honest, I didn’t even realize that you could add things like that to your baby registry until I started working at Babylist and became (even more) familiar with the registry process. Looking back, I would have utilized the help and favors feature way more, specifically for a maternity leave fund and home-cooked meals!

What are your favorite baby brands that you’ve used over the last year and why?

• Carter’s. So many great basics!
• Lou Lou & Company. Julian practically lived in this clothing brand’s newborn knotted gowns until he was probably three months old. They’re so soft and have the cutest ‘non-baby’ colors. We also loved their stretchy soft swaddles.
• Goumi Kids. We had an early walker (right at 10 months) and loved their gripper booties because they prevented him from slipping around on our flooring and stayed on!
• Huggies. We switched to Huggies when Julian was maybe two months old and have had no issues with them! They fit nicely and we rarely have any leaks or blowouts.
• Lovevery. We registered for the Play Gym and got so much use out of it. Our son loved the toys that were included so much we signed up for a few months of the play kit subscription. I love that the kits are curated to be developmentally appropriate, come with guides to help us learn when and how to introduce the toys and are such good quality that we can save for the next baby!
• Mina Baie. Before becoming a mom I loved purses, so I was so excited to find this diaper bag brand! They don’t look like a traditional diaper bag and are so thoughtfully designed so carrying it around felt like a treat, something special for me (even though it was ultimately baby-related). My favorites are the Harper and Emmy. They also have amazing internal organization so you can carry everything you need!

What one or two things would you tell parents-to-be about building a baby registry? What do you wish you’d known then that you know now?

• Register for the essentials: sound machine, car seat + stroller, nursery furniture, diapers + wipes, things you’ll be using daily.
• Add some help & favors so the people close to you know specific ways they can help out, it may be hard to determine what you need before you’re in it!
• Skip adding a lot of clothes. People love buying tiny baby clothes and you will probably receive a ton anyway!
• Don’t commit to any specific bottles or pacis before the baby gets here. It’s better to register for a sample box (like the Bottle Box and a Pacifier Box) to find what baby prefers.
• If you want to add toys, choose only a few quality and developmentally appropriate or open-ended items such as high-contrast books or cards, sensory toys, natural teethers, stacking cups—things that will grow with your baby. The Lovevery play kits and play gym are also great investments!