When I was pregnant, I found researching and preparing my baby shower checklist and registry to be one of the most overwhelming aspects of pregnancy. And it doesn’t have to be! In this post, I’ll review the best baby registry feeding essentials to make the process of baby feeding easier for expectant moms! Especially so you can be prepared as you’re juggling new mom life and postpartum recovery.
Need a quick feeding essentials checklist? Scroll down – I got you!
Baby Registry Checklist Basics
When building a baby registry, there are a few primary baby buckets to think about: Feeding, Diapering, Sleeping, and Bathing. The buckets will help you think about what you really need to take care of your baby. Feeding, of course, is a VERY important (and essential) category to the newborn bubble! So let’s dive in to Baby Registry Feeding Essentials!
Baby Registry Feeding Essentials: What You Actually Need
Feeding is… messy. From spit up to slobber, these baby registry feeding essentials will keep things from getting buck wild in the first days of baby’s life.
- Burp Cloths: Oh, burp cloths. How I love you! We have about 100 burp cloths in a basket upstairs. I wish I was joking. By far, muslin burp cloths are superior. We like the ones you can drape over your shoulder and the ones that are more for wiping (or whatever you really need).
- Bibs: You likely won’t need bibs until baby is a bit older, but they’re good to have on hand. We liked having fabric bibs (maybe 10) for drooling and silicone bibs for starting solids (2 is plenty!).
- Boppy: Although often considered a breastfeeding item, I still use our Boppy for bottle feeding. It’s a great, easy way to prop baby up and give you a little more freedom for your hands. It’s also a great tool for friends and family who are less comfortable holding baby. We also brought ours to the hospital. They’re cute, can be easily washed (both the pillow and the cover) and stick around for awhile!
Bottle Feeding Baby Registry Items
When baby comes home from the hospital, there are a few different options for feeding. The first is breastfeeding (both nursing and pumped milk) and the second is formula. And for many moms, they’re doing a combination of all three – nursing, pumping, and formula feeding! I breastfed (nursing and pumping) exclusively for four months. We’ll first start with the basics of bottle feeding. I’ll cover breastfeeding and my journey a little later.
Best Bottles for Your Baby Registry
- Baby Bottles: I’ve come to learn that babies reject certain bottles and tend to have preferences. I would recommend you collect a few different kinds of bottles to test with your baby before purchasing a full set (we use the Avent bottles and love them!). Babylist has a great sampler box. See the picture below!
- Bottle Nipples: Fun fact, pediatricians often say that when a baby is having issues feeding out of the blue, it’s likely a nipple flow problem. Be sure to size up your nipple flows over time to meet baby’s growing mouth and hunger!
Must-Have Baby Bottle Cleaning Supplies
- Bottle Drying Rack: This rack has come in more handy than I ever could have expected. We use it for EVERYTHING. Spoons, pacifiers, bottles (duh), toys, and so much more. Worth every penny and we love the vertical set up for more counter space.
- Bottle Brush: A simple must-have to wash baby’s bottles! Even if you get the Baby Brezza Bottle Washer Pro, you’ll still want a brush on hand.
- Babyganics Bottle Foaming Soap: We love this stuff and we use a lot of it. It’s great to use to wash your bottles, pacifiers, and other baby items. It’s organic, scentless, and suds nicely.
- Bottle Warmer: We relied heavily on our bottle warmer early on, and then we wanted our baby to be able to take bottles of all temperatures. Bottle warmers are a staple and I believe they’re ultimately a must-have item.
- Baby Brezza Bottle Washer Pro: The heavens opened when we used this for the first time. It’s expensive, and certainly a splurge, but if you add it to your registry and someone is generous enough to buy one for you, you will be thrilled. It washes, sterilizes, and dries in 88 minutes. It can wash and dry 4 bottles (and their parts) at once. It does require cleaning and each load take one tablet. Be sure to add the tablets to your registry! More on our deep dive thoughts on the Baby Brezza coming soon…
Must-Have Items for Starting Solids
- High Chair: I don’t think it’s necessary to have a top of the line high chair, but I think a middle of the road price point is worth the investment. We love our high chair that can transform with age. See the picture of our little one eating her potatoes with pride below!
- Basic Solid Food Plate and Utensils Set: To begin, you really need the basics. A few spoons (I recommend a long handle and a little baby spoon top for their mouth!), a plate and bowl, and a sippy cup for down the road. Love this set as an all in one option.
- Wearable Bibs: A trusted mom friend gifted me these at my shower and I am so thankful she did! You’re already doing so much laundry, so why not try to cut down a bit? These wearable bibs keep things a bit more clean… A cute option for a girl or boy!
- 100 Foods Before One: A popular framework for baby food journeys! Whether you explore a chart, a Solid Starts App (which is great), or a simple notepad, keep track of what baby eats and loves!
Products for Making Your Own Baby Food
- Food Popsicles or Baby Push Pop: These are a great, affordable way to get food into baby’s mouth and get them using their hands! Warning: These are messy!
- Baby Food Making Set: Making your own baby food is easy. This system makes things easy! A regular nutribullet works well, too.
Wrap-Up: Baby Registry Feeding Essentials
So, if you’re feeling less overwhelmed, this is GREAT news. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed by baby feeding essentials, take a deep breath. Baby won’t need all of these things at once (and there’s a chance he or she might not need many of these things!) so you have time to explore and have fun with the feeding journey.
I hope you find this helpful. From my home to yours!
Have a favorite feeding item or a mom-hack that saved your sanity? Share it in the comments—I love learning from other mamas!
