Whitney is a mom living in Boston, Massachusetts. She's been photographing babies and families since 2012.

My Baby Registry Guide

It’s hard to believe that my son is already 8 months old! At this point I feel pretty confident in recommending our favorite products to hopefully help you with your baby registry. Luckily for me, I work with new parents and got tons of great advice and suggestions from my clients during my pregnancy, and I’m happy to pass it on to you 🙂

Travel:

Uppababy – vista + mesa travel system

Love that this is a local company, and that these are high quality items. We use the stroller and car seat daily and used the bassinet at night for the first few weeks and for travel.

Ergobaby omni 360 baby carrier

We used the infant insert for the first few months as Ollie is a little guy, and now he faces out. Its great for shopping, walks, and non-strenuous hikes. We haven’t done it yet, but I think we can wear him on our back as well. We’re able to easily adjust the fit so my husband and I can both use it.

Solly baby wrap

Loved this especially for the early sleepy days. Super soft and comfy, I’d still use it now but Ollie is just too wiggly!

Graco pack n play

This was great as a second changing station downstairs in the early days, and we’ll use it again when Ollie starts crawling and we need to keep him contained or when we need a travel crib, now that he’s too big for his bassinet.

Milk Snob cover

We use this as a carseat cover when we want to protect baby from the sun or to help him nap in the car/stroller. You can also use it as a nursing cover up, but I never did.

Travel changer

You really don’t need a “diaper bag,” you can just use any back pack or tote, but you do need one of these. It folds out with a padded changing mat and zippered pockets for diapers, wipes, etc.

SPF blanket

This was great in the summer to throw over the car seat, carrier, or use at the beach.

Feeding:

Haakaa

If you buy one thing on this list, get this! It’s a silicone cup that suctions to your boob while you nurse on the other side to catch your extra let down. I also use it to hand express after Ollie is done nursing to build a stash of breastmilk.

Graco high chair

You won’t need this until about 6 months, but we like this one. Its a great thing to register for and keep in storage until you need it.

Avent bottle set

I planned on nursing but I would recommend having a (washed and sterilized) set of bottles at home–and some formula for that matter–just in case. We also started giving bottles of pumped milk after the first few weeks, so I was glad we had them. We had the glass ones, but I’d recommend plastic because we had to buy a bunch of new ones for daycare. 

Dr Browns bottle sponges and Bottle drying rack

Not very exciting, but necessary.

Breast milk storage bags

If you’re planning on pumping and saving milk in the freezer.

Lanolin nipple cream

Buy a bunch of these and leave them everywhere you might be nursing. Use this after you nurse–everytime, from the beginning to prevent cracked and bleeding nipples. I speak from experience.

Nursing pads

Use these with the lanolin cream, even if you aren’t leaking. Lanolin will stain your bra/shirt.

Boppy pillow

We went with My Breast Friend, but I would choose the Boppy pillow if we could do it over again. You can use it as an infant lounger and for tummy time, not just nursing. 

Nursery:

Snoo

So expensive, but we thought it was worth it! Loved the app that tracked sleep, and it helped rock Ollie back to sleep when he fussed in the middle of the night.

Babyletto crib

We’re happy with this so far–it will convert to a toddler bed and a full size bed, and we don’t have to buy additional parts (just the mattress.)

Babyletto crib mattress

Not very exciting, but you need one! I liked that this one came with a mattress cover.

Little Unicorn crib sheets

So cute, I loved this pattern. Get two for inevitable blowouts.

Humidifier

We use this every night, but it’s especially important for winter and colds, when you cannot give them cold medicine.

Keekaroo changing pad

This is made out of some soft plastic, and you can use bleach wipes on it. Not as cute as the fabric covers, but less laundry!

Snuggleme Organic

We loved this for naps before we started putting him in his bassinet during the day.

Sound machine

We tried a few, and this is our favorite!

Summer Infant Monitor

Works great! 

Nightlight

Portable, perfect amount of light–gifted from one of my lovely clients.

Other things:

Little Unicorn swaddles

These muslin swaddles are super cute and were great for the first few weeks.

Ollie Swaddle

This swaddle is super stretchy and has velcro to keep baby tight and secure. It was great once Ollie was starting to wiggle out of the muslin ones.

Activity playmat

I thought this one was cute! Great for tummy time or laying on his back and playing with the hanging toys.

Stain remover

A client recommended this to me and it gets spit up and poop stains out!

Nose Frida

It’s called the snot sucker. Its super gross but you will do this when you’re kid is sick.

Nail clippers

These ones have a little window that lets you see what you’re cutting so you don’t accidentally cut their tiny fingers.

Bath tub

A little hammock that turns into a seat and then a big tub before they go in the real one. You’ll also want a hooded towel and wash clothes.

Medication pacifier

A paci that fits into a medication dispenser. A great way to give them Tylenol the first few times.

As baby grows:

Exersaucer

I searched for one that wasn’t super ugly, and this was the best I could find. Once Ollie was about 6 months old he could use this and he LOVES this thing. He could bounce in it all day long.

Foam mat

Great for once they are rolling over and sitting up.

Booties

So cute and stay on his feet with the velcro!

Silicone feeder

Once you’re ready to start solids beyond purees, this is great and easier to clean than the mesh ones.

Clothes:

We were super lucky and a friend gave us a bunch of hand-me-downs. We also registered for a few onesie and pant packs in each size.

One thing to consider is that you don’t know how big your baby will be. My son was 6 pounds at birth and was in newborn size until about 3 months old. It makes planning seasonal clothes a bit tough. For this reason, you may want to wait to buy the next size up until you need them.

I also recommend just buying zip up pajamas for the first few months. That’s all we put Ollie in until he started going to daycare and I felt like I needed to put him in actual outfits. If you want to splurge, these are amazing. They have magnetic closures instead of zippers or buttons which make your life a lot easier at 3am.

Whitney O'Brien

photographer, new mom, puppy lover, coffee addict

Follow Whitney on Instagram @whitneyobrienphotography