Knowing now what I didn't know then, this would be my registry for our first baby:
I. Gear:
1. Graco Snugride infant carseat
2. Britax Marathon convertible carseat
3. 2 strollers - one lightweight umbrella stroller (we have a Maclaren, which is on sale now,) and one sturdier stroller that can accommodate an infant (we have the Bumbleride Indie, which you can clip your carseat right in to.)
4. Don't get a swing right away - your baby might not like it. Instead, wait until Baby is born and a few weeks old, and test it out at a friend's or a store. Same goes for the exersaucers.
5. The moby wrap.
6. The Ergo Baby.
II. Sleeping:
1. Co-sleepers ended up not getting used. The babies in our mamatoto group for the most part all ended up sharing the bed with their parents. If you decide to go that route, though, you can find a used one on Craigslist. Cribs were also seldom used. Instead, a toddler bed on the ground ended up being our best and safest option for naps.
2. Organic crib mattress and organic crib mattress pad for the toddler bed.
3. Bed rail for the family bed if Baby will be sharing the bed with you.
4. Organic crib sheets - two fitted (and two sets for your own bed).
III. Layette:
1. 8 organic cotton or secondhand 100% cotton receiving blankets.
2. 2 muslin gauze blankets (I love Aden & Anais) for swaddling, shade over the stroller, lightweight warmth, clean place to sit at the park, etc.
3. At least a dozen organic cotton burp cloths. I like the Gerber cloth diapers for this purpose - extremely soft, inexpensive, organic...
4. 6 organic cotton or secondhand 100% cotton onesies, 2 longsleeve tees, 2 pairs of cotton jersey pants, 4-6 pj suits, 6 pairs of organic cotton socks, 1 or 2 cozy cotton sweaters, 2 pairs of BabyLegs. (The rest I'd wait on, since you'll receive tons of outfits as gifts.)
IV. Diapering:
1. Some disposables to start out - either Seventh Generation or Tushies: 1 pack newborn and 2 or 3 packs of size 1.
2. Cloth diapering system, including pail and sprayer. I'd suggest pocket diapers, and either FuzziBunz, Happy Heinys, Bum Genius 3.0, or something similar. One dozen to start with, and you can always buy more. Alternately, you can try the G Diapers with cloth inserts and the flushable inserts for travel, but remember not to use the flushable inserts until Baby has started on solid foods or you'll have a mess on your hands.
3. Hemp Inserts. These are so trim and absorbent, and it's nice to have a few extra inserts on hand.
4. Cloth wipes and diaper area spray. In addition to being better for the environment, you'll save a ridiculous amount of money using cloth wipes. We use California Baby Non-Burning and Calming Diaper Area Wash. We dilute it and one bottle lasted us almost the entire first year. Or, you could do what my friend Heather does and fill up a thermos with warm water in the morning to use throughout the day.
5. A couple of wet bags to toss wet diapers in when you're out and about.
V. Feeding Baby:
1. Breast Pump. I started with the medela swing, but ended up passing it on to a friend. I ended up much happier with my hand pump: the Avent manual pump. It comes with two bottles, is easy to assemble and operate, and totally BPA free.
2. One or two bottles. Born Free makes a good one, and so does Green to Grow.
3. Boppy. You can find one pre-owned at the Traveling Pants and put a new organic cover on it.
4. Nursing bra. Getting the right size is tricky. I needed one size bigger around the ribs and two cup sizes bigger than my pre-pregnancy size.
5. Organic cotton breast pads.
These others you could register for, or wait until Babyis closer to 6 months old before buying:
6. Snacktrap (2)
7. Mesh feeder (1 with extra bags)
8. Sippy cups (3-4)
9. Baby Spoons and bowls (We like the wooden sets from novanaturals.com)
10. Bamboo or organic cotton bibs - my favorite option is at Summer for Kids (6)
11. Baby food mill
12. High chair. Ours is a pre-owned wooden one that cost us $30 and works fabulously. No need to splurge on a Svan unless you really want to.
VI. Bath and Potty:
1. Baby bathtub.
2. Washcloths (4) and hooded towels (2). Bumkins is great.
3. Baby shampoo/bodywash, lotion, diaper ointment, and sunscreen. Try California Baby.
4. Comb. (You will need this if your baby gets cradle cap. Just massage her scalp with olive oil and let it sit for a few minutes. Exfoliate with the comb and wash Baby's head as usual. Do not use Head and Shoulders or a similar product - it will burn Baby's head!)
5. Baby nail clippers. (These will be in a first aid kit if you get one.)
6. Thermometer.
7. Humidifier.
8. Baby Tylenol (the kind without the dye).
9. Hyland's homeopathic teething drops.
VII. Safety:
1. Outlet covers.
2. Monitor
VIII. Furniture:
1. Glider chair. (Ours is from Craigslist.)
2. Changing table. (Also from Craigslist.)
3. Changing table pad and organic changing table pad covers.
Lastly, where to register?
I got nearly all of our diapering essentials, plus a few other things from BabyBunz.com, and gear from BabiesRUs.com. For the rest, I registered at a site like myregistry.com, where you can choose from lots of different sites and the registry is all in one spot. Albeebaby.com has a lot of great gear at the best price, and michaelolaf.com is good as a checklist for the natural mama. Novanatural.com and palumba.com have the best natural toy selection (besides etsy), and don't forget to register at a physical store. Summer for Kids has a huge selection of organic toys, clothing and bedding, as well as all of the feeding essentials, and is totally organic and natural. Chicken Little is also a good source. While definitely not entirely organic, it does have the best range of products from strollers to clothing, breast pumps, highchairs, etc.
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