My "If I Could Do It All Over Again" Baby Registry List | Cincinnati Fresh 48 and Newborn Photographer
If there is one thing I’ve learned so far in my Motherhood journey, it’s that I THRIVE on minimalism and systems. Whether it is healthy or not, having less things and more routines, has given me more peace and mental space than I could ever imagine.
In general, I’ve never been one to spend, spend, spend but when I got pregnant with my firstborn in 2020 I was SHOCKED at the general overwhelm I experienced when it came to materialism and preparing for the arrival of my son.
Between the Instagram ads, the blog posts and the feeds of family & friends, it was easy to get sucked into the deep dark hole of more, more, more.
And yet, with having just welcomed our third baby in the last two years, I have found so much freedom and peace with LESS. I’ve also loved the generosity that has come from hand-me-downs, consignment stores and the like. And just a quick real life mom tip, those cute outfits get dirty REAL quick and I’ve found that a stroller, is a stroller, is a stroller… aka, you can get by just fine without dropping thousands on that latest & greatest.
So I decided to throw together a “If I Could Do it All Over Again” Baby Registry List. Below you’ll find a list of the things I loved and truly brought value to my life when I welcomed a newborn.
diapers & wipes
This one is a no-brainer but you’ll definitely need diapers and wipes. I won’t recommend a specific brand because honestly, every baby reacts differently to certain types and there is no perfect one. Luckily, I’ve been able to bounce around brands without having any big skin issues with any of my kids. But if I could recommend anything, I’d say purchase your diapers and wipes from Target. They constantly have gift card promotions associated with spending a certain amount of money on diapers & wipes. I’ll wait for a good promotion, then buy diapers and wipes in bulk. I can then use that gift card towards future diaper & wipe purchases, thus saving money #winwin
bottles
If you end up formula feeding or pumping to supplement, you’re going to end up needing bottles. I’ve tried a lot and nothing beats Dr. Brown bottles in my humble opinion. They were our go-to bottles in the NICU when I was a nicu nurse and while they may have lots of parts, they were hands down the best bottles I used with my babies. They took to them immediately and we never had issues with excessive gas or upset bellies.
baby bathtub
This baby bathtub is what I used with all of my kids and I was able to easily use it both on the countertop when they were super tiny and also put it in the big bathtub if needed. As they got a little bigger though, I found this baby bathtub at a consignment store and fell in love with it. It was so easy to use in the big bathtub and so easy to clean/store.
burp cloths
I have these bad boys everywhere. Don’t bother getting anything “cute”. Go with the value packs & save yourself some money. After all, they get puked on friends.
simple white onsies
Same as the burp cloths. For everyday wear, I put my babies in these white onesies. Save the cute outfits for certain occasions or occasional wear. White onesies were so easy for me to clean and I didn’t have to fork over tons of money on a $50 baby outfit that would be used only a handful of times and get ruined.
pacifiers
Whether you’re breastfeeding or formula feeding, you may find yourself using pacifiers and I recommend having them on hand even if you want to try to not use them (heads up, research has shown that pacifier use does not impact breastfeeding success just FYI). I used these pacifiers with my first and second born & loved them. We changed it up and started using these with my daughter and have also loved these just as much!
A quick word of encouragement & love from one sleep-deprived mama to another, despite what the blogs and social media posts promise, I want to remind you that sleep is a learned behavior. Babies are supposed to wake up throughout the night and they’re hardwired to do this. There is no such thing as a “good baby” or “bad baby” when it comes to sleep. This list is compiled of things I’ve loved to use as I took my babies along their own, unique sleep journeys. But you will be up all hours of the night… and you will cry from sleep deprivation, at least once, I promise you. But it does get easier. Some nights you want to scream, you’re so tired and frustrated. And some nights you will sit there in pure gratitude & joy because those sacred, quiet hours are sometimes full of pure magic.
swaddles
I’ve tried ALOT of swaddles and hands down, the Halo Sleep Sack has always been the winner. I’ve had fall & winter babies (as well as living in older homes) so I opted to get quite a few fleece ones and they are my favorite. They keep babies nice & snug… no random hands would find their wayward way where they shouldn’t be
sleep transition item
This is definitely a “hype” baby item that I loved as we were transitioning our babies out of the swaddle. It’s also sure to give you a good laugh. I have way too many pictures of my kids in it. As silly as it looks, it is majorly effective and we’ve loved it.
sound machine
This one for everyday use and this one for “on the go”. Have loved them both & they have been my constant sleep companions. The Hatch specifically is wonderful due to the Bluetooth ability to change noises, volume, nightlight color etc right from your phone!
Baby Carrier
I wanted SO badly to love fabric baby wraps. They’re just so darn cute. But honestly, I didn’t love them. They were effective, don’t get me wrong, but the unstructured nature of them killed my back. And the ultra-structured carriers were not ideal for indoor/everyday use. Enter the Embrace carrier. The perfect hybrid carrier that is soft enough that you feel like you’re wearing a fabric carrier but structured enough that your back feels protected and baby feels so secure. I’m obsessed with it. It has been hands down my BEST baby item.
car seat
This is one thing you’re going to spend good money on and it’s absolutely worth it. We ended up opting for this car seat because of its safety ratings and that’s truly all we care about. Do cuter, more stylish ones exist? Yep, you bet. But car seat safety trumps cute in my opinion.
stroller
I did very little stroller research when I was expecting my first but I did know that I wanted something I could use with multiple kids in the future. We went with the Mockingbird single to double stroller and have been super happy with it!
diaper bag
This was another baby item that I did very little research on and did not want to splurge on. For the pricepoint, this diaper bag has been amazing. It has held up beautifully over the last couple of years with multiple babies. Can’t beat that!
baby breeza
If you end up supplementing or if you choose to formula feed, this baby breeza is an absolute life-saver, especially for those middle-of-the-night feeds. It's basically a baby food Keurig, and I promise you, you're going to love it.
electric nail trimmer
This nail trimmer was such a pleasant surprise. I did not expect to love it as much as I did. it was soft enough to trim those fragile newborn nails and I never had to worry whether their fingers could get cut
snuggle me organic
This is definitely a splurge baby item but I have loved it. I can easily move it around the house wherever we go and my babies always took the best naps in it. So soft, comfy & warm.
keekaroo changing pad
This is such an aesthetically pleasing changing table AND because of the material, it's easy able to be wiped down in the event of an accident (which happens ALOT). Its a win-win and I'm so happy with this baby item.
tubby todd AOO cream
This all over ointment cream is pure MAGIC. I'm not joking. It's pricey but worth every penny. Any time my babies broke out into a rash or had skin issues, I just dabbed a little of this on and voila, the next day it was gone. I recommend it to any and everyone. My mother-in-law even got me a big stash as a Christmas present because I love it that much. Check out their lotions as well!
shameless plug right here mama's. DO NOT SKIP THE PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION. and here’s why.
Seriously. I can't tell you how many mom's have reached out and told me how much they regretted not having a photography session done. Our sweet babies change SO quickly and most of your "baby items" are going to end up in a goodwill bin one day. Photos, video & memories are what our children will take with them through life. Prioritize this investment over the stuff. Would I love to capture your family? Absolutely! but I don’t care who you hire… just don’t forget to prioritize this mama’s.
Are you local to Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky & want to book a Fresh 48 session? I’d be truly honored!
Click below to book your session or reach out if you have more questions about booking! Make sure you ask about my Birth Announcement films if you want to bottle up the sound of their sweet little noises forever.
Check out some of my favorite sessions below!
Olive Grace | Theodore & Eleanor | Hendrix Michael | Grace Lucille