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Like anyone making a registry for the first time, I didn’t set out to have a lot of baby stuff, but having a baby tends to make anyone a consumerist to varying degrees. There is just so much to consider, there are so many products to wade through, and it’s so challenging to know what is absolutely necessary vs a nice commodity. It’s likely a completely new set of considerations, and it’s daunting. When we had Zola, we were living in a 700 square foot bungalow in Echo Park, so space was an unavoidable factor in most of our purchasing decisions, but always filtered through the lens of “can I look at this every day”

STROLLER/CARSEAT

Originally, I had my heart set on the Uppababy Vista V2. However, after going to Bloomingdales and test driving multiple strollers, we ended up with the Nuna Mixx. Not only was the handling smooth, but the proportionality and size were, in my opinion, ideal. The bigger wheels are great for suspension and the overall ride. There’s still a functional amount of space underneath for storage without increasing the overall footprint, and it’s easily collapsible. Plus, for a stroller, it’s gorgeous. Overall, it’s form and function both.

I loved the Pippa Lite RX car seat as well, though they are discontinuing the lite so would probably go with the Pippa RX instead. We chose it for safety ratings and lack of fire retardants. The ability to move the carseat from stroller to car without interrupting her slumber was so amazing during the first several months of Zola’s life. It made lunches and dinners and being in the world feel achievable (and babies nod off all the time in those early days so the flexibility was so helpful). We got black because we were assured it would get disgusting, but babies don’t eat a lot in the first year, let alone by themselves in the backseat, and since I’m a sucker for a nice neutral beige, I’d probably get the more dreamy Hazelwood option if I were to do it over.

We traveled several times (2x out of country and 8x within) and felt like this combination of stroller/ carseat was a workable system. I even traveled alone for a few of those flights and it felt so manageable. We would gate check the stroller, and airlines let you check the car seat for free. You can use this Nuna Brand bag or do what I did and get a crappy and non precious bag on amazon. It’s such a transitory time (just one year with this carseat!) that I didn’t mind getting a bag that would just get beat up anyway. Our carseat was none the worse for it, and the bag served its purpose. As a bonus, you can stuff diapers and extra gear into the car seat when you check it. 

BOUNCER/BABY CONTAINER

You’ll need somewhere to put baby while you take the quickest shower or whatever. This is actually probably my biggest purchase regret and if I could do it over, I would.

My friend got the Snugapuppy (discontinued) and when I was over at her house, I let Zola try it. She loved it– it was so soothing and cozy. Its gentle swing really did feel like a small break, and small breaks are such a relief in those early months. I also liked the mobile component, so it serves two purposes. It does take up more space, and it’s certainly not a designer piece, but since the time you’ll need it is so transitory AND you’ll be so desperate to have anything that works to keep baby happy for just a few precious moments, I’d definitely get something like this baby swing. This Graco swing is on a ton of lists as well. The usefulness of the device, perhaps the only hands free time you’ll get during the day, far outweighs any sort of decor considerations– there is nothing more important than finding what keeps baby happy for any amount of time so you can get a break!

I got the widely acclaimed and beloved Baby Bjorn bouncer because I loved the minimalist Scandinavian design and as we were working with space restraints, I loved how compact it was– but quickly grew to resent that it didn’t bounce itself for a price tag of $200. I’d reach out of the shower and soak Zola and the Baby Bjorn trying to keep it bouncing, a truly Sisyphean task, as it only bounces like 3 times before you need to do the whole thing over again. I got this toy bar, (cute! pastels! flowers!) which she really didn’t give a shit about and by the time she might have, she was over sitting in the Bjorn anyway. I want to say it’s basically a 6 month timeframe you’ll really use it, if not less, because at least for Zola, once she could sit upright (right around 6 months), that’s all she ever wanted to do.

It also really depends on the baby. The Four Moms MamaRoo was vouched for by a couple friends– I didn’t go for it because it was expensive, large, and frankly, ugly. I could see this being more appealing than the Baby Bjorn Bouncer in that it since it’s motorized it could potentially do more for comforting your baby than something you have to rock manually.

If you want something a bit more design conscious, this Charlie Crane Baby Rocker LEVO is another option I considered. Ultimately I didn’t feel like $300 for 6-7 months of use was a great investment, but I’d probably get this over the Baby Bjorn, as it seems cozier. Especially if you have a bigger nursery, this Gingham option is so sweet.

For baby lounger, I got a Dock a Tot passed down to me. This worked great, however, I would choose this Snuggle Me Organic Infant Lounger. I think it looks better, has better color options, and as a bonus, it’s cheaper.

After quite a bit of research, I got this Caraa bag in large/ black. It’s been a great bag, unisex and spacious, and totally functional for our needs. I wanted a diaper bag that worked double duty as a handbag of sorts since it would need to be accompanying me everywhere. I think it somewhat accomplishes this, but I don’t necessarily feel that the material feels all that elevated as much as it feels like a well formed trash bag (that, and it the material tears pretty easily). That being said, while I don’t have any complaints about the user experience of the bag (it feels like a thoughtfully executed diaper bag), if anything it has been overbuilt for my needs– I never brought bottles anywhere so didn’t use the insulated pockets more than twice ever. I pretty much only used it for diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, some snacks, my phone and keys, so the plethora of compartments was wasted on me.

also, a backpack is pretty much mandatory for me.

I absolutely love this Dagne Dover bag and the matching changing pad in Camel. I actually think it looks more luxe than the Caraa, and it’s $100 cheaper. I love their colorways and feel like it would suit both mine and my husband’s sensibilities, so think this would probably be my pick if I were to do it again.

However, if I were just shopping for me, I’d get this Mina Baie Harper Backpack. Gorgeous and chic and useful long after you need to tote diapers around. Unlike pretty much any other diaper bag, you could conceivably buy this without a baby in your life. Reviewers love how spacious it is, and how polished it makes them feel.

A few other options– The Diaper Bag in Beige from BÉIS , this ultra-simple Diaper Tote from Colugo, or this Fawn Vegan Leather Backpack is a good alternative to the Mina Baie at a lower cost point.

Or for a more casual look– the nylon LORIMER DIAPER BAG from State (more great colorways), the Diaper Backpack or Diaper Tote from CALPAK (also great colorways), or this lululemon New Parent Backpack (love the grey eucalyptus color).

We got this Skiphop Portable Changing Pad and it worked great. I don’t think the changing pad is necessarily worth the upgrade, but I also think… isn’t it always worth it? Anyway it’s definitely a functional and unglamorous accessory and it didn’t bother me..

Ugly as it may be we loved this Happiest Baby Sleepea swaddle. Easy, no fuss on whether we were doing it wrong. I never bothered getting good at swaddling and it stressed me out wondering if I was doing it right. Some of the other swaddle products (got like 4 other swaddles) weren’t idiot proof enough for exhausted me. This one was amazing and we used them til she was done being swaddled (a couple months in), at which point we used the Baby Merlin Magic Sleepsuit

This Munchkin UV Diaper Pail has been amazing.  the Ubbi, my original choice, is cuter and has more available colors, but multiple friends have said they can retain bad smells. My husband is SUPREMELY sensitive to scents of any kind, and as the diaper pail lived in our bedroom, it was of the utmost importance that it actually worked.

Love this Keekaroo Peanut Changer and still use it— a year and a half later, it still feels and looks great. Some reviews I read before I got it complained about staining, which hasn’t been an issue for me despite getting the most stain prone vanilla color. I often lay a muslin diaper rag underneath her so it’s not cold against her skin which I’m sure has helped.

This OXO Tot Perfect Pull Wipes Dispenser is so easy to use– it doesn’t necessarily seem like a big deal to be able to just use one hand to open but it really does make life easier.

For Diapers, we love Coterie. Zola has had maybe 3 diaper rashes ever. A friend said their baby had never had a blow out after over a year! That was definitely not true for us, but blow outs have been few and far between, and mostly when we needed to change sizes. Love that it’s so easy to connect with customer service for deliveries, adjusting sizes, etc. The diapers just show up and it’s one less thing to think about. The promise that they will make your baby sleep through the night though is laughable.

An absolutely integral accessory of early motherhood was, in my experience, the baby carrier. I loved wearing Zola around. I recommend getting two, a soft wrap that’s more adjustable for when they’re so small, and then then more traditional baby carrier for when they’re a bit bigger. For the first month or so, I loved using a soft wrap– baby is so tiny at this point it’s nice to be skin to skin while also freeing up your hands. I used the Solly Wrap which offered comfort, breathability, and was prettty easy to get te hsang of using it after a couple times. My one complaint is that it’s long, so if you’re putting it back on in a public place it drags on the sidewalk, but it’s apparently shorter than other similar products (like this Moby Wrap , which is a full 5 feet longer! You do not want the extra fabric!)

 We’ve loved this Ergobaby Omni Dream Baby Carrier. It has been our workhorse and a hyper-practical choice. It’s comfortable, breathable, washable, easy to adjust. I could just pop Zola in and walk out the door. I walked for 20 miles per week til Zola was too heavy (28 lbs).

But if you’re feeling frivolous I’d get an Artipoppe too. I ended up getting one a few months in and wished I had sooner, because even a choice as small as the carrier you use contributes to feeling put together. It’s such a strange, transformative time and I feel like having some signifiers of self, some fashion elements in an otherwise utilitarian choice, feels like a not insignificant gift to self. I still preferred to take the Ergobaby on long walks as I found it slightly easier (for instance, if Zola fell asleep while facing out, single-handedly taking her out and adjusting the Ergobaby to face her in was possible and this would have been very difficult with the Artipoppe).

For an Artipoppe look for less– this Stokke , this Boba x Ergonomic Carrier , or this Baby Bjorn Carrier

I also love the look of this Bumpsuit Armadillo Baby Carrier .

Everyone told me I wouldn’t need any clothes at the beginning and it was a waste of money. They said baby would just wear pjs all day. This wasn’t true for me. Zola was either in her diaper or in cute clothes w very little in between. Here is my post on first baby clothes.

This brand, Lovely Littles, is a happy medium and I’m still obsessed with it. Amazing colors, nice material, the hats! For more baby clothing ideas– I wrote a post here. For nursery stuff I love Lorena canals and pehr. See this post for my nursery picks.

The haakaa pump especially for the beginning. I really hated pumping and wasn’t really that diligent about it. I ended up purchasing the Elvie pump because it was billed as low profile, small, and quiet. I’m not sure if my boobs were too big for it, but it was definitely not low profile. It would frequently unlatch, making the whole tedious process even more tedious. I would get the medical grade Medela which from all accounts can get the job done much more quickly. I’d do ten minutes with an uglier more cumbersome contraption over at least 45 minutes of compromised productivity.

This bunny sound machine has worked great and is easily transported.

Loved these Haka glass bottles too

These Frigg pacifiers. Does it really matter that they look cute? For me, yes 🙂 

There is so much noise as a new mom, there are so many grifters and mom influencers who are trying to sell you $80 ebooks on what you need to not fuck up your baby and you’re vulnerable and it’s all just a lot. I adore Emily Oster and her data driven approach to parenting. Cribsheet is the best.This was easy one hand night light situation .