With your due date getting closer, it’s only natural to want to be as ready as possible to welcome your new baby. That goes for brand new moms and dads, as well as those who have been one or two (or four!) times around the parenting block.
So to help a busy parent out, we rounded up some pros for our most recent Registry Real Talk panel to ask them for their best baby advice. The fab five shared tips on all the gear they can’t live without, helpful ideas and strategies, and the wisdom that gets them through. Read on for their vetted essentials. Our panelists included:
- DJ & entrepreneur Brendan Fallis
- Television personality and former professional football player Colton Underwood
- Emmy Award winning journalist Alicia Quarles
- Baby safety expert Holly Choi (@safebeginnings)
- Baby gear expert Jamie Grayson
For Baby and the Nursery
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re stocking up for your new little one. Here, our panelists’ stripped down list of their must-have baby supplies:
Pacifiers
Colton: [When we were building our baby’s registry,] we added, like, 30 of the same pacifier, which is a common mistake. But our doula recommended we order 10 different varieties because you don't know which one your baby will like.
Baby Monitors
Colton: Adding Nanit to our registry was so easy because we knew that we needed a great camera system. Having peace of mind for us is everything.
Brendan: Our Nanit is the one thing we really can't live without. Having Wi-Fi capability and being able to see your kids wherever you are. I'm checking it all the time. Also, Nanit stores all the memories, so you can go back and watch and screen record all these things. If you're traveling and you miss something, you can still see it.
My favorite [Nanit moment] was once when our son jumped out of his crib. We could hear him; he jumps out and goes, “I'm Superman!” But you can talk to your kids through the Nanit. So, we were like, “Cool, Superman, get back in your crib.”
Tools That Grow With You
Holly: I’m obsessed with Nanit’s Sound and Light. My kids are 6 and 9, but our Nanit is still good for supervising the playroom. Even things like a drying rack that I thought I was just getting for my breast pump or bottles, but it's still my drying rack today. So look for things that you can potentially keep using. Also, for anyone having a summer baby, I highly recommend finding a lightweight sleep sack. Loulou Lollipop makes one that’s just a few thin layers of muslin cotton.
A Diaper Bin
Brendan: Get the best diaper bin you can that has the least smell and is easiest to change bags.
A Wipe Dispenser
Jamie: OXO Tot has a weighted wipe dispenser that's terrific because you can pull wipes out with one hand while you keep the other hand on your kid.
Bottle Sterilizer
Alicia: I love my Dr. Brown sterilizer.
Jamie: Sterilize bottles when they're new and if you’re formula feeding, sterilize them frequently as formula grows bacteria. Breast milk doesn’t, so you don't have to sterilize breast milk bottles as often.
Crib Mattress
Jamie: [It’s hard to know what mattresses are made of and] what’s off gassing out of them and a baby's face is right there breathing all that's coming up. So look for a low VOC, Green Guard-certified certified mattress; go as organic or as non-toxic as possible. I’m a giant Naturepedic advocate and Nestig makes a Naturepedic mattress. Newton also makes a good mattress.
Mini Crib
Jamie: The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends having your baby in the room with you for the first year. And Nestig makes mini cribs, which are great, especially for smaller apartments.
Nursing Pillow
Alicia: For my twin parents out there, I recommend the Twin Z Pillow. It’s basically like a Boppy for two. It’s always a struggle trying to feed your twins at the same time, so the Twin Z is a game changer.
High Chair
Jamie: A Stokke high chair is worth the price because it offers proper foot support and positioning while a child eats. I sit in a Stokke at my desk. [laughs]
Baby Bathtub
Alicia: From a mom standpoint, my kids are in the kitchen sink now. Let's keep it real. I don't know if that's the safety recommendation, but that's the mom recommendation.
Jamie: The kitchen sink is completely fine as long as the water is not too high and like you don't have knives laying around. [laughs] The Flexi Bath by Stokke is one of my favorite things out there. Boon also makes really great collapsible bathtubs.
Holly: The American Academy of Pediatrics warns against bath seats, which are basically a positioning device; they have a backrest for a baby to help them sit physically upright. But there have been cases where the baby slipped out or the seat tilted over. Being hands on when you’re bathing your baby is the most important thing. Have everything ready–towel, shampoo–and then do the bath. Because any distractions are not worth the risk.
On the Go
Stroller
Alicia: The UppaBaby is by far my favorite.
Jamie: With strollers, figure out what features are important to you like reversible seats, car seat compatibility, if it’s good for travel. It's got to have really good wheels. Also, urban stroller needs are very different from suburban needs. I love the Doona for the city. I also love the Bugaboo, but it takes up more space.
Holly: Before you put your baby in a regular stroller seat without an infant attachment, make sure they are actually the minimum size, weight, height, etc. because not all strollers will fit a tiny baby, especially not upright.
A Baby Wrap or Carrier
Colton: I have more baby wraps and carriers on my registry than anything else because we love hiking. We love going out for walks and I don't know what's going to be breathable and feel good.
A Portable Crib
Jamie: Bugaboo Stardust is terrific, as are the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light, Nuna Sena, and Guava Family Lotus. The Silver Cross crib has a little zipper, so kids can crawl in and out when they're older.
Brendan: The best thing that we had was the SlumberPod. It's a blackout tent that rolls up small and then just folds out. It has a slot for the Nanit in the top, a plastic window for the camera to look down. And when you’re traveling, you can have your lights on bright in the hotel room and it's completely blacked out in the tent.
Blackout Curtains
Jamie: Otterspace travel blackout curtains are the best. Like a magnet system that you can put up in hotel windows.
Extra Safety Tips
Keep Anything Unnecessary Out of the Crib.
Jamie: Nothing goes in the crib with the baby for the first year, so skip the bedding sets that have bumpers, quilts and things like that.
Track Your Baby’s Breathing Safely.
Holly: A lot of products on the market have wires and sensors that go directly on the baby, which isn’t recommended. Nanit Breathing Wear and Breathing Band use a pattern on the fabric. There’s an algorithm in the camera that recognizes the pattern and can track breathing from how the pattern is moving on the baby’s body. It’s very cool.
Use the Safety Devices on Your Baby Gear.
Holly: Manufacturers wouldn't pay to put safety straps and harnesses on products (high chairs, car seats, strollers) if they weren't there for a good reason.
Skip the Baby Mirror in Your Car.
Holly: We don’t love mirrors in the car because they can lead to distracted driving, which was my problem as a new parent. Additionally, they can become projectiles and fly around in a crash.
Take a Safety Class.
Holly: Making sure you're prepared with a CPR class is super important.
Brendan: We took a CPR class, which was fantastic.
Alicia: My twins started a water safety class when they were 1 to help them learn how to be comfortable in water.
Keep your Baby at a Comfortable Temperature.
Holly: In summer, please don't cover your baby with a blanket; it can create a Thermos-like effect [and your baby may overheat]. Make sure to use any of the built-in canopies that come with your stroller. And get UV protective clothing for any exposed skin.
Baby Proof Pools and Other Areas.
Holly: Baby proof pools, like, right now. Yesterday. For baby proofing tips, there’s an organization called the International Association for Child Safety. And The Sylas Project is a [great resource for water safety awareness]; they offer infant self rescue lessons which are super cool.
Tips for You
Find Ways to Bond with Your Baby.
Colton: For my husband and me, it’s about doing skin to skin contact and not overcomplicating matters. Because I'm sure any game plan that we put together is going to go right out the window the first time the baby pees on you or has a diaper blowout, you know? Those are bonding experiences as well. [laughs]
Jamie: Get yourself a good stretchy wrap, put the baby in, wear the baby all day. It's the best.
Set Sleep Boundaries.
Brendan: Our son was waking up at 4:30 or 5 a.m. Our sleep nurse recommended we set up a light that would turn green when he could get up. [Nanit’s Okay to Wake feature uses Sound + Light and Pro Camera to give a green light signal to your child at a programmed time.]
Trust Your Choices.
Colton: It’s important for my husband and me to remind ourselves that this is our family and our choices. As long as we're taking care of and loving our baby, we're doing the best we can. There's enough judgment and shame in this world; we shouldn’t add more as the parenting community.
Focus on the Big Picture.
Holly: As a safety person, a lot of people think I'm a helicopter mom and I absolutely am not. I’m too tired to do that. I focus on: What could cause serious injury? And I prevent that.
Ask for Help
Jamie: It’s not a reflection on your parenting style if you don't know what you're doing. Everybody starts at nothing.
Turn up the Tunes
Alicia: The father of my kids, my baby daddy…he wanted classical music every day and I was like, ‘This is corny.’ But we've done it every day for a year, and our kids are really musically inclined.
Be Kind to Yourself
Holly: I probably spent the first two weeks of being a mom crying in a bathtub. No exaggeration and I just wish I could go back and give myself a hug. So, be gentle with yourself. [Having your first baby is] the wildest adjustment. Priorities are shifted, and it can be really hard. So give yourself grace.
Have Fun!
Alicia: Parenting is fun. When my twins turned one, I looked at them and it was like a sigh of relief. I was like, Oh damn, we survived. And I get that it’s going to be hard sometimes, but [being a parent] is actually fun.
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Meet our panelists and watch the full event with even more tips and sage advice here.
