Baby Talk: 30 Weeks + Baby Registry Essentials

Happy Friday, sweet friends! Now that we’re getting closer, I thought I’d bump up the frequency of my baby updates. No worries, I still have zero intention of inundating you with baby stuff all the time, but I know how many questions I’ve had about, well, everything (and how much I’ve been researching and how many YouTube videos I’ve been watching), so I’m hoping that sharing my experience and planning process will be useful for some of you. So, the invitations for my baby shower were mailed this week! Most people should be receiving them in the mail today or tomorrow, so in advance of that I made sure to really research and plan out our baby registry. Today I am sharing some of the baby registry essentials that we settled on after compiling B’s experience being a dad (which is honestly so helpful) and consulting with friends who are already pros at baby-rearing themselves. Is there anything you would add to the list? I’d love to know what baby essentials you could not live without! Enlighten me. Please!

[For information and shopping links, be sure to click through to check out all the details after the jump!]

I’m not sure what it is about the number 30, but this week definitely feels like the start of the home stretch! I’m starting to get a bit more anxious overall, especially surrounding when and how our little one will make their arrival. The inability to really plan or know what is going to happen or when is admittedly starting to drive me a bit batty. For now I’m content to have the little nugget stay right in place for a bit longer, but I am definitely feeling the [self-afflicted] pressure to get a lot done over the next month. 30 weeks! I swear that happened in a flash.

It’s a Girl!

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll  likely have seen that last week we were finally able to confirm gender. It’s a girl! We’ve pretty much known since 20 weeks, but had a hard time confirming it due to a sleepy baby at 20 weeks and a cross-legged baby at 24 weeks, so we decided to keep it under wraps until we knew for sure. Honestly, I pretty much knew immediately after we found out we were expecting. Even when we would toss around baby names, there was always a voice in the back of my head telling me we were wasting our time even talking about boy names. Speaking of, we do have a name picked out (although we’re still settling on her middle name), but we won’t be sharing that with anyone until after she’s here. (I am crazy superstitious about that kind of thing!)

To C-Section or Not to C-Section?

Following full ultrasounds at 20, 24 and 29 weeks, we’re still looking at a c-section. My placenta has shifted some but as of yet not enough to clear me for vaginal delivery, plus the baby is breech at the moment. (Breech babies are pretty common with placenta previa, so that wasn’t entirely unexpected.) My next OB appointment will be next week, just shy of 31 weeks, at which time we’ll be starting to put together a more firmed up plan of action with our doctor. At this point, I am trying to double down on work so I can prepare to be laid up for a couple of weeks while I’m recovering. Any tips or advice?

Symptoms

And, of course, this is the part where I annoy all of you moms who have come before me by reporting that I still have had about zero symptoms. The continued issues with sleeping and discomfort in my hips (especially when I’m horizontal for longer than an hour or two) persist, but otherwise I feel great. No swelling, no aches or pains, no heartburn, no nada. The heat gets to me now that I’m getting further along, so I’ve been enjoying our occasional bursts of more temperate weather as fall sneaks into the picture. And I am definitely having more days where I feel more tired in general again, but by and large, other than one very stubborn placenta, I am kind of having a dream pregnancy so far. Knock on wood!

Coming Up

My baby shower is just under a month away and I’ve also seriously kicked the planning and organizing into high gear when it comes to the nursery. Several pieces have been selected and ordered, and we’re actually going to start clearing the room and putting the crib together this weekend. You can expect to see full details about both the shower and the nursery in the next month or two! I am sure I’ll be sharing sneak peeks on Instagram in the meantime, but you can rest assured that I will be documenting and posting about all the details. Stay tuned!

1. Chicco Lullago Portable Bassinet – Knowing the baby will be sleeping in our room for a month or two, a bassinet was a must. We chose this one because it’s lightweight and super portable so it makes for easy travel, too. Also, it has a clean, simple design that I really dig.
2. Fisher-Price SpaceSaver High Chair – The space saving nature of this high chair makes it a win for us. Plus, the price is pretty outstanding, too. Bonus points for the cute color and pattern options!
3. Socks – Because babies like warm feet. Also, because if the big kiddos are any indication, our house apparently eats socks so we need all of them we can get. (Also, I just really love all the basics at Baby Gap.)
4. Aden + Anais Muslin Lovey – I’m all about gorgeous toys for baby and kids, so this pretty muslin lovey fits the bill. Plus, I know a lot of babies just love a good lovey.
5. Keekaroo Peanut Changer – The price on this bad boy has me debating it, however I love the idea of a changing pad that is slip-free and doesn’t require covers making mess clean-up a breeze. Maybe it’s worth it?
6. Babyganics Baby Shampoo + Body Wash – We’ve decided to start the baby off with Babyganics products, because we both have sensitive skin (so our kid likely will, too) and we want something that’s paraben and sulfate-free. Hopefully this will agree with her, and if not we’ll give something else a try. Any suggestions?
7. Philips Avent Soothie Pacifier – I know babies have their own thoughts when it comes to pacifiers, but I figured we’d start with a few of these on the registry. They come in fun colors and they’re BPA-free. I’ll take it!
8. Nuna Mixx Stroller – One of the first things I settled on was my love for this stroller. It has a high end design that I dig, but it’s less expensive than most luxury brands. It’s light weight, has loads of great features and it’s convertible, making it perfect from the newborn stage up to 50 pounds. So many wins here!
9. Motorola Digital Video Baby Monitor – We decided on a video monitor because the baby will be with me during the day for hopefully the first year. I’m hoping the video monitor will help me to know if I need to take a break in my work or if she’s awake but still content to play by herself for a bit before I stop what I’m doing.
10. Baby Bath Tub – There are so many bath tub options out there, but I really think simple is best for us in this department. We have a super deep sink in the kitchen so honestly I imagine a lot of her baths happening there at first, then we’ll move up to this very basic but functional tub.
11. OXO Tot PerfectPull Wipes Dispenser – Wipe warmers seem to get a lot of mixed reviews, but most people I know give them a thumbs down. I do love the idea of a simple dispenser, and this one gets rave reviews!
12. Newborn Onesies – Because I know she won’t live in much else at first, I made sure to register for some very basic newborn onesies, hoping to save most of the cuter onesies and outfits for when she’s a bit bigger. Onesies, sleepers, pajamas. That’s the plan for the first couple months!
13. Bumbo Floor Seat – Some people will contend that a baby seat such as the Bumbo is useless and they might be right. That said, I’ve given several as baby shower gifts, all to parents who ended up loving their Bumbo, so I decided to register for one as well.
14. Vicks Digital Thermometer Pacifier – People keep telling me you need like a million thermometers, all of different varieties. I’m still wrapping my head around that one, but in the meantime I think this pacifier thermometer is kind of brilliant.
15. Oil Diffuser – A sweet friend of mine recommended having a great oil diffuser for warming lavender oil at night time in the nursery. We’re really into essential oils anyway so this made a ton of sense to me. I love the clean design of this one and the fact that it has two settings for controlling the strength of the fragrance.
16. Newborn Mittens – I’m going to try a few different kinds, but newborn mittens are one of those obvious musts. Also, babies in mittens are just adorable.
17. Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddles – As soon as you’re pregnant you’ll hear everyone raving about Aden + Anais swaddles, and with good reason. They’re soft, lovely and feature the loveliest colors and patterns.
18. 4moms mamaRoo Infant Seat – The mamaRoo is another one of those baby products you’ll hear a lot about. I have a couple of friends who swear by it as both a sleeper and a swing, so we’re going to give it a go! It plays white noise (or you can sync up your phone via bluetooth to play music) and has several different motions and speeds so you can keep baby nice and content.
19. Baby Bath Robe – Because is there anything more adorable than a baby bath robe? We’ll use this in addition to the standard hooded bath towels.
20. Ubbi Diaper Pail – The Ubbi is a bit more expensive than some diaper pails, but it has one strong advantage that made it the winner for me – it can take any standard trash bag, no expensive refills required. (Also, it comes in loads of great colors!)
21. Wooden Kid’s Hangers – Little people require little hangers! And, if you’re crazy like me, you run a household sans plastic hangers, making these classic, sturdy wooden hangers a great pick.
22. Bum Genius Freetime Cloth Diapers – Yes, we are planning to cloth diaper! Not during the newborn phase when we’ll use disposables, but by the time she’s 6 – 8 weeks we’re hoping to transition over. I’ve done a lot of research and I think these one-size all-in-one diapers will be the best choice for us, but I’d love all of your cloth diapering suggestions if you have them!
23. Cybex Aton Q Infant Car Seat – I researched car seats like they were going out of style a few months back and finally settled on this beauty from Cybex. The key reason is the size. It features an ergonomic design that allows it to have a smaller base, making it a great fit for smaller cards. (B and I both drive VWs and we have no interest in trading either for a larger vehicle.) It also has loads of superior safety features, a sleek design and awesome colors. B’s mom actually already bought this for us and we are super impressed with it and how it fits in both of our cars!