Putting together a baby registry is hard work! There are way too many options and gadgets out there and it's hard to know what your baby will like and what you will actually use. I know so many friends and readers that are about to have babies, so I wanted to share my favorite products that I'm using with Sage everyday. This isn't a comprehensive list of what to put on your registry, more just a round up of my most-used items at this stage. Since I've been at this motherhood thing for all of 3 months, consider this "part one". If you guys are interested, I can share updates around 6 months and 1 year because heaven knows, what a baby needs and wants changes so much in the first year!

1. Wrap Style Carrier - Anthony and I both LOVE this thing! We also have an Ergo baby and a Moby wrap (both I found secondhand for a steal!) but this is CuddleBug Wrap Carrier is the one we reach for the most. The fabric is strong but stretchy which makes it a lot easier to get Sage in and out of. There are some good tutorials on YouTube if you are mystified on how these things work like I was.  After watching a video and practicing tying it twice, I was a pro!

2. Pacifiers and Pacifier Clips - We introduced pacifiers around 3-4 weeks and Sage took the Natursutten the best. I like that it's made from natural rubber and has a large shield that touches her nose and chin to mimic the feeling of breastfeeding. I recently ordered a patPAT because it has a similar one piece design and love the idea of a pacifier and teether in one. Plus, Lindsey (the owner/inventor of Ryan & Rose) just rocks at Instagram stories. We were gifted a pacifier clip at our baby shower and I think these are the best invention ever. The pacifier clip also prevents her pacifier from falling on the floor and getting dirty and or lost. Sage mostly uses a pacifier for naps and at bedtime but it's so handy to just clip it to her outfit so I don't have to go looking for it when we need it!

3. Portable Changing Station - My cousin's wife has a SkipHop Portable Changing Station for her son, and I knew I wanted to add one to our registry! In addition to being a changing pad, it has pockets for diapers and wipes and folds up nicely so it's easy to carry or throw into the diaper bag.

4. Baby Swing - We have the Graco Simple Sway Baby Swing and Sage loves it! She takes her morning nap in it everyday. The seat can be taken off for it to be a standalone bouncy chair as well.  It takes up a good bit of room, but it's definitely something we'll save for future babies once she outgrows it! 

5. Sleep Sacks - The hospital was out of sleep sacks somehow during our stay so we used a swaddle blanket, but since we've been home we've put Sage in a sleep sack every night before bed. They are safer for babies than a loose blanket and there are options with a swaddle wrap and without. We used a newborn size swaddle style one for the first few weeks and now we have a few different 0-6 month sleep sacks we cycle through. I love the Blue Daisy pattern of this one!

6. Promptly Journal - This was a gift from my best friend and I LOVE IT! I was having trouble finding a baby book I liked and she surprised me with this one. She knows me so well! It's called A Complete Childhood History and it's a beautiful linen bound book with simple journal prompts from pregnancy to 18 years. It's really the perfect baby book! It comes in a bunch of pretty colors, ours is sage green, of course!

7. Muslin Hooded Bath Towel - These towels are so soft, dry quickly and look adorable on her! They are lightweight but very absorbent and they have little belts we can use to tie them like a robe once she gets a little bigger. 

8. Canvas Diaper Backpack - my other best friend who lives in Hawaii now (and just had a baby herself!) sent us our dream diaper backpack stuffed with all the baby goodies. I can't say how much I love this bag! I wanted something utilitarian and unisex, so Anthony wouldn't feel silly carrying it but also, because I'm not a super girly girl anyway. I love having a backpack versus a purse style diaper bag because it keeps my hands and arms free. It has just the right number of pockets and side compartments that are great for stashing a water bottle and your phone. I give this diaper backpack a 10/10! It's from Oliday on Etsy. They have really nice looking camera bags and laptop bags too!

9. Dr. Bronners Unscented Baby Castile Soap - This is the soap we've been using with Sage since she was born. I love that castile soap has a million other uses and you just need a few drops so it lasts a long time. It's a natural, vegetable-based soap with no added fragrance or synthethic detergents or preservatives. 

10. Baby Bath Support - I didn't want an enormous baby bathtub that was bulky and hard to store, because they grow out of them so quickly! This Angelcare Bath Support is perfect. It has a simple and streamlined design, a soft mesh material that comfy for Sage, drains easily and has a built in hook for easy storage. 

Other Frequently Asked Baby Questions

For our car seat and stroller, we have this Graco travel system. My sister-in-law suggested getting a jogging stroller instead of a regular one, and I'm glad I did! This thing can go over curbs, grass, gravel and rough terrain with ease. We'll probably get an additional lightweight umbrella stroller once Sage is a little older, but for now this is all we need!

We are cloth diapering and honestly, it's not as hard as I thought it would be! This is the podcast that convinced me to give it a try. We use Bumgenius 5.0 Pocket Style cloth diapers and I'm really happy with them.

One item I didn't register for but wish I did?  A manual breast pump. I have a Medela double electric pump that was supplied by my insurance but I recently bought a one-piece silicone breast pump. (Shout out to my instagram friend Sierra for telling me about these!) Now that Sage is sleeping longer stretches, I found I was leaking a ton from whatever side I wasn't nursing her on in the middle of the night. Now I attach this thing and collect a couple ounces every night, just from the suction and completely hands-free. It would have been great to have for relieving engorgement in the early days of breastfeeding. The one piece design makes it super easy to clean too! I highly recommend it for any breastfeeding mom or mama-to-be.

Last thing! There are so many parenting books out there but one book I highly recommend? Baby Meets World by Nicholas Day. This is the book to pick up when you are burnt out on reading pregnancy and parenting books. It's not a book about how to do things with babies, its a book about how babies do things. It's a great blend of scientific research, the often strange and confounding history of child-rearing (did you know goat wet nurses were once a thing?) and the author's personal experiences as a stay-at-home dad. It's feel like the antithesis of a typical parenting book, because it doesn't tell you what to do. It highlights the mysteries, complexities and everything wonderful about babies and has let me see the little life we created in a whole new way.  But I'm not a professional book reviewer, so here's a description from someone who is:

“Nicholas Day has birthed a perfect book: expertly researched, beautifully written, wise, warm, honest, funny. What makes it fascinating is the same thing that makes it reassuring: When it comes to caring for babies, there has never been one right way to do it, but dozens--contradictory, bizarre (goat wet nurses!), hilarious in retrospect but always well-meant. If you have a baby, expect a baby, were or still are a baby, this is a book for you.” ―Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Gulp

Ok, one more thing but this is the last one - I promise! I didn't originally include a baby monitor on my favorite things list because we just started using one more recently. But I really love the one we have now! It's the YI Home Camera. It works with an app on your phone, has the ability to add more cameras (if you have or plan to have multiple kiddos!), has sound and video and also works as an intercom. And the best thing? It's only $30. 

Was this round up helpful? Would you like to see more motherhood and baby related posts on Stevie Storck Design Co. or are you just here for the interiors? Let me know in the comments below or join the conversation on Instagram!

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