5 Must Haves for Your Baby Shower Registry

#Amazinghood #Sponsored

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was pretty clueless as to what I should put on my baby registry. Being a first time parent is overwhelming as it is without having to decide what things to put on your registry. I remember going through the store and marking pretty much everything. I had no idea what would actually be useful and what wouldn't be. Some things were obvious, like the crib and diapers, but did I really need that baby swing? How often would I use a bouncer? What about a changing table? We had a pretty small space at the time and while I didn't want to forget something we would need, I also didn't have the room for a whole lot. I remember coming home from my baby shower, three cars and a full size pick-up truck full of stuff. It took 4 people to help unload it all and literally two months to wash clothes, organize things, and put baby furniture together. It was all pretty overwhelming. 

By the time I had my second child (5 years later), we had gotten rid of a lot of baby stuff because, even though we had moved into a new place, we hadn't had room in the old place to store it all until we decided when we would have another baby. My husband and I took care of purchasing the baby furniture that we needed, but since we were having a son this time around and were doing things a little differently (breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding, cloth vs. disposable diapering -which we actually didn't end up doing differently in the end after-all), we did compile a short baby shower registry for our second child. 

Sorting through the essentials the second time around. Significantly less stuff, but no less overwhelming! 

Because I know what it's like to not know what the essentials are and what are useless, I've compiled a list of things that I think all new parents should put on their registry.


- The Must Haves -

Diapers

Whether you plan to cloth diaper or use disposables, you are going to want to stock up before baby comes. Newborns and infants go through a ton of diapers a day and it's always a safe route to have stock in various sizes. Many new parents put diapers on their list, but they mostly stick to the newborn size diapers. I would only go with one or two packages of the newborns and focus more on the larger sizes. Your baby will grow faster than you think and a lot of the newborn diapers won't be used.

 Bottles

Just like with the diapers, it's not going to matter if you are breast or bottle feeding your little one, bottles are a necessity. Whether you are going to make up a stock of bottles for the day or you are going away, it's always a safe bet that you are going to need more than one bottle. Even if you are breastfeeding, you will need bottles to put the pumped milk into for later or so dad, brother, sister, or grandma can feed the baby. I would start with 6-8 bottles in various sizes as well as a stock of nipples. Trust me, you'll need them.

 Baby Sling

I didn't have a carrier for my daughter, but I learned from that when my son was born. There was no way I could get laundry or housework done holding him, but there was no way he would let me put him down, either. The baby carrier was vital to my sanity, but it also is great for bonding with your baby. These slings can be used from newborn clear up to toddler. It can even be worn by daddy, too!

Pack and Play

When I had my son, we used our pack and play far more than I ever thought we would. He slept in it in our room, we would move it to the living room for him to sleep/play in while we were in there, and we traveled with it. It had a changing table on it, too. Which is also why we never used our changing table that came with our crib.As a matter of fact, you'll quickly learn how little you will use a regular changing table. It takes up far too much room, and you will find that it's just far more convenient to change baby where ever you are on a blanket or changing pad rather than take the baby to the room with the changing table in it every hour or so. The newest Pack and Plays have everything you need from a bassinet, to a changing table, to a diaper and wipe holder, and some even have mobiles on them. You definitely want to make sure you put one of these on your registry.

Dreft Products

After your baby shower, you're going to spend a lot of time washing baby clothes. Not only will you wash them to prepare them for baby, but you will do more laundry than you ever dreamed you would after the baby comes. Not only do you need products that will get out all the yuckies that will inevitably end up all over those adorable clothes, but you need something that will be soft on your baby's delicate skin. Dreft has been around for as long as I can remember and is the #1 choice of pediatricians and dermatologists. Embrace the mess of #amazinghood with every stage of your baby's life with Dreft Newborn detergent, Dreft Active Baby Detergent, and Dreft Blissfulls in wash scent boosters. Dreft Newborn is hypoalergenic and made to be tough on stains, but soft on baby's delicate skin and senses. Dreft has been the trusted brand of moms for over 80 years and it's no wonder why these products are a popular baby registry item. The best part is they can be used in high efficiency machines as well! I swear to you, there's nothing like swaddling your little one in a blanket that has been washed in Dreft.

When asked about their baby shower registry, the popular reality TV couple, Sean and Catherine Lowe from the hit show "The Bachelor" have mentioned that Dreft Newborn is a must have. To celebrate their new role as parents, Dreft has partnered with the couple and want to share their beautiful, messy journey of amazinghood. Sean and Catherine held a Dreft "Loads of Love" baby shower on April 27th- where the couple was showered with love, support, and the essentials needed to prepare them for the arrival of their precious new bundle of joy. Over the next year, fans can share in the Lowe's journey through #amazinghood by following Dreft on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER where the couple will be sharing exclusive content and messy memories.

To celebrate the Lowes partnership with Dreft, I'm hosting a Dreft Baby Shower Package giveaway!
You can enter to win:

Dreft Newborn Detergent
Dreft Active Baby Detergent
Dreft Blissfulls In-Wash Scent Booster
Little Me Welcome to the World Bib and Burp set
Little Me Giraffe Gown and Hat
Gender Neutral Lovey

Dreft Baby Shower Giveaway

This post and giveaway were made possible by iConnect and Dreft. I was compensated for my participation in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine.