Registering for Baby #2

One of the downfalls of being a military family is being away from family during those big moments in life- like having a baby! During my pregnancy with Shaun, we lived in California- across the country from all our loved ones...in fact, this pregnancy is the first time that ANY of our family or friends have actually seen me pregnant (aside from when I was 5-6 weeks and not at all showing). By the time they saw us again, Shaun was almost 5 months old and I believe I'd already lost most of the baby weight (thank you breastfeeding!). I also didn't have any friends in California either...it was truly just me and my husband! So, one of the experiences I really missed out on was having a real baby shower experience. Our families tried to make it work as best as they could...videotaping/doing a webcam type shower, which was wonderful, but I still definitely feel as though I missed out on that experience. So even though my family is typically very traditional (not having showers for each baby), my mom and sisters decided to throw me one anyway, and for that I am very thankful!! But that also meant that I really needed to get my behind in gear and get a registry together for the invites!

It would seem registering for a second baby would be easier...we should already know what we need, right? I didn't find that to be the case though! Yes, I knew what we needed but I was having trouble picking specifics...and I'll admit some of the big items I'm not super picky about...like the swing or playpen. I added my favorites of both onto the registry anyway, but honestly if the swing plugs in and is girly, I'm happy with any and the same with the playpen...I'm not really all that picky on prints so long as it serves its purpose! Blankets, clothes, etc...if they're cute, I'm happy. Maybe I just like being surprised? I really don't know why I had such a hard time deciding!

Still, there were a few things on my must have/really want list:

First, there were our most used items from Shaun: a Boppy pillow, nursing cover, moses basket and wrap carrier...all of which we already have and didn't need to add to the registry. (I did however add a few Boppy covers and other carrier options that I love-like an Ergo.)


The Stroller: Graco Ready2Grow LX Stand & Ride Stroller. This is one I've remained pretty specific about, though any stroller of this style would be okay, as long as it has a higher weight limit. For us, this one is a matter of safety. Shaun has a tendency to run off if not holding someone's hand...even onto oncoming traffic...he as no sense of danger! It would be difficult, if not impossible to push a stroller AND hang onto his hand so a stroller like this with a sit or stand option for big kids is perfect for us if we need it! Of course, we'll baby wear most often, but still need a stroller for when we are not!!

Bathtime: Blooming Bath. First of all, how absolutely adorable are these? I've wanted one since I first saw them! For us, it's also pretty practical for the early days too (until we absolutely NEED a baby tub). We don't have a ton of storage space and this would certainly take up less room than a typical baby tub!

Diapers: We are cloth diapering and have a large variety of cloth diapers listed on the registry ..from bumgenius, charlie banana, alva baby...plus prefolds and inserts and accessories. I still have to add a few more things of this nature to the registry, but this is definitely our biggest NEED, which I think is pretty clear with the large number of options we have listed!

Receiving Blankets/Swaddling Blankets: Again, I have a large variety on our registry and will be happy with ANY (even those not listed)...I do particularly LOVE the Aden + Anais swaddling blankets though, and would love a few more of those...but we used these for EVERYTHING with Shaun...swaddling, burp cloths, playing on the floor, changing diapers, nursing covers...the list goes on...we had a big basket full for Shaun and used every single one of them...often!

There were also some items we left off the registry completely: burp cloths- like I said we used receiving blankets for that purpose with Shaun (we were also lucky that he rarely spit up, so having something just for that purpose really just wasted space- of course Finley could be different, but still I prefer to have the multi use blankets anyway). Bottles- Though I don't believe we registered for any with Shaun either, we ended up with several and Shaun never would take any so again for us it was a waste of time and space...I do plan to have one or two just in case I need to pump, but don't want to have any more than that in case she's like big brother in that way. Pacifiers- same deal, we had MANY and Shaun refused every single one. We have 2-3 I believe already which we may try if needed (after nursing is going good), and may buy more from there but again just don't want to end up with an abundance that go unused. I also want to avoid them if possible anyway because Shaun has an obsession with them now (ironically) and will want to use them as well.

I'm sure I've missed a few of the big ones, but really, most everything at this point really is more want than need anyway...baby has clothes, a place to sleep and a food source...give her some diapers and the rest is just extra, right? If you'd like to check out our full registry, you can view it here: Finley's Registry. (This website is wonderful...you can register for items from any website, all in one place...and even do like I did and have it linked to your in-store registries as well! Love it!)

What were your registry must haves/do with outs? Did you register for baby #2- was it easier or harder the second time around for you? Any must see new baby products I should look into?