Registry Help: Feeding Baby

This post is specifically about all of the odds and ends that you'll need for feeding your baby.  I've gone through the Babies R' Us registry checklist and given my input on everything they recommend.  I am exclusively breastfeeding (and pumping at work), so you these recommendations are specific to that.  

Check out my others registry help posts:

• Sleepy Time
• On the Go
• Time to Play and Getting Dressed

Feeding Baby

• Your insurance should cover your breast pump.  I just called and got a list of what was covered and picked from those (there were only about 4 choices).  I got the Spectra S1 and it works well.  It's the same as the Spectra S2, except the S1 can run on a battery or be plugged in, whereas the Spectra S2 doesn't have a chargeable battery.
• Lansinoh Lanolin is great to "lube up" the flanges so that your boobs don't get sore when you're pumping.  I have 2 of those small bottles and they seem like they'll last a while.
• The Simple Wishes Hands-free Breastpump Bra is great for when you want to multi-task while pumping.  
• I use Bamboobies Bamboo disposable nursing pads.  You will leak, it's inevitable.  I have tried other brands (that I got as freebies in goodie bags), but they aren't as soft as the Bamboobies.  In the beginning, your boobs will be sore, so it's nice to have these soft pads.  I am already on my second box of these (I use at least 2 pads per day, so a box only lasts a month).  
• Breastmilk storage bags - I'm currently using NUK Seal N' Go bags and haven't had any issues yet, but they also aren't anything special.  I think any decent brand will do.  
• Nursing covers - I have 2 Milk Snob Covers which seem great, but I haven't really used them.  I attempted to early on and decided it was honestly more of a pain to try to nurse with a cover and that I didn't care what people saw.  If you do plan to use a cover though, these are nice quality and can also be used to cover up the car seat to keep the baby warm.  
• Nursing pillow - I have 2 Boppy Pillows and love them.  I started with one, but decided to get one for upstairs and one for downstairs because I use it EVERY time I feed him and was tired of having to go find it.  I have a protective slipcover for each boppy.  And then I also have 3 decorative slipcovers for the boppys (which go over the protective cover) - I have one for each and a spare if one gets dirty.  
• I didn't bother buying any bottles at all because I was breastfeeding, so I knew I wouldn't need many.  I just collected an assortment of freebies from registry goodie bags.  We tried a few out with Jackson to see what worked best for us and we landed on the Philips Avent Natural bottle with a Size 1 nipple (this is lowest flow).  We have a set of 9 of these bottles now, which is plenty.  My lactation consultant told me for a breastfed baby there is no point to getting lager bottles or different sized nipples - her point was that our nipples don't grow as the baby grows, so there's no reason to change the bottle nipples - just stick with Size 1.
• I didn't buy specific burp clothes, I used the receiving blankets for this.  
• For pacifiers, I got Wubbanubs and love them (we have 4, so we can have them all over the house and in the diaper bag).  Jackson can hold onto the animal and it makes it harder to lose them.  I also got a few regular Philips Soothies pacifiers (they're the same as the ones attached to the Wubbanubs).  I got one 2 pack of the 0-3 months and one 2 pack on the 2 3 months+
• For teethers, we just got Sophie the Giraffe.  I also think that the teething jewelry is cool, but haven't used it yet, so I can't tell you if it's worth it.  
• We haven't picked out a high chair yet, because it takes up space and it's not necessary until he's a little older.  
• For drying bottles, pump parts, pacifiers, etc. we have the Boon Lawn -it's adorable and works well.  If you don't have the space for it, you can get the Grass instead - it's a little smaller, but I wanted the Lawn to fit all of the pump parts.  I also have 2 Boon Twigs for the bottle nipples and pacifiers.
• We use the Muchkin Dishwasher Baskets to safely wash all of the small pump parts in the dishwasher.  

Baby Gadgets and Gizmos Must Haves

Now that we've almost reached the one month mark, I wanted to give some insight into all of the baby gear available - what we returned, what we sent our parents out on a emergency run for on our second day home and what we couldn't live without.

The Must Haves

1.  An easy to use stroller.  Make sure you try these out in the store!  On our many trips to Babies R' Us, I've watched parents struggling to put together strollers that look like they should require a degree in engineering.  Our stroller pops up and down with just the click of a button - something that I can easily do one handed, which is great when you're holding a baby in a car-seat and a diaper bag in the other hand.

2.  A safe sleeping area for your little one.  We had originally planned on using our Pack N Play for the baby to sleep in our room, but our little one wasn't a fan in the beginning.  After a few sleepless nights, we sent out our parents to buy this Soothing Motion Bassinet - it was a life saver.  It plays music, vibrates and projects lights onto the ceiling (which our now one month old loves to stare at).  We keep it upstairs in our room for him to sleep in at night and the Pack N Play stays downstairs for daytime naps.

3.  Boppy Pillows if you are breastfeeding.  We got the Bare Naked pillow, the waterproof protective cover, and 2 slipcovers.  After 2 weeks of carrying the pillow upstairs for night time feedings, downstairs during the day and loading it into the car for our outings, I caved an purchased a second pillow and 2 additional covers.  It's not necessary, but it was totally worth it to me.  I know have one for upstairs and one for downstairs/the car.

4.  SwaddleMes.  These were a life saver!  Unlike the nurses at the hospital, my hubby and I were not experts at swaddling our little man as snuggly as he wanted to be in those cute little receiving blankets (I'll talk about those in a minute though).  We have 5 of these and sometimes have used all 5 in one night (our son spits up a lot in his sleep, so some nights we have to use a new SwaddleMe every time he woke up).

5.  Receiving blankets.  I honestly didn't understand the purpose of these blankets until our son arrived.  The answer is EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING.  Cleaning up spit-up, swaddling him, extra coverage for him while he's in the car seat/stroller, laying down for a diaper change, covering the Boppy when all of the covers are ditry, and so much more.  We have about a dozen flannel blankets and another half dozen of the light muslin blankets and it still seems like there are never enough.  We also had 2 packs of these cloth diapers that we use for the same purposes.

6.  Wubbanubs.  We have so many freebie pacifiers that we got and we don't really use any of them.  We almost exclusively use these adorable Soothies.  Not only do the little animals make it easy to keep track of the pacifiers, but they also make for a great distraction during diaper changes!

7.  Snuza Hero.  This is probably my favorite baby item!  It is a little expensive, but totally worth the peace of mind that it provides.  The little device clips on to baby's diaper and monitors their breathing.  If they go too long without breathing, the clip vibrates to remind them to breathe.  If that doesn't work, then an alarm sounds so that you can check on them.  During a night time diaper change the other day, the warning light was red, which meant that at some point the clip had to vibrate to remind our sweetie to breathe.  This device potentially saved our sons life and we make sure to have it on him at all times.

8.  A baby carrier for baby wearing.  I know that this isn't for everyone, but my hubby and I are both huge fans.  It's a nice way to get around with our son when a stroller is inconvenient and is also awesome for keeping baby near you while doing things around the house.  Depending on the situation, I think it's nice to have both a structured carrier as well as a fabric one.  We have the Baby Bjorn One and the K'tan Active and are happy with both.  The Baby Bjorn is quick to use and provides a lot of support for my back, which was important to me.  The K'tan Active is very lightweight, which means when we wear baby out for a walk around the neighborhood and it's hot out, I don't have to worry about him overheating.

9.  Bravado Dream Nursing Tanks.  At $50 a pop, these are a little expensive , but totally worth it.  I tried several different tops, but nothing gave me the support I needed (I was a D cup prior to pregnancy and I'm now an E, so support was extremely important to me).  I have 2 of these at the moment and have been living in them.  Around the house they're about all that I wear and when I go out I just throw a nursing top over it.  No additional bra necessary.

10.  Breast pads.  Your boobs are going to leak - it's unavoidable.  And if you don't want to change your bra and/or shirt multiple times a day, you'll want breast pads.  I went with Bamboobies - they are nice and soft and didn't irritate my nipples while I was adjusting to breastfeeding.

11.  Lanolin cream if you are pumping.  I place this on the inside of the flanges of my pump to reduce friction and make pumping a little more comfortable.

12.  Changing pad liners.  These make the middle of the night blow-outs suck less. Instead of having to pull off the whole cover to the changing pad and put a new one on, we just had to switch out these liners.  We have 9 of them and that seems like a good amount.

13.  Sleep N' Plays.  At one month old, these are pretty much all our little man wears.  Those cute outfits people will buy for you are great and adorable for outings and pictures, but not realistic when you are doing diaper and outfit changes every few hours.  You will want lots of Sleep N' Plays and you want to make sure they are the ones with zippers, NOT snaps.  Trying to match up the snaps at 2AM when you've only had an hour of sleep is not fun.  We also preferred the footed ones, that way we don't have to worry about putting on socks.

14.  Baby first aid kit.  You can buy an actual kit, but I just bought what I thought we'd need. This included nail clippers/nail file, a thermometer, gas drops, infant Tylenol, a nasal aspirator (the hospital sent us home with one) and Band-aids.  We have already used the nail clippers, the thermometer, and the gas drops.  It was great to already have these things on hand and not have to make an emergency run for them.

Breastfeeding Basket

In order to make breastfeeding easier, I've made a breastfeeding basket with all of the necessities in one place.  Most of the items are ones that I talked about registering for here.

Here's what my basket includes:

• Cloth Diapers - I'll be using these in place of burp cloths for anything that needs to be wiped or cleaned up.  
• Baby wipes - for when your burp cloths don't cut it
• Bamboobies Disposable Nursing pads - place these in your nursing bra or tank to catch any leaks and to prevent whatever cream you're using from staining your tops.
• Lansinoh Lanolin Breast Cream:  use this to coat the flanges on your pump before pumping to provide some lubrication.  This protects your breasts and makes pumping more comfortable.
• Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Balm:  apply on a daily basis to your breasts to keep them hydrated and soothed.
• Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads:  help to soothe and heal sore nipples.  They are supposed to provide instant relief and are recommended especially for when you are first starting to breastfeed.  
• Philips Avent Thermal Gel Pads:  hot and cold packs for your boobs.  You can warm them to increase milk slow or cool them to provide relief from engorgement.  I registered for 2 sets, so that I can have one heating or cooling while I am using the other.  
• Pacifier
• Toy/rattle
• Chapstick
• Hair ties
• Snacks
• Water bottles
• Book/magazine

Registry: Breastfeeding and Pumping

Obviously breastfeeding is not for everyone and is a personal choice.  As I plan to breastfeed, I've included what I've learned below.

Breast Pump

I will be home for the first 6 months of my pregnancy and plan to almost exclusively breastfeed during that time.  However, I will have to pump once I return to work, so for me a breast pump is considered an essential.

If you plan on getting a breast pump, my advice is to start by calling your insurance company.  There were 6 pumps that my insurance covered completely. After you have your list of covered pumps, then start your research.  Reviews of many common pumps can be found here.  I ended up getting the Spectra S1 because it had excellent reviews and was covered by my insurance.


Breast Pump Bag

This is definitely an extra and some pumps may come with their own bag.  I have heard amazing things about the Sarah Wells Lizzy bag, so I am registered for that.  However, I don't think I will buy it for myself if I don't receive it as a gift. Keep in mind that not all bags fit all pumps, so make sure you do your research.  Another extra that I've registered for is this matching wet pouch to  store your used parts in until you can clean them.


Breast Milk Storage

If you are pumping, then you need somewhere to store it all.  You can read reviews of the top storage bags here.  I picked Nuk Seal n' Go Milk Storage Bags because they has the least reported leaks, were self-standing, and a reasonable price.  Along with storage bags, you'll want something to keep them organized.  I plan on just using a soda can box as shown here, but if you want something else, the First Years Breastflow Freezer Milk Organizer comes highly rated.


Boppy Pillow

The is a must in my book.  You'll want something to provide support while you're feeding the baby.  I've registered for the Original Boppy Nursing Pillow, the water-proof protective slipcover and two two covers (one to have on and one as a spare).  Some moms like to have two pillows - one for each floor of their house, so that's something to consider.


Breast Care

• Lansinoh Lanolin Breast Cream:  use this to coat the flanges on your pump before pumping to provide some lubrication.  This protects your breasts and makes pumping more comfortable.
• Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Balm:  apply on a daily basis to your breasts to keep them hydrated and soothed.
• Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads:  help to soothe and heal sore nipples.  They are supposed to provide instant relief and are recommended especially for when you are first starting to breastfeed.  
• Philips Avent Thermal Gel Pads:  hot and cold packs for your boobs.  You can warm them to increase milk slow or cool them to provide relief from engorgement.  I registered for 2 sets, so that I can have one heating or cooling while I am using the other.  
• Bamboobies Disposable Nursing Pads:  place these in your nursing bra or tank to catch any leaks and to prevent whatever cream you're using from staining your tops.