Registry Roundup
/You’ve found out you’re expecting… is there more exciting and equally daunting news?!
Building your baby registry will be the first experience of many as a parent that involves decisions amidst a bombardment of available options.
The global baby product market is a shocking 10.9 billion dollar industry. The promotion of baby products such as skin care, cosmetic and toiletry items, safety items, and feeding items requires extensive marketing campaigns. Research shows that convenience-oriented routine and rising consumer awareness regarding child health boosts the sale of baby products (GrandView Research).
Companies are looking to appeal to societal trends and consumer preference. Take breastfeeding as an example: given the increase in the amount of breastfeeding mothers in recent years, a favorite marketing term for companies is “breastfeeding-friendly.”
We mention this so that you might keep it in mind as you browse the endless options available to you as you purchase items that will help you navigate life with your little one.
Here, we provide a non-exhaustive list of speech therapist, physical therapist, lactation counselor, and mom approved items that may be worth considering adding to your registry. We are not partial to, sponsored by, or affiliated with any of the listed brands or products. These items are just some that we’ve tried and loved in our experience working with moms and babies. No baby is one size fits all, so these products will work for most and not for some. These are just products after all, and cannot replace us reading, watching, and responding to our babies needs.
When creating a baby registry, often less is more. Remember that 10.9 billion dollar industry? They really love your money, and will make anything and everything look enticing to you!
For any product you consider purchasing, a great question to ask yourself is why might this product be helpful to me or my little one? Or maybe what purpose will this serve? If you really have to think long and hard about an answer, maybe reconsider, or maybe text your pediatric therapist friend to ask their opinion :)
Here goes some of our favorite registry adds!
Luna Lullaby Nursing Pillow | While the Boppy and My Breast Friend pillows are other tried and true favorites, we like the design of this pillow that conforms well to the body and allows for sturdy but flexible support.
Bamboo nursing pads | A soft reprieve to your breast between breast feeds that absorbs well.
Motherlove nipple cream | A clean list of ingredients to provide some relief and protection between feedings. However, if you’re trying to make a cream do the job of saving you from excruciating pain, you may need to consult with a feeding or lactation specialist to determine why you’re in pain!
Haakaa hand pump | A secret weapon for catching letdowns and storing milk little by little. Can also be a huge help for clearing clogged ducts.
Spectra S2 pump | While various brands of pumps do a great job of extracting milk, we like the Spectra S2 for its efficacy as a hospital grade pump. Our busy working moms may prefer the convenience of the Willow or Elvie hands-free pumps. *Disclaimer: pumping is an art form! If pumping hurts or is causing nipple damage, your flange may not fit correctly and/or you may be using your pump settings incorrectly. Consider consulting with an IBCLC or CLC to help navigate the world of pumping.
Pumping Spray | A little known tip for pumping is to lubricate the flanges to allow for ease of movement and less friction. Legendairy Milk’s pumping spray makes this easy to apply!
Solly wrap | A convenient and cozy way to rack up skin-to-skin contact time and provide co-regulation opportunities with your baby is with a wrap. The Solly and other fabric wraps (like the Ring Sling, Wildbird, and Moby) offer a malleable hold that allows for good support without restricting infant mobility.
Ergo 360 Baby Carrier | Another carrier option we love for older babes. This one provides more structured support than the fabric wraps.
Soothie or Ninni pacifier | Ah, to give a pacifier or not! This could be its own post. There is certainly a time and place for a paci. As therapists, we like the right type of pacifier as a therapeutic tool for improving suck mechanics and facilitating regulation. While we are not partial to a brand, the round shape of the Soothie or Ryan and Rose round pacifier is conductive to correct tongue movement with non-nutritive sucking. The Ninni is a new pacifier on the market that helps facilitate a breast-like experience (not like most pacifiers marketed this way!).
Dr. Brown’s, Lansinoh, or Evenflo Proflo bottle | Even if you aren’t planning to bottle feed, a bottle should probably be on your registry list. And there are a slew of them out there! Despite what a company may advertise, many “breast-friendly” bottles aren’t as they seem. The bottles listed allow for a more optimal latch and boast a more graded nipple slope that allows for improved tongue cupping and lip seal. Again, this could be a post by itself (and may become one!)
Fluxy or Tube-shaped teethers | As babe is gearing up for transitioning to solid foods, we want to encourage oral exploration with long-armed teethers that help prep for molar chewing and provide opportunities for sensory mapping in the oral cavity.
Noggin Stick rattle | A tried and true therapy favorite toy, especially for use during tummy time!
Newton mattress | A breathable mattress that provides an extra level of safety during sleep, especially as our growing babies start to move more.
Nose Frieda and Saline Mist | Cleaning your little one’s nose should be part of their basic hygiene routine! Saline spray is a great regular addition to help keep those passages open and flushed for strong nasal breathing. The Nose Frieda is a funny but effective contraption that helps clear any gunk or buildup.
Nobody Ever Told Me (Or My Mother) That! | Diane Bahr, MS, CCC-SLP, wrote an amazing parent-friendly book on “everything from bottles and breathing to healthy speech development.” A look at early oral development from a therapeutic lens and practical tips for encouraging it at home.
Wingbo swing or exercise ball | Fun and creative tools to encourage tolerance of tummy time. The baby product market would love to sell you 1,001 different “containers” that your baby “needs.” We could start down a rabbit hole here, but bottom line: the more time your baby can spend outside of a “container” and in your arms or on a flat surface in various positions, the more you’re supporting their gross motor development and nervous system!
Shatterproof floor mirror | An expensive buy, but a beautiful multi-purpose investment! A favorite for floor tummy time and engaging babies with their reflection in a mirror.
Nomi high chair | A wonderful (and pricey!) high chair option that provides great postural support with an adjustable footrest, the option to remove tray for chair to sit at the family table, easy to clean, and grows with your child into a regular chair. Other favorites include Abiie Beyond, Stokke Clikk, Primo Cozy Tot, and Keekaroo Height Right, among others.
EZPZ Straw Training System | See our recent post about the importance of introducing an open or straw cup to your little one around 6 months of age. EZPZ makes this easy (😉) with their straw training system complete with a tiny open cup (perfect for little hands) and a straw + lid
GooTensils | Whether you plan to introduce purées or table foods first, we hope you will encourage your baby to self-feed and explore their foods on their own! GooTensils help make that possible by removing the coordinated bring-utensil-to-mouth-without-spilling process that’s tough for young babes to do with regular spoons and forks (although that skill is important too as kiddos grow!).
We hope this helps you sift through the hundreds of thousands of options available to you.
Happy registering!
