Hellobee

Name: Susie
Baby’s Age & Gender: 1 year old girl
Registry: Buy Buy Baby
City: Astoria, NY
Home Size: 2 bedroom, 950 sq foot apartment
Lifestyle: My husband and I both work and commute on the subway into Manhattan, but we do own a car. My husband’s parents live in CT and mine live in NJ, so we are constantly driving back and forth between NY, CT, and NJ on the weekends.

FEEDING

Avent iQ Electronic Bottle and Baby Food Warmer
OXO Bottle Brush
BornFree 5-Ounce Eco Classic Bottles (2-Pack)
BornFree Level 1 Slow Flow Wide Neck Nipples (Set of 2)
Born Free 5 Ounce Glass Bottle
Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags
Lansinoh Ultra Soft Nursing Pads
Bebe au Lait Burp Cloths (Set of 3) – Valencia
Aden + Anais “Safari” Burpy Bibs
Aden + Anais “Oh, Girl” Burpy Bibs
Boon Grass Countertop Drying Rack
BEABA Babycook Baby Food Maker
BEABA Multiportion Freezer Tray – Orange
BEABA Multiportion Freezer Tray – Pink
Balboa Baby Nursing Cover – Brown & Green
Boppy Miracle Middle Pillow
Boppy Signature Soft Stripe Pillow Slipcover – Pink

BATH & POTTY

Fisher Price Aquarium Bath Center
TL Care Organic Terry Robe – Pink
TL Care Organic Terry Hooded Towel Set – Pink
TL Care Organic Washcloth (set of 4) – Pink
Swaddle Designs Mod Circles Baby Washcloths (Set of 2)
Skip Hop Hare Comb & Brush Set
Skip Hop Pronto Red Mini Changer

BABY BEDDING

Nature’s Purest Sleepy Safari 4 Piece Crib Bedding Set
Nature’s Purest Sleepy Safari Diaper Stacker
Nature’s Purest Sleepy Safari  Hamper
Nature’s Purest Sleepy Safari  Fitted Crib Sheet
Nature’s Purest Sleepy Safari Receiving Blanket
Nature’s Purest Knit Sleepy Safari Animal – Elephant
Nature’s Purest Sleepy Safari Hooded Towel and Wash Mitt
TL Care Organic Mattress Pad
Naturepedic Organic 4-Sided Contoured Changing Pad
Sand Changing Pad Cover by Boppy
Pink Changing Pad Cover by Boppy
Aden + Anais “Oh Girl” Muslin Swaddle Blankets (4-Pack)
Aden + Anais “Safari” Muslin Swaddle Blankets (4-Pack)
BB Basics Flannel Waterproof Portable Flat Crib Pad
Graco Classic Pack ‘n Play
Eddie Bauer Quilted Velboa Ecru Play Yard Sheet
Graco Pack ‘n Play White Changing Table Pad Covers – 2 Pack
Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard Sheet

CARSEATS & STROLLERS

Kiddopotamus Deluxe PiddlePad Waterproof Seat Liner
Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Cat Sear Rain Shield
Fisher Price Precious Planet Mobile Auto Mirror
Kiddopotamus Snuzzler Complete Head and Body Support
Valco Baby Bevi Buddy Cup Holder
BRICA Snack Pod
Mighty Buggy Stroller Hook
The Mommy Hook Double Stroller Hook
Dr. Sears Adjustable Sling by Balboa Baby

INFANT TOYS

Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym
Vulli Sophie the Giraffe
Manhattan Toy Winkel
Bright Starts InGenuity Crade and Sway Swing

MISCELLANEOUS

Safety 1st ProGrade Complete Family Thermometer
Sleep Sheep by Cloud B
Crane Adorable Cow Ultrasonic Humidifier
Crane Demineralization Filter Cartridge
Buy Buy Baby $25 Gift Cards

– Wide mouth thermos to keep hot water in for bottle warming on the go.

1) Coolwazoo – I love the extra large size, and there are so many uses for it — high chair cover, swing cover, changing pad, etc.

2) Aden + Anais swaddle blankets – Everyone’s fave; I love the large size and soft feel.

3) Babybjorn High Chair – Words cannot express how much I love this high chair. It looks small, but my robust 22 month old nephew fits perfectly well in it also!

4) Prince Lionheart Wipes Warmer – I received the Lionheart Wipes Warmer, which I did not register for because I was told it was an unnecessary purchase. This turned out to be a game changer for me, especially when you have a baby born in the winter. Our baby cried whenever we changed her diaper until I finally set up the wipes warmer. We’ve been using it ever since!  Yes, it is definitely considered a luxury, but we love it.

5) Aden + Anais bibs – Best bibs ever. I love that you can use them as burpies, drool wipers, and then snap it around the neck to use as a bib that covers everything including the shoulders.

6) Triple Paste Diaper Cream – I’ve tried almost every type of diaper cream, but this is the creamiest and works the best, at least for me. The price tag is a bit more than other creams however.

7) Miracle Blanket – This is what helped our daughter sleep through the night.

8) Puppy Pads – I can’t take credit for this because I got the idea from Bee, but these are a lifesaver in the first few months when your baby’s poop is watery. I still carry them in my diaper bag to use over public changing tables (it’s the germaphobe in me). I’ve tried other brands but some are made out of slippery plastic. This brand is slip resistant and doesn’t slide around when you’re changing your baby.

9) Avent iQ Bottle and Baby Food Warmer

10) Braun ear thermometer

11) Mommy hook

12) BEABA Babycook

13 Aquaphor – I have a tub of this stuff in every corner of the house.

14) Kirkland baby wipes – If you have a Costco membership, you probably love these wipes too!

15) Nosefrida – It’s addictive.

16) Sleep Sheep – I use the marpac white nosie machine at the same time, but the sleep sleep has a distinct heartbeat sound that lets my daughter know it’s time to nap. I just wish it lasted more than 45 minutes.

17) Motorola Digital Video Monitor

18) OXO Bottle Brush

Puj Baby Bath Tub – I could never figure out this strange contraption. Some people loved it, but it just didn’t work for me. The tub fit fine in the bathroom sink, but the only way I could make it work was to have the water running the entire time during the bath, otherwise how can you adjust the water temperature with a baby sitting right under it? I didn’t want to use the kitchen sink, because a kitchen sink is a germaphobe’s worst nightmare! Also, babies outgrow the tub very quickly. If they’re too heavy, the tub collaspes the moment you place your baby in it.

Safety first family thermometer – I didn’t like it at all. I ended up purchasing a simple rectal thermometer for the few months, then after buying countless ear, forehead, and even pacifier thermometers, I ended up finally splurging on the Braun ear thermometer which i think is the BEST, and I’ve tried them all. This one gives the fastest and most accurate readings. I would have saved a lot of money if I had just bought the rectal thermometer and the Braun thermometer from the start, which together is almost the same cost as the Safety first thermometer at $45. The Safety first thermometer has rectal, underarm, and oral attachments, and all are labeled. But still, it can get confusing, and I have this sneaking suspicion that we have used the rectal as oral and the oral as rectal, and then vice versa. We can’t prove it, but we fear it may have happened. Just don’t tell our daughter!

I was advised not to buy clothes or register for clothes because I would receive a ton as gifts. I have to say that this is true! Also, my daughter was born in January, so we never left the house the first few months and we really didn’t need anything but a few comfortable onesies or sleepers. My favorite onesies were the Gap newborn onesies that come in packs of three. They were the softest and stretchiest of all the onesies I’ve used.

I did not register for many toys because 1) newborns really can’t play with toys in the early months, and 2) I received a ton of toys as hand me downs and gifts. I also did not register for an Ergo, Miracle Blanket, bouncer, Bumbo, and jumperoo because I was able to borrow them from a friend.

We purchased the Teutonia t-linx stroller. My husband saw the stroller at Buy Buy Baby and instantly loved the look and feel of it. We got a demonstration from the salesperson there and half an hour later, it was ours.

Pros:
– It’s a gorgeous stroller. I constantly get comments from random people on the street.
– It comes with everything – car seat, car seat adapter, rain cover, toddler seat.
– You can lift the stroller handle up and all the way over to the other side.
– It’s very easy to change the stroller to a rear facing or a forward facing stroller for both the carseat and the toddler seat.
– We liked that the seat sat up higher than other strollers.
– The toddler seat has a three point recline and it goes really far back, so it’s great for when our daughter is napping in the stoller.
– It’s extremely sturdy. I also have a second-hand BOB jogging stroller and it was very flimsy compared to the T-Linx, and our baby just looked so uncomfortable in the BOB stroller. The T-linx is truly a luxury ride for your little one.

Cons:
– It’s heavy. The carseat is much larger than your typical Graco car seat. The larger it is, the heavier it is. It was fine in the beginning, but now that my baby is bigger, I have a hard time carrying the car seat long distances.
– Too many steps to disassemble. You have to remove the seat before folding the frame of the stroller for both the car seat and the toddler seat. The stroller is awesome if you’re out and about all day on foot, but a bit of a hassle when you only need to pick up a few things at the grocery store. Not so bad when you are using the car seat for the first year of the baby’s life, but removing the toddler seat all the time can get annoying.
– It takes up a lot of trunk space. The toddler seat doesn’t fold at all, so there’s not much trunk space left after you stuff the toddler seat plus the stroller frame.

Overall, I do like the stroller. We have a car with decent trunk space, and we’re usually in the suburbs during the weekend, so we didn’t mind too much about the size or the weight. However, it’s not the stroller I’d recommend for someone who lives in the city. It’s the perfect stroller for a nice long walk in Central Park, until you get to the subway. It’s way too heavy to lift alone and the stroller is a little on the wider side because of the handle (yes, the awesome stroller handle that you can lift up and over the seat). I thinks it’s a great ‘burb stroller if you have a house and lots of space. If you’re a two stroller kind of person, it would make an awesome main stroller if you decide to use a separate umbrella stroller for quick trips etc.

I probably should have done a bit more research on crib sheet sets. I purchased the Nature’s Purest Safari crib sheet set, the matching diaper stacker, and the hamper because it was cute. But the super thick and puffy bumper didn’t fit very well in the crib, and it was such a hassle to get on and off every time I wanted to change the sheets. I ended up taking it off after a few weeks and it’s currently collecting dust in a closet. I haven’t used a bumper since. The pricey hamper (60 dollars!) was flimsy and kept falling apart, so I ended up throwing that away after trying to fix it with a glue gun. The diaper stacker? Probably the biggest waste of money. All you really need are some good sheets for the crib and that’s about it. Currently, I just keep my diapers in a basket and her hamper is a cute plastic garbage pail.

I also made the wrong decision on baby bottles. I assumed our baby would be fine with any bottle, and stocked up on Bornfree bottles. Our daughter ended up having a bottle problem so I went through a ton of different ones before succeeding with Playtex Drop ins. I would probably recommend not registering for bottles, so that you can try out different ones and decide on one after your baby is born.

I would register at Buy Buy Baby in NYC again because I had the best customer service, and the salespeople there are so jam packed with information on baby products. I once had a 45 min conversation about mattresses with one of the guys there. Maybe a little too much info, but if you’re a first time mom, you’re going to have a lot of questions.

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Thanks so much for sharing Susie! If you’d like to submit your real registry, please tell us your full name, where you’re registered, your city, home size, and a little bit about your lifestyle. Then answer the 5 questions listed above and email everything to submissions@hellobee.com.