I am willing to admit that I am not a “baby person.”  The older they get, the more fun they are to me.  Sure, they are sweet when they are just born (and let’s not underestimate that new baby smell!), but I am rejoicing when they turn 1 because older kids are better.

That being said, I don’t want a lot of baby “stuff” in my house.  I figure, kids are sleeping in cardboard boxes or dresser drawers in other parts of the world, and they are just fine.  When we had our son, I didn’t want it to look like a bomb of baby colors had gone off in our house.  I still wanted it to look like my house.  (We like neutrals; it is HARD to find baby stuff in neutrals!)

So, I am often asked what my top baby registry items would be if you just want the essentials and not all the extra stuff.  Here’s what makes my Top 10 List!

10.  Baby Bath Tub

Admittedly, I do not the ultimate minimalist item for baby here (but now I have opinions).  The bath tub I have for baby is so big!  I’m thankful I have a closet to store it in, because if you were tight on space, you would not want this thing sitting out in your tub all the time.  What an eye soar!  If I were to do it again, I’d just get this cheap sponge thing for bathing an infant who doesn’t roll ($7!), and I might spiff for this bath tub because it folds up ($45)!  You definitely need something because, as one person I know says, babies are like little slippery lizards in the bath.  Hard to hold onto!  If you’re like me, and you love, love to put baby stuff out of sight when not in use, get a baby bath tub that folds up for easy storage.

9.  White Noise Sound Machine

I was so not on board with noise machines until I was.  Let’s face it.  I am an opera singer, and I teach lessons during my kids’ nap time.  I am loud.  This thing helps a lot so that my kids aren’t cranky from their naps being cut short due to loud singing (or students slamming doors, or the occasional vacuum cleaner, or anything else in my life that is just loud).  There are much fancier versions of sound machines, but this one is $20, and it suits me quite well.

8. OXO Tot Sprout Chair

I love this high chair a lot.  Cleans easily (with removable tray), very sturdy (no worries about this thing tipping over), but, most importantly because the high chair is ALWAYS OUT WHERE YOU CAN SEE IT, this one is not so ugly!  It is a bit pricey ($250), but we are two kids in, and it gets LOTS of use, and it is still going strong.  I know lots of people that just love the IKEA high chair (it is something like $20), but it’s not quite my style, is not nearly as sturdy, and it does not have a removable tray that can be moved just as close to baby as you need it to (read: messier clothes).  But, at $20, it’s quite a good deal, not bad looking, and definitely minimalist!

7.  BabyBjorn Bibs ($21 for 2)

Just trust me on this.  You need a bib with a trough.  If it doesn’t have a trough, then you are not cleaning shirts, but you are still cleaning pants.  Plus, all the little bonuses they drop in there, forget about until they are out of food, and love to find when asking for more!  What fun! Get a bib with a trough, and absolutely, get one like this that washes right off.  Cloth bibs?  Gross.  Okay, I do use those early on when baby is small and just starting solids, but I move to these bibs asap.

Bonus Tip: get these kind ($16 for 2) for the diaper bag.  A bib with a trough that folds up?!  What will they think of next?!  (You could use these all the time, but I do like the sturdiness of the BabyBjorn trough as compared to the Happy Healthy Parent ones.)

6.  Tommee Tippee Bottles, Lollacup & Miracle 360 Cups

I am a big proponent of babies that can easily go back and forth between bottle and breast.  (Because Mom and Dad need a date!)  We start training our babies to take a bottle when they are three weeks old, and make sure they get at least 1-2 bottles per week so that they don’t start refusing it.  That being said, we love these bottles ($9)!  They fit to your hand well and are nice and small.  (You may need the bigger size if you are using formula since formula tends to require more ounces than breastmilk.)

Then, when baby is moving towards weaning and eating more and more table food, we love the Lollacup ($16)!  It is easy to teach babies to drink from a straw by holding your finger over the top and having them suck from the bottom, releasing the water into their mouths as they suck on the straw.  Gotta love this cup for its weighted straw!  Genius.

Then we move on to the Miracle 360 Cup ($11 for 2) because it is just amazing and really cuts down on spills!  Older babies and pre-toddlers get great practice with using a “real” cup without a lot of mess.  Winning!

5.  Graco Glider Swing ($80)

I do love having a baby swing!  At first, I was so worried that baby would get really dependent on it and have to have it in order to sleep.  However, I quickly changed my tune.  Both of my kids have been so happy rocking away in this thing while I cook dinner, take care of a sibling, etc.  Landon loved to turn the music function on for Isla Jane.  Unfortunately for me, she loved it (music nerds be warned: the music is computer generated and out of tune!).  All in all, a great swing.  I moved it around to wherever I needed a calm, happy infant.

Honestly, this is just the swing that I have, but really any swing would be fine.  For the truly minimal minimalist, there is probably one that takes up less space or folds up or something.  These are also great products to borrow from a friend or buy used.  Just get some sort of thing that moves…and don’t break the bank for one!

4.  Baby K’tan & Ergobaby Carrier

It doesn’t seem very “minimalist” to have two baby carriers on this list, but I really do love these two.  I use the K’tan for the first three months with baby, for things like errands, grocery shopping, outings with bigger kids, etc.  So, so, so much easier to just have baby snuggled in.  (Also, if you put the baby carrier in the cart, where on earth do you put the groceries?)  Once baby is a bit bigger, I use the Ergo because it has more support, and it is very easy to have an outward or an inward facing baby.  These aren’t super cheap ($50 for the K’tan and a whopping $140 for the Ergo), but if you’re planning on having more than one child, you’ll get plenty of use out of them.

(Also, note: there are other baby wraps you can buy, but the K’tan is the easiest one, in my opinion.  Some of them you practically need to have an engineering degree to figure out how to get that thing all wrapped up.  The K’tan slips on like a t-shirt scarf and has two loops of fabric to put your arms through.  When you’re super tired from nighttime feedings, trust me, you don’t want to also have to figure out what to do with your baby wrap that is 16 feet long.  Okay, end of rant.)

3.  Motorola Audio Baby Monitor

If you don’t want to break the bank with a baby monitor, you really don’t have to.  I have the older, non-wifi version of this one (SAD to see they no longer carry the one I have), and it is just great.  Plug this into the wall by baby, and you can listen anywhere on your phone.  All for $30.  I really have never wished for a video monitor, as I feel it doesn’t take too long to figure out baby’s cries and know if it’s urgent or if baby is just crying a bit before going to sleep.  So, I love this monitor, because it is cheap and easy!  It picks up sound really clearly, and it doesn’t take up any space!

Bonus tip: if you want to up your game when it comes to recognizing baby cries, watch the first 7 minutes of this video.  Game changer.

2.  BOB Revolution Flex Jogging Stroller

This is, hands down, the BEST stroller!!  (Okay, if you don’t run, the UppaBaby Stroller is a contender…but it is about a thousand dollars…gee willikers!)  But if you do active things, and arguably maybe even if you don’t, this is the way to go!  It is SO smooth and light.  It turns on a dime.  I’ve even taken this thing on dirt trails in the woods.  It’s definitely not cheap ($379), but we’ve found you really get what you pay for when it comes to strollers.  When we had our second baby, I sold this stroller, and got the double.  It is also fantastic (although, of course, it is definitely heavier).  It is still quite easy to maneuver–I’ve taken it on nine mile runs pushing 60 total pounds of kid in a torrential downpour and we lived to tell about it.  Thanks, BOB.

Bonus tip: if you travel a lot like we do (Landon went on something like 30 flights before he was two), I would get a cheap umbrella stroller for the airport.  The airlines throw around strollers like footballs, and there is a very good chance your beloved BOB will get beat up.  Don’t risk it.

1.  Baby Bjorn Bouncy Seat

I kind of can’t believe this is my #1 recommended baby product, but I know LOTS of people that bought it after we raved about it. Absolutely obsessed with this bouncy seat!  It is definitely more pricey than others ($200), but it is worth it!  It folds completely flat (storage!), adjusts to three different heights depending on the age of the baby and how well she can bounce this herself, has a machine washable cover (necessary), and COMES IN NICE, NEUTRAL COLORS!!  I honestly picked this one out knowing it would be sitting out in our family room A LOT, and I wanted a not ugly color.  Turns out this thing is just so great for all the reasons.  When baby is very little, I can drink coffee or eat dinner and bounce baby with my foot very easily, and when baby gets bigger (4-5 months, I’d say), he can figure out how to bounce this himself and really entertain himself for quite a long time.

What You Can Live Without

If you really want to embrace baby minimalism, I think you can totally skip a few things that other people might swear are essentials.

A Changing Table

Just get a changing pad with a cover and put it on top of the dresser because you do probably need a dresser because babies do wear clothes.

A Diaper Pail

I just find these things so gross.  Who wants a pail of poop in the baby’s room?  Plus, they are generally packed with these air freshener things which are probably not healthy, endocrine disruptor sorts of things that you and baby do not need to be breathing.  Breastfed babies’ poop really doesn’t smell that bad.  We just throw them in the kitchen trash.  Babies that are weaned definitely have smelly diapers, but we just reuse plastic shopping bags, seal those suckers up tight, and throw them in the trash.  Our house smells just fine.

A Boppy or Breastfeeding Pillow

This is somewhat debatable.  These things are nice!  If you are smaller, I would not recommend the Boppy because it is really big and may not fit a more petite mom very well.  A smaller, off-brand nursing pillow will work better.  However, you can use any pillow you have and squish it up under your arm, and you will be fine.

A Nursing Chair

Also debatable.  I didn’t have one for Landon, and I did have one for Isla Jane, and I really did love it!  Nursing was very comfortable in a recliner.  However, we all lived when we didn’t have one (and also side lying nursing is great and much better for your neck, back, and shoulders anyway).

Toys, Clothes, & Blankets

People LOVE picking these things out!  Unless you are super picky, there’s no need to register for these items–you’ll probably end up with plenty!

Other Items I Love that Didn’t Make the Top 10 List

Of course you’ll need more than 10 things to get ready for baby, so I’m including links to some of my other favorite things below (just a little less favorite).

• Honest Co. Diaper Rash Cream (works amazingly!)
• Toddler Forks
• Pacifiers (we use these until about 2-3 months when our kids find their thumb or fingers and can self-soothe without a pacifier)
• Nail Clippers
• Nipple Balm (If your baby has a poor latch, this stuff is a lifesaver!)
• Honest Co. Shampoo + Body Wash
• Our favorite boogie sucker
• This car seat (that works with the BOB Stroller)
• Honest Co. Diapers & Wipes
• A backpack diaper bag (any one will do, but I like one that’s stylish)

So there you have it!  I’d love to know what you LOVE for baby, what you found to be a waste of money, and what you didn’t know you needed.  Comment below!

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