This is one place where I think you can purchase a lot of stuff used and still have great quality. Or not purchase things like a separate changing table when you can just use the top of the dresser with a changing pad. Why buy a piece of furniture that you're using only while your baby is in diapers and then it's useless? It's silly what the industry convinces you you need.
I went back and forth so many times on how to categorize everything - does a crib go under "nursery" or "sleeping?" Both. In the end I decided to stick all the nursery stuff together and then have a separate list for the "bedding" items. I will not pretend like this is the absolute best way to break things up - it's not even how I broke them up when I did my registry - but it's what your getting this time around. ;)
We actually didn't register for many of these things but purchased them ourselves or used what we already had.
A reminder - I'll give you the "Need It's" on the printable at the end of the series but I'll also be giving you some "Optional" items and I'll even throw some things out there that I personally think are pointless. Hey, you may consider some of my "need it's" pointless! Who knows. :)
NURSERY NEED IT'S:
1) CRIB: I don't think much explanation is needed here. We opted for the Ikea SUNDVIK crib for it's price ($119) and it's size. It's not a big crib that swallows the room up which we liked since Oliver would be starting out in a smaller room. It doesn't convert to a full bed but it does convert to toddler size. For us, the cost of a twin or full size frame wasn't comparable to the price of a crib that converts, especially given that you buy the conversion set on top of the cribs cost. (Especially given that my hubs works for a furniture retailer!)
2) CRIB MATTRESS: Not a lot of explanation needed here either. Just make sure that whatever mattress you get fits snugly in your crib so that your baby can't fall between the crib side & the mattress. We got a Sealy Soybean Foam Core Crib Mattress on Amazon. I don't sleep on it so I can't confirm it's comfort level ;) but it feels good to the touch and fits the crib well. No complaints here.
3) BASSINET: This is something I actually wasn't going to get at first and then a friend let us borrow theirs and my eyes were opened. See, our nursery is right next to our bedroom, like door opens from our bedroom directly into the nursery. I figured, hey, it's so close, it'll be fine. Crazy me. Of course I want him right next to us so I don't have to walk ALL. THE. WAY. to the next room when he fusses or needs nursed at night. And that's coming from a mama who's baby was sleeping through the night by around 4 or 5 months and only nursed twice a night. That being said, no, it's not absolutely necessary, but it certainly makes your life much easier!
Our friends let us borrow something like this Cariboo Folding Bassinet. Some great things - (1) It folds up for easy storage. (2) It's very light and therefore very easy to move from room to room. (3) Small footprint. Takes up very little space even when it's set-up. One thing I didn't love - It doesn't rock. Boo. You can push the actual fabric bassinet part a little bit but it's not intended to rock.
I happened to come across an UppaBaby bassinet for free this past year so I grabbed it up for baby 2. I think we'll purchase this Jolly Jumper Moses Basket Rocking Stand for use with the UppaBaby bassinet (or look for something similar). If this free bassinet hadn't come along then I seriously considered finding a used Cariboo or looked into this Arm's Reach Mini Cosleeper further.
4) GLIDER OR ROCKING CHAIR: We bought ours used on craigslist. It was in perfect condition as they hadn't used it much for their baby. We have a glider with the gliding foot stool. I definitely think this is worth the purchase. You'll get long term use out of it. Nursing in the beginning, soothing from night time wake-ups and before bedtime snuggles and reading as your little one gets older.
5) NIGHT STAND OR TABLE: This isn't a necessity but it does make things easier. We actually used a little table from another room in the house until we no longer needed it. The main purpose was to put things on while I was nursing or soothing - i.e. phone, kindle, water bottle, etc. Of course, if you want a small lamp in the nursery then you can put that on the night stand, too. Whatever you get - make sure it's big enough to actually set whatever you want on it.
6) DRESSER: Nix the separate changing table; that's just silly. Get a dresser that is low enough to put a changing pad on with plenty of drawers. We got a dresser second hand and painted it.
7) CHANGING PAD: Put it on the dresser. Done. We got the Summer Infant Contoured Changing Pad. It straps to the top of our dresser but the strap isn't that strongly connected to the actual pad. Ours ripped off but I think that's because our kid hates being changed it an extreme wiggler. It doesn't really make that much of a difference though - it's not like you should ever leave your kiddo on the changing pad by himself so the strap is just extra protection and keeps it from slipping around.
We actually didn't register for many of these things but purchased them ourselves or used what we already had.
A reminder - I'll give you the "Need It's" on the printable at the end of the series but I'll also be giving you some "Optional" items and I'll even throw some things out there that I personally think are pointless. Hey, you may consider some of my "need it's" pointless! Who knows. :)
NURSERY NEED IT'S:
1) CRIB: I don't think much explanation is needed here. We opted for the Ikea SUNDVIK crib for it's price ($119) and it's size. It's not a big crib that swallows the room up which we liked since Oliver would be starting out in a smaller room. It doesn't convert to a full bed but it does convert to toddler size. For us, the cost of a twin or full size frame wasn't comparable to the price of a crib that converts, especially given that you buy the conversion set on top of the cribs cost. (Especially given that my hubs works for a furniture retailer!)
2) CRIB MATTRESS: Not a lot of explanation needed here either. Just make sure that whatever mattress you get fits snugly in your crib so that your baby can't fall between the crib side & the mattress. We got a Sealy Soybean Foam Core Crib Mattress on Amazon. I don't sleep on it so I can't confirm it's comfort level ;) but it feels good to the touch and fits the crib well. No complaints here.
3) BASSINET: This is something I actually wasn't going to get at first and then a friend let us borrow theirs and my eyes were opened. See, our nursery is right next to our bedroom, like door opens from our bedroom directly into the nursery. I figured, hey, it's so close, it'll be fine. Crazy me. Of course I want him right next to us so I don't have to walk ALL. THE. WAY. to the next room when he fusses or needs nursed at night. And that's coming from a mama who's baby was sleeping through the night by around 4 or 5 months and only nursed twice a night. That being said, no, it's not absolutely necessary, but it certainly makes your life much easier!
Our friends let us borrow something like this Cariboo Folding Bassinet. Some great things - (1) It folds up for easy storage. (2) It's very light and therefore very easy to move from room to room. (3) Small footprint. Takes up very little space even when it's set-up. One thing I didn't love - It doesn't rock. Boo. You can push the actual fabric bassinet part a little bit but it's not intended to rock.
I happened to come across an UppaBaby bassinet for free this past year so I grabbed it up for baby 2. I think we'll purchase this Jolly Jumper Moses Basket Rocking Stand for use with the UppaBaby bassinet (or look for something similar). If this free bassinet hadn't come along then I seriously considered finding a used Cariboo or looked into this Arm's Reach Mini Cosleeper further.
4) GLIDER OR ROCKING CHAIR: We bought ours used on craigslist. It was in perfect condition as they hadn't used it much for their baby. We have a glider with the gliding foot stool. I definitely think this is worth the purchase. You'll get long term use out of it. Nursing in the beginning, soothing from night time wake-ups and before bedtime snuggles and reading as your little one gets older.
5) NIGHT STAND OR TABLE: This isn't a necessity but it does make things easier. We actually used a little table from another room in the house until we no longer needed it. The main purpose was to put things on while I was nursing or soothing - i.e. phone, kindle, water bottle, etc. Of course, if you want a small lamp in the nursery then you can put that on the night stand, too. Whatever you get - make sure it's big enough to actually set whatever you want on it.
6) DRESSER: Nix the separate changing table; that's just silly. Get a dresser that is low enough to put a changing pad on with plenty of drawers. We got a dresser second hand and painted it.
7) CHANGING PAD: Put it on the dresser. Done. We got the Summer Infant Contoured Changing Pad. It straps to the top of our dresser but the strap isn't that strongly connected to the actual pad. Ours ripped off but I think that's because our kid hates being changed it an extreme wiggler. It doesn't really make that much of a difference though - it's not like you should ever leave your kiddo on the changing pad by himself so the strap is just extra protection and keeps it from slipping around.
2) BABY MONITOR: We have to Motorola MBP41 and it has a really clear picture. We made the mistake of letting Oliver carry around the monitor screen and he broke up. Dumb move on our part. I haven't been able to find a replacement of just the monitor so we aren't using it right now. I haven't decided what we will do with baby 2 yet. There are sound only monitors as well but I found it helpful to be able to see how much he was moving around to decide whether to go in if he was fussing. There are also monitors you can get that work with your smart phone or tablets.
3) SMOKE & CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM: Hopefully you already have these installed in your home but if not, now is a great time to do so! Protect that little bundle.
4) HANGERS: To hang clothes. Oliver has a corner closet so we don't hang anything of his - it's all folded in his dresser. Along this line, you may want to consider installing an additional rod in your nursery closet to fit more of those itty bitty clothes. Or a shelf under the current rod to store shoes and other things.
5) HUMIDIFIER: In winter months and dryer climates this will keep your baby's skin happy. Google the deets.
6) FAN: Specifically, a loud fan. We use a a Lasko Whirlwind Floor fan but it looks like it's no longer available. We live in the city on a busy street so we needed the white noise for Oliver's room. It's good to circulate the air and provide the white noise. During the winter we use it on low or medium and point it away from the crib. You could also opt for a white noise machine. I think the circulating air in the room is good.
OPTIONAL:
- Noise Machine or CD Player
- Night Light (may end up needing later so you can opt to put it in the nursery now or wait!)
- Storage Bins
POINTLESS:
- Separate Changing Table
- Crib Mobile - stimulates baby, when you're trying to get them to sleep, that's not good. You could opt to have one above your changing table though!
If you missed my first installment on the baby registry then take a look back at what you'll need for your TRANSPORTATION needs here!
Check back on Friday for the next installment!
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