The Baby Registry

As I've mentioned, I'm a mom of twin boys. In the past 14-months, I've found that I hated some items that I registered for and found others that I can't live without. Since I have so many women in my life who are adding to their families, I've decided to make a list - well, two lists - the must-have's and the don't-bother with. :) Just to add a disclaimer - this is my opinion, but I will say that many of the must-have's were discovered by me because other mom's told me about them.

The Must-Have's

Nursery
Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe and/or Miracle Blanket (also known as 'the straight jacket') - When I was first registering, I thought the idea of these sort of blankets was ridiculous - why not just swaddle them with a receiving blanket? The boys were no more than 3 weeks old when I broke down and bought them...the boys weren't sleeping well because they would break out of the receiving blanket. We started with the SwaddleMe because it was cheaper and I could get it local - worked like a champ for Logan, but not for Connor. Connor still broke out of it, so we splurged for the Miracle Blanket. They work wonders!

Baby Buddies Size-It Closet Organizer - I must say that I don't personally have these, but I've recommended them to friends. I have the Sugar Booger ones from Babies R Us, and I hate them...total waste of money because the six hangers are pre-labeled Newborn, 3-6 month, 6-12 month, 12-18 month, 18-24 month, and toddler. Um, where the heck are the rest? I could have used a 0-3 month (after newborn), a 6-9 month, and a 9-12 month. So, to me they are missing three necessary ones. On the other hand, the Baby Buddies Organizers still include six hangers, but there are 15 labels, so you can remove when they've outgrown those and then add the ones you need. Plus, they are cheaper than the Sugar Booger ones!

Feeding
Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair - seriously, my husband and I love this item. We love that it attaches to real chairs - in our small kitchen, it really is a space-saver (haha!). When the boys were really small and first started eating, we loved that these chairs reclined - it made it so much easier to get the food in their mouths because their head was already tilted back!

Bumkins Junior Bib - I probably did 5 months of regular food-feeding before purchasing these bibs because they are so darn expensive! But seriously, just buy them...don't bother with the smaller fabric bibs. Mike and I love how easy these are to clean - we can wash them in the sink with soap and water and then lay them out to dry, and they'll be dry by the next feeding time. The bib is large enough to basically cover their whole chest, and the sleeves prevent the boys from pulling the bib off - which they had been doing with the smaller bibs.

Bathing
Bath Rings - The brand that we have is Safety 1st, but apparently they don't make it anymore, so this looks the closest. With having two kids in the tub, I love the rings. It makes it so much easier on us because I know they are supported when sitting on the slippery surface. At 14-months old, the boys are figuring out how to get out of the rings, so it won't be long before they aren't useful for us, but these are well-worth the $5/each I paid - we've used them about six months...and probably could have started a bit earlier.

Munchkin Bath Friends Toy Organizer (Target) - I love this item because it's shape can be manipulated. It fits a ton of stuff inside, and since it has the netting at the bottom, all the water drains easily.

Summer Infant Tub Time Rinse N Pour Pitcher - This folds flat when not in use...a great space-saver!