10 Game-Changing Baby Products to Add to Your Registry

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The first year of a baby’s life can be so much fun for new parents: their little giggles, the smile they greet you with when they wake up, and the wonder in their eyes as they discover the world around them. However, a lot of juggling is required to ensure they are fed, stimulated, and well-rested. Any product that can take some of the logistics off your hands so that you can focus more on the joy is, in my opinion, a solid investment. 

As a veteran mom who has survived the fog of the baby years, I have hindsight on my side. Now, every time I see baby gear that would have made my life easier when my kiddos were infants, I feel like I need to share it with every new parent I can so that they can take full advantage of whatever support it offers. From a smart sound machine to a bottle sanitizer to a playmat that turns into a kiddie pool, these are some of the best baby products worth adding to your registry.

Insulated Breast Milk Cooler

I love an insulated water bottle—and I’m always marveled when I find my water is just as cool at the end of a long day as it was in the morning when I filled the bottle up. It only makes sense that we use this same technology to keep stored breast milk cold, too. The Milkeeper Breast Milk Cooler by Mila’s Keeper features a screw-top lid with an attached ice pack and double-wall insulation that will keep your liquid gold chilled for up to 20 hours. It’s BPA-free and can hold up to 12 ounces of liquid, two 6-ounce bags, or a 5-ounce bottle (compatible with most leading brands). Plus, it’s available in four pretty colors with gold details, and you can use it as a water bottle after your breastfeeding days are done. 

Baby Bib With Attached Utensils

When she was a baby, my youngest daughter loved to play a little game that my husband and I  called “drop the spoon.” It’s pretty much what it sounds like; she’d be eating, then she’d look at us dead in the eyes, drop her spoon (or fork) on the floor, and laugh as we picked the utensil up over and over. As entertaining as this game was for her, it was incredibly tiresome for us, and a lot of frustration could have been avoided if we had a Busy Baby Bungee Bib. The silicone bib has the food-catcher design we’ve all come to appreciate and little holes for attaching tethers that connect to baby’s utensils so that you can avoid the fate of playing round after round of “drop the spoon.” If your baby hasn’t quite made it to the utensil stage yet, this bib is still a great investment because you can also attach a teether and training spoon to the tethers for entertainment during mealtime.

Portable Bottle Warmer

Babies are temperamental, especially when it comes to the temperature of their milk. When you’re out and about, you can keep your little one happy thanks to Baby’s Brew Portable Bottle Warmer. This battery-powered warmer can heat milk up to a satisfying (and safe) 80 to 110 degrees, depending on your baby’s needs. The slow-heat technology takes between five and 10 minutes to ensure there are no hot spots in your child’s milk. This warmer is also compatible with most major manufacturers’ bottle designs, or there are adapters available for other brands.

Smart Sleep Sound Machine

You’ll want a sound machine to help your baby catch some Zs (trust me on this one). With the RAPTbaby Smarter Sleep Sound Machine, you can foster quality rest while also supporting their language processing development. The sound machine was developed by neuroscientists and offers eight specifically composed soothing sounds. Each tone promotes alpha and delta waves and stimulates active parts of the sleeping brain that help develop language networks without compromising their sleep quality.

Non-slip Silicone Placemat

Like most babies, both of my daughters loved nothing more than chewing on, well, pretty much anything. Whether it was for self-soothing or curiosity, I don’t know, but I do know that it was particularly gross when they’d put their mouths on a table at a restaurant. Oh, how I wish I had The Table Tyke back then. It’s a silicone placemat that’s designed to extend over the lip of a table to help avoid germs in food, offer a little extra cushion to avoid bumps, and provide a safe space for your little one to chew to their heart’s content. The non-slip placemat has raised edges to help keep food and toys contained and is available in four fun colors.

Baby Popsicle Mold

Safe for babes as young as 3 months old, the EZPZ Tiny Pops mold allows caregivers to freeze milk or pureed foods to serve them in the form of a popsicle. Each 1/2-ounce portioned popsicle is just the right size for little fingers to grasp. Once frozen, the popsicles are textured for sensory stimulation and to soothe sore gums from teething. Each mold has space for two pops, is made from silicone for easy popsicle removal, and requires around four hours to freeze. Seriously, this sure beats the frozen waffles I used to give my kiddos to chew on when they were teething.

Baby Crib Sleeve

By now, you probably already know that sleep sacks are among the best things to ever happen to new parents, but ergoPouch’s Newborn Baby Crib Tuck Sheet takes this easy sleep hack a step further. It’s meant to serve as an extra layer of comfort for babies (whether they are swaddled or not), adding some warmth and compression while they sleep. It fits along the bottom part of the mattress and has a zipper so that you can easily tuck your little one in or get them out. It’s designed to offer two levels of tightness and, since it fits the mattress like a sleeve, it’s not considered loose bedding since it can’t come untucked to cover baby’s face. The sheet is safe for infants from birth until they start showing signs of rolling over (at which point you should discontinue use to ensure safety).

Playpen and Kiddie Pool Combo

Baby gear is pricey, so I am all about products that grow with your child so they can be used for years rather than just a couple of months. The 2-in-1 Aquani Marine Playpen and Kiddie Pool by Babymoov is one of those products—and I love how practical (and cute) it is. It starts as an outdoor-safe playmat, complete with a UPF 50+ protection canopy, a mosquito net, and stakes to ensure it doesn’t blow away when it’s unoccupied on a windy day. Once your little one is old enough to sit up and splash (supervised, of course), remove the mattress pad and fill the playpen up with up to 20 gallons of water to create a kiddie pool. This genius contraption is safe for kiddos from birth to 5 years old and, thanks to the transport bag, is easy to pack up and take on all your outdoor adventures.

Transitional High Chair

Stokke is known for their incredibly innovative products, and the new Nomi High Chair Bundle is no exception. While a convertible high chair isn’t a new concept, this one is designed to not only grow with your child but also offer custom fitting and comfort along the way. The high chair configuration is safe for children from 6 months to 3 years old, features a five-point harness, and is lightweight for easy moving. Whether it’s set up as a high chair or traditional chair (which can be used well into adulthood), the footrest and seat are height adjustable with a simple turn of a knob—no tools required.

Bottle Sanitizer and Dryer

Whether your baby is formula- or breast milk-fed, they’ll need clean, sanitized bottles for eating. The sanitation process can be really time-consuming—which is where the Baby Brezza One-Step Bottle Sanitizer and Dryer comes in. The modular design has four configuration options to choose from that allow the machine to hold various bottles, nipples, pacifiers, and pump parts (and it’s compatible with most bottle and pump brands). Simply load it, use the LCD control panel, and sit back and relax (ha!) for 30 minutes while the machine sanitizes and dries up to eight bottles and accessories at once.

Once your newborn arrives, you can expect your hands to be very full, but these products can help make managing life with a baby a little easier. Seriously, take a note from your elders (me, I’m your elder) and add these game-changers to your registry ASAP.