Welcome to the first post in my 'Baby Registry Must-Haves' series!  This week, I'm featuring those necessary items for feeding your newborn.  Links to all the products are here.
 
<From the top, left to right, then down - you get the picture>

1.  Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Travel Bottle and Food Warmer Set 

• Waking up in the middle of the night with a crying newborn is rough enough; save yourself the trip to the kitchen (especially if you live in a two-story home).  This handy thermos and cup will keep boiling water darn near boiling all night long.  Just pour a few inches into the cup and voilà, warm bottle!  Also, this is the perfect item for you diaper bag when on-the-go with baby.

2.  Name Bubbles Baby Labels

• If your little bundle of joy will be joining the ranks of daycare in the near future, get these name labels - NOW!  Many daycares (including 'high-end child education and care facilities') require every single item that enters the premise to have baby's first AND last name designated.  Sure a Sharpie marker could do the trick but it looks awful and reduces the ability to re-sell any items at a decent price.  These labels are so adorable and durable.  They have specially designed versions that are dishwasher safe (as well as laundry safe for clothing).  I've washed Bennett's bottles in the dishwasher on super-hot with Name Bubbles on them every day for over five months and not a single label has peeled or faded - amazing.

3.  Boon Grass Drying Rack (with accessories) 

• Having your kitchen counters junked-up with baby bottles, sippy cups, and pacis looks so much nicer with this awesome and attractive drying rack.  Initially, I didn't think I'd need a drying rack for Bennett's things (figuring I could just set them on a kitchen towel to dry), but very soon I learned my lesson.  On the towel, items easily fell over (making a mess) and didn't fully dry inside (making this new mama worry about 'ick' - yes, that's a technical term).  Another use I never imagined: I hang hand-washed food bibs off the 'Stem' and 'Fly' accessories allowing them to drip in the adjacent sink - brilliant.  Also, this drying rack comes apart to easily go in the dishwasher to stay fresh and sanitary. 

4.  Aden + Anais Snap Bibs

• These super soft and darling bibs are made from absorbent muslin cotton.  If the adorable designs (for boys/girls/gender neutral) and tactile quality, don't win you over, the snaps will.  Nearly every bib on the market now has a velcro closure; velcro sticks to everything in the dryer damaging clothing and scratching baby's face once they're old enough to yank it off.  I hate bibs with velcro.  The end.

5.  JJ Cole Bottle Cooler

• Much like other products on my list, this cooler features modern and cute patterns.  The functionality of this cooler is probably pretty similar to others out there (in fact, the freebie bottle cooler Enfamil gave me at the hospital is just as good, but not as nice to look at).  The key with this registry item is ensuring you use it beyond the diaper bag.  Check out my tip in item 1; use a cooler to tote bottles to the nursery (with an ice pack of course) and save yourself countless trips to the kitchen in the wee hours of the night.

6.  Dr Brown's Bottles

• Newborns + gas = HELL.  Watching your tiny baby screaming and wrenching in agony from a gassy tummy is awful.  My little guy had the worst gas.  We tried everything from crazy burping positions to gas drops to bicycle legs, you name it. Dr Brown's bottles made the most impact.  Ensuring your baby inhales the least amount of air during feedings will ensure less gas.  I would recommend mommies-to-be lay off the small bottles. I registered for a bunch of 2 oz bottles only to find after a week and a half, my piggy was gulping down nearly 4 oz at a feeding.  Having mostly 8 oz bottles with some 4 oz as well would be ideal. 

7.  Boon Clutch Dishwasher Basket

• If you've been following the blog, you already know how amazing this dishwasher basket is for keeping all the little bottle parts safe during cleaning.  I tired several other products and was quite disappointed.  The design of this basket holds tons of parts securely and has enough holes to ensure proper cleaning. 

I hope this first post in my 'Baby Registry Must-Haves' series helps build your baby registry!  Stay tuned for more upcoming posts to complete your registry with road-tested, mommy endorsed products! 

If you love it, buy it!


Photo credits:
Boon Grass Drying Rack, image from Babies1st, http://babies1st.com/p-145942-boon-stem-grass-lawn-drying-rack-accessory.aspx
Dr Brown's Bottles http://www.buybuybaby.com/1/1/5150-dr-browns-natural-flow-single-8-ounce-bottle-from-dr-browns.html
Boon Clutch Dishwasher Basket http://www.giggle.com/Boon-Clutch-Dishwasher-Basket/0004099128,default,pd.html
aden + anais snap bib http://www.adenandanais.com/en-us/productlanding/4623/baby/bib-burp-cloths/snap-bibs/classic-snap-bibs/snap+bibs.aspx
Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Travel Bottle and Food Warmer Set http://www.toysrus.com/buy/infant-care/tommee-tippee-closer-to-nature-travel-bottle-food-warmer-set-522010-4361041
JJ Cole Bottle Cooler http://jjcolecollections.com/bottle-cooler
Name Bubbles baby labels http://www.namebubbles.com/Labels-By-Use/Baby-Labels/Baby-Labels-Pack/Product.aspx?ProductID=140&DeptID=12&AdID=282

***Amazon Affiliate links may be included in recommendations.  ​
I may earn compensation from qualifying purchases.  

After being in 'lock-down' all weekend with our sick little guy, my Sunday needed something fun.  So I popped open a bottle of Prosecco to make us some brunch libations (baby Bennett did not partake despite the incriminating photograph).

The problem with sparkling wine is unless you plan to finish it in one serving (not recommended with a sick baby in the house), you're basically going to waste it; since it will go flat a couple hours after the cork's been popped.  But not at our house.

A few years back, I discovered the most amazing solution, the The Rabbit Wine & Champagne Sealer from Metrokane,  https://amzn.to/3geCJpz.  This little gadget is awesome!  Just twist it on to any open bottle and it will stay fresh (and bubbly) for weeks - seriously.  Awhile back, I bought a bottle of blueberry desert wine from Duck Walk Vineyards.  It was absolutely delicious, but there was no way I could drink more than a few sips with my cake.  I put the sealer on the bottle and nearly a month later it was still fresh and perfect!

Also, my hubs loves to use the sealer on big bottles of craft beers.  He'll pour a glass from the oversized bottle and just seal up the rest in the fridge so it stays carbonated.