Baby Registry Must Haves Series – In the Kitchen

Ok, I’ve been waiting a while to write this post and that is because I wanted enough time to pass where I REALLY had a good feel on what baby products were the ABSOLUTE BEST in the first year (and beyond) in Molly and Riley’s life. So I am starting a 3 part series with MUST haves on your baby registry. So if you’re are pregnant, are trying to get pregnant, hope to be pregnant in the future, or simply just know somebody who is pregnant this blog is for you!

Everything in this post is from Walmart and that’s honestly because they are the such a great choice to host your baby registry and here’s why. Not only do they have pretty much every baby product you could ever think of – no really they do, just go to their website and type something in and 99% of the time they have it – but the fact that you can return items or exchange items at a Walmart store near you is going to be SOOO key!

Why? Because I promise you, you will get a duplicate of something at your shower! Most people listen and go to your registry like good shower guests. Ha! But some will go rogue and buy things on their own. And when you get these double items you want to easily be able to return or exchange them. But the fact that you don’t have to mail them back and can easily go to the nearest Walmart store is going to make your life so much easier. Plus, sometimes you want to go into the store to see all the baby products for yourself. I’m not even kidding you, every single time I go to Walmart I end up in the baby product section just because I like to see everything that they have. There’s always something new in exciting that I want to touch or feel or check out.

OK let’s get into it. Part one of my series is about items you’ll need in the kitchen! When you think of a newborn baby, especially if you’ve never had kids before, you probably don’t think you would need to many items for the kitchen. Wrong! You need a ton! So I am going to make your baby registry process easy for you and share my list of must-have items on your registry. Starting with a glass bottles!

Glass Bottles

The reason I wanted to start this post with glass bottles is because it something I never even thought about with Molly. Molly didn’t get that many bottles because I exclusively breast-fed for a year with her. But, she did get bottles of breastmilk when I was at work or every once in awhile just to make sure she can easily switch from the breast to a bottle. But because she didn’t have that many, I didn’t really think about giving her plastic. Obviously our bottles are made from the best plastic. But I’m kind of in the mindset that when it comes to food consumption, you should limit the plastic in your life and absolutely anywhere you can! So when Riley was born we actually used plastic bottles for the first few months and then it hit me that we should be using glass! Not only is it better for his health, but it’s better for the environment! If we were to have another baby I would use glass from the get-go. Yes, glass bottles are a bit more expensive than plastic bottles, but hey they’re going on your registry. Someone else’s gonna buy them for you! Ha!

1. GLASS BOTTLES | 2. BABY TUXEDO 

Bottle Sterilizer

I hesitated to put the bottle sterilizer on the list because we used it 5 to 6 times a day when Molly was an infant. But we barely used it all with Riley. It’s called second child syndrome. Ha! Anyone who has more than one child knows exactly what I’m talking about. But when you bring home your very first baby, you’re going to want to make sure everything is so clean you could eat off of it. I’m talking the floors, your couch, every little surface in your house, even your toilet seat! Ha! I remember sterilizing Molly’s bottles every single time we used them. And if you do that the old fashion way by boiling a pot of water and then submerging the bottles, good on you! That’s some serious dedication and takes some serious time! But since your baby registry is about adding all of the things you need and a little of the things that you don’t necessarily have to have but would like to have, I say add this one. It’s one of those things you might not buy for yourself, but once you have it you won’t want to live without it! You just put the bottles in and it washes them and sterilizes them from the touch of a button. It’s going to save you so much time!

And you might be wondering why we used it so much of Molly if she didn’t have that many bottles. That’s because we used it for everything! All of her teething toys, pacifiers (when we were trying to give them to her – she never really took one), bottles, and really anything she would try to put in her mouth.

A Sippy Cup

There are 1000 different kinds of sippy cups on the market. And yes, your baby won’t be using one until about six months old. But still, I definitely think it’s worth throwing a couple on your baby registry. That’s because it’s one of those things that you don’t think about until you need one and then you’re rushing to order one online or having to head out to the store to get one last minute.

But if you put a sippy cup on your registry, you can just throw in your pantry until you need it one day. It will just make your life easier, trust me. You’ll have so much going on the first six months of your babies life that having product like this on hand ready to go will be very helpful. And this particular sippy cup is the best in my opinion. The reason I like it so much is because it’s easy to give your baby (and toddler) when they’re sitting in their high chair. Whereas a sippy cup where your child needs to tip their head back to get anything out, I feel is too much like a bottle. I want my baby to eventually stop using a bottle, so why use a sippy cup that’s exactly like a bottle. So basically if you give them a sippy cup that they need to tilt back, they need to be held by you or lying down to really use it at first. When you first give your baby a sippy cup at 6 months they’re not just gonna throw their head back while sitting to drink out of it. Or maybe they will, my kids weren’t that coordinated at 6 months. Ha! So with this one, it has a weighted straw so no matter what angle your child is holding it they can get water/milk out. And they can sit upright in their highchair while eating and drinking water without having to tilt their head way back and hold the sippy cup up. I hope I making sense. I feel like this is kind of hard to explain.

All in all, this is just my favorite one and I think you guys will really like it too.

1. SIPPY CUP

A Learning Tower

Honestly, I’m shocked at myself for not putting this one first. This is single-handedly one of the most used items in our kitchen ever! When we first got it I honestly thought we would never use it. I honestly couldn’t understand why it was $200 and who would want it. That’s because I was a rookie parent and really didn’t know what I needed for my kiddos. But fast forward three years later and I can confidently say it is a game changer! Molly colors, plays with playdough and slime, and even eats from this tower in our kitchen. It’s one of the reasons are able to keep the rest of our house to clean. All the messy activities are done in for tower and only in her tower. Even outside! She helps me bake while in it. She is able to see everything going on in the kitchen while in it. It’s just been more helpful than I could possibly explain. We’re actually getting another one for Riley because he’s getting to the age where he wants to be higher off the ground and see everything going on. You can adjust how high it is based on how tall your kiddo is. We got the little bit more expensive one HERE because it comes with detachable sides so your kiddo can start using it younger and not fall out the sides. But it’s less expensive if you don’t get the sides.

1. LEARNING TOWER

A great high chair

It’s obvious that every parent needs a high chair for their baby. But the real question is, which one. We really love the 4 Moms high chair and that’s because of two things. One, it’s super easy to clean because it has a detachable lid on the tray that can come off for easy cleaning. It’s hard to explain but you basically don’t have to wash the entire tray which results in water leaking in and getting caught inside. Instead it has the solar cover on top that pops off so you only have to wash that. It makes life so much easier.

The second reason I really like it is because it has a magnet in the tray. And you can buy bowls and silverware by the same company that also have magnets so that when your kiddo is eating the bowl is attached to the tray. The magnets aren’t super strong. At this point Riley can definitely pull the bowl off the tray. But just having that little bit of extra hold when he’s eating is really helpful. For instance, if he accidentally hits the bowl, it won’t topple to the ground anymore because of the magnets. It also comes in black and gray if that matches your kitchen better!

 

1. HIGH CHAIR

A bottle drying rack

There are a ton of bottle drying rack’s out there. I like this one because it’s easy to clean and there aren’t too many nooks and crannies in it where moisture and mold can hide. I’ve used it with both my kids so I thought I’d add it to this list. By the way I’m blown away by the veins in my arm in the below picture. That picture was taken a couple weeks after Riley was born. And I forget how much more blood is in your body when you’re pregnant and just after giving birth.

1. BOTTLE DRYING RACK

A Keurig

Do you think I’m crazy by this recommendation? Everyone reading this is probably thinking that I’m putting it on here so you have plenty of coffee cause you’re going to be exhausted with a newborn in the house. Ha! And while that is true, that’s not why it’s on this list. I guess it kind of works double fold because you’re going to need the coffee but the reason I think it’s a baby registry item is because we use it all the time to heat up bottles. Yes, we had a bottle warmer, which I’ll talk about in just a second. But the Keurig in our kitchen was such an easy way to heat up bottles. We will just put a bowl at the bottom of the Keurig, have it dispense hot water into the bowl and then throw the bottle in their to heat it up. We all know how quickly a Keurig can heat up water so this just made it really quick and easy for us to get bottles ready.

Or a bottle warmer (this is honestly better for your bedroom)

For most people just having the Keurig will do the trick. Especially if you live in a one floor home. With Molly, the Keurig was just perfect. And that’s because we lived in a small one floor home where the kitchen was about five steps from her room and our master bedroom. But we moved when I was pregnant with Riley into a much larger two-story home, so when he was an infant having a bottle warmer in our master bedroom was essential! Especially when Riley was really little and slept in the room with us. Well, I should say it was a game changer for Kevin. Not so much me. And that’s because when I woke up with Riley I would nurse him. But on the nights where Kevin would give a bottle because I either needed to sleep or because I went out of town, this made it so much easier for him. Luckily we have a little mini fridge in our master bedroom and I highly recommend getting one if you are pregnant or have an infant. It’s just really easy to store milk in for your spouse to easily feed your little one in the middle of the night. Obviously, if you’re getting breast milk in the fridge matters. But if you’re giving formula you don’t need the fridge. Anyway, not having to make the extra trip downstairs while the baby is crying just made a big difference for him.

1. BOTTLE WARMER

Cute Outfits for a 9 Month Baby

The reason I’m adding this to the Kitchen portion of my 3 part series is because I am obsessed with baby clothes! I mean, who isn’t?! And here is the thing, you’re going to get A LOT of clothes at your baby shower. I mean TONS. People just love buying adorable outfits for little people. And I’m one of those people! Even if you don’t put a single outfit on your baby registry you’re going to get a ton of clothes anyway and they’re all going to be in either newborn size or 3 months size. So I found that when both of my kids hit 6 months I went from having so many clothes for them (that they never wore half of)… to having no clothes that fit them whatsoever and having to buy a bunch of stuff online. So I say put clothes on your registry for an older baby. You’ll be grateful you did down the line! And if you decide to create a registry with Walmart, (which I hope you d0 since this is just part one of my three-part series with great things to add to your registry from Walmart) I’m adding a few of my favorite outfits for boys and girls from Walmart below. I mean how stinking cute right?!

Until Next Time

Well I hope you guys enjoyed this post! I partnered with Walmart for it but the reviews of all the products are 100% my own and the products are not sponsored! Even when I do sponsorships with products I always am 100% honest on my opinion about them. But I feel like sometimes it gives people an extra sense of comfort knowing that the items I’m reviewing aren’t sponsored products. And I hope you like that everything is from Walmart so you can easily return or exchange many items in store if you need to. I highly recommend using this link to create a registry with Walmart and then just throwing all of the things I listed in this blog post on your registry list. Then when I do my other two post for the series you can just add them as well! Easy Peezy! One post will be later this month and the third post will be in July!

If you enjoy this post let me know in the comments below! And I really hope you like this three-part series since I spent a lot of time choosing my absolute favorite essential products for it! And if there’s any kitchen items that you have loved as a parent for an infant, I would love for you to share them in the comments below! And if you’re a mama to be, what products have you been recommended by friends? Even though I thought about these posts long and hard, I can’t help but think there’s things I’m missing that I loved back when both my kiddos were infants. So if you suggest a product for the kitchen that I used and loved (but forgot to write about in this post) I might even add it to this post and give you a shout out! Mamas helping mamas right?! I love telling you guys the things that I used, but even more so I enjoy hearing about the things that you love!

 

72 Thoughts

72 thoughts on “Baby Registry Must Haves Series – In the Kitchen

  1. Love this post! I just had my 2nd baby and I’m always sharing my top
    Products that we can’t live without!

    We formula feed and we found out about the Baby Brezza Formula Pro when my first baby was 4 months old. It’s honestly a life saver! It’s basically a Kurig for the formula. We were boiling water and making bottles a few times a day and it was exhausting. This saves SO much time while formula feeding 🙂

    Love the bottle sterilizer and we use the same sippy cups as you! My daughter wasn’t very good a tipping the cup to get the milk or water out so the straw was always so helpful! She still drinks out of a straw cup and she’s 3 now!

    Can’t wait to see you next post about other products!!

    1. Hi Lindsay!

      Thank you for your tip with the Baby Brezza! I never used it because Riley started using formula late, but it seems like it would be great! I’m linking it here in case anyone is interested: http://bit.ly/2WF2Hwl

      Also, I agree, the sippy cups are great! Molly loves hers as well and uses it everyday. She takes them to school too!

    2. Hey Ali! I love your posts on must have and keep coming back to the items as I have a 6 month old. Will be getting that learning tower soon 🙂

      For the sippy cup you like so much, did your kids know how to suck the liquid with the straw at such a young age? Or did they just tilt their head a bit to get the liquid out of the straw.

      Thanks,
      Diana

  2. First time mom due in a few months and loved reading this blog! Thank you for taking the time to share your favorite products! Can’t wait to read the other 2 parts! 🙂

    1. Oh yay!!!! Congrats! This was just the kitchen portion of my series! You NEED to read the next too! A general review (all products like strollers and such) and a bedtime list.

      1. Thank you so much! We’re so so excited for our girl to get here! Definitely will stay tuned so I can read your next two for sure!

  3. Ali,

    I just ADORE YOU! You are so helpful when it comes to ideas and things that you feel like really worked for you! I am due June 14th with my first (it’s a girl) and we are just over the moon excited for her to get here! I really love catching up and reading your blog on great maternity clothes ideas or even ones like this that can help me organize necessities for baby girl. I am so ready to meet her! So thankful for you and your positive attitude daily! I also look to you for support on being a full time working mama! I am going to need all the help in the world when it comes to that! Keep up the good work! I know Kevin and your kiddos are so thankful for you, as am I. 🙂

    Maggie

    1. I ADORE YOU!!!!! for being so sweet! And you are SO close! Just two more weeks (not even!) so excited for you!!!! Hope you got some amazing things at your shower!

  4. It seems like another mom beat me to it but I also highly recommend the Baby Breeza as well. I had triplets and it was by far the best gift I received. I enjoyed reading your blog and your family is adorable.

  5. Really good post !! And totally agree about the 9month clothes, I was lucky if my guy wore things once for the first 4 months and now that he is 11months, we are buying everything !

    Another must have for us is the keekaroo change pad. It goes on top on a dresser, so you don’t need an actual change table, and it’s rubber so when baby pees or poops on the change pad (cause we know it happens lol) you just just wipe away the mess!! Saviour with a boy who pees !! Haha

  6. THANK YOU! I have been taking notes and screenshots of things as you recommend them. My husband and I are planning for a baby in about a year and I want to start making a list now. I trust your opinion so much so I’m grateful for these lists!!

  7. I recently started using hatch baby rest with my 8 month old. It’s a sound machine. She loves the sound of birds chirping so I figured what a great way and it’s also a night light. It also has different sounds to it. You don’t have to get up and turn it on. It’s through your phone

        1. I love it too! Even good for traveling for adults if you like white noise 😉 The baby scale by Hatch and the app is amazing as well!

  8. I’m really looking forward to this series. I’m due with my 3rd next month.

    I look forward to seeing what your favorite wipes/diapers/diaper cream etc are. I’m all about the everyday practical stuff. ☺️ I’m also going to trying the Wellements products this time around. I remember you mentioning how great the gas drops were. I hope their products are on the list & I’d love to hear about which ones you’ve used.

    1. I read online that clove oil is not safe for babies.. and that is one of the ingredients in the wellements tooth oil. Has anyone else researched this? I was about to buy it and then read that 🙁

  9. These are so great!! Thank you!! I second the munchkin weighted cups and the Advent bottle warmer!

    I wanted to ask you! I remember seeing this beautiful blanket in Molly’s crib awhile back, it almost looks crocheted, but it was super thick and it just looked so perfect and comfy ( and I like that it had holes in it) I would love to know where you got that from. I tried searching all over the internet but I just couldn’t find it. Thanks so much!!!!!

  10. These are awesome, thank you! A bit off topic, but who makes your blazer you are wearing in the story mentioning this post? It’s adorable! Thank you!

  11. Thank you for sharing this Ali, I look forward to your other two post in the series!

    I am expecting my first in September so this is perfect timing for me🤩. Even before I knew I was going to be a mama (still can’t believe it🤗) I always loved your mama must items posts and stories and referred my friends to your blog often. I’m so glad you included the tower because I love seeing Molly do all of the things in it, I really hope we get one or can invest in one for our little boy.

  12. Some great ideas here! You’ve explained why you like certain things and that will be helpful to many moms and mom to be’s! Just two things I wanted to mention. A lot of Day Cares will not allow glass bottles, so just check with your daycares or sitters first, in case you need to put both glass AND plastic (obviously a good plastic) on your registry. Also, some of my kids have found that instead of a high chair, they prefer a small seat that actually sits on their regular dining table chair, for their babes. Particularly if you have a small kitchen/dining area. Several of my grandkids have never sat in a high chair. They can sit in these at the same age as a high chair, and they have a tray that snaps on, so in the beginning they can use the tray, then later on, you can take the tray off and they can sit right at the table. I have one here for the grands; and they’ve all sat in it right from the get go. I usually remove the tray and pull them up to the table around a year or so, depending on how messy dinner is. Just a couple thoughts from an old grandma! Thank you for the blog, Ali!

  13. Oh, and I wanted to add……GREAT idea for the 9 month clothing, or even 12 months. Everyone wants to buy the little newborn stuff, and you need other sizes literally before you know it. I remember my daughter got an 18 month size outfit at her baby shower, and everyone was like, OMG it’s so huge! But we all know how fast time flies…and she was wearing it in the blink of an eye. That grandbaby is now 10.

    1. I have to agree with the 9-month clothing. We were very poor when we were expecting our first, which were identical twins. Our loving thoughtful community gave us really nice clothes all the way up to 2 years! I boxed them up according to size and saved them for the right time. Except for a few special items bought for special occasions, we did not have to buy anything for the first few years, which helped up get on our feet, and my little girls always looked clean, bright, and adorable. So yes! on getting clothes beyond newborn. You may never know how much this might mean to a struggling family!

  14. Hi Ali! I’m a first time mom due in a month and loved this post! Can’t wait for part 2! Did either of your kids refuse the bottle at first? Is there a certain brand that is easier to transition from breast to bottle? I’ve heard that Comotomo was good for transitioning! Thank you!

    1. My daughter LOVES dr brown, I did a lot of research and this was the only brand we got and it stuck!

    2. We tried many bottles with our son and only had any luck with comotomo! He also would only drink when milk was very warm.

  15. So, I love the idea of the weighted straw cup (my little guy uses regular straw sippy cups), but my son seems to HATE how slow the liquid comes out of the munchkin ones. I know you like them, but did you ever have that sort of an issue with your kids?

  16. I’m glad you put the learning tower on the list. I have noticed it in your pics and wondered if you would recommend getting one! Love reading all your posts!

  17. When will Molly stop using her highchair and make the next transition into table eating with booster seat? Is she in a bed now and transitioned out of crib? How did that go?

  18. Hello, Ali!
    So why glass bottles and then plastic Sippy cups? Do you have any non-plastic Sippy cups that you would recommend?

    1. I think the idea is that a glass sippy cup would be very dangerous for a baby to use as they often throw and/or drop their cup. The bottle is much safer because the parent generally feeds the child the bottle. We can’t control everything so making small steps to improve our health & environment when we’re able to and accepting the changes that are beyond our control is the best we can do!

  19. Yay! Thank you so much for posting this! Love your blog and your instagram stories. Literally watch them everyday. I’m 35 weeks pregnant with a little girl and I always love your suggestions. Looking forward to more blog entries about your favorite products and why. I also got the Hatch because of how much you loved it for Molly and Riley. Thanks for the suggestion!

  20. Great post! I just had my first baby, a little boy, in April and this is helpful and validating. I love your blog and your IG. Your family is beautiful.

  21. I am sooo thrilled that I came across this in your instagram post! I’m a first time mama due in October and I feel completely overwhelmed/lost working on my registry right now. I just want the right things for my baby. Thank you so much for this! It couldn’t have come at a better time! Looking forward to reading on!

  22. To clarify, does the bottle sterilizer you own also wash the bottles? Or did you have to wash them with soap and water first before putting in the sterilizer? Thanks!!

  23. Great list! I also found the Medela Quick Clean Microsteamer Bags super helpful! I used them for sterilizing baby bottles as well as pumping bottles and tubes!

  24. I do the same thing with our Keurig, except we use a contigo mug. It’s sooo much faster than a bottle warmer.

  25. What great pump did you use? I know you have talked about it in the past, but I can’t find it now. Thank you!

  26. I figured out from your stories awhile ago the brand of your learning tower and had my mil get my 3 and 5 year old one for Christmas. It has been so much better than just using s wobbly stool. I will say for anyone else reading this that there is teachnically space for 2 kids to use one if you don’t have the space or budge for 2. Also while we do get tons of things from Walmart, we got this from bed bath and beyond with the 20% off coupon.

  27. Hi Ali!

    All great tips! I just wanted to add a note about glass bottles. I also love the idea of using them, but most daycares don’t allow glass! Just wanted to mention this in case any of your readers are considering daycare, they may want to check with them first.

    Allison

    1. I commented this very same thing above. Most daycares and sitters around here do not allow anything glass! It may be that people could use glass at home but also put plastic ones on their registry, too. You and I were thinking along the same lines.

      1. Thanks so much for the tip, ladies!! This is why I love the comments section, so moms can learn from other moms!!!

  28. Are you are pregnant?- you have been so tired lately and don’t seem to have your usual pep! Big fan and love your registry ideas! Thanks for keeping your blog full of what us moms need the most no one does that anymore.

  29. The coffee machine is clever. I got a hot water dispenser and it does the same thing, except the water is already hot when you need it. I use it for formula, add a little cold water to cool it and voila! I also agree with the water bottle you have linked. My daughter is on her 5th! To be noted, do not wash in dishwasher, the lid shrinks :(.

  30. You should add a dust-buster! Haha! I’m serious though. Once your baby starts eating table food, they make a huge mess, and dust-busters are the quickest way to clean up. I’ve started getting them for my friends for showers, and they’re seriously the most practical gift. Plus, once your kids are old enough (like 18 months!) they’ll love using it, too!

  31. Thanks so much for the tip on the weighted sippy cup! My 8 month old loves drinking from my toddlers contigo water bottle but the straw is so big he always got way too much in his mouth! I needed something smaller and easy for him to use. Just bought this cup as you suggested and he loves it! I love that it’s weighted!

  32. Hi Alli,
    I know you have talked about and posted before about your love with the Baby Hatch. I agree, it works amazing but we are struggling with my 2year old to sleep past 5:45- even when it’s Red, he still gets up and cries for us. Any suggestions?!?

  33. Hi Ali!
    This is way off topic but a while back you wore a romper when you were pregnant .. pajamas? I think it was grey.. I can’t find it anywhere on your posts!

  34. Hi Ali, I was trying to find the teething gel you used for Riley so I can get some for my grandson and I can’t find it on the blog. Can you tell me the brand you recommended? Thanks!

  35. I cannot wait to get a learning tower for my little one! I already set her in her high chair so she can watch me cook. I’m surprised at the recommendation on here about getting a bottle warmer as I’ve heard they are one of the least used items people put on their registries. We do not have one and I can’t say that it’s made life any more or less difficult. We reheat bottles in a pyrex dish of hot water for a few minutes which does the trick. The bottle warmer is faster I’m sure, but I definitely don’t think it’s a must have. I love my bottle drying rack, too. At first I thought I would just put the bottles on the same drying rack as the rest of our dishes, but now I am so glad we got a separate bottle drying rack. It makes it so much easier to put clean bottles away when you’re not having to fumble through a bunch of other dishes too, plus I’m sure it’s more sanitary!

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