Registry Recommendations
the short list
What a NICU PT & Lactation Consultant Actually Puts on a Baby Registry
Fewer things. Better things. Everything on this page passed the same three questions: does it support feeding, does it support development, does it support you. If it didn't, it's not here.
I'm a simple gal. I want less on your counters and less in the landfill. I used the same cloth diapers for all three of my babies. This is the list I'd hand you in your living room.
🎧 Listen to the EpisodeSome links below are affiliate links, which means Be Well Baby may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Every recommendation is here because I use it clinically, not because of the link.
first things first
Feeding
The golden rule: for a baby you want to breastfeed, bottle flow should be slower than you think. Preemie or super slow flow, never Level 1 or medium to start. Babies are smart — given a milk faucet, they'll pick the faucet.
Dr. Brown's Wide-Neck Bottles — P & T Nipple Set
The preemie and transition nipples are the flows I actually reach for with breastfed newborns. One box. Not five brands.
Shop Dr. Brown's →Pigeon Glass Bottles with SS Nipple
NICU-trusted, a genuinely well-designed super slow nipple, and glass — so it lasts through baby number three.
Shop Pigeon →Ardo KinestCup Milk Collector
Catches the milk you'd otherwise lose to a breast pad on the opposite side while you feed. Zero effort, early-weeks gold.
Shop Ardo →Ninni Pacifier
One, for the shelf. Designed closer to the mechanics of breastfeeding — but I don't recommend introducing it until breastfeeding is well established. You may never need it.
Use code BEWELLBABY at checkout
A Nursing Pillow (pick one)
My Brest Friend is my longtime workhorse — firm, flat, wraps around you, supports the positioning I teach in living rooms every week. The new Boppy shape landed on my doorstep and, honest report: I don't hate it. The Snuggle Me is a lovely softer option.
the floor is free
Baby & Play
The best developmental product ever made is a firm, flat surface and a baby who's free to move on it. Everything here supports that. Nothing here is a container.
Guava Family Lotus Play Pen
A safe floor space that travels, folds into a backpack, and lasts for years. This is also your baby's safe spot on the bathroom floor so you can actually take a shower.
Lotus Play Pen → With Bassinet → Guava Crib Sheet →Toki Mat
A firm, beautiful, non-toxic play mat. This is the gym. This is where rolling, reaching, and pushing up get learned.
Shop Toki Mat →A Simpler Play Pen
A budget-friendlier safe-floor-space option that does the same essential job.
Shop Play Pen →O-Ball
Tiny hands can grasp it long before they can hold anything else. The best first toy there is.
Shop O-Ball →Stacking Stainless Condiment Cups
Yes, from the kitchen aisle. They stack, nest, bang, roll, and survive everything. My kids played with these endlessly. Best toy I ever "bought."
Shop Cups →Black & White Cards
Don't buy these. Print some from the internet. Laminate them if you're feeling fancy. You're welcome.
beautifully boring
Sleep
Safe sleep is boring, and boring is the goal. Flat, firm surface. Baby on their back. Nothing cushy. That's the whole aisle.
Woolino Sleep Sack
Merino wool regulates temperature year-round, so one sack replaces a drawer full of them. Sized to last for years. Peak buy-less energy.
Shop Woolino →Hatch Light
White noise and a dim light for night feeds, controlled from your phone so you're not fumbling in the dark. Keep it across the room, volume at rainfall, not airport tarmac.
Shop Hatch →register for the parent
Postpartum
The category no registry template includes, and the one I'd fight for. Your body is about to do something enormous. Register for its recovery.
Padsicles
Cold therapy for your recovery. Future you, at day three, sends her love.
Shop Padsicles →A Changing Pad (skip the changing table)
The floor plus a good pad works everywhere in your house, and nobody has ever rolled off the floor. The Peanut wipes clean; the organic cotton one is the softer, planet-friendlier pick.
the most important item on this list
Put Be Well Baby on Your Registry
The families doing well at three weeks postpartum aren't the ones with the most stuff. They're the ones with the most support. When someone gifts Be Well Baby, they're giving you options: virtual lactation support and the Beyond Birth Blueprint, an educational support platform that answers your questions in real time — no matter where in the world you are.
Your aunt wants to spend $80 on you. A wipe warmer... or answers at 2am?
Gift the Gift of Supportmore about your hostess
Dr. Emily Spaeth, PT, DPT, IBCLC
Emily Spaeth is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and founder of Be Well Baby in Portland, Oregon. With extensive NICU experience and training in craniosacral therapy and trauma informed care, she leads a team providing home-based health care for families navigating the tricky parts of pregnancy and postpartum.
She also hosts the Beyond Birth Blueprint, an online birth and postpartum educational community available to families across the world — so no matter where you are, you have access to support, resources, and connection. Dr. Emily is also a mother of three and passionate about helping families transition from surviving to thriving.
Want the why behind every item on this page?
It's all in the episode — including everything I'd skip. Listen, then tap Follow so the next one finds you. 🎧
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