My NYC Baby Must Haves (year one)
I’ve always been on the go. Ever since I can remember, my suitcase was always half packed. My parents divorced when I was 10 and I split my time between their two homes til I graduated and basically every weekend of my childhood was spent at my cousins’ house. I just like to be somewhere else and I am constantly dreaming up my next adventure. That’s probably why I worked as a professional traveler aka a flight attendant, for a decade. Wherever, whenever, I wanna be there.
So as soon as I began crafting my baby registry, I focused on adding items that would help me feel less overwhelmed when out and about. Whether that was navigating the NYC subway or flying out of JFK with a husband, baby and Pomeranian, I refused to submit to the bulkiness of family travel that I witnessed for years. It felt like every parent struggled down the aircraft aisle; bags in hand and babes over the shoulder, sometimes it was the other way around, but it was always stressful to witness.
It's now been one year of Reggie Rose. We’ve taken at least 15 road trips, probably more like 20, two plane rides, countless subway rides, a handful of ferry rides and over 1,000 miles pushed in the stroller. I truly believe these products helped me move around the country with a baby much easier and after using them for one year, I feel confident in recommending these products to other families.
1. Our Stroller
We split our time between Brooklyn and Cleveland. Both neighborhoods are very walkable and the stroller gets used A LOT. In NYC we live up two flights of stairs. Knowing that I would be carrying the baby, dog, stroller and diaper bag up and down those stairs every time I went to leave the house, I did my research to find the most compact, light weight stroller that I could easily carry and move around in small spaces with comfortably. (New York grocery stores and restaurants can be TINY) Turns out, it was a travel stroller, which also made me feel comfortable traveling so much. Would this stroller work in a snow storm? Nope. And sometimes it gets stuck on old crooked sidewalks if I’m not paying attention. But it’s a trooper and doesn’t make me feel like I’m taking up a ton of space. It also has space below for our dog or groceries. Nuna trvl
2. Bottles with Travel Caps
I realized that if I’m gonna toss the diaper bag with full bottles in the car or under the stroller, I better have some travel caps screwed on. Then, once you’re ready to feed your babe, remove the cap and screw on the nipple top. Never had to wear a formula soaked diaper bag ever again! Learned this the hard way during a trip to the zoo. Dr. Brown’s Travel Caps
3. Baby Monitor
In Cleveland, we have the Nanit. In Brooklyn we have a monitor that costs a fraction of the price, it doesn’t drain our cell phone battery and the picture is clearer. It also has 1,000 feet of range so we can sit on the stoop after Ro goes to bed and watch how she’s doin. It’s small enough to travel with too! Vtech 2.8” Digital Video Baby Monitor
4. Travel Sound Machine
We use it in the car, in the stroller, in hotels. It could be used as an everyday sound machine! 2-in-1 Portable Sound Machine and Night Light
5. Snaps That Keep Your Snacks and Pacifier Attached
It’s not the pacifier clip, Reggie tore those right off to chew on instead. This has snaps on both ends and will keep important things attached to the stroller or car seat. Found mine at the local grocery store, so I don’t have that link. But they’re also on Amazon. Baby Toy Saver Strap
6. Diaper Bag that Doubles as a Back Pack Purse
Black, gold hardware, drawstring and tons of pockets. It fits my leopard print Hop Skip Diaper Changing Clutch and Hop Skip Insulated Cooler with room to spare. Coach Baby Backpack
7. Formula Powder Containers
Premeasured powder makes traveling so much easier! I just fill the bottles up with the amount of water I need and add the powder when ready. Munchkin Formula Dispenser
8. Pack & Play
I didn’t put this on our registry because I couldn’t imagine a baby preferring to hang out inside a play pen opposed to crawling around outside of it. But one day I couldn’t get any gardening done and I caved. I bought the pack and play and was right; Reggie Rose had no interest in playing inside those walls when she could in the grass or air conditioning. I kept it packed up and in the jeep trunk because it takes up a lot of space in our tiny apartment. And ever since then we’ve used it as a travel crib. It perfectly fits inside most hotel bathrooms, sometimes partially in the shower, creating the perfect makeshift bedroom for Reggie Rose. Yes, the hotel bathroom doubles as nursery when traveling. Graco Portable Pack & Play
9. Food Pouch Holder
Not sure what this is actually called, but it is so helpful! Baby food pouch pops right into the holder and baby can independently feed theirself. Perfect for travel, home, park… its always in the diaper bag! Pouch Holder
10. Baby Carrier
I felt really pushed by so many moms that I needed to have a baby carrier. But the idea of breast feeding and carrying a child against me, sounded incredibly uncomfortable. I wanted to wait til Reggie was born and do more research. I decided to go with the Sakura Bloom Onbuhimo, knowing that I would eventually be able to carry Reggie snug, higher on my back, which opened up the front of my body and I was able to feel more myself. This is a traditional Japanese style of baby wearing and it made a lot of people uncomfortable. So many strangers have stopped me to tell me my baby is unsafe and I need to be more careful. This is not true. Reggie was safe and loved the view from my shoulders! I also purchased a Baby Bjorn Free when Reggie was around 7 months. It was Springtime and we were doing more outside so it made sense. I’m still not in love with babywearing but, these are game changers when running quick errands, taking the dog for a walk or when road tripping alone at rest stops.
As Reggie gets older, my preferences change. And some of these items are just minor little things that made huge differences, and some things, like my stroller were major purchases. Whether you are constantly on the go in your hometown or travel often, all of these items made me feel lighter and move easier.
