Real-Life Guides for Pregnancy, Babies, Toddlers & Travel

When I was building my baby registry for my first child, I didn't spend nearly as much time researching high chairs as I did strollers, car seats, or baby monitors. I figured a high chair was a high chair. How different could they really be? Now, after using the same high chair with my son for nearly three years and again with my daughter, I have a much better understanding of what actually matters. And spoiler alert: It's not the fancy accessories. My biggest priority? A hig

Choosing a stroller was one of those baby registry decisions that felt much more complicated than it needed to be. There are travel systems, convertible strollers, lightweight strollers, car seat-stroller combinations and strollers that cost more than some pieces of furniture. And before you actually have a baby, it's really hard to know which features you'll care about once you're using the thing every day. After two kids, my biggest piece of advice is simple: don't start by

``If you’re wondering when to pack your hospital bag, my recommendation is to have it mostly packed by around 32 to 34 weeks of pregnancy. You certainly don’t need to have everything ready the minute you enter your third trimester, but I also wouldn’t wait until your due date is right around the corner. I learned this firsthand. My first baby was born full-term, so there was plenty of time to think about what I wanted to bring to the hospital. My second baby had very differen

Before I had a baby, I had no idea that bringing a gift for your labor and delivery nurses was even a thing. My aunt had mentioned to my mom that she had brought something for the nurses when her daughter-in-law had her babies. My mom loved the idea, so when I had both of my kids, she put together a simple basket of snacks for the nurses. It wasn't elaborate. It wasn't something I had carefully planned during pregnancy. And it definitely wasn't something I felt like I had to

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days are October 6–7, 2026, and it’s one of the best times to buy some of the bigger-ticket baby products you’ve had sitting in your cart. But that doesn’t mean every deal is actually worth it. I’m a mom of two, and instead of rounding up hundreds of products just because they’re on sale, I’m keeping this list to the baby and toddler products I actually own, use, and would recommend to another mom. These are the strollers, car seats, feeding products,

My preeclampsia symptoms started with swelling and high blood pressure before quickly progressing to severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Here’s what I experienced, what I almost dismissed, and what I wish I had known.

If you’re pregnant and staring at tiny newborn clothes wondering how many you actually need, my advice after two babies is simple: don’t try to buy your baby’s entire first-year wardrobe before they’re born. You really have no idea how big your baby will be at birth, how quickly they’ll grow, or what size they’ll be wearing when a particular season rolls around. Instead, I’d have a small selection of newborn clothes ready, stock up a little more on 0–3 month clothes, and wait

If you are building your baby registry and trying to figure out how many bottle nipples you actually need, my answer is pretty simple: I would have one bottle nipple for every bottle you regularly use. I had six bottles in our regular rotation and six nipples. I never felt like I needed a huge stash of extra nipples sitting around. When it was time to move up to a faster flow, I bought a full set in the new size and eventually switched all of the bottles over. After bottle fe

Wondering how many items should be on a baby registry? Around 75 is a great starting point. Here’s how to build a balanced registry with different price points, big ticket gear, and essentials you’ll actually use.

Do you really need a bottle sterilizer? After bottle feeding two babies, here’s what I used, what I skipped, and why I’d choose a bottle washer over a standalone sterilizer.

If you are bottle feeding, it can feel like half your day is spent making bottles and the other half is spent washing them. With my first baby, we somehow ended every day with what felt like an entire sink full of bottles and bottle parts. My husband and I would stand there washing everything at the end of the night, and we both hated it. By baby number two, I had a much better system. So, how often do you actually need to wash baby bottles? I use a fresh, clean bottle for ev

When you’re building a baby registry, diapers seem like one of the easiest things to add. You know you’re going to need a lot of them, so why not register for a giant stockpile before the baby arrives? After two babies, I actually think the opposite. I would not stock up on too many diapers before your baby is born, especially in newborn and size 1. Both of my babies moved through the smallest diaper sizes much faster than I expected. You also have no idea which diaper brand

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I made a full baby registry checklist. When I was pregnant with my second, I didn't make one at all. My second baby registry checklist would have been surprisingly short because we already owned almost everything we needed. By baby number two, I already had most of the big things. The stroller, car seat, bouncer, diaper bag, carrier, changing supplies and plenty of other baby gear were sitting in our house waiting to be used again. I re

Building a baby registry is one of those things that seems simple until you actually start doing it. There are so many baby products, so many opinions, and so many lists telling you that you absolutely need things you’ve never even heard of. After having two babies, my biggest registry philosophy is pretty simple: less is more. You need plenty of things for a new baby, but you probably don’t need as much as the internet makes you think you do. I created a registry with my fir

Building a baby registry sounds fun until you actually start. Suddenly you are comparing strollers, researching bottles, wondering how many pajamas a newborn needs, and trying to figure out whether you really need half the products everyone says are essential. After building registries for two babies and living with all of the stuff, my biggest advice is to simplify. You do not need to research every baby product on the internet, and you definitely do not need everything on a

Baby clothes might be one of the most fun things to add to a registry, but figuring out what sizes to register for can be surprisingly confusing. Should you add newborn clothes? How many 0 to 3 month outfits do you need? Should you register for clothes your baby won’t wear for another year? After having two babies, my biggest advice is not to go overboard on any one size. Babies grow at completely different rates, and the size on the tag doesn’t always match your baby’s age.

If you just found out you’re pregnant, starting a baby registry might feel incredibly early. But once you start researching car seats, strollers, bottles, bassinets, monitors, and everything else babies apparently need, you realize pretty quickly that there are a lot of decisions to make. So, when should you start a baby registry? You can start a baby registry at any point during pregnancy, but I think it makes sense to start building one toward the end of the first trimester

Before I had my first baby, I had every intention of breastfeeding. I had the nursing pillow, nursing bras, pumps, nipple balm, cooling pads—all of it. But one of the best pieces of advice my doula gave me had nothing to do with breastfeeding: bring the bottles and formula I wanted to use to the hospital, just in case. I am so glad I listened. My son latched right away, so initially I thought everything was going well. But he was extremely fussy, and I felt like I was feeding

Wondering what you actually need before bringing your baby home? After two babies, these are the newborn essentials I’d buy for the first three months and the popular baby products I’d skip.

After two babies, I’ve learned that you don’t need everything influencers and registry checklists tell you to buy. Here’s what I consider true baby registry must-haves, what’s nice to have, and what you can skip or wait to buy.