THE REGISTRY: neutral, natural and organic baby registry

While I’m not a baby expert, because I have had zero babies so far (although I am eight months into making this one!), I have gotten a lot of questions about the brands we’re shopping for Miles and figured a post on our registry would be the perfect way to share brands + things we’re getting!

We knew that we wanted all the things on our registry to meet certain criteria and to have the general theme of organic, natural and neutral. I found that going into the registry with a plan helped weed out a lot of things and gave a streamlined direction to the people who are gifting things!

We try and be as conscious as we can in our lives — as far as what, how and where we buy. I like to think our lifestyle falls somewhere between 50-60% thrifted, 25% small shops, and then Amazon for everything else in between — it’s so convenient and with some time you can find just about anything you need based on your lifestyle (including a lot of all natural + organic options)!

We chose Amazon to house our baby registry because you can add things from other stores and they have such a broad variety of things. 

I did a ton of research on what we would and wouldn’t need and tried to keep our registry as minimal as possible (which seems harder than I thought because people will tell you that babies need a lot of things!) all while still fitting with our lifestyle and aesthetic. If you’re a new mama out there, I hope this helps you start your registry process! 

THE REGISTRY PROCESS: 

Things like: the Baby Bjorn bouncer, Uppababy stroller system, and Nest monitor were the first things I added. I knew no matter what, we were going to want these things. The essentials. 

gear:

uppababy system : we got the Uppababy Vista stroller + Mesa carseat in Jake to grow with our family down the line! 

baby bjorn bouncer : this was one of the first things we knew we wanted - in staying minimal, we knew we only one baby "bucket" (as my cousin calls them). one unit to put Miles in for play, bouncing, etc while we do stuff around the house. 

nest camera : Carman was super excited about this (he loves gadgets!). we love that we can use our phones or IPad to watch Miles. 

ergo baby easy swaddle : to prevent SIDS and make late night swaddling easy, we registered for a few easy swaddle suits like this. 

baby bjorn carrier : we actually bought an older denim style that was limited release because we love denim (duh). I can't wait to see Carman carrying our bub in this. 

solly wrap : a soft cozy wrap for momma! (we also registered for the organic baby k'tan for when he's fussy and maybe I can't take the time to wrap the solly!)

Next I started in with some textiles from our trusted brands like Burt’s Bee’s Baby and Coyuchi. We want all organic cotton and non-toxic fabrics for the nursery items and these are two brands we really like. 

textiles:

Crib Sheets: we registered for a couple plain white fitted sheets, and also have a cutie hedgehog printed one from Coyuchi (currently sold out, but we love all of their sheets)! 

Blanket(s): we have this baby blanket from Coyuchi as his thicker option. 

Swaddles: I have a weakness for all of the cute swaddles out there. we registered for this multipack of neutrals, and also have this fun print, and this soft, stretchy swaddle from Solly. while we are trying to be minimal, I know swaddles can be used for so many things, so I don't mind having a few on hand! 

Changing table cover : we registered for a couple white Burt's Bees covers and love this quilted one from Coyuchi. 

Towels: hooded towels from Burt's Bees! we also got a few plain muslin towels like this.  

Burp Cloths: two packs of these plain gray burp cloths so that we can wash them all together easily! 

Other things like clothes, baskets for organizing, toys, books etc were all easy to sprinkle in (and hard to narrow down, there are so many cute things). We registered for all organic cotton clothes, non-toxic toys like wood and bpa free rubber teethers, and cute and colorful books. 

clothes:

oliver and rain: we love Oliver and Rain for baby and earth friendly pieces! we got this little outfit at my baby shower and I can't wait to see Miles in it. 

l’oved baby: I put a lot of L'oved Baby on the registry -- I love their muted color options (especially the seafoam and stone colors!) and simple silhouettes. all organic cotton! 

burts bees: we like their sleepers because of the convenient zip-up, and they're less expensive than other brands! 

moon and back : Moon and Back is great for basics! we registered for their white onesies + tees - they're thick and feel like great quality. 

toys:

books: any book you could possibly want is on Amazon! we registered for the classics, and a few fun ones like this and this (one of my favorites - so perfect for Carman!).  

wood rattle : we registered for a lot of wooden, Montessori style toys like this.

teether : for any rubber items like teethers and pacifiers we went with items that were natural + BPA free! 

blocks: a classic item for any nursery - we know he'll be playing with these for years to come. 

Once Carman and I settled on a crib and changing dresser, the rest of the nursery design / decor fell into place pretty easily. We looked for pieces that could grow and transition with baby into toddler years and beyond.  

furniture / decor:

crib : we love this simple all maple crib, and we also like this and this as less expensive options. 

changing table : we went with this credenza instead of a traditional changing table, that way it can grow with Miles or be re-purposed in another room of the house down the road!

crib mattress: we went with the ultra breathable, 2 stage organic crib mattress by Naturepedic (we also got their changing pad!). it was important to us to find an organic cotton option, and we love that this mattress is made to grow from infant to toddler! 

african basket : we have these all over our house corralling different items, and the nursery is no different! all his toys are going in one of these for easy pick up. 

mobile : we went back and forth on whether to make a mobile, or buy one. it took a while, but I finally found one that we like that wasn't over $100 from CB2 (not available anymore). we also like these options: 1, 2, and all of the ones that this shop makes! 

rug: we got a vintage Persian rug when we first got married and that's what we put in Miles' room - keep checking ebay and etsy for these! I also love the linked rug for something more neutral. 

pouf : keeping this pouf in the nursery for soft seating and as a foot rest to the rocking chair! 

extras:

snuggle me organic : love this little organic co-sleeper for all naps and portable comfort. 

moonwomb from Sustainable Baby : this genius 3-in-1 'moonwomb' acts as a pregnancy pillow, nursing pillow and tummy time support pillow. plus it's all organic and sustainably made! 

Play mat: Gathre makes the dreamiest leather play mats in all shapes and sizes to fit any need! we have the midi size in the color Canvas and can't wait to use it for tummy time, picnics, and beyond. 

I was cruising through the registry process, adding and subtracting as need with ease until I got to the diaper bag. I am not sure why, but out of ALL of the things you have to decide on, picking out and committing to a diaper bag was the hardest for me! 

I knew I wanted it to be a backpack and neutral enough for Carman to carry. It seemed like it would be easy, but as a first time mom you start questioning things like: “will I need insulated sections for bottles and snacks?”, “how much space will I actually need", "what will I have to carry every day?” — the list of questions goes on. I would find a bag I sort of liked, only to change my mind within a few days.  

TIPS:

- Depending on your needs and feeding plans, just go with a bag you like! Backpacks are prime choices because they offer hands free carrying and distributed weight, plus looks natural for your husband to carry. If you aren’t planning on bottle feeding, you don’t need insulation ! Any backpack can be a diaper bag! 

- if you do find yourself needing insulation - pick up an insulated lunch box that can fit bottles and what not in it and ANY BAG CAN BE AN INSULATED DIAPER BAG. 

Basically, the world is your oyster when it comes to a diaper bag because of all of the nifty pouches and insulated things you can put inside of whatever bag you like. Music to my ears. 

I really like this one (which is what we put on our registry) as well as these (1, 2).

After settling on the diaper bag, the registry was basically finished! I worked on it over the course of a few months so that it never felt too overwhelming. Carman and I made sure to talk through the important things first and then as I would work on it, I kept him updated and we’d scroll through it together. 

A few of my favorite parts were making everything a cohesive collection. From baby’s clothes to the decor, everything had a thread of consistency that matched up with the core values we wanted: natural, organic, neutral. 

My baby shower was a couple weeks ago and seeing a lot of these items from our registry in the nursery 

is getting us so excited - we can’t wait for Miles to get here! 

xx

SK