Parenting comes with a LOT of things—like, literal things. From cribs to carriers, bottles to teethers, everyone has their assortment of holy grail products that have seen them through those first few months, and even years of parenting.
At Nanit, we’re here to help first time and longtime parents figure out what they actually need to get through those tiring days, from the early, “OMG I’m pregnant!” moments to the transitions into childhood and beyond.
That’s why we’re proud to offer our semi-annual Registry Real Talk, a no-holds-barred chat breaking down the good, the bad, the ugly details of registry lists, all with the goal of helping you nail down what you need and leave what you don’t.
Here, moderator, journalist and twin mom Alicia Quarles weighs in alongside mother of two and singer-songwriter, Meghan Trainor and husband Daryl Sabara and Babylist senior gear editor, Jen Labracio. If you missed it, here are the top takeaways, below.
On Staying Connected To Baby With Nanit:
Alicia: “I have two Nanits, so one for my boy and one for my girl, and I travel a lot for work. I remember looking at my camera and I saw my daughter crawl for the first time. I didn't have to miss that moment. I had anxiety about being away, but I didn't have to miss that moment because it was caught on my Nanit. That meant everything to me.”
Darryl: “We're super fans of Nanit and it helps us out so much. I love the recording where you can go back and watch your baby. Our little baby Barry who's seven months old just started rolling, and we can go back and see it and it's so great.”
Meghan: “I recently had to do a private show in Las Vegas, and it was such a quick trip that I didn't want to bring both kids and drag them everywhere, but I got to watch them all day and all night on the Nanit. I would always peek in the room. It's the best thing that ever happened to us.”
On Their Favorite Nanit Features:
Alicia: “There’s a cool feature on the Nanit where you can speak to your children. I call it the “Voice of God” feature, and my kids will look up like, is she serious??"
Meghan: “I use it to get my older one Riley to calm down, but now he’s yelling back, and his room is right next to Barry’s, so we're like ‘whisper!’ And he's like, ‘Mom, come wake up me!” It’s so cute.
I also love seeing both babies on that screen. It’s the greatest feature, and we hear both babies. That’s something other devices did not have, and we were panicking going into baby number two. Like, how are we going to have two phones set up? But it’s the best.”
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On The Ins and Outs of Building A Registry:
Jen: “At Babylist, we hear all the time from parents about where to start. It can be very overwhelming when you realize you have 100 product decisions to make. What I always like to say is take a step back and think about your lifestyle. There’s not a best this or that. For example, with strollers, it’s about where you live. Do you live in a city? Do you live in a suburb? Do you drive a lot or do you walk or take public transportation? There are all these different factors that go into every single product decision.
The second thing is that you don't need all the things. I love baby registries. I love a well organized registry, but you can start with the basics.
Babies need a safe place to sleep, they need something to eat and they need diapers. The rest is how much you want or you don't want, and there's nothing wrong with having all the things but there's also nothing wrong with having a more minimalist approach. You can always buy things later.”
On the game-changing baby products:
Darryl: “The Nanit, obviously, but also the Breathing Band. We didn't have it for Riley and we're really nervous because Riley was in the NICU. He had some respiratory issues in the beginning, and so we were really cautious about his breathing rate. With Barry, there's the Breathing Band, and he's matured into the sleep sacks with the Breathing Band, and the camera picks it up right away. It’s given us a lot of peace of mind.”
On registry mistakes:
Meghan: “I bought too much of everything. I bought like three or four different bottles. Remember, you can just add on as you go, and don't forget that you're going to get gifts, too. I bought all this stuff and then I got gifted the same stuff and I was like, oh I have two of these now.”
On what they wish they knew about parenting the first time around:
Meghan: “It's funny to think of the difference from baby number one to baby number two. With my second, I was like oh I need like six onesies and diapers. I bought the basics. I was like, as long as we have our safety gear, I’m good. was way more chill and made sure it was just about safety.”
On Sleep Safety Tips:
Jen: “I’m not a pediatrician I do not pretend to be, but obviously your pediatrician is the best source for safe sleep information. But what I will say is that we are big proponents of the American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep guidelines, so I think that's something every new parent should look at.
“For the most part, I think it’s about the idea that a baby should sleep alone in a safe environment, on a flat, firm surface, with no loose blankets or stuffed animals. They shouldn't be propped up. But the website is such a good resource, they actually just updated it a couple months ago with even more information about loungers, and how babies shouldn't sleep in them.
Number two, similar to what you guys said about the breathing wear, I love that with Nanit you can use it or not use it depending on your level of comfort. It's not a medical device and they don't advertise it as one but it can give you so much comfort. I didn't want to use my Breathing Bands everyday but whenever one of my kids were sick, I’d put it on and and it just gave me a little extra piece of mind knowing I could glance at my phone and see that he's fine.
I love breathable mattresses by Newton Baby. I love Nanit, obviously. I love a good swaddle when they're younger. I like the ones by Love To Dream. I like a good white noise machine like Nanit Sound + Light and that's about it.
On the Most Underrated Products on their registry:
Meghan: “Riley only liked one specific bottle and one pacifier. I was so curious if my second baby was going to be totally different. I bought the same bottle because he loves them, and the Tommee Tippee pacifiers.”
Alicia: “I have those in every bag. I don't even care that they’re not supposed to use pacifiers anymore. Also my kids will only eat with certain spoons. It’s bizarre.”
On the registry products that live up to the hype:
Darryl: “I mean now that the Nanit has Sound + Light, we swear by it. It puts me to bed because I can hear my son’s white noise through the monitor.
Meghan: “It’s really amazing. For Riley, every night he has to have the light on red for him to go to bed. Once that night light goes on, I’m like, yep we’re good now.”
On the registry must-Haves for long distance travel:
Meghan: “The Nanit with the Flex Stand. We started with Nanit in Australia and just propped it up in a hotel room and tiled it down. It was unbelievable and so easy to work. I also love the Travel Pack.”
Jen: “The Lotus Travel Crib by Guava is amazing. It has backstraps so if you fly, you can just wear it. Once your baby's a little older, you’ll want a lightweight travel stroller that folds up small, too. I love the Bugaboo Butterfly and I love the Joolz Aer. Both are amazing.
On the items that will transition from baby to toddler:
Jen: “I love a good high chair that will last you as long as possible. I love the Stokke Tripp Trapp, which is a classic. It's beautiful. I've had the same one for almost a decade and both my kids have used it.
I also love a good baby carrier, like Ergo Baby. Then strollers will last you years and years. I love the Uppababy Vista V2. Bugaboo makes a ton of great ones. The Baby Jogger lasts a long time.”
On the best practical gifts:
Meghan: “My new book, “Dear Future Mama!” It’s just for anyone who's expecting or wants to think about starting a family. I remember feeling so alone. I was Googling everything. I was going crazy, so I wrote everything I learned down. I had an amazing co-writer who's a mom of four and we put everything we could find in there to help others feel not so alone.”
On Life-Saving Parent Hacks:
Alicia: “My babies still don't sleep through the night, so I put out six bottles each night, so when they wake up, I just give them one.”
Meghan: “Mine is scheduling stuff. When I do my songwriting sessions, I start at 9:00 a.m to be done by dinner time which is 5:30 pm, so every night I am present and I am there with my kids. I think of my parents, who had to go to a job all day and didn't get to see their kids. I try to be there for dinner, bath and bedtime.”
Darryl: “I would say meal prep, especially that first month. You're so exhausted, everyone wants to come over and see the baby and all that stuff, and we learned that if you can find a quick time to make a meal, it’ll go a long way.
And don't forget to ask for help.”
On Pumping 411
Jen: “I think it's confusing, and I wish I knew then what I know now. So there's your traditional breast pump, like your Spectra or Medela. Those are great for primary pumping, or if you're pumping more than once a day.
But there are also wearables, so we're talking like handsfree that can go in a bra. These situations are awesome, but sometimes they don't make as tight of a seal. Don’t get me wrong, they're amazing. I had a Willow and I loved to travel. I used it on-the-go. but if you're going to pump on a regular basis, I would stick to one of the more traditional pumps.
I’d also recommend that you check your insurance because if you are insured, then it's covered under the Affordable Care Act. You can either get a free pump or one at a big discount.”
On the product that makes their lives easier:
Jen: “I love the series a breastmilk cooler, my Uppababy strollers and the Joolz Aer. I love my Kikaroo changing pad and my Lunnie nursing bras. I love Coterie diapers. They're so fancy but I balance them out with the Kirkland wipes. I love my Newton mattress and of course, my Nanit.”
Meghan: “I think the greatest thing in our entire house is our rocking chair, and now I'm upset because I don't know the name. Having a good rocking chair is essential to life. And obviously my Nanit so I can watch my babies all day everyday.
Alicia: “I love my Bobbie formula subscription. It’s a game changer, and the Lovevery toy delivery.”
On their favorite piece of new parenting advice:
Meghan: “Your life isn’t over. It’s about to start. Every person was like, ‘well your life is over.’ It was the opposite for us. I felt like my life finally turned on. I’ve never been happier and I’ve never felt healthier, and all of it happened after I had kids. It makes life 100 times better.”
Darryl: “Be kind to yourself. Enjoy it. You have the opportunity to be the parent you never had.”
Jen: “Give yourself grace. It’s really hard. It’s amazing but hard. You will find your new you. It’ll be better or different from the old you. Give yourself grace and know that everything passes.”
Alicia: “Everybody talks about how hard parenting is and it is, but oh my god, it's so much fun. For all of you soon-to-be parents, you're in for the best ride ever.”
