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3 Ways to Rethink Essential Baby Gear
Updated on
September 23, 2024

3 Ways to Rethink Essential Baby Gear

Trying to figure out what to even put on your registry? Start here for a rundown of the basics.

By Babylist Team
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3 Ways to Rethink Essential Baby Gear.

For a lot of expecting parents, starting a registry is the first time they’re thinking about baby gear. Consequently, researching and narrowing down what to register for can be daunting. If no two parents are the same, how are you supposed to know what you’ll actually need and what’s going to end up stuffed away in a closet?

It might seem counterintuitive, but the best place to start isn’t just looking at strollers and high chairs—it’s thinking about your everyday lifestyle. We’ve partnered with Bugaboo to help you wrap your head around which categories you most likely want on your registry first and how to think about the role they’ll play on your journey as a new parent.

A Reliable Way To Get Around

There are two ways to think about how you’ll get around with your baby: 

  • How you’ll get around now with a newborn

  • How you’ll get around later as your baby grows, and maybe your family does too

How You’ll Get Around Now

To think about how you’ll want to get around with a newborn now, picture your everyday life—how you run errands and enjoy your leisure activities, how much space you have in your home and what you look for in non-baby gear—and then envision these same things, but with a baby. (Magic formula, we know!)

For example, if you plan on taking your newborn out beyond their first doctor’s visits (think: going on walks around the neighborhood or bringing them along to brunch), you’ll want a stroller made to be used from birth. Most new parents opt for a full-size stroller like the Bugaboo Kangaroo, which comes ready for smooth day-one rides with a padded bassinet and infant car seat adapters. 

And if you live in a city with limited space or in the suburbs and need a stroller for quickly getting around town, you might want a stroller with all of the bells and whistles of a full-size stroller while having a smaller, lighter footprint. The compact Bugaboo Dragonfly folds with one hand without you having to remove the seat—including when it’s in newborn bassinet mode—so you can fold it, carry it up and down a third-floor walk-up and hold your baby at the same time.

On the other hand, if your adventures tend to take you off the beaten path (think: you wouldn’t want to wear heels or dress shoes there), you may need a stroller with a more robust suspension and bigger all-terrain wheels like the Bugaboo Fox 5.

How You’ll Get Around Later

While it might seem wild to think about how your family will grow when your baby isn’t even here yet or you’ve just met, the old adage is true—the years are short. If you are hoping to have babies close in age to each other, it could make sense to look for a stroller that can convert from single to double mode (or even triple), like the Kangaroo, so you’re not stuck buying new gear with every new family member. 

While you can start with it as a single stroller, you have the option to add an extra sibling seat to the Kangaroo if your family expands (there’s even an option to add a wheeled sit/stand board to the back so you can stroll with three kids). The best part? Since it’s made with growing families in mind, it’s super adaptable and easy to navigate—even with multiple kids on board.

If you do plan on using your stroller for several years (or several kids), there are a few things to keep an eye out for:

  • Storage: more kids means more stuff! (Rare is the parent blessed with a minimalist toddler.) So look for a storage basket that can hold all your things. For example, the Kangaroo has a storage basket capacity of 28.6 lbs, which is about the same weight as three gallons of milk. 

  • Longevity: Strollers can take a beating. In addition to things like a sturdy frame and machine-washable fabrics, one thing to consider is how easy it is to fix your stroller if you need to. Most of Bugaboo’s strollers, including the Kangaroo, feature a modular design, meaning it’s not all one piece—you can take off the seat, easily remove wheels and even take off the storage basket, which makes it easier to fix things if one part needs attention. Bugaboo has a spare parts shop where you can find everything from shoulder straps and crotch buckles to the wire that goes through the stroller canopy to help it keep its shape (in fact, being able to fix your stroller is a part of Bugaboo’s sustainability philosophy).

A Place to Sleep

When it comes to baby’s sleep, many of us head straight for the crib aisle first. But those early days of parenting can be made much easier if your baby is close by for nighttime feedings and soothing. And there are different ways to make that happen.

Bedside bassinets are a common option—they let you keep your baby right next to you while practicing safe sleep. Usually, that means a separate gear purchase, but with a bassinet stand and adapters, you can attach your baby’s stroller bassinet to create a space-saving bedside sleep spot that easily moves from room to room or even outside (it’s suitable for outdoor use). Plus: there’s also storage for nighttime essentials, like diapers or midnight snacks, and when you’re not using the stand, it folds up for storage.

On the other hand, if you want to keep your gear to a minimum but still have a bedside sleep spot that travels well and also grows with your baby, a playard like the Stardust will give you a little more bang for your buck. Babies often outgrow the height and weight limits of their bassinet within the first year, but a playard can last well into toddlerhood (the Stardust has a max weight of 33 lbs, which could take you through your baby’s third year and maybe even beyond).

A Spot to Hang Out

Bouncers. Rockers. Seats. The one thing they all have in common: giving your arms a rest when you need to put your baby down. But there are moments in parenting when having your baby in a seat on the floor can feel awkward—like when you’re dining at a table, but your baby is too small for a high chair, or when you’re doing standing chores like making dinner or folding laundry and want to keep your baby closer to eye-level.

For that reason, some high chairs offer bundles that do double duty—functioning as a newborn lounger for those early days and then as a high chair once your baby learns to sit up. But some go the extra mile, like the Bugaboo Giraffe, which offers a conversion kit so you can turn your high chair into a newborn lounger or use that same newborn set with a rocker frame to turn it into a more traditional rocker. And since it’s all part of one system, you save yourself the closet space that would normally be reserved for two or three different pieces of gear. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to figuring out what gear your baby will actually need. But when it comes to the basics, like a safe place to sleep, a way to get around and a place to put your baby down when you need to pee or shower, one thing that can help you get the most out of your gear is to look for versatile essentials. The strollers in Bugaboo’s lineup pack multiple solutions into one piece of gear with the added benefits of being durable (aka built to last through all your family’s stages) and safety-tested above industry standards for extra peace of mind.

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