Planning on breastfeeding your baby(ies)? You have chosen and amazing journey to embark on. It will not be without it’s challenges (you can read about my journey breastfeeding twins here), but I hope that you find it rewarding. This post covers my baby registry checklist for breastfeeding accessories. You can also find my post of breastfeeding, pumping and milk supply boost tips here.
My number one must-have for breastfeeding (especially twins) is the Brest Friend Nursing Pillow. They make a regular-sized one and a twin-sized one. This pillow is nursing dream! I was able to fully appreciate how comfortable and supportive this nursing pillow is early on because I could feel a significant difference (lack of pain) from when I had nursed at the hospital without it. Bring your nursing pillow with you to the hospital! It is especially helpful for nursing twins when you have to juggle getting both tiny newborns into just the right position to latch. I don’t use it anymore because the girls are big enough to just nurse doing crazy acrobatic poses, but I lived in this pillow the first several months.
My insurance company wanted to cover a measly single manual pump, so I had to register for something a little less archaic. I chose the Medela Double Electric Pump-In-Style. I ended up getting a donated pump from a lovely TTC sister, but no matter how you get it, a double electric pump (and the accessories that come with it)needs to be on your list if you plan on breastfeeding and ever having an extended absence from your baby. A single manual pump (they are cheap) may actually come in handy in case you ever need to pump sans electricity or only plan to be away from your baby very minimally. I used this on a couple of hiking trips I did without the girls.
I would also highly recommend registering for a Haakaa Silicone Breastfeeding Manual Breast Pump. You use the Haakaa during nursing sessions to catch breastmilk from the let down on the opposite side that your little one is feeding. Even if you don’t plan on pumping this is the perfect way to get a few extra ounces of that liquid gold for your little one.
Other nursing essentials that I kept in a caddy next to the recliner where I typically nursed and pumped included:
- Milk Snob nursing covers
- Lanolin for sore nipples.
- Bra Pads. I registered for Medela Washable Bra Pads. This was my way of being eco and cost conscious, but I soon discovered the discomfort of these scratchy pads wasn’t worth it. I ended up just buying a large pack of disposable Lansinoh Ultimate Protection Breast Pads. They only have to last you until your supply evens out, so you don’t have to worry about killing your budget or the environment.
- Gatorade
- Cleansing Wipes or Towelettes such as these Mustela Cleansing Wipes. I used these to wipe off milk leaks and wipe down my flanges between uses (I used one set of flanges per day and wiped them off in between uses as opposed to dismantling and washing after each use).
Finally for nursing you will need some comfortable nursing bras. I used and loved the Basics By Bravado – Stella Seamless Nursing Bra. The main thing I liked about them was that they were made out of a nylon/spandex blend instead of cotton and it was cooling and gentle on by boobs and did not rub or irritate them like some cotton ones I had did. A lot of other people would highly recommend a hands-free nursing bra. I actually found that I did not need this. I was able to tuck the pump flanges into the regular nursing bra and once the suction started they stayed in place.
I also want to mention a splurge that could help ease your mind in the early breastfeeding days. We used the Health o Meter Grow with Me Baby Scale to track the girls’ weight gain. This scale is so precise, you can use it to determine exactly how many ounces your baby eats during a nursing session. Using the scale in the first month helped us become confident in nursing. We actually still use it regularly for milestone photos.
If you plan to exclusively nurse or only occasionally pump and bottle feed then the above list should cover you. Pump sets usually come with a handful of bottles and nipples which can be used to cover occasional bottle feeding. But if you plan to incorporate more regular bottle bottle feeding from pumped breastmilk (or formula) you will need to purchase more bottles (we just bought additional Medela bottles that matched the pump set) add a few more things to your registry.
For us the number one bottle feeding purchase was the Wabi Baby Electric Steam Sterilizer and Dryer. A lot of research and recommendations went into purchasing this specific sterilizer and dryer over other alternatives for its speed and thoroughness in drying. It has become the most used household appliance. It’s an essential part of our bottle washing routine, and I would not waste a cent on grass/tree bottle drying racks that clutter your counters. Every night my husband would wash all of the bottles (there were lots because of pumping and bottle feeding twins) and run them all in one load through the Wabi and within less than 45 minutes they would all be sterilized and dry.
Go ahead and add a Munckin bottle brush to the registry too for washing out the bottles.
I would also recommend the Munckin High Speed Bottle Warmer to get your breastmilk from chilled to warm for drinking in no time. Let me tell you that every second counts when baby is ready to eat in the middle of the night, which is why we chose this one. If you are having twins, I highly recommend getting two of these warmers so that you can warm the bottles and feed them at the same time. Just be sure when using a warmer that you don’t warm the bottles too warm or your transition to cooler drinks could become tricky.
Also, and especially for twins, I highly recommend a bottle holding pillow for hands-free feeding. We got ours from an ETSY shop called Bugaboo Bliss. They definitely came in handy when I was doing middle of the night bottle feeds by myself.
Finally, there is the question of pumped milk storage. I wrote a completely separate post on my eco-friendly breastmilk freezer stash, which you can read about here.
Good luck on your breastfeeding journey!
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Samantha
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