This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SimplyBonding #CollectiveBias
It’s getting real, everyone! When our home study was approved and we became a waiting family a few weeks ago, the reality did set in. Our phone could ring at any moment with news about our future child. For months as we went through the home study/paperwork process for our adoption, being in the place we are now was all hypothetical. From here on out it’s real: we don’t know if a baby will join our family in the next month or the next year, but it’s time to get prepared. I’ve been putting together a list of registry essentials for an adoptive family, so I thought I’d share what we’ve come up with thus far. Plus, I put together a cute little DIY feeding station for us to use in our home!
First thing’s first: every adoptive family is different in what they choose to do to prepare for a child. In our case, we aren’t planning on having a traditional baby shower with all of our friends and family. That will most likely happen after our child comes home: it will be a “welcome baby” party instead! However, when we are matched we might have a small get-together with family and close friends. That is where the registry essentials come into play. Most likely, we will only have a few short weeks between our match and the birth of our child, so we will be assembling just the necessary items to get us started. Admittedly, the clothes, the shoes, the stuffed animals, and all the other accouterments that baby can have are fun to gift to new mothers, but that is not what we will need. The fun stuff can come later! We need essentials. If you have a friend who is adopting, I definitely suggest thinking about just the essentials for gifts beforehand – it will be appreciated! So, what’s on the list for us?
- Bottles
- Bibs/burp cloths
- Formula
- Diapers and wipes
- Diaper cream
- Bassinet
- Infant car seat/stroller (we already purchased ours!)
- Changing pad or table
- Swaddles/blankets
- Bodysuits
- Pacifiers
- Infant bath tub
- First aid kit
Of course, this list is probably a fraction of what we will eventually need, but it is where we are going to start! I’ll say it again: even though we all love to purchase those adorable toys and clothes (and don’t get me wrong – I want to buy them too), they can wait! I’ll be in a pickle if I don’t have my essentials first!
As the months go by, I am starting to accumulate some of these registry essentials for adoptive parents on my own. I recently picked up an assortment of NUK Simply Natural Bottles at Babies “R” Us to add to my collection. I’ll be honest: I’ve been learning a lot about babies lately, because this is all new to me! I like that the bottles feature multiple nipple holes for a natural feed. The nipples have 3-9 holes, depending on the flow rate. They come in 5oz or 9oz bottles: I purchased a few of each! The silicone nipples are flexible and very soft, and the bottles themselves are crystal clear (and BPA free). They also feature an advanced 1-piece Anti-Colic Air system that helps to reduce colic, gas and spit up. I’m happy with the quality, and excited to put them into use in the future (hopefully very soon)!
I acquired a few different packages of the NUK Simply Natural Bottles – you can buy them in a 1 pack, a 3 pack, or as a NUK Simply Natural Gift Set. You can easily find them at Babies “R” Us in the Feeding aisle – the product is new to Babies “R” Us and you can even find it now on an end cap in the store! In the end, I think the gift set is a wonderful option to add to your registry essentials list – it features 2 5 oz bottles with slow flow nipples, 2 9oz bottles with medium flow nipples, 2 high flow nipples, plus 3 NUK Orthodontic silicone pacifiers. It’s a great starter combination! If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for organizational tools. It seemed completely natural for me to put together a DIY feeding station for our home! It was so easy to put together: I picked up a simple white rolling cart to start. Then, I put all of my bottle and feeding items inside! On the top shelf, I added a drying rack for the bottles once they have been washed. The second shelf houses all of my new NUK Simply Natural Bottles. The bottom shelf is reserved for extra cloths like burp cloths and bibs, but to start I thought it would be fun to display the bibs I do have on the outside of the cart! Because the cart is on wheels, I can easily move it from one room to the other if necessary. I can wash my bottles in the kitchen and store the cart there, but I can also roll it into the nursery or the living room if I want all of my necessities in one easy to reach spot! So, now that I have one more item checked off of my “pre-baby to-do list,” what’s next? By the way, you can follow and interact with NUK social channels for potential offers and giveaways, especially for Simply Natural September! NUK can be found on Instagram // Facebook
Congratulations on your home study! I hope a new sweet little addition arrives very soon for you. So exciting! {client}
OMG! This post is so great, thank you for sharing your experience. 🙂 #CollectiveBias #Client