For all my mama-pals to be!

I did a little delving to find out what other 2011 mamas found to be the most useful/best baby items out there since so many important women in my life are having babies in 2012. I wish that I had done better research when I was preggo because the online baby registry tool that I used was utterly useless. Anyhoo, if you're expecting a little one, here are some must-have baby items:

Bouncy chair (the one we have bounces and plays music--Autumn loved it and I did too! I would have gone three months without a shower without it. haha! My in-laws even have one for us at their place. So good.)

Bumbo Chair and Tray (We have one and I actually didn't like it. Autumn spit up whenever she was in it as an infant as it put too much pressure on her little tum tum. I had a TON of mamas say that it was the BEST seat for little ones though so it clearly was just us. Autumn is totally comfortable in the Bumbo now at 10 months but it would have been more useful for us before she could sit up on her own.)

Breast Pump (I use an Avent manual pump but the Medela Swing got the best reviews for electric if you will need to pump quite often)

Baby bottles and Sanitizing kit (I have a pal who uses an Avent microwave bottle sanitizer and she swears by it for its ease of use--it's worth googling at the very least. Bottles are tricky cause your preference will totally depend on your baby. It could be an idea to register for a bottle sampler kit and see what your baby likes best.)

Exersaucer (You will be so thankful that you have one of these, trust me!)

Swing (We never had a swing for Autumn at our house as the bouncy chair was enough for us but if we had a bigger home, I would have loved to have both. My parents have a swing for Autumn at their place and she really enjoyed it when she was tiny. Worth it if you have the space, for sure.)

Nursing pillow (If you plan to nurse your baby, the brest friend nursing pillow is tops!! I WISH that I was smarter when Autumn was itty bitty and had bitten the bullet and forked out the dough for one of these puppies. She was so light in the beginning that I thought I could do without a pillow. Now she's 25lbs and still loves the boob. Really wishing I had a nursing pillow about now. haha!)

Baby Carrier (Most of my mom pals and myself use an Ergo baby carrier but my advice to you is to go try on as many carriers as you can and have Dad try them on too. You want one that is going to be comfy for both of you and easy to put on. A few other mamas I know use the Baby Beco Carrier--It's also a hit.)

Swaddle-me blankies with velcro (These will come in very handy when your tot starts flailing him or herself out of a swaddle and waking him or herself up.)

Video Monitor (We were SOOOOO lucky and received a used vid. monitor from our friend Tanis as a gift. They're pricey but totally worth it. Have a look-see on craigslist or pop one on your registry and hope for the best.)

Diaper Genie (For folks who plan to use disposable diapers, this is a must-have.)

Jolly Jumper (This item makes for tired babies. Sleeping babies make for happy mamas.) Click here for more information.

Food for your freezer (You should spend the first weeks of your baby's life getting to know your new family member and recovering from the birth. We found it extremely helpful that our friends Will and Jill stocked our freezer full of little meals for us and we literally didn't have to cook dinner for two weeks. This was an amazing gift!)

A Bazillion soft little facecloths & Spit-Up blankies (Newborns barf alot. It's a fact.)

White Noise Machine (We have the LeapFrog My Pal Scout dog and Autumn has slept with it in her crib since day one. We take it everywhere--It really helps her to sleep.)

**Thanks mama pals & the facebook Sugar Mamas for helping out with this little list.