Pregnant? Buying for someone pregnant? Here is the only guide you'll need!

Something many moms ask is what they need for their baby.  "Need" is subjective.  Babies only "need" a place to sleep, milk/formula, a car seat, and something to poop in.  Really.  Those are the things they NEED.  But there are many products that make it soooooo much easier when you have a baby, or two, or five...  Buying for a baby is so complicated; there are so many options in every price point.  When I shop for baby gear, I always feel like I'm putting a price on my child's safety.  Do your research before you buy and then you'll feel confident in your purchases.  Here is the list I've complied.

A good car seat.  All car seats pass the same safety standards, so that's something, at least.  But, some car seats are safer than others.  Some have features that increase their performance and some are just the basics.  So remember this: the safest seat is the one that's easy for you to use.  If you can't figure it out or it's difficult to adjust or install properly, your child isn't safe regardless of the cost or features of your seat.

My Favorites: I will recommend any Britax seat.  I love the company, I love the quality, and I think they're a moderately priced seat.

My Least Favorite: I will not recommend the Graco Snug Ride.  It's really difficult to adjust the straps, especially if the baby is in the seat and my straps would loosen on their own while in the car.  I stopped using and went right to a convertible seat.

What I Have: We currently use a Britax Boulevard and a Combi Zeus 360.  The quality of the Combi materials blow the Britax out of the water, but I still totally love my Britax.  They do not make the Zeus 360, currently, but they should.  I have a Honda Element and if you've ever seen the back of one, you'd understand that putting a child in a standard rear facing seat is 100% impossible.  The Zeus turns so you can put your child in at any angle, and then rotate it to the back.  It also faces front.  LOVE this seat.

A place to sleep.  This is all preference.  Some people use a bassinett (babies do not like large open spaces, so a standard crib seems scary and they don't sleep well) some people co-sleep.  Whatever, just have a safe place for your baby.

We've used a moses basket, a bassinett, a custom crib, a mini-crib and a standard crib.  We loved each one.  We have an IKEA crib that we modified to fit in Brooke's "room" aka our master closet with a custom mattress from ababy.com, Kendall sleeps in a BabyMod Olivia crib, which we really love.  It was the afordable alternative to the Oeuf crib... if you've seen the Oeuf, you have to be in love with it, so check out BabyMod Olivia.

A moving containment system.  This can be a swing, a bouncer, a spaceship, anything, but you need one.  If you're short on space, look at a Mamaroo, ours was a life saver for the first few months.  And whatever you get, make sure it plugs in.  Don't even mess with batteries... you'll spend so much money on batteries, you could have hired someone to rock your baby 24/7.

A High Chair.  Our girls spent (spend) quite a bit of time in their high chair.  I found one for like $20 randomly when our K-Mart was closing down.  It's a safety 1st and it's been really good to us.  I would recommend one with wheels, but if you don't require it to move at all, then that's probably not important to you.  We also have a folding high chair from IKEA that's been super awesome when we travel or go to dinner at our friends that don't have a high chair.  This is a great addition to our baby stuff.

A pack n' play.  Our kids slept and played in one of these.  Just get one to have on hand.

A stroller.  This is one thing we could probably do without.  We've used it only a handful of times as we used a wrap or soft structured carrier most of the time.  We have The First Years Wave Stroller, which has been discontinued, but seems the JJ Cole Broadway has replaced it.  It's a super luxurious stroller and our kids like it a lot.  It moves like a dream on any surface.  It's big and bulky, but we still really like it.

A carrier or wrap.  See what your baby prefers.  Kendall lived in a Moby/Sleepy wrap and Brooke hated it.  We have an Original Ergo and a Tula.  Both are really nice, but I prefer the Tula.

If you're buying for a cloth diapering family, buy them cloth diapers!  People register for these because they're expensive and no one ever buys them and it's really disappointing.  Believe it or not, to people that cloth diaper, receiving them is an amazing and exciting gift.  Really.  Many diaper companies make trial packages, so you don't really have to put a lot of effort into picking a gift.  GroVia offers an amazing trial package, and all AIO or pocket diapers come with all the things you need to get started.

Other things to consider if you're buying for a fluffy baby, don't buy those cute little outfits, the pants don't fit well over cloth diapers.  If you really want to be helpful, buy Project Pomona pants or stick with cute t-shirts.

I know this next part is going to sound snotty and crass, but it's the truth and it needs to be told.  Do not buy bibs, burp cloths or blankets unless they were specifically asked for.  Parents end up with way too many of these things.  Don't buy things that make noise or heavy toys.  If you buy something that requires batteries, provide them with the gift.  It's just nice gift giving protocol.

Keep in mind, if you buy big ticket items in gender neutral colors, you don't have to buy them again down the road if you have a baby of the opposite gender.  They're also easier to resell or hand down.