Nesting with Intention: Gear and Resources for the First Year of Life
Preparing for parenthood involves acquiring mindsets, and some stuff
When I was pregnant with my first child, I was fortunate to receive a curated list of baby items to put on my “registry” from a colleague-turned-friend, Tanya. I think there’s great value in any friend’s suggestions, based on their lived experience as a new parent. But this particular friend/new parent also happened to be an Infant & Toddler Educator at Google and THE person who introduced me to RIE. So: advice jackpot.
Tanya (thank you, Tanya!) emailed me that list over six years ago and it was the exact bit of hand-holding I needed. I had the honor of watching her parent, and I wanted her to influence me and my parenting. I trusted her and was so happy to have not only a finite list of items, but also some information explaining the “why” behind each thing. I credit Tanya (the lengthy conversations we had commuting together and her list) with much of my confidence as a first time parent.
I found the list so helpful that I passed it along to many of my friends as they announced pregnancies. I adapted it. I added to it. And then, eventually, I pulled out some of my high school yearbook graphic design skills and inserted images and turned my personal rendition of “the list” into a 40 page “Visual Registry.”
The list (which I call “Nesting with Intention: Gear and Resources for the First Year of Life”) is designed to provide practical suggestions that help you think through what you might need as you wrap your head around having a baby in your life. It’s not quite as charming as the bullet-pointed Google doc that Tanya sent me, but it sure is beefy. I leave the style and specifics up to you (because that part is fun and everyone has their own tastes and can find various things used) but I try to explain the why behind the items so you can decide whether it makes sense to acquire, based on your lifestyle.
Here’s an example of some suggestions for starting solids:
And here’s some information about why I suggest each thing:
The full guide (linked below) includes some information about play, postpartum, traveling with babies, feeding, health and safety, book recommendations, and more. I also included some bonus pages for gift ideas for first, second, and third birthdays.
I’ve been feeling quite grateful for those who are helping support this newsletter financially, and wanted to give them access to the full guide below. I hope a broad range of readers will find it useful, whether expecting the arrival of a child, interrogating/purging their own inventory, or shopping for a loved one.
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