Shop My Baby Registry is a column in which Forbes Vetted asks well-known parents, mompreneurs and celebrities for their must-have baby registry tips. Read on for product recommendations that will make life with a newborn a little easier.
MAura Modi, 38, co-founder and CEO of Bobbie, an organic baby formula produced and sold by subscription and available at Target in the U.S., only recently returned to work full-time after the birth of her fourth child, Etta. I asked her what her mornings look like with four children ages 8 and younger at home while also running a growing business. Bobbie employs 160 people, mostly working from home, spread across 28 states. It also has two manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Vermont that are working to keep up with consumer demand in an industry plagued by shortages and recalls in recent years.
“It’s a zoo. It’s chaos. You’re feeding, changing diapers, trying to keep the peace, trying to get everyone dressed and out the door and making sure they all look like decent human beings,” she says. “People ask, ‘Oh, do you exercise in the morning?’ No, I put a pot of coffee on – and I survive.”
Modi, who was born and raised in Ireland, is currently raising four American children from the Washington, DC area with her husband. She also refers to her nanny as “my everything” and says, “Life without her would be impossible.”
It’s this practical, honest approach to parenting that makes me think Modi is probably the mum-friend who doesn’t feel the need to clean up the kid’s mess before taking them inside for a coffee and a chat while still in your pyjamas. This judgement-free zone ethos is embedded in the culture of the company she founded with former colleague and mum Sarah Hardy. “We’re here for the silent majority of modern parents who will eventually switch to formula feeding without the guilt that comes with it,” says Modi.
Modi conceived Bobbie while suffering from mastitis (a painful inflammation of the breast all too familiar to breastfeeding parents) and was searching supermarket shelves for an infant formula to nurse her first child while she recovered. Modi and Hardy founded Bobbie in 2018 with the goal of developing a baby formula without corn filler, palm oil and other additives that troubled Modi as a young mother trying to feed her babies both foods. The company received the green light from the FDA in the midst of the Covid pandemic — in August 2020 — and began selling its cans of powdered baby formula in a market dominated by four multinational corporations that sell the majority of infant formula in the U.S., including Abbott Laboratories (maker of Similac) and Reckitt Benckiser Group (maker of Enfamil). The private company has fed half a million babies in three and a half years, Modi says.
Her busy but pragmatic parenting style makes Modi the perfect person to ask for her unfiltered opinion on the best things to include in a baby wish list. She admits that the baby wish list she would make today would look different than the one she made for her first child. “With your first child, you make a wish list more based on aesthetics and ambitious parenting goals – and after you’ve done that a few times, you understand the reality of parenting,” says Modi. “You choose things that allow you more mobility. You find things that are more comfortable but less pretty – and form over function. When you have your fourth child, you want it to work and require little maintenance – you choose simplicity.”
Check out Modi’s top picks from the baby list below, from the smart bassinet to the portable breast pump.
Must-haves on Laura Modi’s baby registry
A portable breast pump so you can keep going
Amazon
“A hands-free pump should be on every working mom’s list. It’s discreet and easy to use. I don’t have to sneak away to pump because I can just pump while I try to check off the million things on my to-do list.”
Elvie breast pump
$550
Your favorite baby bottle
Amazon
“A tried and true classic that I’ve been using since baby #1. No need to worry about air mixing with the milk. It’s a great baby shower gift idea and has been a must-have for parents for years.”
Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Anti-Colic Baby Bottles
$26.65
Extra soft and adorable baby clothes
Bums & Roses
“Bums & Roses has bamboo booties and knotted dresses that are super comfortable and help baby regulate their temperature. We dress Etta in affordable and gender-neutral options because babies grow so quickly in the first year.”
Bums & Roses
$7.50 (and more)
A sling to keep your hands free
Ergobaby
“The Aura Wrap is very soft, made from sustainably sourced fabrics and easily packs into a diaper bag so I always have it with me. I appreciate Ergobaby’s color-coded contrast stitching to help us parents with diaper changing, making even the first attempts more doable with just two hands.”
Ergobaby Aura Baby Sling
59$
Amazon
Prepare the baby food in advance and mix it
“This formula container makes it easy to prepare a whole day’s worth of formula. I can prepare it in the morning and then I’m set for the day, which is great if someone else is filling in for feedings. Even late night feedings are easy because your formula is always ready to go.”
Munchkin SmartBlend Formula mixing jug
11,49 €
An intelligent cradle for more sleep all around
Amazon
“As this is my fourth baby, a Smart Sleeper was highly recommended. The built-in cry detection in this Graco Smart Bassinet helps tremendously in getting baby (and me) a few extra zzzs. When Etta starts to whine, it automatically responds by rocking her back to sleep. I can’t stop telling other moms about this functional baby product.”
Graco Sense2Snooze Bassinet
$330
Everything that helps with bathing
Amazon
“Any product that grows with a baby makes the transition from newborn to infant to toddler so easy. We love that we’ve been able to use this tub from day one and will be able to use it for a few more years.”
Frida Baby 4-in-1 wax bathtub
50$
A must-have pacifier
Amazon
“Another must-have for newborns. Etta loves these pacifiers and won’t use any other pacifiers. I love giving them to new moms as newborns take so well to the balloon style nipple.”
Itzy Ritzy Natural Rubber Pacifiers (Set of 2)
$9
Because you need more and more diapers
Amazon
“I love Pampers Swaddlers and Amazon makes it easy to subscribe. Add these to some of the Dr. Brown’s bottles and you have a great gift idea, because who doesn’t need diapers and bottles? Plus, Pampers Swaddlers always work – and they’re easy to get anywhere.”
Pampers changing mat
56 USD (198 pieces)
A formula subscription – so you never run out of money
Bobbie
“I may be biased, but all families need support throughout the feeding journey, no matter what it looks like, and Bobbie has the first organic European-style infant formula recipe that meets FDA standards. I have fed all four of my babies a combination of different options. Gifting a subscription to friends and family is a great way to support moms through their feeding journey.”
Bobbie Formula Subscription
$165.60 (per month/4 cans)
Easier feeding, no matter how you do it
Amazon
“There’s a reason parents recommend the Boppy – it makes feeding so much easier. Whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding, the pillow supports your baby and puts them in a safe feeding position.”
Boppy Nursing Pillow
$33
A convertible high chair that is also pretty
Lalo
“We love this high chair. Another product that grows with the baby. It converts from a high chair to a booster seat and then to a play chair. Not only is it functional, but it’s not an eyesore like most high chairs. I 100% recommend it to all my friends.”
Lalo, the chair
188 $
This portable stroller fan combats heatwaves
Amazon
“With temperatures above average so far this summer, this fan allows for daily strollers to be taken for walks. It is very quiet and can be easily attached to the carrycot, keeping Etta cool and comfortable.”
Gaiatop stroller fan
$16
White noise so nothing disturbs your baby
Amazon
“When we have three other children, a sound machine is essential to ensure that Etta’s sleep is not easily disturbed at naptime or at night. We love that this one has six different sounds so we can vary them.”
Homedics SoundSleep White Noise Sound Machine
21,45 €
An adjustable pregnancy pillow for more sleep Before Baby is coming
Subscribe
“This pillow carried me throughout my entire pregnancy and gave me the best sleep of all my pregnancies. It is adjustable so I could change the firmness or shape as my body grew so I was always comfortable.”
Bbhugme pregnancy pillow
209 $
A rotating car seat to protect your back
Amazon
“I’ve tried a few car seats now and was excited to try a swivel car seat for Etta. It’s so much easier to put her in facing me and then rotate it back to the rear-facing position. We can use it until she weighs 65lbs (in the forward-facing position until then). It’s a great car seat hack because you only have to buy one and it swivels so it’s no problem putting the baby in.”
Chicco Fit360 ClearTex rotating convertible car seat
399$
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