Even though pregnancy is counted in weeks, I’ve hit the 6 month mark in this journey.

I will say that some days I have energy, others, not so much. I think the weather has a lot to do with it, so maybe this baby will be as weather-moody as me. Time will tell. Other than that, it’s just been the struggle to comfortably sleep. I’m probably not using my pregnancy pillow correctly, I’ll just keep telling myself that I’ll figure it out soon.

But here we are, six months in, and now I’m planning mostly for the first six months out.

In this lifestyle, I have found it very difficult to find or justify employment in a traditional sense. So much so that I’ve begun looking into gig-economy careers, aka Witch of the Yeast, and becoming a postpartum doula. So needless to say as soon as you type in “doula” or anything related to babies on google, your facebook, instagram, everything turns !BABY! in giant neon lights. I’ll admit that I fell into that algorithm, and saved, screenshot, and researched products that one day I may find useful. So when I found out I was pregnant, I immediately created a Bump account to track, in theory, my baby’s progress, and also a BabyList registry.

Here’s the problem:

I get medevac’d from Togo in early December. Baby is due late January. H gets 12 weeks of paternity leave (me I guess endless because I’m not working right now), so that puts us March, April, when we will have to return to Togo. She’ll be 8 weeks old, and then only 3 or 4 months remain on our time in Africa. We depart in August. Then will in live the US until late October, until we head to Europe.

I’m sure that may have been a lot to take in. It definitely is for us. And that definitely is a lot to consider when we think about all the moving and all of the baby stuff. When we pack out of our house in Africa, it’ll be shipped to Europe directly, so we won’t even see that stuff until sometime in October, November, or later.

Everything has to be portable, meaningful, sustainable, and intentional.

So below is how I’m approaching our registry. I check and revisit it every day, in fact this week I’ve had to go through and triple check that everything is in stock, or still available, or start looking for alternatives in case circumstances change. It occupies my days. Maybe it’s a little obsessive, but then again, as time has proven, I’m not doing much at the moment so I guess this is my pre-nesting journey, as I look forward to the future. It’s also a matter of really hoping people stay to the registry, as it’s not just a style/bougie thing for me or us, it’s necessity in baggage allowances, weight and dimensions of packages to ship, and how quickly babies seemingly grow and ruin all things they come into contact with, with their numerous bodily excretions. Gross, but I hope you get the point.

Also, everything bright rainbow annoys me. Why does a minimalist bouncer cost so much? Like the $30 one from Target has bright stuff printed on it when the baby won’t even be able to see behind them?! Like what is this crazy baby over stimulation culture? Maybe it’s my own sensory issues where I prefer subtle patterns or prints and neutrals. Who knows. But if you love that $30 bright colored bouncer and so does your baby, I’m all for it.

Oh, and here’s another catch: We won’t be doing a real nursery until Europe. We in theory could get a baby shipment to Togo, but no guarantee that it would make it here in a timely fashion to use much of it before leaving. So while I’m kind of being robbed from that experience right now, it’ll be much easier to create and design that aspect of our new home in a space where I can attain things there and she’ll be much more aware to enjoy.

I mean, long story very short, this baby will live and transit three continents before she is one. Stuff has got to work for the long haul.

Without further waiting, I’m going to really show off my madness:

**PS: This is not the entire registry, just items that I believe will be purposeful to share ideas about.

***PSS: I’m not an affiliate to any of these brands. So no commission is earned from any links or purchases you may make or view. These are just where my research has brought me and I think will suit our needs.

Transportation:

Stroller:

Africa: Our streets are mostly paved, but still very uneasy, lots of sand, and when rain comes, everything turns to mud. Need: A stroller that can handle pretty rough terrain.

Europe: Mostly paved streets, historical roads may be difficult to navigate with a stroller, small doorways, transit friendly, likely a much smaller apartment or house than we have now. Need: Small, compact, lightweight products.

What we decided on:

We decided on one stroller with mostly travel and Europe in mind. And that item, is the Joolz Aer travel stroller. Joolz is a Dutch brand with sustainability in mind, they make quality products with sustainable materials, and plant a tree in their birth forest in Colombia for every stroller purchased. This product folds to very small, airline bin compliant sizing, is light weight with a one-handed fold, one click and swish with your wrist? And the stroller pops out to usability. The bassinet feature also folds flat, which will make for perfect storage. We did see a lot of their strollers out an about in Amsterdam, so I know that it’s popular and will work for Euro streets and needs.

But what about the Africa portion of our journey??

When we most recently went to DC for our 20week appointment, we stayed near a baby/children consignment shop, and got an absolute steal for a slightly older model of the Cybex Platinum Priam Luxe. I mean, we’re talking $100, for something that once cost close to $1000. We plan on “flipping” it (mostly cleaning it) and I’ll share that process and steps here! The wheels are pretty durable and it’s smooth as ever without being super heavy or crazy bulky. It’s also nice because the seat likes flat so it’s newborn ready without any attachments needed. We’ll use this one primarily here in Africa, and ship it to Europe and use when needed.

Carseat:

So many people have so many opinions. I think this nomad lifestyle makes it sometimes more overwhelming with everyones preferred travel options, rather than just going into a baby store. I mean, we got to stop in a store and see some while stateside, and quickly realized what we like and don’t like.

Needs: portability and use without a base. FAA approval, lightweight as possible, adaptors available for the strollers, safe, I mean, the list goes freaking on.

We went back and forth, well, maybe more me on whether a travel friendly convertible carseat was the move vs. an infant carrier. Considering the immense airport travel situation we’ll be handling, the infant seat is the winner for this stage of life.

What we decided on:

The Clek Liingo and although this carseat isn’t the lightest on the market, it’s still very manageable. It clicks into the Joolz stroller with an adaptor, is FAA compliant, and is sold without a base. Meaning it won’t end up in a landfill or closest since we won’t have a car. It has built in Latch connectors for vehicles and the European beltway. It’s made without harmful chemicals, a 9-year lifespan, 3-year warranty, and can be sent back to Clek at the end of its life to be recycled. I mean, it can’t meet our needs and my desire for low environmental impact more than this.

Baby Wearing:

This is important to me, not just for bonding, but also just being handsfree. It’s also simpler than lugging around a stroller in some situations, and the benefits are just endless. But then enter everyones preferences and opinions and it makes your head spin.

For the earliest days I plan on using a Solly Wrap. Then we’re considering an Happy Baby Carrier- onbuhimo version that is made for babies 7lbs-and up! It can front and back carry. Our desired one is made out of linen, and the purchase also donates to Japanese mental health funds.

I’m petite and got swallowed by the Sakura Bloom carrier I ordered, and count me out for the massive Ergo Baby and Baby Bjorn carriers. Just not for me.

Sleep Situation:

This is a tricky one. People LOVE the Guava Lotus crib and bassinet attachment. However, the visual of the Baby Bjorn travel crib is much more preferred. Although the latter doesn’t have a bassinet feature or a zipper. And well, being 5ft tall, I have to think about these things.

What we decided on:

Enter the Silver Cross Slumber Travel Crib

It has the best of both worlds in travel capability (although the packaging is a little less desirable), however is sleeker looking, with a zipper and bassinet portion. It also clocks in at a little over the Baby Bjorn crib, but cheaper than the bundled version of the Guava.

If you have a hang up about the floor sleeping, these cribs are less bulky, and lighter, and seemingly have comfortable mattresses. They can also accommodate heavier weights which you wouldn’t necessarily get with other brands that sit up off the floor.

We will use this while we are in temporary housing for the bassinet feature in the US, but when we return to Togo, I was gifted a DesignDua Moses basket by another family here. For being a now third-hand item, it’s still in magnificent shape and is rather large, and while our girl is measuring petite, I believe we’ll get a few more months out of it.

We also plan on getting the Joovy Gloo inflatable travel bed, which is sleep safe for 4 months and older. It folds and packs down to fit in a suitcase, which we will likely use in between moves as well. That item is particularly nice because it has a zipper cover to keep baby in, but also keep bugs out. Considering we live in a Malaria zone, we can’t take our chances. It’ll also be handy to take to the park for outdoor napping or to the beach. Even though it is also a floor bed, I’m most certainly okay on holding off on anything elevated until we get to Europe and she gets a nursery.

We are the owners of a Floyd bed, which is lower to the ground than those with more traditional frames, so while we have this set up, I’m a huge believer in the power and success of the Finnish baby boxes and their usefulness, thus these options seem natural to me. I mean, our ancestors didn’t have cribs…

Clothing:

No one should look in my closet right now, but I promise I’m going to go through it and get rid of so many items. It’s just unnecessary. So when it comes to dressing baby, I’ve decided to go the Baby Capsule Wardrobe route.

Keeping things simple, intentional, and minimal, I’ve only got plain white onesies left on my list to get us through till next August.

I’ve bought just enough clothes to get us through the winter in DC, the endless summer here in Togo, and I can replenish as necessary once back in the US. It makes the overspending on supply very low and reduces the massive amounts of clothes that get packed away forever.

I like that Kate Quinn clothes are super adorable, minimal, but also whimsical enough and they run amazing sales. Like I’m talking $3, $5, $10 sales. Processing times are a little longer than I’d like, but it’s worth it when the tiny adorable clothes come out of the box.

We also used some small shops on Etsy for a handmade winter suit, and a merino wool hat. Supporting small shops is the move for quality materials.

Also no baby wardrobe or dresser, because the wardrobe is capsulated, over the door hanging organizers for the win.

Other Sustainable, Intentional, and Minimal Options:

Honestly, a large amount of baby marketed stuff gives me a migraine. Who honestly needs a million more items in their home? If you’re that parent that wants everything, that’s okay with me. But as of this post, I’m not going to let it be me.

**I may regret this stance later**

Either way, here are the items I’m skipping and subbing for better options that’ll work just the same.

Burp Cloths: Instead of baby marketed burp cloths, I’m going with the flour sack towels. Absorbent, large, useful, organic, and can be used for cleaning cloths later.

Bar Soap: This is for a multitude of reasons. First, I’m choosing sustainably made organic soap for the baby’s skin. Second, I save the plastic problem by eliminating a liquid version. Third, these items are so much easier to ship and don’t count against luggage space. The same goes for baby lotion, they make stick and bar forms of this too!

Toys: I’ve only selected 6 items in that category, and they’re not super flashy, loud baby toys. A teether ball (multipurpose), a pop-it toy for later, a wood rattle for texture; teething/grasping practice, a tummy time mat, high contrast cards for early days, and a card deck of simple activities to do with baby for their first year of life that doesn’t require a million things, utilizes nature, and promotes bonding. Less plastic, more incentive to get outside and later have a curated toy collection that rotates itself out.

Bottles: I know, babies will have preferences…..but we only really need her to take one or two bottles a day. One for malaria medication, the other for bonding with H. I’ve chosen the Hegen bottles, as they are square, come with a locking lid so they’re snack packs later, easier to clean (being a square shape), freezable, boil-friendly, and won’t take up so much cabinet space. Friends have gifted a million others, so I’m sure we’ll have a backup if necessary, but I’m hoping I can pass those on. For breastmilk storage, I won’t be purchasing a ton of plastic storage bags, weck jars it is!

Baby Bath: We’re going with the Puj baby sink bath, as it folds easy for travel. This will save us space and plastic on something that’s needed for only the first few months. We also plan on introducing showers early, so that becomes a viable option as well because we have no idea if our future housing will even have a tub.

Loungers: Trust me, I desperately dream about the Charlie Crane Levo Rocking chair. I just cannot justify the price tag with it. So I’ve purchased a snuggle me lounger, but we’re also being passed on a Dockatot. So saving the money here, I’m just purchasing another cover for baby to be laid down as I dare to navigate showering with a newborn in my life. And when she’s older? The play yard from earlier will come in handy.

Baby Monitor: We’re skipping a video monitor for now. In Togo, we often have internet and power outages, and the wifi sometimes comes back on, sometimes not. So to forego the headaches and frustration, we’re going the good pre-video route of audio monitor only for our time here. We have a Google Home system, so when we reach Europe, we’ll get a Nest Camera to go with that system when she moves to a nursery. Then again, the most trusty thing is us, physically checking on her if we need to.

Highchair: Now don’t get me wrong, for a long time I desperately wanted the Stokke high chair. Maybe if we ever settle, we’ll take the plunge. I hear they’re worth the investment. However, at this point in our lives, we need something space saving, easily moveable, and so on. I hope to sincerely be successful in baby led weaning, not just for her sake, but also to help me on my picky eating journey. So it needs to be safe, last a while, not take up too much time, and be portable. Enter….the Inglesina Fast Table Chair, it secures onto most tables and is super portable and space saving as it folds into an attached bag. I’m also thinking of purchasing the Lalo Booster seat as a more home based seat, just for a little more stability and ease of use for the early days. We’ll ship it to Europe to use once we’re there.

So much more, but so little time…

If you’ve stuck around this long, I thank you. If you happen to have suggestions or reviews of any of the products I’ve listed, that is also helpful. Because at the end of the day, I’m just a first time mom trying to navigate what obviously will work for us, and be useful for the baby. These things are overwhelming, so if you know an expecting family, gift them what they ask for, or at minimum maybe a coffee gift card while they navigate and browse Target, Walmart, BuyBuy Baby and every other store trying to build their registry.

I’ll be sure to update what we think of these products later down the line, but for now, I’m just going to put my feet up, hydrate, take a nap, and think of the next 3-4 months as calmly as I can.

Toodles,

Carrie