When we transitioned Paige into her room, it was a definite challenge for all of us. While the above mentioned devices were helpful in our relaxation, Paige needed something to help her. Enter this wonderful machine. We received it as a gift from Sean's grandmother, and while I thought it was very neat, I never saw myself actually putting it to everyday use. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. This machine has three natural sounds (heartbeat, rain, and ocean) and three lullabies (Brahms, Twinkle Twinkle, and Rock-a-bye Baby) to choose from, and timer settings for running length. It also comes with three disks of different scenes that are projected onto the baby's ceiling. We use it every night for Paige, it runs though the night on the ocean setting. It's a nice white noise, and with the volume adjustment levels, we make it a calming environment that allows her to drift off to sleep. It also aids in blocking out any outside sounds, from out her window, or just Sean and I walking around the house. She loves it, and this is another thing I can see myself using for years to come. My brother-in-law still needs "white noise" to sleep, he uses a fan, so I think Paige will enjoy this even as she gets older. It's not too loud, and just enough to help her to sleep. 
This is another one of those must-haves I didn't know existed, didn't register for, and stumbled upon. Sean's family lives in Syracuse, my family loves to camp, we have HUGE Sunday dinners every week, and do a lot of traveling/eating out. This high chair is perfect for anyone who plans on going anywhere with their child for the first three years of his/her life. My step-mom mentioned seeing this in Burlington Coat Factory sometime before Paige's first Thanksgiving holiday....which we travel every year to Syracuse to celebrate with our family there. I mentioned it to Sean, who shrugged me off, saying we didn't really need something like that. Being the understanding wife that I am, I went and purchased it anyway :). When I brought it home, he still laughed thinking we'd never get good use out of it, and that it'd probably end up being a dust collector in our closet. I packed it up and off we went to Syracuse. Not only did it serve it's purpose, Sean told everyone how brilliant I was for getting it! We use it to go camping so Paige has somewhere to sit, at Sunday dinners so we don't have to take up a chair for a booster seat, and even on Mother's Day, when the restaurant we were having brunch at asked that anyone who had a booster seat or highchair please bring their own to ensure enough for all its patrons. She still fits in it (although I don't buckle her in anymore) and we still bring it everywhere we go. It is a huge time saver, easily assembled and folds up nicely for storage at Paige's Meme's house. 
This is the ONE thing on this list of must-haves that I actually registered for. Sean and I were looking at reviews, and decided that this one not only kept the water clean by constantly flowing,into the basin and then into the tub, it also monitored the temperature. As a hot water LOVER I always have a hard time determining if the water is too hot or too cold for anyone else. It's never too hot for me. So we used this, which fits in a standard sized sink, or in the tub until Paige was too big for it. Once she began to sit up independently and could hold herself up for an extended period of time, we graduated to a water thermometer (similar to this) which is digital and shows if the temperature is too hot by a blinking red light (the one in the above link-the turtle- is an audible alarm rather than a blinking light). We still use the duck to monitor the temperature, and it has become one of Paige's favorite bathtime toys. I hope this list has helped any Moms or Moms-to-be in deciding what they need. There are many, many, items you will need...too many to list. These are just a few that I've come to depend on day-to-day. They're things that I never thought I would need, and now, I can't live without.
