How Two Dads Would Redo Their Baby Gift Registry

Awaiting surrogacy success meant these two had a long time to plan.

Justin and Leigh Khoo of Two Dads One Baby welcomed their baby boy Owen March 8th, 2022 in Cancun, Mexico, but their journey to parenthood began in Melbourne in 2018. "That's when we started discussing and looking at the options available for having a baby. We started buying some small baby things to start the train of good baby juju. We were so excited to start the journey and by the idea that one day we were going to have a family of our own," says Justin. "We got a bit too excited with our spending, not knowing how long the road ahead was going to be."

By the time two sadly unsuccessful surrogate transfers in Australia had occured, and ended their local surrogacy journey, they had a whole room of their small apartment dedicated to their baby. "It was a fully decked-out nursery with a cot, heaps of clothes and all the little knick-knacks. When we started our international surrogacy journey, we held off a bit to make sure we didn't get ahead of ourselves."

When things we're progressing well with a surrogate in South America, the couple started collecting their big ticket items with research. "We reached out to our siblings and friends who had babies and their own little tribes already to get a better understanding of what was out there on the market. After much exploration of online reviews (Leigh), Instagram (me), in stores and at baby expos on weekends, we were able to then narrow down what was important and necessary against what was complimentary or fun," says Justin.

Justin was the big spender, while Leigh was a lot more conservative in his approach to shopping, though they agreed on a criteria for their baby essentials: purposeful, durable, aesthetically pleasing, reusable (future babies), sustainable and practical in form and function. "When we had our Gender Reveal of Baby Khoo party, we set up a Gift Registry with the smaller things: bath towels, bibs, face washers, swaddles, bassinet and cot sheets and other essentials that our family and friends contributed to.

But even with research and careful prep, babies have a way of surprising you. "We did not foresee Owen arriving so early, at just 29 weeks. We didn't have any premature baby gear when we made a mad dash to Mexico. We'd been told he was measuring bigger too, so didn't even have many 0000 let alone 000000 sized clothing, which is what we had to find for him." It was short lived though, with Owen quickly gorwing and gaining weight. "He grew into his newborn clothing from his premature clothes whilst we were still overseas, so then we had to go buy more to keep up!"

Comotomo Baby Bottle Bundle

"Owen took to this bottle like he'd had it since birth. He seemed to like the teet but also the feel of the silicone bottle. We found them easy to rinse while on-the-go and comfortable to hold."

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Shnuggle Bath With Plug

"One epic shopping fail, which we now think is pretty funny, was purchasing a toddler bath to bathe Owen, not realising the bath was primarily used for babies 6 months+/toddler stage. We were still in Cancun, struggling to make bath time work and feel comfortable not only for us, but for Owen too. Bath time looked like both of us trying to wash a precious and delicate slippery, wobbly salmon, arms all tangled and entwined, panic on our faces and the whole experience an utter chaotic fail. As soon as we got past the denial that the bath wasn’t working, it was evicted from the house."

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Baby Shusher

"We used the Baby Shusher since day dot. It's such a handy little device that you can take anywhere. It's truly is a game changer for parents! We found when Owen was restless or not able to settle in the pram or bassinet, we simply turned it on and in a matter of minutes he was sound asleep. The amount of times we have had comments from people while we've been out and about in regards to what was making that “shhh” sound! They all said they wish it had been around when they were new parents."

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Owlet Monitor Duo

"This product is a wow! We weren’t freaking out overnight when we had a preemie baby in our care because of the Owlet Sock. It's such a cute, easy to use sock that was perfect for our situation! With Owen's heart rate recorded at all times and reassuring us that there was nothing to be alarmed about, nothing we needed to be aware of, it gave us peace of mind especially during the night when he was sleeping."

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Leander Luna Dresser

"One of our favourite shopping wins was the Leander Luna Dresser with changing unit. We absolutely fell in love with it because it met our criteria of a quality, longterm product, but it was so handy having extra space next to the changing mat to be able to facilitate space for all the baby essentials you need when changing nappies!"

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Missta Bottle

"This has become our must-have wherever we go. It is sleek, modern, easy to use and been a life saver! Perfect for on the go feeding as well as over night feeding! When we first tried it with Owen, we were blown away. It meant for overnight feeds we wouldnt have to move from our room to get water. It was there ready, at the right temperature, ready to go."

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ROCKIT

"Another gadget that rocked our world was the ROCKIT! Our friends recommended it, explaining that it 'shakes' the pram, and we both laughed, thinking it was a gimmick, but when we got one of our own, we couldn't believe how much easier it has made going out. Being able to rock the pram and being handsfree."

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Boon Grass Drying Rack

"This has always been a staple for us when it comes to cleaning bottles. Even when we were overseas, we had a travel size one. It fits the bottles perfectly and the twigs are great cause they are made to hold the covers of bottles and teets."

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