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When I got pregnant the first time, I was overwhelmed at the thought of creating a baby registry. I just didn’t understand what all the baby items were for and knew our home didn’t have that much extra space for lots of stuff. Don’t get me wrong – my home functions differently now that I’m a mom and I have embraced that. But I still don’t want more than I need. I’ve tried to create this baby registry as a reflection of what I have and use and also made note if there’s anything I’m suggesting that is different.
Hope this minimal yet practical baby registry helps you feel as prepared as you can be 😉 I say that with some fun because becoming a mom is a pretty surprising experience in a lot of ways and ultimately I cannot completely predict or control what life will be like with a baby, but I digress.
Enjoy!
Listen – unpopular opinion but I do not think you need an expensive changing pad. At some point I stopped using one altogether and would change my son on the floor, couch, bed – wherever. In the newborn days you are changing so many diapers that I do think it’s worth it to buy a changing pad, but no one is convincing me that I need to spend more than $30 for this thing. I also have a portable one that comes in handy when using random changing stations in bathrooms, etc.
I think a good diaper pail is important for odor control and easy disposal. The refillable bags are kind of annoying to purchase but I don’t remember buying that many refills honestly. Eventually when my son was like 18 months or so, we stopped using this and just put the diapers in our trash bag, but newborn to one year I think this is essential.
Another possibly unpopular opinion but I didn’t really use diaper cream that much with my first born. I found aquaphor to be much more versatile. Dry skin? Check. Diaper rash? Check. Lip balm? Check. (Ok, maybe don’t put the same aquaphor you use on your child’s butt on your lips but you get it.) I do have one or two small diaper creams that I got somewhere along the way but I wouldn’t go crazy buying those.
An infant car seat is essential for safely transporting your newborn. Look for a lightweight model that has a base for easy installation in your car. At first I didn’t understand why this was necessary but when you learn how much newborns and young babies sleep, you realize having a car seat that’s easily portable (the convertible car seat is NOT) is a must.
This was the biggest surprise for me – we got a stroller caddy off FB marketplace for free, thinking we’d never use it. I used this ALL THE TIIME. When you are freshly postpartum, it’s so much easier to grab the caddy than your big stroller. Perspective: this caddy is like 8 lbs – my stroller is 26 lbs. This caddy was so easy to move in and out of the car, grocery store, church, etc. 10/10, especially if you’re about to have your first kid and don’t need to think about transporting more than one. These are also relatively inexpensive and you can find them second-hand too.
I have two sound machines – both are basic and do not use wi-fi. One is portable and one plugs into a wall. This is another item where I think people have gone a little overboard.
I’m not a big baby container girlie, mostly because I don’t have space for them, but I did get a baby bjorn bouncer. I used it a decent amount. Wouldn’t say my son absolutely loved it but he didn’t hate it. It was nice when he got to around 4 months and could sit fairly well in it while I tried to make dinner. It’s also nice that you can reverse the seat and turn it into a toddler seat as your child gets older.
This is nice when you have your sleepy baby near you but not necessarily near a bassinet or crib. The lounger is really just a place to put your baby while you’re close by. You should always supervise your baby while in this.
Not needed until about one year but eventually your baby will outgrow the infant car seat and this will be the next step up. If you’re tight on space, I’d wait and purchase this later.
A stroller travel system combines an infant car seat and a stroller, making it easy to transition your baby from the car to the stroller without waking them up. Whatever infant car seat you purchase should be compatible with the stroller, either because its the same brand or with an adapter. We went with the mockingbird stroller, chicco infant car seat and needed an adapter. If I could do it again, I might splurge on the Uppababy Vista and car seat, though I really loved having the chicco caddy so maybe I wouldn’t.
A good baby carrier can help you be a little more hands-free when your baby wants to be with you all the time. I loved snuggling with my baby and didn’t mind that he wanted to be close constantly (in fact, I think it’s super normal!), but I did want to be able to fold laundry or cook a meal here and there. I used this Solly Wrap in the newborn stage and then used the ErgoBaby as he got a little bigger. This time around I’m hoping to get the Baby Bjorn Wrap because I think it’ll be nice for newborn and up to 8-10 months or so.
I do recommend a crib, especially if you plan to have more than one kid. We went with this one and at the time I did ask for this mattress. Now that I’ve been a mom a bit longer, I think you could get a less expensive mattress though this did give me some extra peace of mind.
There are 100 different kinds of these. I asked for this one and someone generously bought it for us. I think less expensive versions would be great too.
My first child slept in our bedroom for the first 4.5 months or so and we borrowed this bassinet from some friends. It was really nice to have baby at eye level with me while I was in bed, but TBH it was rather large and heavy. We also have this portable bassinet that was in our main living area that I plan to use in our bedroom this time. I just hated having the Halo take up so much space for so long that I think I’m willing to sacrifice the height of that bassinet for the ease/portability of this smaller portable one. TBD how it goes.
We have the Gracco pack-n-play and I love it. There are fancier versions out there but I’ve never had an issue with this one. We actually did not purchase a second crib for baby #2 because I figure my first born will either be ready to transition to a toddler bed by then OR if there’s a short interim of both of them needing a crib, one of them can go in this pack n play. I’m not worried about it.
I think a rocking chair of some kind is a must. We got this one from target and it felt comfortable enough and compact and I also didn’t feel like I couldn’t get out of it. Do you know what I mean?
We chose a baby monitor that did not have wifi and was not able to be accessed via my phone because I thought it would be annoying to need to have my phone on me constantly. I had heard of people who couldn’t look at other apps, etc when the monitor was on and I just felt like a monitor that served one purpose was the better option. I really like this Infant Optics monitor and have no issues with it!
There are hundreds of baby carriers to choose from. I feel like there are still many that I’d like to try but I ultimately settled on two for my first baby and just got a more in-between option for my second (in addition to the other two I still have). I used the Solly wrap for the newborn phase because I felt like it was snuggly to have baby in. Sometimes it did cause some discomfort in my back but overall I liked it and plan to use again! This Ergo Omni 360 carrier is more heavy duty and better for when baby is bigger. There’s a lot of ways you can use it so it lasts a lot longer than the Solly. This time, I just ordered the Ergo Embrace because I thought it would be a good in between — probably can still use relatively early (maybe after a month or two) and throughout maybe 6-8 months. TBD but it looks nice!
A nursing pillow can provide support during feedings, helping you maintain a comfortable position for both you and baby. I used one for the first couple of months and then got tired of lugging it around, but I do think some kind of nursing pillow is extremely helpful as you get used to nursing!
The Haakaa is a popular silicone breast pump that allows you to express milk using suction. It’s nice to be able to use before transferring baby to the other side and is helpful when you feel a clog. You just have to be careful because this is technically a pump and will stimulate the breast to create more milk. So if I was struggling with oversupply or engorement, I would be cautious with how much I use this.
A manual hand pump is a convenient option for occasional pumping. It’s lightweight, portable, and more affordable than electric models. I used this when I didn’t feel like getting my big pump out or just needed to express a little bit of milk.
Nursing pads are nice for managing leaks between feedings. Choose reusable, washable pads for an eco-friendly option, or go for disposable ones for convenience.
A good nipple cream can soothe sore or cracked nipples during breastfeeding. I used this a lot in the first couple months and then not as much. Still I would recommend a small container of it!
In the early weeks and months postpartum, it’s possible that you’ll leak in between feedings or while baby is nursing on one side. To not lose all that milk, I found it helpful to use a milk catcher. It literally just sits on your breast and collects whatever drips down. The hakaa can also do this but because the hakaa uses suction, it can also trigger your body to make more milk. Sometimes that’s helpful and other times it causes a lot of engorgement/oversupply.
In the early days and weeks of nursing, I felt really engorged and full and like a clog could happen any time. I found it super helpful to heat these pads for a few seconds in the microwave and place them on my breast for a couple seconds before the let down was triggered. You can also freeze them but the cold never felt great to me.
I used this all throughout my nursing journey. I found it helpful when I was either at church or somewhere else public and wanted a little bit of privacy. I had two of these: one was a little more breathable and this one I also used as a car seat cover when baby was napping.
I was up throughout the night for the entire first year of my son’s life and when I tell you this egg light was a lifesaver, I mean it. It’s so easy to tap for a tiny bit of light — so much better than having to turn on an overhead light or even a small lamp. Initially light doesn’t really bother or wake newborns but as they get older, it makes a difference. I love this thing!
A simple baby bathtub made bath time easier for me. My son would lie in it while I gently washed him. I used this until he started wanting to move around more. You can flip this one over too when baby gets a little bigger. I think when my son started standing/walking I took it out and put in this non-slip pad so he would be steady.
These hooded towels are soft, cozy, and perfect for keeping baby warm. I also found that regular towels were just too rough for young babies. Now that my son is 21 months, he asks for a big towel, lol. Thankfully that saves me from buying more of these with the addition of this second baby.
You can skip this until about 6 months IMO, but eventually it is nice to have a couple. We have these boats with holes in them so mold doesn’t form so easily.
When I tell you that my first baby LIVED in sleepers for the first 6 months of his life, I’m not lying. That said, I don’t think you need a million. I think we had 6-10 for each size and it worked out fine. We do laundry almost daily, but if you do it less then you might want closer to 12-14 for each size.. Look for options with easy zippers for quick diaper changes. If it snaps, it’s almost always a no for me. Pro tip: I stuck with 1-2 brands for these sleepers because then I knew how the sizing would track. If I had 8 different brands, the sizing was often inconsistent and I’d end up with a 6mo sleeper that fit like a 3mo. Target and Carter’s were my personal favorite brands to use.
I tried to swaddle my first baby with a blanket for a couple days when he was first born and it’s kind of cute, but eventually I was too tired to do that all the time. These velcro swaddles are necessary. I think around one month, I started using these for night sleep. I feel like every baby is different with what he/she likes so this might take a little trial and error. I never used the marshmellow looking swaddle or anything like that. I just accepted that my baby would likely not sleep through the night for quite some time and I think that’s normal.
Baby blankets, galore! Soft baby blankets are versatile for swaddling, tummy time, car rides or as an extra large burp cloth….if you know, you know. I liked these the best.
My first born spit up a lot, so I always had these at every turn. These and these were my favorite.
Is this necessary? No. Is it cute? Yes. I had 1-2 of these. Eventually I stopped using but sometimes when you’re running on 4 hours of sleep, you just want to change your baby on a cute pattern instead of a boring changing pad.
I am terrible at filing baby nails. This makes it somewhat easier.
I avoided using this for so long, but eventually mustered up the courage to try it. Babies can’t blow/clear their nose and sometimes you just have to do it for them.
I find this helpful in the colder months and especially when my son has a cold. We had many episodes of croup and I feel like the humidifier helped a bit. I originally bought a different brand but in the last 6 months or so settled on this one, which I like a lot more because I find it much easier to clean.
You are technically supposed to take your baby’s temperature via their rectum, but I always used this temporal thermometer because sometimes I avoid doing hard things. If I’m ever worried about a fever, I immediately take action so I felt ok about this decision. I do have one of these for those of you who really want to follow the rules.
Having a basic selection of baby-safe medicine on hand, like infant acetaminophen or electrolyte solutions, can be helpful. Consult with your pediatrician for recommended products and dosages before giving your baby any medicine.
It is a big adjustment to welcome a little one into your family, but you don’t have to be overwhelmed by baby items. Hopefully this minimal yet practical list can help you prep for baby’s arrival! Remember it’s about what works best for you and your family, so choose items that align with your lifestyle and values and don’t worry about what everyone else thinks :-). Happy registering!
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