What Products to Add to Your Baby Registry
Setting up your baby registry can be such an exciting part of pregnancy - you get to start thinking about where your baby is going to sleep, the tiny clothes they’re going to wear, the hot mom walks you’ll take with your baby around the neighborhood, and it all starts becoming so real!! But creating a registry can also be super overwhelming to have to make so many decisions on what you actually need and which of the 100+ options to go with. After all, we all want the absolute best for our babies!
My husband and I chose to set up two registries - one with Amazon and one with Target. Between the two retailers, we liked the product selection, the ease of use for our family and friends, the registry completion discount, and the twelve month return policy. Coming from an Asian family, it’s typical for family members to also give cash gifts, so we were able to purchase other items outside of our registry as well.
* indicates optional or “nice to have” items
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Diapering
If you choose to add diapers to your registry, or have a diaper party, make sure you keep note of what retailer the gifted diapers came from so you can exchange them for a different size if need be. Having a receipt makes exchanges even easier, although it’s not usually necessary. If you’re a first time mom, you may also want to hold off on stocking up on too many diapers in case you want to try multiple brands to see which one works best for your baby.
Ubbi Diaper Pail and Liners*
Diaper Bag* - Ruvalino on Amazon ($) or Dagne Dover ($$)
Feeding
This will depend on whether or not you plan to breastfeed. Check out my post on all things feeding! If you’re planning to breastfeed, you don’t need much to get started! Maybe a breastfeeding pillow (I prefer Mom Breast Friend), but it’s not necessary and honestly, you’ll probably stop using it pretty quickly after baby gets some neck strength and you get more comfortable breastfeeding. Silverettes are also great for healing sensitive nipples. If you’re planning to formula or combo feed, you’ll need formula (we used Bobbie) and bottles (we used Dr. Brown’s) to get started! Less is more here, your feeding journey may not go as planned so I would suggest only registering for what you need to get started.
Also, if you’re planning to add items for starting solids to your baby registry, check out my post on everything you need to get started wtih solids!
Clothes
You’ve probably heard a thousand times that babies grow so quickly and will outgrow each size of clothes faster than you can blink. As a first time mom, I also learned that babies are so fragile and need to be changed so often when they’re born so putting them in impractical (but cute) outfits was a no-go for me when baby was so little. Onesies and loose footie pajamas were the only things we needed for the first several months, especially when we weren’t leaving the house those first ~6 weeks. Also, if you plan to have visitors soon after baby, they love to bring cute (but not always practical) outfits so you can expect to receive some additional clothes. Of course, if you hate doing laundry, you might want to stock up a bit more.
Onesies - 5 in NB, 5-10 in 0-3 months, 5-10 in 3-6 months. If you’re having your baby in colder temperatures, opt for the long sleeve bodysuits.
Footie Pajamas - 5 in NB, 5-10 in 0-3 months, 5-10 in 3-6 months. We also like the Burt’s Bees footie pajamas, but they run long.
Bibs - Start with 5. We like these because of their absorbency if your baby spits up a lot. We also like these Carter’s bibs which are less absorbent, but can snap on and off without having to go over baby’s head.
Burp Cloths - Start with 1 pack of Burt’s Bees and 1 pack of Muslin burp cloths. If your baby has reflux or spits up often, you will need more.
Bath
You can see a lot of these products are optional - you can use adult towels and washcloths and bathe your baby in your kitchen sink in the tub the hospital gives you. That’s how we started, and then we eventually moved into a bigger baby bathtub that we set up next to our kitchen sink. The baby bath towels and washcloths are nice because they’re really soft and it’s easy to wrap baby up and cover their head to keep them warm.
Skip Hop Baby Bathtub*. It was nice to be able to bathe our baby on the kitchen island when she was very little vs. bending over a bathtub. I also prefer that this tub keeps the baby somewhat submerged in the water so they don’t catch cold.
Baby Body Wash - Tubby Todd or Pipette. We love all Tubby Todd and Pipette products!
Baby Shampoo - Tubby Todd or Pipette. We also used Mustela after baby got cradle cap and it cleared it up quickly.
Frida Mom Control Flow Rinser* - You can alternatively use a cup, but this comes with a handle and spout to control the output.
Washcloths* x8 - These bamboo washcloths are superior - they’re super soft.
Baby Towels* x2 - These bamboo towels are super soft and a little larger than some of the others we purchased, so we were able to use them longer.
Electric Baby Nail File - Baby fingernails grow so fast, and they love to scratch their faces. I found trimming their nails to be easier and more effective than dealing with mittens.
Sleep
We had our baby sleep in our room for around 7 months since our nursery is located quite far from our bedroom. We had her sleeping in the Snoo until she outgrew it around 5-6 months and then she slept in a Pack and Play until we moved her up to the crib in the nursery around 7 months. The transition was surprisingly smooth - we started with naps and she was sleeping through the night in her crib around 8 months.
Swaddles* x2 (use <3 months, before baby shows signs of rolling over) - 1 pack small/medium, 1 pack large
Sleep Sacks x2 (use after baby transitions out of swaddle). The Woolino sleep sacks are pricey but are suitable for all temperatures, and grow with your baby from 2-24 months, so you don’t need to purchase multiple sizes or TOGs (Thermal Overall Grades).
Nanit Wifi Baby Monitor. We loved that this monitor tracks the baby’s sleep (when they fall asleep and when they wake up), it was very helpful especially in the early days when the baby’s wake windows were extremely short. This one is Wifi dependent and app-based, so if you’re looking for something that doesn’t require Wifi or has a separate screen, I’d recommend the Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO Monitor.
Lounge
Having every one of these items is not necessary, but what is necessary, is having a place to put your baby down if you need to free up your hands for a few minutes. In the first few weeks when I was recovering from delivery and baby had little to no neck strength and was sleeping all the time, the Snuggle Me lounger was nice to be able to have her lounging next to us (while we were awake, watching her) on the couch or in bed. Of course we could not leave her here so having the baby wrap was nice to be able to have my hands free while she slept. As she became more alert and developed more strength, the bouncer became our new best friend, and when she outgrew the bouncer around 6 months the Skip Hop became our most used baby product. We had a Mamaroo swing too, but honestly I felt like it was unnecessary when we had the bouncer.
Snuggle Me Organic Lounger* (best for first few weeks)
Baby Bjorn Baby Bouncer* (best for 0-4 months)
Skip Hop Activity Center* (best for 4+ months)
Travel
Our carseat and stroller were a splurge but our plan was always to use them for multiple kids. These retailers also occasionally run sales (ex. Black Friday), so we waited for one before purchasing any big ticket items. The pack and play is not a must if you’re not planning on traveling much, but for us, we ended up using it way more than expected because we used it as a diaper changing station for the first few months, and as a “crib” before transitioning to the nursery.
Stroller - Mockingbird ($) or Uppababy Vista V2 ($$)
Carseat - Graco ($) or Nuna Pipa Aire RX ($$)
First Aid
Baby Acetaminophen - Genexa (same thing as Tylenol, but no artificial fillers)
Toys/Other
As a first time mom, one thing I learned is how valuable space is. You will accrue tons of baby clothes, toys, etc. quickly if you buy too much. Especially in the early months, the babies aren’t really going to be "playing” much and their interest/engagement in anything will be low. After all they’ll only be awake for 60-90 minutes at a time! I’ve included a few of our favorite toys and books for the first 6 months. I also recommend going to your local library so you can continuously check out new books that align with where your baby is at developmentally without having to constantly buy new books. Also, don’t try to buy the “aesthetic” toys, the !
Pacifiers* - We tried several brands and Tommy Tippee was our favorite and one of the only brands that didn’t just fall out of baby’s mouth.
Baby books*
My number one tip when it comes to your baby registry is that if you’re unsure of whether or not to get something, hold off and prioritize the necessities! With places like Amazon, Walmart and Target, you can have those items shipped to you within 1-2 days, or you can ask a family member to go run by a store for you to grab it. Babies really have limited needs in the very beginning, so chances are, you can do without a lot of stuff in the early days. If it is something that you want to register for, just leave it in the box until you’re ready to use it - most registries you can return unopened items for up to a year!
Get started creating your registry with Amazon and Target today!
