Creating a baby registrly for your first baby can feel so overwhelming! I remember asking every mom I knew what their must-have baby items were, many of them I’ve included in this list as they are now my favorite baby products! Some products recommended to me though I’ve found are not worth the money.
The other problem I ran into was which brand or particular product should I buy? I spent HOURS researching car seats only to return the one I originally put on my baby registry! Most online resources will share very generic baby registry checklists or worse will share the products that pay the most in affiliate income. I’m only adding to this baby registry checklist the products I have personally purchased and recommend (with the exception of a few baby items I wish I had). Many of the product links are to Amazon (which is where I recommend you create your registry due to the volume of products, price and ease of use), which also means if you purchase the product I would receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This money goes straight to my child’s future fund so thanks for your support.
I’ve organized this list by questions I get asked the most:
- When to start a baby registry
- The Ultimate baby registry checklist
- Baby must haves in 2022
- What should you not put on your baby registry
When to Start a Baby Registry
New moms should start a baby registry before 24 weeks. It’s best to be prepared in case your baby comes early and 24 weeks marks viability. I originally planned my registry on a Pinterest board (boy was that a mistake!) but would recommend to just set up an Amazon’s baby registry right away when you start thinking about products. I wasted so much time copying and pasting products from Pinterest to my Amazon baby registry and not to mention many relatives saw my Pinterest board and bought products from it (which the list was not ready and had multiples of various products I was researching).
Amazon’s baby registry is easy to use. You can add products straight from the Amazon storefront like you would if purchasing any products. They do have a preloaded baby registry checklist but I don’t recommend ‘auto adding’ everything as you’ll end up doing a lot of deleting. Instead click this link to create a baby registry list and then any products below you want to add to your registry you can click the product link and then click the ‘Add to Baby Registry’ button.
The Ultimate Baby Registry Checklist
I’ve grouped the items below by priorities at the top and nice-to-have baby items at the bottom. One mistake new moms make on their baby registries is not asking for enough items or not putting a good mix of various costs (baby gifts under $20, under $30 and then larger gifts great for families or friends to go in together to get you).
Stroller and Infant Car Seat: I mentioned above my big mistake of getting a stroller I put on my registry but ended up returning it. It was a running stroller (which is hilarious cus I do not run), the material was hard and plasticy and it was heavy (which you got to think about since you will need to put it in and out of your car). I ended up going to Walmart one day and feeling all of their strollers and this MonoBebe stroller stuck out as far superior than the rest. Incredibly light weight and easy to use. Only thing I didn’t think about was the baby is only in that infant car seat for 6-9 months. However, the stroller can be used for a long time..MK is two and still fits in it just fine!
Graco extend to fit car seat: Once your baby outgrows the infant car seat that comes with the Monbebe stroller, I recommend this 4-in-1 car seat that has great cushion, cup holders (trust me those come in handy after 12 months) and can be rear facing or forward facing (be careful when shopping as some car seats say they fit smaller babies but it doesn’t matter cus they aren’t able to be used rear-facing which you have to do till age 2.
Boppy nursing pillow: This is one baby item I regret not buying. I bought the Boppy lounger and while we did use it for MK there have been certain safety issues that came out regarding it so instead I recommend you get the Boppy nursing pillow which can still be used to help prop up your baby once they get to a certain age.
Baby car mirror: I waited for a long time before I got one of these, thinking I wouldn’t need it HA! It’s definitely a must have and gives you peace of mind when driving in the car to be able to see your baby to make sure they ar ok.
Daiper Bag Backpack: My sister got this for me prior to my six month mark and I LOVED using it for business trips as it fit eveything in very organized pockets. I was quite sad to turn it into a diaper bag (but someday soon it will be my work bag again)! It’s so versatile and even comes with a nicely padded diaper changing pad. So no need to get an extra diaper changing pad. I also used this as my hospital bag that I kept in the car 3 weeks before I was due just in case I went early.
Diapers: Babies can be different in the kind of diapers they like. Certain brands clearly did not ‘rub well’ on MK’s skin and would give her rashes. These Earth and Eden diapers were both affordable and didn’t irritate her skin. You will most likely get diapers without asking for them so if you want a specific brand make sure they are on your registry.
Bottle Cleaner: I have two bottle cleaners. If you only want one get this one by Dr. Brown as it cleans slightly butter and fits easier into the bottle. The other one I use for all other bottles (the Dr. Brown one I save for only her milk bottles). The only exception is on this bottle cleaner they have a great straw cleaner about one inch log that is better for cleaning nipples.
Sun hat: We used this sunhat a lot and it even still fits her at 2 years old since it has a n extend to fit rim of the hat.
Sippy cups and snack bowels: I love these 360 trainer cups – the only true leakproof cup in my opinion. MK figured out how to drink from them very quickly and they are easy to hold. I keep one in her crib in case she gets thirsty at night (she’s almost 2 years old). I haven’t tried the snack bowels but that is something I wish we got as snacks just get everywhere in an open bowl. I also got my daughter the same water bottle that I have but it does leak a little when open that’s why these 360 sippy cups are so great cus she doesn’t need to open it to drink it and won’t leak.
natural rubber pacifier: Avoid getting large packs of pacifiers on your registry, instead you can ask for 1 or 2 of some of the best pacifiers so you can see which one your baby likes best.
PBA Free Natural Rubber Pacifier
Baby probiotics and Vitamin D drops: Your pediatrician will actually give Vitamin D drops to you on your first visit (and possibly future visits too) but you still may need more or prefer a higher quality probiotic and vitamin D drop combo like this one.
3-6 month footed pajama with zipper: I do laundry once a week so it made sense for me to have 7 sleepers for my little one. I realize now that I could just have her sleep in the same thing multiple nights in a row but seven is still a safe number cus you will also have to manage the occassional accident or blow out. After the first few weeks, I also remember thinking that I don’t know why onesies exist cus I would always put my child in a footed sleeper since it is so much easier to change them and keep them warm. After the second month though, my LO started wearing more onesies (plus they are just so cute!). 6-9 month footless pajama with zipper
Baby Banana Teether: This is the only teether our little one liked when she was teething. Just a word of caution that they do get old and eventually the little silicone brushes can be ‘chewed’ off. MK alway spit them out and when it happened I knew it was time for a new one. A few moms touted their young ones loving this Sophie Giraffe teether but MK had no interest (so it endedup being a very expensive dog toy).
Baby socks with rubber bottom.
Baby Gym: We used this A LOT and it was really the first time I could put MK down without her screaming since she was nicely distracted with it. We also had this Baby Mat for Tummy Time but hardly used it (though it did make a super cute photo)
Baby Toys: Every baby is different but they will definitely need baby toys within the first 6 months. This was something I missed on my baby registry and only had a few items and stuffed animals. Here’s a list of great baby toys: stack up cups, textured stacking rings, this piano was probably her favorite toy for 3-9 months of age, Sit-to-Stand Walker, singing purse toy and for 9+ months animal figurines were a winner. A few other moms mentioned their LO loved water mats for tummy time, this toy wrinkel rattle (MK did NOT like it though so every baby is different..), dragging toys after they can walk, and this toy which I WISH we got is awesome cus it allows the kid to turn (which is rare on sit and skoot toys).
Bumbo: I’m torn on which Bumbo to recommend to you. We had this one which allowed us to use it as a eating tray both at home and out to eat since it straps to chairs (but not well). However, it’s not comfy and even the ‘soft insert’ is a little hard. The original bumbo here is much better for kids to sit in and I think our LO would have liked it better.
HighChair: Similary, we got this high chair but RARELY used it. MK hated to be constrained and even now at almost 2 she prefer to sit in an adult chair (or stand in some cases) to eat at the table vs being in a high chair. Every baby is different though.
Nursing Cover that doubles has car seat cover: Super soft material and makes a great scarf too.
Breastmilk storage bags: You’ll need more than what they give you in your breast pump kit if you plan on pumping at work.
Tommee Tippee Bottle – Slow Flow
Bottle Warmer and Sterilizer: This saved me so much time sterilizing bottles and pacifiers and was very easy to use.
silicone training spoon and baby spoon
frozen pop tray: One of the BEST ways to soothe those aching teeth and MK still loves me making yogurt pops (just place yogurt in it) or smoothie pops (great way to sneak into veggies like peas and spinach into her diet.
Diaper Rash Ointment (aka butt cream): I’m torn on the butt cream because I honestly rarely used it- most times I felt like it made it WORSE because if their little butt is at all moist it rubs it the wrong way. Read instructions – it says to make sure they are completely dry before putting it on. I found just wiping her butt with a dry washclothe after changing her (especially if you use wipes) works better at avoiding diaper rash.
Burp Clothes: I did really like these but 1) we hardly used burp clothes in general and 2) we got SO MANY burp clothes outside of our registry.
Nursing Clothes: Most nursing clothes on Amazon are not great (super baggy) but this Nursing hoodie was ok. In general, I wore this Target nursing tank top (I had 4!) almost every day (and night). The black seemed to ball easily (I wash and dry my clothes together so I’m pretty rough with it) and the white bra cups were see through so I recommend the Heather grey.
Postpartum Bath Salt: This was so incredibly restorative for me! I had a one degree rip and my doctor said I could use these bath salts as soon as I got home and boy did it feel so good! I felt like I healed pretty fast too! I didn’t do the full amount they say you should add to your bath (because the full amount did sting) so instead and i just put in a little at a time.
Baby Food Storage Freezer Tray
Radio Flyer folding collapsible Wagon
The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems
Easy Swaddle: Our LO hated swaddling but the closest she can to being ok in it was in these swaddles. AVOID the swaddle clothes where you have to wrap them up yourself – ain’t nobody got time for that!
Baby bathtub 3-in-1: I originally used a bath insert that just laid in the bathtub as a cushion but it took forever to dry and reaching inside our tub wasn’t ideal. Instead this is the tub that I ended up switching to within the first month. It accomodates infants in a swing, the awkward 6-9 months where they need a bigger bath but can’t quite sit up on their own well enough yet, and even when they can sit up fully but aren’t ready for the big tub. When they are ready for the big tub, be sure you get a bath spout cover like this one so they don’t bonk their head.
Diaper Caddy: One thing you’ll notice is NOT on this ultimate registry checklist is a diaper changing table. They take up a lot of room and you’ll find more often than not you change the baby elsewhere. Instead, we placed her changing pad on a dresser and had a diaper caddy for diapers, wipes and towels to dry her.
Storage and Organization: On my baby shower invitation I encouraged guests to save a tree and not wrap their gifts. Some of the benefits of this is for large baby showers you don’t have that awkward open gifts time and secondly many people ‘wrapped’ their gift instead in a basket or decor box that I could then reuse as closet organization. Don’t forget to make sure you have a laudry basket on your registry.
Books: Also on my baby shower invitation was a note about brining a book instead of a card. This way the baby can see their notes in her books for years to come! This was possibly the BEST decision I made for my baby shower. You would be surprise how much your little one loves to read. We got over 50 books at that baby shower and very few were duplicates. We read these books ALL THE TIME! It’s such a special memory too with having their note and name in the book to remind us who gave us which one.
What You Should Not Put On Your Baby Registry
People love buying baby clothes and blankets so you will undoubtedly get a few. If you do have a blanket you love, you can definitely still put it on the registry but just know you will most likely get several others. You’ll also (most likely) get lots of stuffed animals, burp clothes and swaddles.
We were blessed by a family friend who gave us all their baby clothes. I would not recommend buying baby clothes off Amazon unless they are Carter’s. There are some really cute outfits that are just not practical on Amazon. Clothes are so cheap at second hand stores and Walmart so you should be able to get what you need for decent costs there without feeling pressured to get all the clothes from your registry.
Nursery furniture is also items that are often best to get yourself. We got our crib on Facebook Marketplace for $60 from a grandma who used it for her grandkid just a few times. You can also ask your parents or close family or friends who do want to give you a big gift for a dresser or rocking chair. Both our rocking chair and dresser came from Wayfair during Black Friday Deals.
The hospital where you give birth will also have a few common baby items for you (though your hospital may be different then mine in what they give so check first), ours gave us a baby nasal aspirator, nipple guard, baby bathwash (small container), nb diapers, wipes, changing pad and even a diaper bag (though I definitely still prefer the backpack I put in the baby registry checklist above).
If your healthcare covers a Medela breastpump (and most do), your pump will come with some nursing pads, milk bags, bottles with lids and nipples. Though as I noted above, your baby may not like the nipples they come with but you have time to figure out which they would like as most moms get 6-9 weeks during maternity leave where you will be nursing (unless you choose to go straight to formula.)
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