Baby Registry Must-Haves

Whether you’re counting down the days to becoming a parent for the first time or already have two toddlers at home, you likely know that babies require a substantial amount of gear—for their health, safety, and comfort, yes, but also for proper cognitive and physical development.

Let’s start with the basics: the big-ticket items you’ll need on a daily basis.

• Baby stroller – A stroller is a necessity, but with the sheer number of options out there, selecting the right one can be a dizzying experience. Our advice? Think about your family’s size and lifestyle before zeroing in on the most important safety features: a five-point safety harness, brakes that are a cinch to use and disengage, a seat that reclines, and a canopy to shield your little one’s skin from the sun.
• Infant car seat – When it comes to baby car seats, there are a vast number of choices available. For this reason, it’s helpful to read up on consumer reviews, advanced safety measures, ease-of-use features, and overall comfort for both you and your child. Above all, you’ll want to guarantee the car seat’s safety rating with the U.S. Department of Transportation Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• Baby carrier – Baby carriers may be one of the most brilliant inventions to ever hit the market, allowing parents to carry their little ones while leaving their arms available for other tasks. The exact baby carrier that’s best for you is as personal of a decision as the baby name you’ll choose, but many parents tout the perks of carriers with multiple carrying options.

Feeling concerned about asking your friends and family for pricey items? Several baby registries, including Amazon’s, allow for group gifting to spread out the cost of more expensive items.

Must-Have Nursery Items

While you might be imagining the musical mobile that will dangle above your little one’s sweet face or the best color of paint for your nursery, one of the most vital considerations of your baby’s sleeping space is their bassinet or crib.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, infants should sleep in a bassinet, crib, or portable play yard with nothing more than a firm, flat mattress and a flat sheet. This mitigates the risk of sleep-related infant death like Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

In addition to registering for these must-have baby items, nest away with these other baby registry essentials:

• Sleep sacks for both warm and cool weather
• Crib mattress & crib sheets
• Waterproof mattress protectors
• Swaddles
• Baby swing or bouncer
• Baby monitor
• Rocking chair (or armchair)

Additionally, experts indicate that sound machines (particularly those that feature white noise) may help babies fall asleep by drowning out distracting sounds and mimicking the sounds of the womb. So, perhaps pop one onto your list in the name of quality sleep (for both of you), and toss in a nightlight to aid in those 3:00 am feedings.

Essential Feeding Supplies

Speaking of feeding, whether you’re planning to breastfeed, bottle feed, or combination feed (a blend of both breast milk and infant formula), you may want to add these feeding essentials to your list of baby registry items:

Bottle and combination feeding:

• Baby bottles and nipples in 4 and 8 ounces
• Baby bottle brushes to keep bottles germ-free and clean
• Bottle drying rack

Breast and combination feeding:

• Breast pump
• Nursing pillow
• Nursing pads
• Nipple cream
• Milk storage bags

Bibs and burp cloths are also indispensable: experts indicate that infants may need to be burped every two to three ounces, or between breasts. Otherwise, the crankies might arrive right alongside gas.

Baby Clothing and Apparel

Convinced that baby clothes were specifically invented to persuade us into becoming parents? You’re not alone; the very sight of an itty-bitty sweatshirt is enough to make even the hardest heart melt.

But they also, of course, serve a purpose. And while you don’t need to fuss too much about your baby’s overall wardrobe quite yet (bear in mind that your little one may gain an inch in height each month for the first three months of their life and will grow out of their clothes fast), you might benefit from including these items on your checklist for registry:

• Onesies (both short-sleeved and long-sleeved)
• Sleeper gowns
• Elastic-waist pants or leggings
• Rompers
• Sweaters
• Zip-up hoodies
• Socks
• Booties
• Pajamas
• Sun and warm hats

Happen to live in a chilly climate? Winter babies may be delighted to snuggle into a fleece suit or bunting bag and a pair of non-scratch mittens.

Additional Baby Gear to Consider

Ensuring you have everything you need before (and after) your baby says hello to the world for the first time is an ongoing process. This is precisely why some parents get started on their baby registry as early as 12 weeks into their pregnancy, and continue to add to it throughout their trimesters.

So, once you have the essentials above on your baby registry, you might want to also consider the following:

Travel Essentials

Perhaps you have plans to take your newborn to their grandparents. Or maybe you’re eyeing flights to Paris for a post-babymoon—or at least want to have the option to take a vacay at a moment’s notice. Whatever the case may be, these baby travel basics can simplify your life:

• A compact diaper bag
• Travel-friendly stroller
• Baby cover

A portable crib or play yard can also come in handy, whether you’re flashing your passport or not.

Bath Time Necessities

Baths can be a treat for both you and your little darling. Aside from keeping them spic and span, baths provide your baby with a rich, sensory experience and help maintain the texture and health of their delicate skin.

While children only need to be bathed three times per week for the first year of their lives, you may want to have the following on hand (yellow rubber duckies totally optional):

• Baby bathtub
• Baby towels
• Soft washcloths
• Baby body wash and shampoo
• Baby hairbrush
• Baby nail clippers
• Bath baby toys (for older babies)

Pro Tips for Creating Your Baby Registry

Putting together a baby registry is a boatload of fun, but it also requires a touch of savvy and strategy. To that end, weigh the idea of:

• Distinguishing between “wants” and “needs” – It’s all too easy to go a bit overboard when you’re scrolling through goodies online, but a vintage Chanel diaper tote isn’t what your great aunt Ethel might qualify as an “essential.” Pros suggest keeping things simple by sticking to the basics and limiting those “but I love this” to a few reasonably priced items.
• Concentrating on the first six months of your baby’s life – If a parent-to-be lets their imagination run wild, they might register for all the things their child may need from birth to preschool. It goes without saying that this may be anxiety-inducing and overwhelming; plus, your taste and preferences could easily change as you get to know your growing child. Instead, focus on what you need for your papoose’s first six months on the planet.

As for how many items you should register for? The jury is out on a definitive answer. Some say a minimum of 25 items is a good starting point. According to etiquette authorities, up to 120 items (and even more) is perfectly acceptable.

If you already have children, trust that your friends and family will be eager to express their excitement and affection again, particularly for items that may not be safe or fit to reuse, like older, drop-side cribs and outdated infant car seats.

Here are some other helpful tips for curating an ideal baby registry.

Choose the Right Retailers

Choosing the right retailers boils down to your aesthetics, preferences, and values.

That said, the most popular places to build a baby registry include:

• Amazon
• Target
• Walmart
• Pottery Barn
• Crate & Kids

If you happen to fall head over heels for items at multiple spots, don’t stress: search for a universal baby registry such as Babylist or Amazon.

Manage Your Registry Online

For more extravagant must-haves, such as that stroller and car seat, some parents find that it’s best to visit a store’s brick-and-mortar location. (The same could be said for bedding and apparel, which you may want to see and feel in person.) The rest, however, can all be managed online.

In fact, many online registries allow you to:

• Track who gave you what
• Manage your thank yous
• Browse through inspirational pages
• Add and delete items as you go along
• Explore personalized options

Another plus of managing your registry online is that many retailers offer generous discounts on “completions” (or buying off what wasn’t gifted to you), as well as freebie samples and even welcome baskets—all in the spirit of greeting your wee one in the best-prepared way possible.

Tips for Making Your Baby Registry Budget-Friendly

How much does a baby cost? Quite a bit. Let’s be real: “baby essentials” isn’t going to mean the same thing to every family. Surveys indicate the vast majority of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and budgeting for a baby can be a big financial stressor.

If you (like most people) don’t have access to an unlimited budget, the good news is there are many ways to get creative and build your nest without handing over your life’s savings.

Seek Out Secondhand Gear

From vintage baby quilts to secondhand bassinets, spare your wallet the workout and try tapping into your network for pre-loved baby items. You can also go gear-hunting at:

• The Salvation Army
• Goodwill
• Secondhand or thrift shops in your area
• Facebook Marketplace

If you’re a social media user, you might even try posting about the items you’re looking for to your followers. People are often eager to help, and you may be surprised by how many essentials you can scrounge up simply by asking for them!

See If You Qualify for Government Aid

Various state-funded programs offer guidance and resources to new parents in a financial bind. Some examples include:

• WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) – A government program supplying formula, food, and nutritional counseling services to new mothers.
• Early Head Start – A government program providing free childcare to infants up to 3 years old.
• Head Start – A sister program to Early Head Start, this state-run program helps find and administer care to kids between 3 and 5 years old.

Check Out New Parent Non-Profits

Many non-profits make it their mission to support new parents facing financial obstacles. Take Help a Mother Out®, an organization specifically dedicated to ensuring underserved families are supplied with diapers. The National Diaper Bank Network is a similar group with more than 200 locations across the US.

Harvest Home is another example of a non-profit made for moms; they provide a safe place to stay for unhoused new parents and their babies. All told, reaching out to an organization dedicated to mothers’ welfare—even if your needs differ from their services—can help you get connected to the support you’re looking for.

Enhance Your Pregnancy Journey with the SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test®

Handpicking the baby must-haves that will streamline and brighten your life can be a thrilling experience. It’s also an exhilarating reminder of the joys that await.

But few things beat the thrill of getting to know your baby on a deeper level before they’ve officially arrived with the SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test. As the only patented fetal sex test that can tell you the predicted sex of your baby at just 6 weeks into your pregnancy and with over 99% clinically proven accuracy, it can help you anticipate even more of what awaits—just as it might inform some of those baby registry essentials.

Join the more than one million parents who have trusted SneakPeek by ordering your kit today.