Ultimate Baby Registry Checklist

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I have created the ultimate baby registry checklist! When I first found out I was pregnant with our son, I started hours and hours of baby product research. I spent so much time on blogs vetting the best products for my future baby. It was all I could think about for months. I made a baby registry within one week of a positive pregnancy test and I updated it for months on end. My sister in law was the only person I knew who had a baby at the time, and she sent me a long iPhone note full of essentials and ideas. This list was the greatest gift because I had no idea where to even start as far as what was actually needed.

The baby retail industry is full of items that make you feel like you need them. In reality, all I truly ended up needing was, a safe place for my baby to sleep, a way to feed them (breastfeeding or formula), a few comfy zip pajamas, a car seat, a few burp cloths, diapers (cloth or regular), and wipes (dry wipes with water or wet wipes). Of course there are extra things that end up making life easier with a new born, like baby carrier, or a baby bath. But there is a way to be minimalist and cost effective when prepping for baby. This ultimate baby registry checklist is long, but it is intended to help guide you with what is essential and what is not as essential. I do take the minimalist approach to bringing things into my home, but it is not a perfect science and neither is parenthood.

So after learning first hand with my newborn, getting mama advice from my sister in law, and understanding what was essential for my family I created this Ultimate Baby Registry Checklist and saved it on my phone for a moment like this. This is not intended to be an overwhelming list of items. Prepping for baby can be overwhelming and expensive. This list is intended to be a reference only. Note that every mother, child, and family is unique. We each have our own lifestyles and our ideas on what is essential and what may not be. So choose the opinions that work best here for you and your lifestyle. This Ultimate Baby Registry Checklist is paying the information forward to parents who are prepping for their journey into parenthood or even for families and friends who are getting ready to gift baby gear to a loved one who is having a child.

Baby Registry Sites & Tips

Some quick tips to remember when setting up your registry and/or prepping for a new born. Do not over buy. I heard this from my sister in law but I still over bought quite a bit, based on what I “thought” I needed. You never know what may work well or what you did not get that your specific baby needs or prefers. If you are gifted Target or amazon gift cards, save them for those moments when you realize that you needed nasal spray, or zippered onesies. Also, Target drive up, and Amazon Prime made things easy during the early months.

Also for my pregnancy with my son Luka, I used the Babylist site and app. I had a great experience using this site because you can add from multiple websites onto one registry. They also had so many articles and resources to help guide in your selections of products. I really utilized that section of the site. I can only speak on Babylist as a baby registry, but I loved it and I plan to use it again for future pregnancies. Finding your best fit baby registry website first step into the journey of creating your own ultimate baby registry checklist.

Diapers and Changing Essentials

Diapers: We did not have any diapers on our registry but my Husband had a diaper party with his friends. We got a wide variety of brands of diapers. Trial and error was necessary when trying to find the right diaper for our son. We finally landed on Honest Brand (Amazon). They are one of the brands that are “cleaner” with their ingredients. This brand worked for our babies sensitive skin long term and we still use them today. I also loved the subscription box because I could select multiple sizes in one order, or choose different styles such as “overnight”, or choose what kind of wipes, etc. I love the convenience of the subscription box and we use it for some time. But now that my son is in diapers and pull ups we tend to just pick up at Target, since we are buying them less frequently.

I think on a baby registry, it is reasonable to do a “diaper fund” so you can navigate diaper brands on your own terms, plus you don’t have to store a ton of diaper boxes in the meantime. Or you can notate which diaper brands you would like to try on your registry and actually register for those. Also there are different sizes of diapers, just something to note when registering for diapers. There is also the cloth diaper route, if that works for your lifestyle. You can add cloth diapers to your registry for sure. Just note there are different sizes here as well. Now there are also hybrids between a cloth and regular diaper. I’ve seen many brands come out with this, but for us we prefer regular diapers. Choose what works best for you and your family. Just know that Diapers are an essential piece of the ultimate baby registry checklist.

Wipes: Wipes were also something that were trial and error for us. I started out using water wipes. Then we used Pampers Pure wipes. Then we landed on Honest Brand Dry Wipes (Amazon). It goes without saying that these wipes are not wet wipes, and completely dry. I would cut them in half to make them last even longer. Before my son started eating solids around six months, his poops were easy to clean up. So using a dry wipe with a homemade spray (coconut oil, castile soap, and filtered water) or even just water made things simple. Once the solid foods started, wet wipes were necessary for us and our lifestyle. Again, Honest Wet Wipes (Amazon) are what worked for our son’s sensitive skin. Wipes are also an essential product needed with a new baby.

Diaper Rash Cream: I breastfed my son and the magic of breast milk was amazing. I would use breastmilk on diaper rashes and it would disappear within seconds. I even tried to make a diaper rash cream with coconut oil and breast milk (search recipes for this on Pinterest, there are a lot). We also would use Honest Brand Diaper Rash Cream (Amazon). We still use this one now with our two and half year old, when needed. I love it because it works and it is fragrance free. There are a lot of options for diaper rash cream, and I do consider this an essential. Find the brand and ingredients that work for you here.

Diaper Pail: We registered and got the Ubi Steel Diaper Pail (Amazon). We used regular kitchen trash bags here, but there are specific bags that work with the pail. This was great at first, before my son started solid foods. Once the solid foods started, the poops definitely got more smelly. And with that, the diaper pale got more smelly. We tried all the ways to clean it and air it out, but it never really ended up smelling better. For us, looking back, it was just as simple to take the diaper to our trash and take our trash out shortly after. But, the convenience of this in the nursery was nice at one point. So, it is up to you on whether or not this is something you want to invest in and/or add to your registry.

Changing Pad: Many of the blog posts I read prepping for baby, talked about the Keekaroo (Amazon) being amazing for a changing pad. They said it was good because you can wipe it clean and it did not require any covers. I was super excited for this product. It was definitely on the pricier side. But for us, the pad turned yellow. Their customer service was amazing and sent us a replacement. But the same thing happened. We ended up getting some peanut shaped pads for the top that were washable. That worked well. But looking back I would not buy this product again. A regular changing pad with washable covers would work. Or a simple thick blanket on the ground worked for us too. It is up to you if a changing pad is necessary.

Breast feeding Essentials

I breastfed my son, so I can only share essentials and what worked well from our experience. A lot of of these items will work and are essential for formula fed baby essentials too and play a big part in the ultimate baby registry checklist.

Burp Cloths: My first time mama self had no idea that I needed burp cloths. These were definitely an essential for many months in babyhood. I tried Burt’s Bees brand, Cloud Island from target, and some muslin cotton ones. My favorite and most durable ones were the Muslin Burp Cloths (Amazon). A minimum of 5 and a max of 10 worked best for us to rotate in. But these were essential for us to wipe up drool and spit up in the early stages of babyhood.

Pacifiers: This is more of a soothing baby category with Pacifiers. We did not use pacifiers much with our son, but having a few new born ones on hand was helpful for us. We liked the MAM brand (Amazon). The one note I have here is that there are different sizes based on age. Also, don’t buy tons of pacifiers. You may not know what brand baby will like here.

Haakaa Manuel Breast Pump: The Haakaa (Amazon) was 100% essential for me as a nursing mom. This helped me extract extra milk and it also helped me when I had blocked milk ducts. I would use this on the opposite breast that my son was nursing on. This was definitely an essential for me. They have different versions now such as a lady bug or the shell which help catch milk too. I absolutely loved this product and this brand.

Breast Pump: I got my Spectra breast pump from my insurance, so this was not something that I put on my registry. What I learned using the pump is that the nipple shield sizes vary and that new parts are required to be switched out periodically. With my next child I am hoping to get a cordless pump to make things easier. For me as a working mom a breast pump was essential and luckily I got it free through my health insurance.

Bottle Air Drying Mat: I did not register for a bottle sterilizer. Sometimes I wish I did, but it is not entirely necessary. We cleaned everything by hand and let air dry on our Boon Drying Rack (Amazon). It was a little more work for sure. I had breast pump parts that I would dry out on this mat too after use. We also ended up needing more room to air dry so we bought the OXO Bottle Drying Rack (Amazon). This again truly depends on your lifestyle. We also used and replaced the bottle cleaning brushes frequently. We just used the simple Munchkin (Amazon) brushes. Next time I think it would be interesting to use a re-usable silicone brush like this one from Hakkaa (Amazon).

Breastfeeding Cover: If it were up to me, I would breastfeed in public and comfortably without a cover. But a cover was nice to have when needed. I used Receiving Blankets (Amazon) from Honest brand as nursing covers. These were thin, light, and big enough for me to tie around my neck. I also had a Breastfeeding Cover (Amazon) similar to this one. Personally, I did not really like it that much. I liked the receiving blankets because they were multi purpose. They can be used to swaddle, they can be used as a light blanket (my son uses them still now in the warmer months), and as a nursing cover. These were essential for me and I love a product that is multi-use.

Breastfeeding Pillow: My sister in law gave me her My Breast Friend (Amazon) nursing pillow. I loved this product so much. It has Velcro in the back. It was comfortable, supportive, and durable. For me, this was helpful during my nursing experience and ended up being an absolute essential. You can also load up on regular pillows here, use a pregnancy pillow if you bought one, or try a different breastfeeding pillow.

Bottles: Even though I breastfed, I needed the option for my son to have pumped breast milk in a bottle because I worked full time still. We used the Glass Philip Avent (Amazon) bottles and I loved these. We had the small version and the large version. Note that all bottles also have different nipple sizes based on the age and flow of the nipple. This was important for us to learn early on when we started to use the bottle. Nipples also have to be replaced periodically as well. Also, we used the Como Tomo (Amazon) silicone bottles. They were good, but the glass bottles were our favorite.

Breast milk storage bags: I was trying to avoid using plastic breast milk bags, so I registered for the Zip Top reusable breast milk bags (Amazon). They were a bit pricy and worked well initially, but long term they did not hold up. They also took up a lot of space in the freezer. I wanted to save them for my next baby but they ended up yellowing and I had to get rid of them. Ultimately I ended up using Lansinoh brand (Amazon) of disposable breast milk storage bags. They are BPA free, easy to right dates and time on, and over all very convenient. I preferred those over the re-usable ones, although they are plastic. This is a good article too about storage options using ziploc bags and silicone molds by one of my favorite food bloggers. But again, this is a lifestyle choice based on you and your families preferences. These were essential for our family during my breastfeeding journey.

Nipple Butter: As a first time breastfeeding mama I had no idea how much my nipples would hurt from nursing. Nipple butter ended up being essential for me. I would use breastmilk to soothe my nipples. I also tried coconut oil. But I would end up buying Earth Mama (Amazon) brand of nipple butter. It was heaven! There are also other brands worth trying.

Breast pumping/ nursing bra: Surprisingly a nursing or pumping bra does not come with your breast pump. It also may not be something you are comfortable putting on your baby registry, but it is an essential. Simple ones on Amazon did a great job, like these Stelle Nursing Bras (Amazon). Also, when I went to a lactation specialist she said you can also cut holes in the nipple areas of an old sports bra and feed through the breast pumping parts through. I did this and it worked really well.

Solid Food Feeding Essentials

Solid food feeding does not start until about six months after your doctor approves. So these are not necessarily essentials for the new born stage. But some of these are good to know for the future and optional to add to your registry. However, they are included on this ultimate baby registry checklist. Here it is also not necessary to over buy. I know baby things are cute, but buying 3 bowls and 3 plates and 5 bibs was really not worth it for us. We kept it simple and got about 1-2 items of each thing.

High Chair: When searching for a high chair, make sure to look up “easy clean”. We got the Joovy Nook High Chair (Amazon) on our registry. It was not a fun one to clean. There are many little sections that food gets stuck and we just did not really like it over all. A high chair did ended up being essential when we got to the solid food eating stage.

Splat Mat: A splat mat is not entirely necessary. But our son was a messy eater. So we found it easier to have a washable mat under the high chair to help when cleaning. This Bumkin Splat Mat (Amazon) is durable and washable.

Bibs: Bibs are another essential to have when starting solids. They make it easier to clean up too. You don’t really need more than two. We liked these mushie Silicone Baby Bib (Amazon) because they were durable and super easy to clean. But any bibs work!

Plates & Bowls: One plate and one to two bowls with suction on the bottom are also essential when starting solids. We used brands like Bella Tunno, Green Sprouts, and Bumkins. All brands were amazing and durable with items that we still use today with our two year old.

Cup or Sippy Cup: We opted for one cup from ezpz Tiny Cup brand (Amazon). It is their tiny cup that is open. If you prefer a lid and a straw they have that option. We tested out different sippy cups thereafter and did not find any we really loved other than these simple Munchkin Click Trainer Cups (Amazon). But again, I try to avoid plastics and there are a lot of options such as WeeSprout Silicone Baby Cups (Amazon) that we like or even stainless steel.

Utensils: To start we got these Numnum Pre-spoon (Amazon) that made eating solids easy for our son. They basically dip them in purees that make it easy for them to bring to their mouth. We loved these ones. There after as our son started to master eating, we just got the stainless steel ones (Amazon). They are a great option for toddler and baby eating that are affordable.

Silicone Feeder: Silicone feeders were amazing for teething. We would put our bone broth recipe liquid into the molds and give Luka the little silicone feeder. We also did other food items in there and even breast milk. When we used the molds in the freezer, they were helpful for our teething six months plus baby. We used Boon (Amazon) brand and also Haakka (Amazon). Both were amazing options. For me these were essential for the feeding and teething stages.

Silicone Pouches: Haakaa Yummy Pouch Reusable (Amazon) have been so essential for our baby and now toddler. We loved these because we could make the puree’s and serve them to our son. They are reusable and cost efficient. These are great for the mamas who plan to make a lot of their child’s own baby food. I did not register for this and purchased them later on. But these ended up being essential and we still use them today.

Sleeping Essentials

Bassinet: We chose to have our son in a bassinet next to our bed for the first several months before transferring him to a crib. This was nice for me as a nursing mom to have him nearby. The Halo Swivel Bassinet (Amazon) was so nice because it would move back and forth when I needed to do a night feeding. It also lowers in the front to pull baby out. A bassinet was essential for us for sure, which is why it is on this ultimate baby registry checklist.

Swaddles: For our son, swaddling was a true trial and error. We did a swaddle because that is what our nurses recommended at the hospital. But we struggled to do a swaddle with an actual blanket. So we had a few options of swaddles that my sister in law gave us. Our son was swimming in them except for one saving grace that was a Halo swaddle sleep sack (Amazon). This one worked so well for our son and he did not squirm out. So we ended up ordering a backup and then ordering sizes up as he grew. The swaddle and sleep sack is a personal choice and very personalized to what baby ends up liking. So I cannot fully tell you that this brand is the best, I can only say that is what worked for our son. But ultimately some sort of swaddle ended up being essential for us.

Crib & Mattress: We were fortunate to receive a crib from my great aunt who had recently bought it for her grand kids that had outgrown it. So we decided to invest in a mattress that was healthy, breathable, and easy to clean. We love the Newton Crib Mattress (Amazon). This was worth the investment. I It is fully washable from inside out. The only other advice here with baby furniture and mattresses is to look for “green guard certified”. This is a certification that accounts for levels of toxins and chemicals in products. For the crib mattress we purchased from Newton, it does not require a mattress sheet. But we bought a few to circulate in. I was obsessed with only buying “organic clothes, linens, and towels at first. But sometimes the organic linens or clothes did not wear well or would peel easily. So our favorite crib sheets were the Cloud Island brand (Amazon).

Sound Machine: This was essential for our sleeping journey. We used the Happiest Baby on the Block Guide to Sleep (Amazon) book to guide us on our sleep schedule and it was incredible. Our son is an amazing sleeper to this day. He still uses his white noise machine. For our family it was important to not have a sound machine that connected to wifi, although it was very tempting to purchase the beloved Hatch (Amazon) sound machine. But we ended up using Yoga Sleep (Amazon) brand. We also have the little travel Yoga Sleep (Amazon) white noise machine and Yoga Sleep Duet White Noise (Amazon) machine which connects to bluetooth if you choose, we do not use that option. A sound machine is a necessity for our family and sleep training with our son.

Monitor: We also looked for a baby monitor that did not connect to Wi-Fi. The brand Infant Optics (Amazon) works great and is amazing to use. We thought it broke and ended up ordering a different kind that switched between two cameras since we knew we wanted more children. The second one is VTECH Brand (Amazon) and is Wi-Fi free as well. But it has two cameras to use with our second baby. We like the infant optics one the best because you can move and zoom the camera remotely to get the best view of baby.

Glider: While not essential, this is something that is one of those things that is nice to have to sooth baby or for nursing sessions. We wanted one that was green guard certified so we ordered this brand (Amazon). We used this a lot up until about 2 years old.

Black Out Shade: We definitely utilized black out shades from when we brought out son home and he was in the bassinet next to our bed up to today in his room as a toddler. We used Paper Blackout Shades (Amazon) on my sons windows at first. These blocked out all light so the light coming in through a window did not disrupt his nap times. But we upgraded to these Amazon Basics Portable Black Out Shades (Amazon) that are material with suction cups on the back. We love them and travel with them too. They make things easy! This may not be essential for all families, but has a rightful place on this ultimate baby registry checklist.

Bathing & First Aid

Teethers: When our son was teething we used the silicone feeder previously mentioned above in the feeding solid foods section. But we also had some non toxic silicone teethers on hand. We liked the Frida baby one linked here (Amazon). But there are many options. We were gifted a lot of different teethers, but you truly only need one or two. We liked the kinds you could put in the freezer to get a little cool relief.

Nail Clipper or file: We had the simple Frida nail clippers (Amazon). But my mother in law also gifted us a battery powered Lupantte Safe Baby Nail File (Amazon). I liked having both of these depending on the situation. We still use both now at two and half. I would say at least one of them is essential to have an option to safely trim down nails. There is also the less essential item called the Frida “picker tool” (Amazon). We used this for boogers and for dirt under nails, even today. It’s not a necessary tool, but sometimes it was convenient to have.

Infant Bath tub: We bought the skip hop whale tub (Amazon), but the foam insert sling got moldy. For our next child I will consider one of the soft fabric inserts or something like this (Amazon) from Frida Baby that go into the sink or some other option. I did not really care for the skip hop tub even though it did grow with baby. There are lots of options here, and not entirely sure it is essential. We did sponge baths for a while anyway. But this is up to lifestyle and personal preference, and worth mentioning.

Wash cloths & Towels: We were gifted so many cute hooded towels and even wash cloths. People love to gift clothes and cute items like this. We really only used and needed about two hooded towels and about 4 wash cloths to keep in rotation. There is no real brand or preference here. The ones we received were a Walmart brand. We also got some Burt’s Bees and Honest brand ones. But again, our favorite brand ended up being Cloud Island from Target. They were reliable, and lasted a long time. Also a note here that I read about and utilized after the fact. You do not have to buy “baby” towels. You can use towels and wash cloths you already have too. When our son out grew the baby towels we were gifted, we ended up just using our regular towels and wash cloths and they work great!

Lotion & Shampoo/Body Wash: We always chose fragrance free options because that is what our Pediatrician told us to do. Plus I avoid all fragrances in our home because I am super allergic to them in general. For items like lotion and shampoo we opted for “cleaner” brands that were still affordable, like Honest fragrance body wash (Amazon). We also really love Pippette brand (Amazon) fragrance free lotion. We typically switch between those two brands for both lotion and body wash. They both have sets of minis to try out with your baby. I also cannot tell you that these brands will work for your child, because all children are unique. Having these two products on hand were essential for us. I also rotated in coconut oil and breast milk as a lotion alternative.

Thermometer: A thermometer was essential for us and still is now. We went through a few and ended up with the Exergen Thermometer (Amazon) that worked best for us. This was a very helpful tool for us and it was essential for our family.

Humidifier: We did not know we needed this until we needed it lol. Thank goodness for Target pickup! We purchased the safety first one when our son was sick. It was essential for us and still is today. I love the idea of an easy clean mold free option like the Canopy (Amazon) brand. But it is a little pricy, so we opt to clean our Safety First humidifier (Amazon) after use to avoid mold. I would say it is not my favorite brand, however it works well. Next time we need one I will look for something that is easy clean and something that helps avoid any mold buildup.

Air Purifier: This is not entirely essential, but it was important for us. We moved to a new house when my son was 6 months. I wanted to ensure the air was fresh and clean in his room so we purchased the Bissel my air purifier but it is a product that is no longer available online. We love this. It makes the air so crisp and clean. We also have the Dyson standing purifier in our home. I was pretty disappointed in this purchase as it was so expensive, I expected the air to be nice and crisp like it was with the Bissel. I would buy Bissel brand here over Dyson for sure. Keeping the air pure and clean in our sons room was essential for us and necessary for this ultimate baby registry checklist.

Tooth Brush: We worked with our pediatrician to decide when the right time was to start using a toothbrush or a little delicate finger brush. We liked the Haakaa Silicone Baby Finger Toothbrush (Amazon) or the banana infant (Amazon) ones like this.

Handling Boogers: Handing boogers and snot is inevitable with a new little human. The regular bulb syringe they give you at the hospital is very hard to clean, but they are effective. We also purchased the Haakaa Silicone Baby Nasal Aspirator (Amazon) which was inexpensive and the top comes off for easy cleaning. I love this one. Additionally, we were gifted the electric Frida Baby Electric Nasal Aspirator (Amazon). This is an amazing tool to be honest. But it is not entirely essential. A bulb syringe or the Hakka version are great inexpensive options here. We also used Saline spray (Amazon) or drops to help when boogers were stuck, this was recommended by our personal pediatrician.

Brush: Having a little silicone brush to brush delicate head/hair was nice. We had the frida baby brush (Amazon) and loved it. There are lots of options here. It was essential for our family but we used the one they sent home from the hospital with us.

Transportation & Other Baby Gear

Diaper Bag: I would say that a Diaper bag is essential. However, you do not necessarily need a “diaper bag”. You can also use your favorite back pack or favorite tote bag. The even have diaper bag “inserts” that you can use to help organize any bag to be a more functioning “diaper bag”. We had registered for the Product of the North diaper bag and that is what we used for the first year. It was nice, but I am not sure I really liked how it was organized inside. We were going to travel so we decided to order this Nike (Amazon) one. This one had very nice compartments and an added cooler/snack pack. It was nice and roomie with tons of pockets both inside and out. I really like this one and we still use today at two and half with our son. We also looked into the lululemon diaper backpack. I think here it is really based on preference and budget, but definitely has a place on this ultimate baby registry checklist.

Car Seat: In all of my baby registry research I had read a lot about registering for an infant car seat and then also registering for a convertible car seat for when your child is bigger. We did that. I do feel like that was super helpful because we were able to have one car seat per car. When our son got bigger, we did order an additional convertible car seat that goes up to 10 years old. You can choose to go minimalist here and just go with a convertible car seat that is infant up to a bigger child age or weight. Or you can register for both infant and convertible. We got britax brand ‘safe wash’ versions on both carseats because they were a more affordable option of a flame retardant free car seat. Having this was important to us. When we ordered the convertible car seat that goes up to an older age it was maxi-cosi brand. Here it is important to do your research on what works for your family and lifestyle. But a car seat is an absolute essential of course.

Sun Shields & Car Mirrors: These two items are optional. It is nice when driving alone with your child to have the Car Seat Mirror (Amazon) to see in the back seat. We have a simple mirror. The sunshields can also be nice to block some of the direct sunlight.

Baby Carrier and/or Wrap: Both of these items truly ended up being essential for us. The Boba Baby Wrap Carrier (Amazon) is a soft cotton baby wrap that we used a ton when our son was a little baby. It was one of my favorite products that we received from our baby registry. It is soft and super easy to carry baby around. When my son Luka got a little bigger, we started to use the more structure baby carrier by Ergobaby Omni Baby Carrier (Amazon). This is an incredible product that grows with baby from seven to forty five pounds. We used this and adjusted to where our son was at as far as weight. Also, we even have used this into toddlerhood on our backs, since it can be used up to 45 pounds. We do a lot of walking and the baby carriers were really essential for us.

Stroller: We also received the Joovy Jogging stroller (Amazon) and it truly has been incredible as well for our long walks. Well, at least until our toddler started hating any type of stroller lol. But this was incredible and it also grows with baby/toddler. For our lifestyle it was essential, but we used the carrier and wrap much more than the stroller.

Toys

Toys are something that friends and family love to give. However, it can get super overwhelming to get so many toys. I am a former teacher and I loved the concept of educational, Montessori, wooden style toys. We registered for a few, but this is a part of baby prep that you can go super minimal on. Toys are necessary for the ultimate baby registry checklist.

Play Gym: We registered for the Ingenuity brand (Amazon) of play gym and it was really great. We spent a lot of time on this learning and giggling and practicing tummy time. But after experiencing Lovevery play kits I regret not registering for the Lovevery Play Gym. Lovevery is a brand that focuses on educational toys. They curate their products to the exact stages your child is in. I would love to experience their play gym . At the end of the day, this is not an essential product and can be left off of your registry if needed. A simple blanket and a few toys and books work great for tummy time and can be more cost efficient too.

DISCLOSURE: AS A LOVEVERY AFFILIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. THESE ARE ALL PRODUCTS I HIGHLY RECCOMEND. I WOULD NOT PUT ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE THAT I HAVEN’T VERIFIED AND/OR PERSONALLY USED.

Toys: We personally did not purchase any toys for our son when he was born. He was gifted so many stuffed animals and plastic light up toys before he was born. But the greatest gift from his Auntie, Uncle, and Cousin was his first Lovevery play kit, which was life changing. My husband and I loved the first kit so much and saw so much value in it that we continued purchasing the play kits even now during year 2. They make things easy as a parent and they really meet the child where they are at each stage. They are not light up or noisy and they are mostly wooden toys with lots of recycled plastics. Plus they are soft color themes. I could rave on and on. But toys are absolutely not a requirement on your registery. A lot of registries like Babylist allow you to register for loveevery play kits or gift cards. Or you can select some toys that work with your lifestyle or not add anything at all. It is inevitable that you will be gifted toys.

Books: Books are an amazing and affordable gift. My cousin put on one of my baby shower invites to bring books instead of a card. This helped start our son’s little library and it was so special to get written messages in the books from loved ones. Cards are actually very expensive now a days. So it is worth it get a sweet educational board book instead of a baby shower card. It is a reasonable gift to give and a practical and educational gift for baby. If there are specific sets of books you want make sure to add them to your registry. Books are definitely a necessity for our family and to be included in this ultimate baby registry checklist.

Baby Bouncer: We got the BABYBJÖRN Bouncer (Amazon). It was an amazing product to have and our son loved it. It turns into a toddler chair later on and has different settings for baby. Something like this was nice to have on hand when we needed a safe spot to put baby down.

Snuggle me Organic: This is a little baby lounger (Amazon) product that you can set baby in for tummy time and play. We never let our son sleep in this as it is not intended to be for sleep. But sometimes it was nice when we needed a free hand for a moment. It is not absolutely necessary, but could be considered.

Activity Center: We got the Skip Hop Baby Activity Center (Amazon). I read a lot of controversial things about using something like this, so make sure to do your own research here or talk to your doctor. Our pediatrician was a wonderful resource of knowledge for us in our journey of parenthood. We enjoyed this activity center for short increments with our son but the most use has been now as a toddler as the one we got transfers into a toddler table. We got the Skip Hop Toddler’s Activity Chairs (Amazon) and it was so nice. I do love products that can be multipurpose. Honestly going back I probably would not buy something like this but it depends again on your families preferences and your own ultimate baby registry checklist.

Clothing

People are so kind and will give you so many clothes! It really is hard not to when you are strolling the baby section in Target. The baby clothes are just so adorable. Some clothing may not be your style or your favorite brands. But it’s okay. You can always exchange it or save it as hand me downs for other family or friends babies. I just wanted to share some tips and opinions on clothing that may or may not be helpful.

• You can try to request no clothes on your baby registry. No guarantees you won’t get any. It just can get overwhelming here. Baby doesn’t need 30 different outfits of all different sizes. What we realized for our son was that he mostly needed comfortable zipper pajamas and no more than five in each size to rotate in during the week. The cute festive clothes often times have itchy material or are not good quality and don’t last long. So I preferred and purchased Cloud Island zip pajamas and also burts bee’s brand zip pajamas. That’s what my son lived in for several months.
• Note that baby clothing brands all fit different. Sizing is very different by each brand.
• Consider the seasons your baby will be born in and need at each stage
• Zippers over Buttons always. Buttoning up 15 buttons at 1 a.m. is not fun.

Stay True to You

Did I miss anything? Lol. This ultimate baby registry checklist is long, but a true labor of love. It is honest opinions and I hope that you find at least one or two gems that are helpful in building your own ultimate baby registry checklist and prepping for new baby. Do your best and just remember not to overbuy when baby may not like certain brands or items. Hang on to those receipts to exchange for things that you end up needing. Utilize Amazon prime ordering or Target order pickup and if you get gift cards, wait to use them for what you end up needing after baby comes. Don’t stress, focus on the necessities that keep baby safe and healthy. Congratulations on the beautiful journey ahead. Enjoy every moment!