Registry tips

alexa_rosie

Hello moms,

I’m a first time mom and feeling a little overwhelmed with the baby registry and what baby needs the first few months.
There are lot of articles on baby registry but I wonder if there are any tips in regard to baby registry organization and recommendations from experienced moms to make the process of putting together a registry easier. I plan to have it on Amazon. 

sarahsays25

Hi other first time mom here😊 It was really overwhelming at first but tbh I found Amazon's registry to be the most helpful. It has a checklist for you and categories to find certain products. My friend sent me this list also and it helped me catch a few things I didn't even think about for post partum. Hope this helps!

Registry Items -

 ◦ Stroller/Car Seat

 ◦ Car Seat Cover

 ◦ Crib & Mattress

 ◦ Sheets

 ◦ Burp Cloths

 ◦ Boppy’s & Covers

 ◦ Bibs 

 ◦ Baby Soap & Lotion

 ◦ Infant Bath

 ◦ Towels & Washcloths

 ◦ Baby Powder

 ◦ Diaper Bag

 ◦ Diaper Pail

 ◦ Diaper Rash Cream

 ◦ Night Light/Sounds Machine

 ◦ Swaddle Blankets

 ◦ Bassinet

 ◦ Baby Blankets

 ◦ Baby Nest/Doc-A-Tot

 ◦ Pacifiers

 ◦ Bottles

 ◦ Baby “First Aid Kit” (Brush, Nail Clippers, etc)

 ◦ Bottle or Water Warmer

 ◦ Bottle Brush

 ◦ Silicone Tray (to freeze breast milk for baby later on)

 ◦ Breast Milk Bags or Containers to Store Extra

 ◦ Clothes Hamper

 ◦ Footsie Pajamas (Zip)

 ◦ Onesies 

 ◦ Socks

 ◦ Car Mirror 

 ◦ Baby Swing

 ◦ Breast Pump

 ◦ Nursing Bras, Pads and Creams

 ◦ High Chair

 ◦ Baby Thermometer

 ◦ Baby Vicks

Mom Items 

 ◦ Big Pads or Diapers

 ◦ Perry Bottle

 ◦ Witch Hazel Cloth’s

 ◦ Nipple Cream

dogmom19

I’m a first time mom too and I thought it was really helpful to ask my friends who have kids their “must have” and “not worth it” items! I got a lot of great recommendations from them! I also had my mom help me look over my registry with stuff I missed or stuff she thought was unnecessary. It definitely helped a lot

knottie_knottie1

Also a FTM - I'm also using Amazon for the registry and found their checklist helpful along with Google searches for registry must haves, YouTube video reviews of products, and asking friends/family who've recently had kids. You may also ask friends/family who may have some old baby furniture if they're willing to sell it or donate it to you. I'm personally getting a lot of hand-me-downs, which is trimming out the registry. 

Oh, and a must have that everyone has mentioned to me is Butt Paste and it's a sweeping no-go on a baby wipe warmer, diaper pail, and diaper changing station (recommended just using a changing pad on the floor or a basket on the dresser instead)

rac2718

I recommend not registering for too much clothing, bottles, or diapers. Clothes: babies come out different sizes and grow rapidly/slower and people will buy you clothes without asking so not always worth registering for much. Bottles: I breastfed and didn't do bottles until I returned to work and started pumping. My son wouldn't take the bottles I had registered for. It took 4-5 brands to get it right. Diapers: unless you've changed a lot of babies, you may surprise yourself with how much you love or hate certain brands. I despised pampers. They smelled terrible to me and didn't fit right. I fell in love with the Aldi Little Journey diaper. It's the cheapest out there, but no scent, goes on well, and I never had leakage issues. 

Must haves in the early days: cloth diapers make the best all purpose cloth. Great for burping, laying on a changing table over your cover so you can wash the cover less frequently, catching poop/pee accidents when you're changing. They are really absorbent and easy to get clean. I never used them as a diaper. A&D to me was the best for avoiding diaper rash. Also is needed if you plan to circumsize. As your baby gets older, A&D also works well for minor injuries. 

andvga228

Wanted to comment as well about the bottles! I was told not to register for too many of a certain brand of bottles because it’ll depend what the baby likes. I have a registry on buy buy baby and they let you select single bottles of different brands. I also know Babylist has a sampler box of different bottles. 

msd15

I was going to register on Amazon and target but my 11yo (lol) found a site/app called Babylist. If you already have registries on other site you can import them as well. I liked it because it shows different prices for the same item at different places so whoever is buying you a gift can get the best price 

ElisatheBrave

As a mom pregnant with my 4th I think your list is pretty complete. You will find out which brands work for you and baby once they are here. People will buy you things not on your registry and stuff that isn’t your style but what can you do? Try to keep any receipts. Also remember some babies are big so be careful buying too much newborn clothing. All three of my boys came home in 0-3 month outfits.

talldecafcappuccino

I am using Babylist too and really loving how I can import anything and change how it's organized. 

It was recommended to me to keep things in packaging and tape the receipt to the item until you know you can use them. Such as diapers since they come in many sizes and you may not need the smallest ones or your kid gets a rash from some product. And also not getting too much of one things, like bottles, one specific brand of diaper or lotion etc. 

We are trying to talk through baby needs, and if we have any specific needs around that. For instance I have a shoulder and neck injury so we are taking that into account with strollers, height of changing table, bathing needs etc. Another thing is sensory issues. A mom friend of mine has a severe reaction to the electronic sounds from most baby and toddler toys. What you need as a parent might be different than everyone else. 

bookmaiden17_

With my first I too felt really overwhelmed. It didn’t help that stores were closed due to the start of the pandemic so I couldn’t look at anything in person. I put together this list after my son was born for a couple friends so I thought I would share on here. Sorry it’s a little long but hope it helps. 

Diapering:

Diapers 

Water wipes 

Changing pad and table (we used a dresser with the pad on top) 

Changing pad covers (get a couple) 

Aquaphore 

Bourdou butt paste 

Diaper bag (we like the back pack type as it’s easier to carry around) 

Feeding:

Bottles (we got a couple types but the only ones hewould eat from are Dr. Brown. The feeding therapist said Dr. Browns were best to help support breastfeeding as well) 

Cloth bibs 

Burb rags (cloth diaper inserts worked well for this) 

Plastic bottle container for the dishwasher 

Boppy and extra cover

Breastfeeding: (if you choose this route)

Pump (love the Spectra 1 as it’s rechargeable and don’t have to stay pluged into a wall. Check with your insurance to see what they will cover) 

Extra valves and bottles to go with pump

Hands free pumping bra

Milk storage bags

Haaka with a lid 

Water prof bag to store pump parts in On the go 

Nursing cover 

Nursing tank tops (H & M has nice ones) 

Nursing bras (Amazon) 

Nursing shirts 

Nursing pads (I liked the reusable ones best) 

Nursing bag- have snacks and water in it to move around the house with you when you first start nursing 

Feeding- solid food:

Baby led weaning and beyond book (we did baby led weaning so didn’t do baby food) 

Rubber bib 

Long sleeve bib 

Ezpez small cup

Spoons

Suction plate and bowl

High chair 

Sleeping:

Crib (got one second hand) 

Crib mattress 

Pack n play with different levels (we used this in our bedroom instead of a traditional Bassenitt) 

Water prof mattress cover for crib and pack n play 

Sheets for both (trick someone else told me was to do two layers. Mattress coversheet then mattress coversheet. That way if they leak in the night you can just strip one layer and not have to change the sheets)

Swaddle sleep sacks newborn and small size ( hallo brand worked best for us. My son couldn’t bust out of them. Also take one or two to the hospital. So much easier then trying to swaddle in the hospital blankets)

Sleeps sacks in medium and large size 

Baby monitor 

Sound machine 

Humidifier 

Other:

Muslin Swaddle blankets (love Adien and Anis used them for everything get at least 4) 

Couple heavier blankets 

Car seat (love our key fit 30) 

Extra car seat base (then you only have to move the car seat from car to car and it just clicks into the base. Depending on the car seat you can find bases second hand) 

Stroler (it was nice having the option to click the car seat into it when he was little) 

Umbrella stroller (light weight) for travel 

Baby carrier (I like the ergo baby 360; we also have a Dueter hiking backpack for hiking and camping) 

Toys:

Activity gym

Teaching toys

Rattle 

Lovevery (subscription box that comes every two months with toys and books for baby and book for parents that are developmental appropriate. Toys are good quality and we have been happy with it)

Board books and regular books 

Bouncer (we got a second hand baby bejorn that’s great can use longer then other bouncers

Activity center (starting at 5-6 months) 

Swing (we didn’t have one but other friends swear by them we had a rocker

Push walker

Safety:

Baby gates

Outlet plugs

Cabinet locks 

Baby gates cage 

Mom: (don’t forget about taking care of you after baby is born!)

Ask for extra of the following at the hospital but also buy to have more on hand at home:

Mesh underwear (Amazon)

Ice pack pads (Amazon)

Extra large pads 

Large pads

Tucks pads (put in the freezer to make extra cold) 

Metamucil 

Sprey (I just used the one bottle from the hospital) 

Ask for plastic cushion at the hospital (for sitting and sleeping on) 

Get prescription for stool softener 

Have extra strength tylonal on hand 

knottiec1bd6c5399b4642a

I'm a 2nd time mom. My suggestion is not to register for too many clothes if you're having a baby shower because I found a lot of people didn't look at the registry and just bought me newborn or 0-3 month outfits. I think people just enjoy picking out baby clothes!

Also, we got away with not buying a bassinet. From day 1, we put our daughter in the crib (which is the safest place anyways) in our bedroom, and we never needed to get a bassinet. Bassinets can only be used for a few months anyways and then it's tough for babies to get used to a big crib. That being said, our bedroom was a bit cramped...