Baby Registry Must Haves

Figuring out what you need versus what you want on your baby registry is difficult. This is why I had to dedicate a blog post on baby registry must haves and also include other baby stuff you’ll want to get later down the road.

I’m not even going to lie – my first baby registry list was incredibly too long. But the second time around I created just my baby registry must haves and even then I felt like it could have been smaller.

I had another girl the second time and a boy my third pregnancy. So therefore my third baby registry was bigger naturally because I was so excited to finally be having a baby boy.

There are so many products my husband and I bought that we didn’t use or products we bought that we weren’t a fan of. But you might have a totally different opinion than me!

Absolute Baby Registry Must Haves

The first list I go over are going to be the absolute bare minumum baby registry must haves! I felt like out of everything I had added on my baby registry, these are what I most definitely needed in the early weeks and months after having my babies.

You can click here to start a baby registry on Amazon!

1. Carseat

We bought the Nuna Pipa infant car seat and the Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 convertible car seat. The Nuna Pipa was for my vehicle and the Maxi-Cosi Pria car seat was for my husband’s truck. And the reason why I chose the Nuna Pipa infant car seat was because it had amazing reviews on just about every website that offered it.

But unfortunately, my daughter did not like that car seat. I’m not sure if it was just because she wasn’t used to car rides early on or if it really was the car seat. However, she absolutely loved the Maxi-Cosi Pria.

It comes with additional infant cushions you can use when they’re smaller and just take them out as they get bigger. I will say that the Maxi-Cosi carseats are on the bulkier side than other carseats I’ve encountered!

Difference Between An Infant Car Seat And A Convertible Car Seat

The main difference is that the infant car seat has a handle where you can easily transfer them to a stroller or remove them from the base that’s attached to the vehicle seat. And the convertible car seat doesn’t have a handle so it basically stays in your vehicle and lacks the ability to transfer your baby easily or attach to a stroller.

2. Diapers

I’m a huge fan of Pampers Swaddlers. I’ve tried Huggies and I didn’t like it at all for many reasons. My daughter was a great sleeper ever since we brought her home from the hospital (probably because we coslept). So this meant I needed a reliable diaper that would hold up throughout the night. Huggies didn’t last a single night and maybe it was the type of Huggies that just did not work out for us. But Pampers Swaddlers have always held up, never made the diaper smell like urine, and didn’t sag like Huggies diapers did when it was even slightly full.

At first, I had no idea how many boxes I needed to purchase so I bought 2 big boxes of the newborn size because my daughter was in them for about 3 weeks. We also received a few small bundles of newborn-size diapers at our baby shower. The number of diapers you’ll want to add to the baby registry list is going to depend on how often you’ll change them and how fast they’ll grow. But I definitely recommend adding at least 2 decent-sized boxes for each size.

When my daughter was about to be 6-months old, she was going into size 4 diapers. It’s important to know that different brands and styles fit snugger than others. She zoomed through size 1 diapers, size 2 diapers we bought a couple of huge boxes of, went through size 3 diapers quickly, and was in size 4 diapers for a while.

Check out Rating The Top 6 Diaper Bags

3. Onesies

I highly recommend adding a good amount of zippered newborn footie pajamas and a few for each size up to 9 months. I stopped putting my daughter in footie pajamas when she started walking around 8 months because it hindered her from getting a good grip on the floor. They do start making footie pajamas with grips on the bottom at toddler sizes!

But I say zippered footie pajamas because the buttons can get super annoying when you’re doing a diaper change in the middle of the night. Another good great type of pajamas for babies are the gowns for easy access to untie to do a quick diaper change.

Some of our favorites:

goumikids Viscose – $34

Simple Joys by Carter’s Baby Girls’ 3-Pack Cotton Sleeper Gown – $13.88

O2 BABY Baby Boys Girls Organic Cotton Zip-Front Sleeper Pajamas – $16.37

Simple Joys by Carter’s Unisex Babies’ Cotton Footed Sleep and Play – $14.01

If you’re a high risk mama and might be having a preemie baby, check out my Where To Find The Best Preemie Baby Clothes post!

4. Bottles

Whether you’re breastfeeding or not, you’re going to want to add a few different bottles to your baby registry list. I was planning to breastfeed so I looked up the best bottles for breastfed babies and came across Comotomo and NUK bottles.

They recommend getting a few different kinds of bottles to see which of them your baby prefers. Not every baby is going to like the same type of bottle but it’s helpful to see what bottles did and didn’t work for some moms.

5. Swaddles

This is sort of embarrassing but I had no idea what a swaddle was until I looked up other baby registry must haves. And it’s also because I was never around babies until I had my first baby!

Swaddles are multipurpose and worth buying or adding several to the baby registry. Since my daughter was colicky, swaddling her was the only way she would sleep throughout the night and for her naps. As she got older, I used her swaddles as a light blanket.

6. Bassinet

Another thing I had no idea about was the need for a bassinet. Because I always thought people bought a crib and immediately put their babies in the crib to sleep. A bassinet is a small, portable crib that babies sleep in typically the first 6 months of their life by their mom’s bedside. This has shown a significant decrease in the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

I have a whole other blog post about risks and benefits of cosleeping!

We tried two different bassinets and loved the Graco Sense 2 Snooze because it rocks the baby when it senses the baby cry. It worked great for naps for us and a few nights. However, cosleeping (bedsharing) worked best for us.

7. Baby Wipes

Just like the constant need for diapers, you’re going to want to stock up on wipes. You cannot have too many baby wipes and you’ll find this on the top if every baby registry must haves!

There’s a lot of different kind of wipes. Our favorite was Pampers Sensitive baby wipes. It didn’t dry up quick like others we have tried, didn’t rip easily, and didn’t make our daughter’s skin breakout.

8. Diaper Cream

Diaper rashes will happen (especially in the earlier months). My favorite was Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. It cleared my daughter’s diaper rashes almost immediately every time she had a rash.

Another great way to clear up diaper rashes quick is to let your baby soak in warm water in the bath tub then put a layer of Aquaphor baby on their bottom.

9. Baby Wash + Lotion

We bought the Noodle & Boo baby wash and lotion. It smelled so good without it being overpowering and didn’t break out my daughter’s skin. But honestly it was getting a little pricey and not so easily accessible for us to purchase every time.

Another option that smells clean and leaves your baby’s skin super soft is Dove. I’d say you get the most bang out of your buck with Baby Dove products. You can easily find them at your local Wal-Mart, Target, or other grocery stores and this is what we are currently using with our babies.

10. Baby Thermometer

There’s a lot of different kinds of baby thermometers out there. But this one was the easiest to check my baby’s temperature. There are options where a more old-school thermometer is included in a grooming or baby healthcare kit.

11. Baby Healthcare + Grooming Kit

You’ll want to get the basic healthcare kit for babies and a grooming kit. I love our Keababies brush set because it comes with three different types of brushes for different stages of my baby’s hair.

We have tried multiple nail clippers and none of them made clipping baby nails easy. It’s the most painful thing to watch your baby cry after clipping part of their skin instead of their nail (my husband did and it made me want to cry). But I came across these scissors on a mom forum and they are a lifesaver. Do yourself a favor and order a pair of these scissors.

12. Milk Storage Container (if breastfeeding)

The Nanobebe breastmilk storage bags worked great for us because it didn’t take up a ton of room in the freezer and the quality held up. It was also at an affordable price.

13. Breastpump (if breastfeeding)

I gave in and bought the Elvie pumps. There are so many reasons why I decided on this particular breast pump. One of the main reasons was because I didn’t want to be connected to wires and tubes. I wanted something easy to plop in my nursing bra and pump. There are definitely some issues I’ve encountered but for the most part, I’m happy with my purchase.

If you don’t mind the tubes and sitting next to an outlet, I love my Spectra S1 breast pumps. It’s got amazing suction and it’s hospital grade.

However, since I was breastfeeding while having to care for other babies, I felt like I used by Elvie Stride the most. And I did enjoy my Elvie Stride more than my original Elvie breast pump.

14. Diaper Bag

The diaper bag I bought was the Ritzy Itzy one (out of a huge variety of options I was not prepared to dig through). And I bought several other diaper bags after this one because wearing a backpack is much easier than carrying diapers and wipes in a shoulder bag/ purse.

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15. Baby Bathtub

We received this bathtub as a gift on our amazon baby registry and it worked great. My baby didn’t slip and slide. And it fit perfectly in our bathtub.

16. Diaper Organizer

I bought two diaper caddies – one for our bedroom and one for my car. I went one too many times leaving the house without my diaper bag and wanted to have a diaper caddy in the car just in case I made the same mistake again. The diaper caddy for our bedroom spared us the walk across the house for the middle of the night diaper changes.

I also got a diaper organizer for the nursery which holds a lot of diapers for easy access. Not only does it hold diapers but all of your other baby essentials like a wipe warmer, butt paste, baby lotion, and more.

After having multiple babies, I decided to get a rolling metal cart aka portable diaper caddy to put all 3 diaper sizes in one cart along with wipes, lotion, butt cream, and other necessities.

17. Hooded Bath Towels

Another baby registry must haves are hooded bath towels. I highly recommend adding at least 2 to 4 because you’ll be using it often.

18. Car Mirror

A baby car mirror gives you the ability to see your baby while driving.

19. Bottle Warmer

This is the baby bottle warmer we got but in pink. We could not have gone without it especially when I was working and daddy had to take over feeding our baby.

A bottle warmer might not be one of your baby registry must haves because I do have friends that don’t warm up a bottle for their babies so that they don’t get used to a warm bottle for every feed!

20. Bottle Drying Rack

We used our bottle drying rack for a whole year until we finally put it away. That’s how much use we got out of it. And if you’re a mama who’ll be bottle feeding then you’re definitely going to be wanting this to keep all of your baby’s bottles, pacifiers, and breast pump parts separate from your dishes.

Baby Supplies To Buy Later

The baby registry must haves I went over above are going to be a necessity in the first weeks and months after you have your baby.

Now I’m going to go over things you’ll want to get later on but you can still definitely include in your baby registry!

1. Bibs

Bibs weren’t a big thing in our house because we just took our daughter’s shirt off to eat. But I know bibs are an essential for some of my friends with babies.

2. Burp Cloths

We have way too many burp cloths because Etsy has some super cute ones. But they’re so versatile that you can use it for a lot of other things.

All of the burp clothes we bought for our first baby, we used up until our third!

3. Dresser

You definitely want a dresser or a closet storage organizer of some sort to put your baby’s clothes in!

4. Changing Pad or Table

We had to stop using the changing pad once our daughter was able to flip over. I don’t think a changing table or pad is necessary if you’re okay with changing your baby on the bed or floor.

5. Crib

Along with the dresser, you’ll eventually want to start sleep training your baby to sleep in their own room and crib.

6. Laundry Basket

I always had a separate laundry basket for my baby’s clothes and just recently started throwing their clothes in with mine and my husband’s!

7. Crib Mattress

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend babies sleep on a firm mattress where it doesn’t conform to the shape of their head.

8. Crib Sheets

My favorite crib sheets that I use to this day are from mushie. They have the cutest designs and the fabric is so soft.

9. Waterproof Mattress Cover

You DEFINITELY need a waterproof mattress cover. We had one for each crib and toddler bed because milk will spill through the sheets, urine, maybe even a massive blowout :).

10. Baby Carrier

I created a blog post specifically on baby carriers versus wraps: The Ergobaby And Lillebaby Baby Carriers Vs Wraps.

11. Baby Toys

Sophie the giraffe is going to be the best toy you put in your baby registry or baby shopping list. It’s been my daughter’s favorite toy. Rachel at Kindersensation even talks about Sophie the giraffe (and more toys that worked for her son) at Best Toys for 6 Months Old.

Read my other post on the Best List Of Gift Ideas For Babies And Toddlers.

12. Pacifiers

Just like the bottles, get a few different pacifiers to see which one your baby likes the most. My first baby did not like pacifiers and never took them! She used my nipple as her pacifier. My second baby only took Philips Avent Soothie pacifier and just for a short period of time. And then my third baby loved his WubbaNub pacifiers.

13. Baby Lounger

Snuggle me baby loungers were the only ones my second and third baby took naps in. And I was also able to set them down in it while I was folding laundry and they were completely content.

14. White Noise

Babies love white noise. There are different settings you can put the Hatch Rest on like the color and have a good variety of different white noise as well.

15. Jumper or Walker

This particular baby walker was my daughter’s favorite and I definitely feel like it helped her walk quicker than average. You can also adjust the height as they get bigger. And one of my favorite things about this walker is the ability to move or remove the white trays to put snacks on.

Check out 10 Simple Ways To Encourage Your Baby To Walk

16. High Chair

A high chair is a baby registry must have for months later and totally worth including in your baby registry now so you don’t have to worry about buying one later!

17. Bumbo

There’s apparently a lot of controversy with Bumbos and I had no idea. But we never had issues with our Bumbo and loved it. I also felt that it helped my two girls sit up early.

18. Diaper Genie

A diaper genie is not a necessity but we got one as a gift and got a good use out of it. It helps separate your smelly diapers from being in your main kitchen trash can!

19. Stroller

We personally didn’t use our stroller very much due to COVID-19 with my first baby. But as time went on, we did get some use out of our stroller. I typically used a baby carrier.

However, after having 2 more babies, we LOVED our UPPAbaby Vista baby stroller because of the smoothness, how easily compact it was to put in smaller cars, and the attachments.

20. Baby Swing

Out of all the baby bouncers, baby rocker, baby seat, or whatever thing that claimed to keep your baby calm – our all time favorite was our baby swing. This helped me so much during the first several months of my second and third baby’s lives.

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Baby Supplies I Rarely or Never Used

Some of the stuff I could’ve gone without buying or buying as much were:

• baby mittens
• baby hats
• clothes
• baby bottles (overbought and barely used)

Since I had my daughter during the peak of COVID-19, I didn’t take her out in public much. So I bought way too many clothes and she ended up never getting to wear them. Instead, I wish I bought more footies!

I hope this baby registry must haves list helps you sort out the necessities from your wants!