The Ultimate Guide To A Minimalist And Essentials Only Baby Registry List

It can be pretty challenging figuring out what you actually need or even want on your baby registry list. First of all, there’s an endless amount of baby supplies out there. And secondly, it seems like there’s an oversaturated amount of brands and specifications of a single item to choose from.

Creating a baby registry list can be especially difficult for the soon-to-be first-time moms or moms that have a bigger age gap between their babies. My baby registry list as a soon-to-be first-time mom was incredibly long. And let’s just say I now know what I actually needed versus what I thought I needed.

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. However, my personal experience and other mom’s experiences with baby products are not going to be identical. But all I can do is give you an insight on my experience.

Basic Essentials To Add To The Baby Registry List

These products are the basic essentials you’re going to want to include on your baby registry list. Because these items are what you’re going to get the most use of. And 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 85. It comes with additional infant cushions you can use when they’re smaller and just take them out as they get bigger.

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.

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.

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 pajama idea is the ones I put together in the collage below where you have easy access to untie to do a quick diaper change.

Goumi Baby Organic Cotton Rose Nightgown – Pink – $32.00

babyGap Print Sleep Gown Set – $39.95

Baby Girls’ 2pk Meadow Tie-Front Nightgown – Cloud Island™ White – $12.99

Baby Girls’ Llama Farm Sleep N’ Play – Just One You® made by carter’s Heather Gray – $7.99

Mac & Moon 2-Pack Baby Gowns in Bunny Floral Print – $22.00

If you’re a high risk mama and might be having a preemie baby, check out my Top 5 Preemie Baby Clothes Brands 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 what I should add to my baby registry list.

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).

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. 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.

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.

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 or other grocery stores.

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.

You can get 10% off your whole purchase at Keababies with my discount code “liftingmotherhood“.

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 heard the Spectra S1 breast pumps were amazing. The ones that plug into the wall have a greater suction and can yield more breastmilk compared to a portable pump like the Elvie.

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.

KeaBabies sells a good selection of more affordable diaper bags along with a bunch of other baby supplies. And you can use my discount code “liftingmotherhood” to get 10% off your whole entire purchase.

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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 fits 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.

17. Hooded Bath Towels

Hooded bath towels are definitely a must on your baby registry list. 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.

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.

Baby Supplies To Buy Later

The list of supplies to add to your baby registry list above is what you’re going to want to have the first few months of your baby’s life. And the list below are baby supplies you’ll eventually want to start getting. If not, go ahead and add it to your baby registry list so you don’t have to worry about getting it later.

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.

3. Dresser

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

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

9. Waterproof Mattress Cover

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.

13. Baby Lounger

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.

16. High Chair

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 her sit up early.

18. Diaper Genie

It’s not a necessity but we got one as a gift and got a good use out of it.

19. Stroller

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

20. Baby Bouncer

Baby Supplies I Didn’t Need

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

• baby mittens
• baby hats
• pacifiers (bought way too many and my baby hated pacifiers)
• 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.

I hope my baby registry list helped you sort the necessities from the wants. There might be more items you want or find that you’ll need. But everyone’s experiences are different. If you need additional insight, check out The Ultimate Newborn Baby Checklist, from Conquering Motherhood.