First things first, congratulations! What an exciting time! I am glad you are here. 🤗

There is an abundance of baby products on the market. Which ones do you actually need? Which items are worth splurging on? I hope this guide will help you knock out all the baby registry decision making, and set you up with a complete list of the essentials, while being budget and space conscious.

One of my aims while creating my baby registry was to maximize features and value, and stay around the middle of the price spectrum. In this post, I will only recommend products that we have used and liked. I will also point out which items are essential, and which are nice to have. I hope this lets you quickly take from this what works for your home. 💛

This is essential. Your baby needs a safe place to sleep for night time and all naps.  A crib is a popular option as many are convertible and can be used through the toddler years. Cribs sold in reputable US retail stores have to meet certain safety standards, so you can just choose one that fits your budget and aesthetic, keeping in mind that you may well be looking at this thing for a few years and maybe through a few babies.

However, we started our baby in a bedside bassinet. This is a more compact solution than a crib, and can work for the first few months. It is worth considering if bedroom space is a limiting factor. Note that the baby should be moved out of the bassinet when they can sit up or roll over, usually between 3 and 6 months, or when they hit the product’s weight limit. So this is a short term product. If budget is a concern, you can skip this and place your baby in the crib from the day you get them home.

Playards or pack-and-plays are another safe sleep solution that is portable and size-wise, lands between a crib and a bassinet. They can also be used for play, especially when the baby is older and needs to be contained. There are options that include useful accessories like a diaper changing table, an elevated bassinet option, diaper storage caddies, toy bars, etc, and a wide range or prices.

You want to choose a sturdy, light, and easy to assemble playard like the 4moms Breeze Plus, which we used as a secondary diaper changing and sleep space downstairs.

Don’t forget to buy a nice firm crib mattress, fitted sheets for the baby bed you choose, and a couple of mattress protectors! Drool, pee leaks, vomit and other accidents in the middle of the night can be a quick change if you have a mattress protector on the bed!

A few other beneficial sleep-related items include in your baby registry are: a white noise machine, a baby monitor with a large screen, a mount for the camera, Halo sleepsack swaddles, lightweight sleep sacks for warm weather, and winter sleep sacks if it gets cold in your house during the winter. These are items we use *daily* for night and day time sleep.

Nursery Furniture is really not essential in the first few months if you will be room sharing, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. But having a few items on hand will have you ready for when the time comes to move baby to their own roon, so you can add a few of these items to your shopping list or baby registry.

You will need a set of drawers to keep all the tiny little baby clothes, swaddles, towels, blankets, burp cloths etc. We use a white dresser from Ikea as an affordable option for this function. Ours are holding up well, and doing double duty as a diaper changing station, with the changing pad sitting on top of the drawer set.

To keep all the tiny little items organized and separated, some drawer organization bins will be really helpful. We got ours from Ikea on the same trip, but there are plenty of options on Amazon as well.

In the same vein, a couple of storage bins for the baby toys will also come in handy. You’ll be surprised how fast they start to add up as your baby goes through different stages.

A rocker recliner is a great addition to a nursery set. Babies often like to be held and rocked when they are little. Might as well be comfortable while you’re at it. If you have a Costco membership, check your local store for product availability and if you spot a special price, grab it. This is how we got our electric rocker recliner, and we are on that thing daily!

Tip: To help prevent diaper rash, make sure the baby’s diaper area is dry after wiping, then apply a generous amount of diaper rash cream (with 40% zinc oxide), or petroleum jelly, at every diaper change. We use Vaseline with every daytime diaper change, and Aquaphor diaper rash cream before bedtime when baby stays longest in the same diaper, and this has worked really well for us.

Cloth diapers are another diapering option that can be more environmentally friendly. To be honest, I did not consider this option for more than a few minutes. I didn’t think I could add the washing and caring for cloth diapers to my plate as a first time mum, and I believe that was the right decision for me at the time. https://www.allaboutclothdiapers.com/ has a great wealth of knowledge on the topic.

Wipes: Huggies natural care sensitive fragrance free wipes, and Kirkland fragrance free baby wipes have been our go to. We tried Water Wipes, but the packaging was not it. I could never get just one wipe at a time. And in the middle of a poop diaper change, I didn’t want to be fighting wipes and a wriggly baby.

Wipes are need to clean up baby’s diaper area during diaper changes, but also to wipe their hands when they start crawling all over, and wipe up any messes that show up unplanned and uninvited.

Nice to haves:

The Skip Hop diaper changing pad is a comfortable wipe-clean foam surface to change baby’s diapers on. You could also just change the baby on a water proof play mat, but we found this really handy to reduce the risk of pee and poop accidents on surfaces that would be harder to clean, like our bed or carpet.

The diaper genie complete has worked wonderfully for us, keeping diaper smells in. This is especially helpful after baby starts eating solids and the poops change… We have one on each floor of the house, steps away from the diaper changing stations. It has been easy to get refills on Amazon and at nearby retailers. I highly recommend getting scented bags after you introduce baby to solids, and accompany that with regular changes of the carbon filters to keep things fresh.

If you are planning to exclusively nurse your baby, no products are really *needed*. But a few things can make the going much smoother: a nipple balm, silverettes, nursing bras, reusable and disposable nursing pads, and nipple shields in case of issues with latching. A nursing cover can also allow some privacy when you need to feed your baby in public spaces.

For pumping mamas, get your insurance covered breast pump! The Spectra S1+ (the blue one) is a highly rated double electric breast pump, and I ordered mine through Aeroflow. I had to pay a little extra out of pocket for this version, but it was worth it to have the mobility in the house, and the ability to easily pump in the car. And don’t forget a couple of pumping bras for hands free double pumping – efficient.

A manual / hand pump is also a great tool for short pumping sessions or pumping on the go, as no electricity is needed, and there are much fewer parts. The Medela Harmony is a popular option, and a favorite for me. It is what the lactation consultant started me on in the hospital when we had issues latching and I am so glad she did! I even get a let down faster with this pump.

Other helpful accessories for pumping and bottle feeding include:

You can simply cut up a dish sponge to be able to fit into small bottle and pump parts when you are hand washing.

Alternatively, if you will be exclusively pumping, the endless washing of bottles and pump parts can get really tiring and dry out your hands. Vaseline can help with the hand cracking, and you can get an automatic bottle washer! I did not use one personally, but it is worth looking at one like the Baby Brezza bottle washer, sterilizer and dryer.

The My Brest Friend nursing pillow is a nice and flat surface that your baby can be stable on during nursing. Definitely a nice to have item, but very useful for positioning the baby for breastfeeding. I used it all the time through the newborn stage. The belt strap means that you can attach the pillow, and then have your hands available to pick up your baby. It also has a pocket that I honestly never use, but could be handy for a small water bottle, or hold your phone. I also had a Boppy pillow, but for nursing, I only used the My Brest Friend, which was much better for the purpose.

Burp cloths come in handy when baby was spitting up after feeds, and for cleanup after baby-led weaning meals. You can also just use hand towels you may already have at home.

A car seat is essential if you are ever going to travel in a car or taxi, and you’ll need one before you leave the hospital with your baby. Unless you’ll be walking or taking the bus with your baby, most families need one. This is another category that can lead you down a rabbit hole as there are nearly infinite options at every price point.

We chose to start with a Graco infant car seat, and an extra base for the second car, pairing with a compatible stroller that it could attach to. I recommend walking around your nearby retailers to see and feel a few car seats. I had to return the first car seat I purchased as it felt like it hardly had any cushion. If I wouldn’t want to sit in it, I did not want my baby to have to sit in it for any amount of time.

This stroller is so great! It has a little tray for the baby and cup holders for both the baby and the parents. These are features I didn’t even know I needed until I did. And now you know too 🙂

After your baby gets bigger, you’ll need to move from the infant car seat to a convertible car seat. (Check the manual for height and weight limits, which may also be printed on the car seat itself for easy future reference.)

You can also go straight to a convertible car seat and skip the infant car seat altogether. We love the Evenflo Revolve 360 Slim car seat, which is quite popular. It fits great in our SUV and the rotation makes it so much easier to strap the baby in. This car seat will grow with the baby for the next few years, so it is worth taking time with this decision.

If you are at all concerned about maintaining your vehicle’s seats under the car seat, there are products for that as well. We use this protector to have peace of mind that the leather seats are intact under the constant pressure points of the car seat base’s weight.

Tip: Target runs a car seat trade-in event twice a year. We were able to trade in my sister-in-law’s old car seats for 20% off new car seats and a travel stroller!

Baby carriers can allow some hands free time while keeping the baby close and content. Check out this post on choosing the right baby carrier for you.

When you are on the go, a diaper bag is handy to carry extra diapers, a pack of wipes, and other necessities. This diaper bag has an insulated bottle pocket that I used on the go to keep bottles of freshly expressed breast milk warm for a little while. Otherwise, I think most of the commonly available backpack style bags are pretty similar and will do the job.

One of the baby care tasks that intimidated me before having a baby, was bath time with a small, delicate, wet and slippery baby that cannot even hold their own head up. The Frida baby Grow-with-Me bath tub has a sling / hammock to lay the baby on, which made this task much less scary. Of course, we kept a hand on the baby at all times, so the baby was always well supported.

Adding a few health items to your baby registry will have you prepared for any sudden fevers or pains, and general care for your baby.

Baby nails grow at an outstanding rate, and are surprisingly sharp! I started with nail clippers, but gave in and bought an electric nail file when I accidentally nipped my little baby :(. These are gentle on baby’s nails and have a pressure activated safety stop system. Cannot hurt your baby with this, and a great registry addition as they will be needed from the newborn stage.

Everybody loves to buy tiny little baby clothes, so they are a great addition to a baby registry. However, I recommend only adding a few, at least until some other essential items have been purchased off your registry.

Little babies often spend most of the day and night in sleepers / sleep and plays / footed pajamas, especially if they are born during cooler weather. I loved browsing all the tiny clothes at Carter’s, and found that those clothes held up well to washing and can even be handed down to another baby after yours outgrows them. There are often sales too, so watch out for those to save some money at Carter’s, or Carter’s items on Amazon.

Do you need socks and mittens and hats? Depends on who you ask. If your baby is born in colder weather, these could be used in the early days. But as your baby gets bigger, you will want to let their hands and feet be free for sensory exploration of their environment. You will likely get some socks and mittens gifted to you, even if you don’t add them to the registry, so this is also one I wouldn’t add until big ticket items have been taken care of.

Having bibs on hand can also come in handy when your baby starts to drool a lot. This was at about 3 months old for us. And the same bibs were back in play during teething drooling, and for meals. Overall a practical and handy addition to a baby registry. We like these ones because they are large and absorbent.

When your baby is really little, play time may be as simple as a few minutes on the floor for tummy time and some face to face time with their caregivers. The Fisher Price kick and play piano is great for tummy time and the jams are so catchy, parents are singing along with the purple monkey in a bubblegum tree! A must have on any baby registry.

For a comfortable place for tummy time and play, a play mat gives your baby a place to roll, sit, crawl, and explore their toys. The Baby Care play mat is large and extra cushiony, and so comfortable that we have 2 of these in our living room and are often on them with the baby. A foldable and more lightweight play mat is also a nice alternative for on the go, or for a secondary space. We use this play mat from Nuby in our bedroom for a place to put the baby down as we fold laundry, prepare a bath, make beds, or any other chores in the bedroom.

Given how important tummy time is when your baby is really little, a black and white picture book with a mirror, and some rattles can offer some entertainment and make tummy time just a little bit more fun. The rattles will continue to be enjoyed even after baby is sitting and cruising, well past the tummy time stage.

Colorful books are also great entertainment for babies, and reading to them will help develop their vocabulary! I would encourage you to pick up a few at a discount store near you, and/or ask your baby shower guests to bring a book instead of a card!

A bouncer is a great place to set a little baby down. Somewhere they can rock and bounce and play with colorful toys while you hopefully get some other stuff done.

Adding some items to your baby registry for when your baby is older is a good way to be extra prepared. The time flies and before you know it, you’re assembling a high chair and washing 6-9 months clothes!

See, this is how the tiniest member of the family takes up the whole house! I hope this was helpful. Take from it what you need for your family 🤗

I know this was long, so a checklist / summary that you can use to make sure you’re covered will be coming very soon!

Check out the related product reviews blogs if you have any further questions about why I chose those particular products.

Congratulations, again! 💛