Building Your Baby Registry: Must-Have Essentials and Items to Skip!

Starting your baby registry is so much fun, but it can be really overwhelming, especially as a first-time mama! Read below for my essentials & what I wish I'd skipped!

I do want to preface this post by saying, at the end of the day all your newborn truly needs is a safe place to sleep, diapers, wipes, formula or breastmilk & YOU!

Don't feel like you have to purchase a million things or even have your nursery ready because you really don't! The main thing is a bassinet/safe sleep space for your room, a changing station, any feeding essentials & newborn clothes & a car seat/stroller - that's it!

I did my registry on Amazon. Once you meet the requirements, they send you a little box of goodies. Mine came with a newborn swaddle that we used both in the hospital & when we brought Tucker home & he still loves it! Amazon does a 15% completion discount that you can use even after your baby is born to buy things like diapers & wipes (or anything you didn't get at your shower!). There are restrictions so be aware of that & not everything is completion discount eligible but most items were for me!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission should you make a purchase using my links.

ACTIVITY & GEAR:

• The BEST newborn activity playmat*

• Mina Baie diaper backpack* - I bought this one in the color Sand & it's beautiful! Or this one from Amazon is more affordable (I bought both). At first, I was like, why did even buy the Mina Baie one lol. But I actually use it every time we go out & I love it - very high quality! I would absolutely recommend a backpack over anything else!

• Affordable & neutral bouncer*

• Onco car mirror

• Stroller

• Car seat & adapters for Nuna Pipa RX for UPPAbaby stroller

• I kind of wish I had bought this convertible car seat instead! Great reviews

• Baby shusher* - MUST HAVE!!!

• Solly baby wrap* - baby-wearing is a lifesaver & Tucker would sleep so long when I wore him with the Solly!

• SnuggleMe lounger

BABY CLOTHES:

1. I didn't register for many newborn clothes & I wish I had! I heard that people give you a lot of newborn clothes, but I felt like we didn't have a lot of the basics when we brought Tucker home. I've linked all my favorite sets from Amazon. I suggest registering for newborn & size 0-3 mo, but you could also do some bigger sizes. Try to keep in mind what season it will be in regards to baby's age when registering for certain outfit sizes. It's true they outgrow their clothes so fast *cue the tears* but just make sure you have what you need for when you first bring them home.

2. I also shopped at a consignment store when I was pregnant & found so many cute things in every size! Don't forget to pick a cute outfit for hospital pictures!

3. Skip the mittens! We never even used these but if you wanted to keep baby's hands covered, most newborn onesies have built in hand covers.

• Bodysuits* - I received some Carter's clothes off my registry & they ended up being my favorites! They do not run small & the cotton material is so soft so I ordered a few more when I felt like we didn't have enough outfits for Tuck.

• Long-sleeve bodysuits*, also these

• Sleepsuits* / PJs / this Burts Bees cotton sleepsuit is so cute

• Pants

• Hats

• Socks*

BATHING:

• Burts bees washcloths* & these muslin ones

• Frida Baby cup

• Skip Hop bath set

• Honest shampoo + body wash

• Aveeno baby shampoo + body wash

• Angelcare bath*

• Hooded towel* - I love the brand Mushie!

• Rubber duck temperature sensor*

• Frida Baby cradle cap system

DIAPERING:

1. Skip the wipe warmer, wipe dispenser, diaper cream spatula, etc. I registered for so many things that I hate to say it, but I haven't even used! It may end up being personal preference, but when you're changing diapers in the middle of the night, less is more!

• Huggies Newborn* - I don't know if it's because we have a boy but I like Huggies so much better than Pampers which is what I registered for LOL. I also really like the Kirkland brand diapers, but I'm using what we've got!

• Huggies Size 1*

• Pampers Newborn

• Evolur changing pad* - this hard changing pad looks so sleek & it's so easy to wipe down after any messes! So glad I bought this versus one with a cover.

• Honest wipes*

• Pampers Aqua Pure wipes

• Honest diaper cream*

• Vaseline*

• Woven diaper caddy

FEEDING/NURSING:

1. I suggest buying the basics & then going from there once you bring baby home unless you know you will be pumping from the start. I have been exclusively breastfeeding, so a lot of the storage bags & bottles I really haven't even needed! I also would buy a variety of bottles for newborns to see which one your baby prefers because I stocked up on Dr. Browns & Tucker only liked the MAM bottles & pacifiers.

• MAM bottles*

• Muslin burp cloths* and these Burts Bees burp cloths - trust me, you need a lot of burp cloths! I also got these & I ended up not getting these because I found them later, but I think they're so cute (you can see the color scheme I'm going for). *Update - a sweet friend bought the Crane Baby burp cloths for me recently & they are such great quality!

• Collapsible dish tub*

• OXO drying rack* (space-saving)

• Portable drying rack

• Boppy

• Boppy cover* (love this print!)

• Lansinoh disposable nursing pads

• Kindred Bravely reusable nursing pads*

• Earth Mama nipple butter* - I love that this is safe to use when breastfeeding, you don't have to worry about washing it off

• Portable night light* for the hospital & middle of the night feeds

• Legendairy Milk sunflower lecithin* - I swear by this! I started having issues with engorgement & this made a world of difference.

• Breast pump - get a free one through your insurance!

• Hot & cold packs for nursing* - these ended up being a must for me with breastfeeding & I also get migraines so they're helpful for that as well!

HEALTH & BABY CARE:

• MAM newborn pacifiers*

• Frida Baby medicine pacifier dispenser

• Baby mouth & tongue cleaner*

• Saline spray/drops*

• Babyganics hand sanitizer* & I love the mini version to throw in the diaper bag

• Thermometer* / temporal thermometer

• Infant Tylenol*

• Miss Mouth's stain remover* - To get rid of blow out stains I soak the clothes in cold water with some white vinegar & a tiny bit of Dawn dish soap. Let sit for a while, then scrub the clothes out, spray stain remover & wash as usual!

• Any fragrance-free laundry detergent* (just get all unscented products)

• Owlet Dream sock* - I wouldn't say this is necessary for everyone but it put my mind at ease many nights!

NURSERY BEDDING & ESSENTIALS:

THINGS I WISH I KNEW WHEN CREATING MY REGISTRY:

1. Skip the fleece swaddles! (babies can easily overheat, so it's best to skip materials like fleece)

2. Don't use any extra items on bassinet or crib mattresses (no waterproof mattress pads) - they should have a sheet only. There are a lot of brands offering accessory items for cribs/car seats, etc & they are not safe. Only use accessory items created specifically for those products as directed from the same company! I didn't know this & I wish I would've skipped the extras. There are a lot of things targeted towards mamas that sound like must-haves but you don't need them :)

• Swaddle Me*

• Ollie swaddle*

• THE CUTEST teddy bear & checkered muslin blankets* - one of my favorites

• Knit receiving blanket

• Hatch sound machine* - A MUST!

• Muslin crib sheets

• Muslin bassinet sheets*

• Cotton blend crib sheets*

NURSERY FURNITURE/DECOR:

• Faux cowhide rug*

• Woven laundry basket

• Rustic tree floor lamp* (one of my favorite purchases!)

• Maxi - Cosi bassinet*

• Babyletto convertible crib

• Teddy rocking chair

• Baby closet dividers

• Blackout curtains

• Velvet hangers

• Bookshelves

• They're out of the exact one I bought but how cute are these cow ottomans*? I'm obsessed!

• Label maker - I plan to do a separate post on how I organized Tuck's dresser

• Drawer dividers

TOYS & BOOKS:

• Baby's First Bible

• This cute set of books*

• High contrast board books* & this high contrast book

• Fox lovey

• Itzy Ritzy lovey/teether

• Tummy Time mat/rattle toys 3-6 mo

• Crinkle book

GIFTS:

• Memory book* - this baby book is so beautiful & reasonably priced! A fraction of the cost of some I looked at on Etsy.

• Milestone flags

FOR MAMA:

• Moms on Call 0-6 months* - my favorite book I read while pregnant. I've referenced it a million times!

• Prenatal* / postnatal vitamins - I found Best Nest when I was pregnant & I am a big fan! I also love Olly gummy prenatals.

• Frida Mom ice pads* - I ordered extras of these because even though I was lucky to have a swift recovery, I did end up having what feel like pelvic floor pressure, probably from doing too much postpartum. Hard to describe but these helped so much!

• Button-down pajamas

• Button-down nightgown* - the nightgown was so much easier at the hospital IMO

• Nursing bras*

• Tucks pads*

• Colace*

• Frida Mom hospital kit*

• Always disposable underwear* - I did use a bunch of supplies the hospital provided but I liked these because everything felt more secure & TMI but you will bleed A LOT at first & these provided better coverage

• Dermoplast

• Motrin*

• Tylenol*

• Face masks (for self-care later)

• Simple Modern tumbler*

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission should you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my links.