How to build a baby registry
Creating a baby registry is…woof. You’re trying to live your life, plus contending with pregnancy (no walk in the park!), and now you have to anticipate a huge list of all the things you & your future newborn baby MAY need? It’s a lot.
Good news: We are here to help! We are sharing our registries so you can use them as a starting point.
Better news: We are polar opposites when it comes to how we approached our registries, so you have two lists to choose from:
Amy: must be prepared at all times, with many options, to feel more in control & lessen her anxiety.
Therefore we lovingly call her list the maximalist.
Christina: gets stressed out by too much stuff; the idea of having things everywhere increases her anxiety.
Therefore we lovingly call her list the minimalist.
We’re sharing our original lists plus our “after having a kid” lists, because we’ve learned a lot about what we actually needed. We’ve linked to our *new* Amazon storefront*, where you can find our “after” lists (because linking you to products we didn’t end up using or liking ain’t it.)
We hope this helps you get through the overwhelm that is creating a baby registry!
BEFORE
AFTER
Kept:
REGISTRY ALL STARS!
Dock-a-tot (so helpful to be able to place Baby somewhere contained when you need your hands; we used this a ton and wished we’d purchased two so we didn’t have to keep hauling ours around upstairs and downstairs.)
Mirrors for car seat (So you can see Baby while driving - more helpful than you’d think)
All the onesies (and then some!) (The last thing we wanted to be doing as a tired parent was (more) laundry, so having extra onesies was a real time saver for us during the newborn phase.)
Playard/pack ‘n play (We still use ours today and Baby is 2.5 y/o. Great for travel sleeping but also for containing a crawling baby.)
Pee-pee tee-pee (This needs no explanation and could be our most-used item.)
Removed:
There were a lot of items we never used, didn’t like, or realized were overkill. Some highlights:
Nanit (Thought we needed all the fancy fixins’ on a camera… turns out, we didn’t. We used Christina’s hand-me-down Owlet camera and still use to this day!)
Hooded towel (We found these to be quite thin, and a regular fluffy towel worked better to dry Baby off and keep him warm)
Noodle & Boo starter set - my son ended up having extremely sensitive skin, and anything with a fragrance irritated him. Our pediatrician advised against using fragranced lotions, cleansers, etc. when possible.
All the fancy burp cloths (See my updated registry for the burp cloths that worked way, way better)
Diaper bag (I had a small portable changing pad bag with actual diapers and wipes, everything else I just threw into my own purse. I think I used this diaper bag 3x.)
Cleansing water (We just used…. REAL water….instead.)
Mattress pad cover (See my updated registry for the breathable mattress we ended up getting and loving - no additional cover needed!)
Added:
If I could do this all over again, I’d add to my registry:
Newton breathable mattress (I could rave forever about this mattress. So easy to clean! So eco-friendly! So comfy! So safe! So easy to clean, again!)
More crib sheets (see note above about having to do laundry as a sleep-deprived new parent)
Cheap, absorbent burp clothes (ditto - plus, I found these muslin ones to be way more functional than cotton or cotton blend)
Portable changing pad/bag (Another thing we still use today; you can fit multiple diapers, plus wipes, plus a change of clothes all in one little bag. Plus it can clip to a stroller or suitcase or purse. So functional!)
Owlet camera (This camera is simple but reliable and easy to use)
Mockingbird stroller (not on Amazon, but a truly amazing stroller that’s a fraction of the price of most others…both Christina and I stan.)
BEFORE
AFTER
What did Christina change?
Kept
REGISTRY ALL STARS!
Abiee Beyond Wooden High Chair with Tray - this has grown with baby girl and she still uses it 3 years later. The efficiency! I love it!
Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat - we still use it and love it. Definitely worth it.
Removed
All swaddles (Baby girl wasn’t a big fan of a swaddle so those are out. She very much took to a sleep sack but with her feet out - look for the Halo Early Walker Sleep Sack. That’s it right there.)
Owlet Cam Video Monitor - we didn’t love that this was connected to our phone. It meant that a quick peek in the middle of the night either meant our phone had to be on and charging next to us or we’d have to fiddle on our phone. And after a few months, and the thought of SIDS left our brains, we preferred to just hear if she was crying rather than see her.
Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether - ours molded. Enough said.
Natemia extra soft baby bamboo hooded towel - we ended up being gifted plusher hooded towels from family in Europe that we 100% preferred.
Graco Bumper Jumper - It was great for like…2 months. I would have bought this pre-loved in another life.
Natural + Grey stripe - Solly baby and Beco Gemini Baby Carrier - my child did not want to be carried like this. I was never able to get sh*t done with her in it.
Added
A wipe warmer. It’s bougee. And my daughter is 100% bougee. But if you actually think about it, I wouldn’t want to be cleaned with a cold wipe either.
The Hatch Rest has been, and continues to be, a godsend. It was great for white noise. It was perfect for middle of the night wake ups to keep the mood sleepy. And it’s amazing right now to help my 3 year old tell time. You can create schedules that change the light and the noise. Here’s what we currently do for a pre-bed routine:
7PM - Light turns red signaling it’s time for us to move to the bedroom for a bit of calm playtime.
8PM - Light turns purple and music turns onto lullaby. It’s time to get ready for bed! Time to put on pjs, brush teeth, and go potty. Any extra time is more playtime!
830PM - Music turns to waves, meaning it’s time to hop into bed to read two books and go to sleep!
Does this always work? Hell no. But it provides some semblance of structure and consistency, which we know toddlers enjoy. Shoot, we all enjoy that.