The ULTIMATE Baby Registry Checklist

If you’re expecting a little one, you may be stressing over all the things. One of those things is thinking about everything you need to get for your baby. You might be wondering what you really need and should register for. I mean, have you gone into a buybuy Baby?! There’s A LOT of baby stuff. When they first walk in, the look that comes across women’s faces is a look of pure terror and confusion. But don’t you worry, I’ve got you covered! This is my ultimate baby registry checklist filled with my very favorite baby goods that you won’t be able to live without!

This baby registry checklist covers everything you would need for the first three months and beyond. I’ve also included some important things you might want to consider getting for yourself postpartum. 😉 To make it easy, I’ve split everything up into different categories. We know that the lists can get long, so we hope breaking them down for you will make your baby registry checklist not so overwhelming. As a special bonus, I’ve included links to some of my favorite and most used items within almost every suggestion. I hope that this is a comprehensive and helpful post as you are preparing for your little one. Here we go!

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The Ultimate Baby Registry Checklist

Nursery

Crib:
There are so many great options. Here are a few that I love that look modern and have price ranges all over the board: Pottery Barn Kids, Babyletto, Ubabub, and Crate & Kids. If you’re short on space, you may consider a mini crib, but be sure to purchase the appropriate sized mattress and bedding, too.

A Crib Mattress:
When it comes to crib mattresses, you want to find something that is soft yet firm. It properly fits the dimensions of your crib, and that it is of good quality. Here are some great options: Safety 1st, Naturepedic, Nook Sleep Systems.

Crib Mattress Pads (2):
When baby leaks out of their diaper, it’s helpful to have some extra protection! Here’s an affordable and highly rated crib pad. I love that it is easy to wash too! You’ll want two of these.

Changing Pad:
You can purchase a changing table. However, I recommend buying a dresser instead. A dresser can grow with your baby in his or her room. Just be sure to mount your changing pad onto the dresser. Here is an inexpensive one and an upgrade pick. We have the Keekaroo and LOVE it!

Changing Pad Cover (2):
Any changing pad cover will do, but I love the ones from Aden + Anais, Little Unicorn, and Crate & Kids. Such cute patterns!

Rocker/Glider:
There are some beautiful rockers and gliders at Monte Design and Pottery Barn Kids, but they can get a bit expensive. This is a great, more affordable option from Nursery Works that has a cool modern look.

Bassinet, Moses basket, or Co-Sleeper:
Not all babies immediately sleep in their cribs. More and more mothers are choosing bassinets, Moses baskets, or co-sleepers for the first couple of months so they can remain close to their little ones. This makes it easier on nighttime feedings, too. Look to see what fits your style and budget. My favorite co-sleeper options are the DockATot, Snuggle Me, and the HALO Bassinest. This brings your baby within arm’s reach.

Swaddle Blankets (5) & Sleep Sacks (2-3).
I just love these Aden + Anais swaddling cloths and recommend the HALO SleepSack, the Miracle Blanket, and the Summer Infant SwaddleMes for swaddling made easy. To get a nice and tight swaddle, get the flannel blankets.

Fitted Crib Sheets (2-3):
Again, Crate & Kids has such a lovely collection! QuickZip also has some great sheets that make it super easy for you to take on and off. You’ll want to make sure that you register for a few. You need to be ready in case the baby has a poop, vomit, or pee accident. The crib sheets are pretty thin, so they can get messy.

Hampers:
Here are some cute ones from Crate & Kids, Pottery Barn Kids, and this cute elephant hamper that every parent wants!

Diaper Pail:
You don’t have to spend the extra moola to get a diaper pail for your room. But if you want to keep those smells at bay, I love Ubbi and the Dekor diaper pail.

Feeding

Bottles:
You’re going to need some bottles whether you decide to breastfeed or bottle-feed. You can’t always be around your baby for every feeding, so thank goodness for pumping and bottles. My all-time favorite bottles are Dr. Brown’s, Tommee Tippee, Comotomo, Nanobebe, and Mimijumi. And read here for our favorite bottles for breastfed babies.

Bottle Brush:
Bottles can get pretty nasty if you don’t clean them properly. A good bottle brush can help with that. My favorite bottle brushes are Dr. Brown’s, OXO tot, and Munchkin. The soft end allows you to get into and clean all those nooks and crannies.

Sterilizer:
Honestly, those big fancy electric steam sterilizers are not necessary. They are cool if you want the convenience and have the money, but you don’t have to have them if you don’t want to. Your dishwasher can do the same thing. However, if you don’t want your food residue to get on your baby’s things potentially, then go for the microwavable sterilizer. Here’s Dr. Brown’s and Avent’s. Sterilizer bags are also a great option because they are inexpensive and easy to use! If you want something a little more heavy-duty, check out the Upang UV Sterilizer.

Pacifiers:
There are so many different types of pacifiers. I have to say, don’t just get a bunch of one brand. Get one from a few other brands so you can see which your baby prefers. There’s Soothies, NUK, MAM, Natursutten, Wubbanub, Doddle & Co, Bibs, etc.

Bottle Warmer:
I’d have to say that my very favorite is Kiinde since you can heat not only bottles but breastmilk storage bags too. Other options are Munchkin and Dr. Brown’s.

Breast Pump & Accessories:
You can read here what all of my nursing essentials are and find out my favorite pumps. Don’t forget to get the parts since the pump sometimes doesn’t come with them and the storage bags.

Nursing Pillow & Cover:
The Covered Goods nursing cover is my favorite since it’s super lightweight and breathable and makes it easy to view baby while keeping mama completely covered. My favorite nursing pillows are the Boppy and My Breast Friend.

High Chair:
The Stokke Tripp Trapp chair is amazing! It’s a little pricey, though, so if you want some other options, you can see our list of the best high chairs here.

Potty

Diapers, Creams, & Wipes:
You’ll need lots of diapers, but make sure you don’t get too many of one size. Get some newborn, then a bit more of size 1 and 2. Some organic options you can try are Honest, Seventh Generation, and Babyganics, but if “organic” is not a priority, you can get Pampers or Huggies. If you’re planning to cloth diaper, follow the brand’s guidelines for the number you’ll need based on whether you’ll fully cloth or hybrid diaper your baby. Some of the popular brands are GroVia, Bambino Mio, and ALVABABY.

Diaper Caddy:
It’s so nice and convenient to have your baby’s diaper changing essentials wherever you need them in the house. A diaper caddy does just that! The one that’s my favorite is from Ubbi. Love it!

Bath

Infant Tub & Bath Set:
A ton of my friends and clients have the Puj Infant Tub. I like to warn families that it mainly fits in small sinks or pedestal sinks, so check into this before registering. Other infant tubs that I recommend are Blooming Bath and AquaScale tub. In addition, I recommend Honest, Burt’s Bees, Tubby Todd, and Mustela for shampoo, body wash, and lotions.

Washcloths & Hooded Towels:
Love Aden + Anais washcloths. Great towels and so soft!!

Faucet Cover & Bath Kneeler:
Skip Hop, Boon, and Puj have popular faucet covers. Also, you have to save your knees when you’re bathing your babe. Skip Hop, Puj, and Aquatopia have some great kneelers!

Baby Nail Clippers:
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come to see new parents as their postpartum doula, and they accidentally clipped the end of their baby’s finger when clipping their nails. YIKES! This is why I recommend baby nail scissors or the Zoli nail file to have more control while trimming baby’s nails. Save those baby fingers! You’ll also need a baby nail file to dull the edges.

Gear

Car Seat & Stroller:
These are big investments but are pieces that will stay with your family for years. Of course, you want to make sure that you choose wisely, so I recommend looking at these products in person and trying them out before adding them to your list. Here is an excellent list of strollers for the urban mom and the suburban mom. Some top car seats that I recommend are the Chicco KeyFit 30, Nuna Pipa, UppaBaby MESA, among others.

Bouncer, Lounger, and Swing:
Some of the bouncers and loungers that I like are BabyBjörn, Stokke, Nuna Leaf, and Fisher-Price. Popular swings are 4Moms Rockaroo and Fisher-Price.

Travel Crib:
A travel crib isn’t just for big trips. If you plan to take the baby to the grandparents for the night or even being in someone else’s house during nap time, it’s good to have a comfortable and familiar spot for baby to sleep. My favorite is the 4Moms Breeze Playard. It’s a bit of a splurge, but your little one can use it for a while. Other good options include the Nuna Sena Aire Mini, Guava Lotus, and BabyBjörn.

Health + Safety

Baby Thermometer:
If you have a sleeping baby but need to check your little one’s temperature, no one wants to wake him/her up and have to put him/her right back to bed. So instead, get one that can read the temperature by just swiping over their forehead.

Humidifier:
We love Crane humidifiers. They are exceptionally well made and are perfect for your child’s room. You can see the cute one we wrote about in this article: Prepare for Cold/ Flu Season: The Best Ways to Treat Baby’s Cold.

Baby Monitor:
The majority of parents are steering away from audio-only monitors and are going to video monitors. I like Motorola, Infant Optics, VAVA, and Babysense monitors. It’s great to be able to see baby while she sleeps. It adds an extra bit of comfort. And for more peace of mind, Owlet is a great registry item!

Noise Machine:
Babies are used to hearing a lot of noise when they are in utero, so it’s comforting when they hear white noise. It helps them go to sleep. The ones that I recommend are from Dohm and the Sleep Shusher. I also love this one that clips for on-the-go white noise. Hatch makes a great multi-use noise machine, night light, clock, and time-to-rise notifier.

NoseFrida:
This thing is amazing. A must-have when having a baby! Their Windi is pretty spectacular too.

Clothing

Warning: You do not need to register for baby clothes! So many of your friends and family members will get you clothes. If there are certain pieces that you want, add them to the list. Otherwise, you can leave clothing items off. 🙂

Just for You!

I’ve added my list of postpartum essentials to this checklist because many moms get everything they need for their baby, but they forget about themselves. So make sure to stock up on the things that you’ll need too!