What You Actually Need for a Newborn (registry edition)
Let’s talk baby registries — because if you’ve started one, or even just thought about starting one, you’ve probably already fallen down the rabbit hole of 1,284 “must-haves” and a stroller that costs more than your first car. This isn’t a comprehensive checklist, and some of these picks are a little… divisive (what one parent swears by, another will happily donate).
This isn’t a comprehensive checklist. Consider this a starting point: the most-used, most-loved items that earned their keep in real life (tested on two real-world kids), plus a few things I’d personally skip if I were doing it all over again.
Thoughts on strollers & car seats:
For your stroller, consider getting one that has car seat & possibly bassinet attachments. It's so nice to not have to wake baby when on the go. For families with older kids, here’s a great, lightweight, somewhat affordable stroller for baby + toddler.
When baby’s outgrown the infant seat, you may want to have a swivel car seat ready because they make putting wiggly kids in so much easier.
All-in-one convertible seats sound ideal but if future babies are in store, they'll likely grow into each other's (infant > baby > booster) so you may just want to get the best designed version of each phase.
This stroller fan is nice in summer.
If anyone offers to give you a foldable wagon, take them up on it. You won’t need this for the first year or two, but they soon become essential. Especially with more than one kid.
Sleeping, for baby and for you:
One baby may be happy sleeping in a moses basket as an infant, while another may drive you to desparation for a spendy Snoo. Since the utility on fancy sleepers is only a few months, consider renting one, or buying a used product that you can resell for a similar price on Facebook.
Consider interviewing a postpartum doula / certified infant sleep consultant now, just to have their contact on hand. Newborn life is a lot, and you may be grateful for instant support when adding postpartum recovery, maternity/paternity leaves ending, colicky babies, and the many other things that come up into the mix.
The Dohm sound machine has the best rumbly white noise imo.
Love Halo sleep sacks, especially when swaddling skills start to slip.
Thoughts on places to put baby:
You may find yourself cycling through a Babybjorn bouncer, Boppy U-shaped pillow, retro swing, or snazzy mamaRoo. Having safe places around the house for baby to hang out is essential if you ever hope to shower or cook. Controversial take: skip the DockATot — it has a short run time before babies start to roll over.
Ask for a wearable soft carrier like Babybjorn/Solly Baby/Ergo or a ring sling. Tying those long knot wraps fast enough with a wiggly baby takes a magician’s skills.
For a changing mat, look to the Peanut. Yes, it’s expensive for a piece of foam. But after reading tons of reviews of similar styles that didn't properly slope away from baby's bottoms, you don’t want to add that stress to your life. Side note: for easy diaper delivery, you may have local compostable services, or add a gift subscription to Hello Bello.
Stokke chairs will go strong for years. They’re pricey as a highchair but it’s so nice to move from infant through to little kid with one well-built buy.
Possibly overlooked things for feeding:
The little rubber spoons are cute and all, but these little food chewers are the ideal baby utensil. Fill with frozen fruits to sooth teething gums, add a variety of foods to introduce new flavors, and cut down on the time it takes to chop everything into teeny tiny bites.
Talk to your pediatrician about using packets like these for careful allergen introduction.
A Dyson vacuum should be on every registry. How are such tiny humans so messy.
If you're thinking formula, definitely get one of those fancy contraptions that measures & warms the bottles for you.
If you're planning to breastfeed, this free app is handy for recording feedings and BMs. Trying to remember the time baby fed on the left while moving to the right is an impossible ask at 3 am.
No pump will be as efficient as the one you can rent from the hospital.
Some favorites for travel:
This popup high chair is surprisingly handy at restaurants, picnics, beach days, sidelines of older sibling's activities, etc.
Having a cooler bag for safe bottle storage comes in handy both for formula feeding or storing pumped milk on the go.
Consider a superlight pocket stroller. Very useful for air travel, though you may end up keeping it full-time in your car for "emergency" tired kids legs. This model fits in the basket of a main stroller, which is handy for outings with older kids who don’t quite have the stamina for an entire outdoor adventure.
A travel cot is handy as a movable play space at home, or for popup naps at family/friends houses.
For overnights, a slumber pod, lightweight touch night light, suction blackout curtains, and the brown noise on this free app are useful essentials.
And some random registry thoughts:
Have infant Tylenol on hand (it can run out in the winter, which is scary).
Instead of a diaper bag, consider keeping diapers/wipes/clothes in a clear pouch that that you can keep in your regular purse. This also makes it easier to pass changing supplies back and forth with your partner.
People will likely gift you the tiny clothes because they're adorable so ask for clothes in 9-24 months sizes. It's nice to always be able to reach for bigger sizes without a whole Target trip.
You'll also likely be gifted toys and blankets across the first year’s of holidays and birthday no need to add many of these to the registry.
Consider asking friends or baby shower guests to gift a favorite book — you’ll build a thoughtful library for the many bedtime stories ahead. This is a great option for coed showers where asking your husband’s college roommate for a My Brest Friend feels weird.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the “perfect” registry doesn’t exist — and that’s actually the point. You’ll figure out what works for your baby, your home, and your sanity, and you’ll adjust as you go. And if you’re a seasoned parent, I’d love to know — what did you use on repeat, and what ended up gathering dust?
While you’re building your registry, download Coconut Baby to help countdown the weeks until baby’s arrival.