5 Must-Haves for Your Baby Registry (from a 40 year old mom)

We have two little boys, and it’s only with hindsight that we know the must-haves for a baby registry. I hope this list helps you narrow down what you need, so the gifts you get are practical and useful.

Creating a baby registry before our first child came home was very overwhelming, and it wasn’t until we had a baby shower on the books (in my 8th month of pregnancy) that we finally buckled down and finalized it. I found the baby registry checklists online were a little intense, so I didn’t use those as much as I did my friends and some common sense. (I also have a blog post with a list of what we didn’t use from our baby registry.)

Now that I’ve had two babies and have experience under my belt, I thought it would be helpful to update and re-share this post, since I know first-hand how overwhelming it can be to start your registry. In this post, I included the most helpful things we bought or were given for our boys.

5 Must-Haves for Your Baby Registry

With Thomas, I registered at Amazon (everyone loves Prime!) and BabyList as a catch-all for everything that wasn’t available on Amazon. I did find that things often became unavailable on Amazon so I had to find them at other places and put them on BabyList. For Charles, we only had a small registry since we kept a ton of stuff from when we had Thomas and I registered at Target.

The first five things are my list of baby registry must-haves that I prioritized picking out. Then, I listed a few other things under each section that also went on our registry.

1. UppaBaby Mesa Car Seat

I was torn between the Pipa Nuna carseat and the Uppababy Mesa, and ended up going for the UppaBaby Mesa, since a number of resources indicated the Nuna wouldn’t fit in my car. Plus, the Mesa seamlessly fits with our Uppababy stroller. (I have a full review of the Uppababy Vista stroller here)

Heads up, UppaBaby offers free virtual car seat checks, so we FaceTimed with them after we installed the seat with our first baby. It was SUPER helpful! She showed us a few things to tweak and gave us tips for buckling our babe in.

2. UppaBaby Vista V2 Stroller with Bassinet + Jogging Stroller

The UppaBaby Vista Stroller is very pricey, but it’s so worth it. Not only does it have 5-star reviews, but I can personally attest that it’s the smoothest ride ever. I have a full Uppababy Stroller review linked here.

We especially appreciate how adaptable it is for mom, dad and baby. The height of the handle can be lowered, which is great since I’m 5’1″ and my husband is 6’1″. It is also adaptable for two children, which has made us feel even better about this investment. Charles already likes riding in the stroller much more than Thomas ever did as a newborn, so we’ve been going on many neighborhood walks together.

We also purchased the Thule jogging stoller and it’s fantastic. The suspension is incredible, so it’s a smooth ride and the handle adjusts for height differences as well. Read my Thule Jogging stroller review here.

3. Bassinet

You need a safe space for your baby to sleep. If you want your little one in your room (which is recommended), you’ll need a bassinet. We bought the Snoo for our first baby and hated it. (I shared all of my feelings in this Snoo review blog post.)

So, with my second baby, we went for the Halo bassinet and loved it.

4. Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine

Babies don’t like a quiet room, so white noise is essential for quality baby sleep. I love that this Hatch Rest sound machine has multiple white noise options and it doubles as a nightlight. It turns on just by tapping it so it’s easy for grandparents to use too. 😉

5. Freshly Picked Diaper Backpack

To keep my hands free, I went for a backpack over a diaper bag. The Freshly Picked backpack is beautiful. I got the butterscotch color, but all of the colors are so pretty and timeless.

I used the large one for the first few months when I needed to tote my pump, but I eventually bought the mini Freshly Picked diaper bag for something less bulky.

Other Items on our Baby Registry

Nursery 

Baby Monitor

We have purchased three Nanit Baby Monitors — one for each boy’s room and one for our place in Boone. I love that I can access it on my phone from anywhere and that it shows wake-up time and sleep times so I can better time the sleep windows.

The one downside of the Nanit is that it doesn’t have a standalone monitor for the parents to watch the baby without using your phone, which can be an inconvenience for sitters who you don’t necessarily want to download the app and pair it. But we just use the app on our iPads and leave it out for sitters or grandparents. I also love that the Nanit has an adapter for traveling.

Swaddles and sleep sacks

We were given a LOT of swaddle blankets, which are so soft and pretty and great for taking on-the-go. For the first couple months, we swaddled with the hospital blankets and when our boys got a little bigger, we used these Aden & Anais velcro easy swaddles.

Crib and glider

For nursery furniture, we got a convertible crib from Crate & Barrel. We purchased a Newton crib mattress since the breathability feature provides peace of mind. We got this Pottery Barn glider for our first baby and this Pottery Barn Reclining Glider for our second (which also has a port to charge your phone – brilliant).

Feeding

I breastfed both my boys, so I don’t have any formula recommendations. However, if you plan to nurse, I have an entire post dedicated to my breastfeeding essentials.

Carriers, Strollers, Loungers, Etc.

I used the the Solly wrap until the boys were was about 4 months old (I think… it’s already a blur) and then I switched to the Baby Bjorn Mini (and I’m still carrying Charles in it!).

Bath

I LOVE the Wink baby wash (use TERI for 15% off) and the Primally Pure baby balm since it’s completely non-toxic. My oldest had very sensitive skin as a baby and this was the only thing that helped his very dry, irritated skin.

Be sure to grab baby washcloths (they’re thinner than regular washcloths which are easier to use on littles). And hooded towels are sweet and convenient for keeping babies warmer since they’re often chilly when they get out of the tub.

See the rest of my favorite non-toxic lotions for face, body, and kids linked here.

Changing

I registered for a baby wipe warmer since I hate cold things on my body, so hey, I can see the baby not liking a cold wipe either! We use and love the Huggies Skin Essentials diapers (and wipes). They’re just as nice as Coterie– which I used with Thomas– but more affordable and available at Target. Our changing table is upstairs and we got a Keekaroo Peanut Changer to use downstairs. It doesn’t seem entirely necessary since I could just change diapers on the floor or just walk upstairs, but a couple of friends swore that I’d love having it. And then one of them gifted it to us! So sweet.

Clothes

We love Hanna Anderson baby clothes and Oso & Me.

Sleep Consultant

We hired a sleep consultant around 6 weeks because Thomas was a major struggle and I was falling apart. We used Molly from Sleep Shore and it changed out lives. Use code “Terilyn” for $20 off any sleep service. Read more about Molly’s sleep tips in this post.

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What were your must-haves for your first baby?