Everything you DON’T need on your baby registry
Tommy and I didn’t create our baby registry until I was 7 months pregnant and people starting asking us for our registry. Creating a baby registry is really fun, but also really overwhelming. There are a few things that are absolutely necessary, like a car seat, a safe place for your baby to sleep, and diapers. But, when you start to look at baby registry lists, there are so many items.
Another hard part of creating a registry is that technology comes out with the latest and greatest product all the time and it’s so easy to get caught up and think you need all of them for your new baby. (We definitely got sucked into the SNOO hype and we were not fans. Read why we hated it here).
So today I’m going to share some of the things that were on my baby registry (and some of my friends’ thoughts too) that weren’t quite as necessary as people said they were. I hope this is helpful! Maybe you can even take a few things out of your shopping carts. (And make a little more room in your cart for pregnancy wardrobe must-haves and postpartum must-haves!!) I’ve also updated it over the last year and a half since Thomas arrived!
A wipe warmer was one of those baby items that was totally unnecessary. But I won’t lie, I liked it. When Thomas was tiny, he seemed to really like it too. Once he got older, he seemed to prefer the cold wipes since they made him laugh. But if you’re trying to nix a few things from your registry, nix a wipe warmer.
We like having this in his nursery just so the smell is contained and we don’t need to empty the trash daily. But if you’re up for taking your trash out regularly, it’s not necessary. Since he was breastfed, we didn’t have smelly diapers until he started solids around six months so this may not be something you need right away. But, you will want it eventually l bet!
We don’t use anything close to this. Also we do NOT use baby cologne. I don’t know what the heck that is, but I saw it on a few baby registry lists. HARD PASS. My baby smells wonderful as is.
If you’re looking for a good diaper rash product, try Tubby Todd or Primally Pure Baby Balm. (Use TERILYN for 10% off Primally Pure.) We used the Primally Pure balm on his bum and all over his body. He has always had very dry skin and Primally Pure helped a LOT.
These little silicone tools can be used to apply diaper rash creams and such. We use our fingers and don’t mind at all so we skipped registering for that.
Cloth changing pads have to be washed a lot. We use our Keekaroo Peanut Changer more often since we can wipe down any blowouts.
I know they’re so cute, but little babies aren’t walking. They don’t need shoes. When we ventured out in the stroller or to a pediatrician appointment when it was cold, we put Zutano booties on him.
We use Seventh Generation Free & Clear or Grove laundry detergent, which are both designed for sensitive skin. You don’t need a separate baby detergent if you already use one with gentler ingredients. My son has sensitive skin and we haven’t had any issues with either of these.
We use silicone bibs that can be rinsed off Cloth bibs were helpful, however, when he was in a super drooly phase. They helped save an outfit and just looked cute!
They just don’t stay on. Get Zutanos or footed sleepers instead.
I have some baby hangers, but anything in the closet gets forgotten so we just have a few items in the closet and keep everything else in his dresser drawers. These aren’t super necessary at the beginning but you may want a few once your little one is older.
So cute, but not necessary and they get gross! Some moms find it helps babies from scratching their face, but we just bought onesies that have the little foldover cuffs.
Crib fitted sheets were unnecessary for us the first few months since he was in a bassinet. So if you want to hold off on some purchases, hold off on this. And remember, when a baby is sleeping, practice safe sleep and don’t put anything else in the bassinet or crib. Use only a fitted sheet with NO blankets or stuffed animals in the crib. (The photo above was taken months before Thomas was sleeping in his crib. 😉 )
We love them and think the hood is helpful for keeping his head warm. And it’s dang cute with bath time. But nope, they’re not really necessary. Any towel will do.
You only need one or two, and you definitely have some already that you could use! If you do want a baby-specific blanket, we like the size of this one. It’s perfect to tuck in around a car seat to keep him warm.
We much prefer this bottle sterilizer since microwaving plastic freaks me out!
We never had one so I don’t think it’s necessary.
We take everything right from the sanitizer into a simple basket to store. We never put anything on the designated bottle drying rack we had and finally gave it away.
I LOVE my diaper backpack. If we’re traveling with Thomas or going up to Boone, I always always always take this. I’m also eying the mini version since the one I have is quite large. But for quick trips to the store or around town, any bag works. I usually just grab my Barrington tote bag and toss in a Tote Savvy organizer that I keep filled with the essentials, like diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, a hat, snacks. But even the Tote Savvy is unnecessary. You could also just use any small zipper pouch you have!
These are unnecessary for us since Thomas doesn’t use pacifiers. But I’d think it’s better to just have extra pacis around and then just regularly sanitize them.
Bottom line:
While there are lots of things you don’t need, there are lots of things that make life a new baby much easier. I update my baby registry post regularly with what we use most often!
You can also find my UppaBaby stroller review and my Thule Jogging Stroller review here!
What did you find was totally unnecessary that you registered for or were gifted?
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6 responses to “Unnecessary Baby Registry Items ”
Thanks for sharing this! Do you have any suggestions on finding various in-home care providers during the work day? Did you find yours all through your doula, or various sources? I saw your IG stories a few weeks ago. We’re new to our area and don’t have any family nearby either. We’re expecting our first in 2022 & also work from home, so in house care is preferred.
It’s so so so hard! We found ours through Care.com. It took a while to find someone who a good fit, but she is AMAZING!
I know two of my neighbors used Care.com as well and another found one through her church’s preschool – a teacher who was looking for more ours.
Good luck in your search!
I just love him so much!!!
He will be IN LOVE with you (and not just because he might think you’re me). Love ya!
I would encourage parents to buy this second hand…so many barely used jumpers, and playmats etc on marketplace. Kids only use them for such a short period of time it makes sense to buy second hand. Invest in items you will needs for a long time like a high chair, car seat, stroller and crib. I strongly recommend parents buy a after table when your baby gets older, hours of fun! In terms of things I don’t think are worth it- fancy/expensive clothes! Save your money for the first few years and buy less expensive clothes from old navy etc that you will be ok to toss if a poo explosion happens.
Such good advice! It was SO hard to find used baby and kids stuff here, but my brother always had REALLY good luck in Utah (so many kids, ha!).