Below I’ve compiled the perfect baby registry essentials list – all things we used with our firstborn son, Shep! Why? Because registering for your first child can be really overwhelming and it’s hard to know where to start! What are the perfect baby registry essentials what you need? What stores should you register in? How should you setup your registry? But most importantly – what products should you put on your registry?! There are so many questions – all of which I’ve answered below!
We used Babylist to set up our registry- and it was really easy. My favorite part about it was that I could link items from multiple places / stores – so I didn’t have to pick just 1 or 2. It also compiles a list of who bought what and their addresses so you can easily write thank you’s after you receive the gift. I will admit, it was a bit confusing for the older generation but overall I would recommend using them to set up your baby registry.
Please let us know if you have any questions or additional recommendations! We have a few other registry recommendation posts in the “Things We Love” section of our site. As an affiliate partner for some of these brands, we may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through the links below. That being said, we’ve personally purchased and used all of these products, and only recommend what we truly love!
First Year Baby Must Haves for your Registry
Newton Crib Mattress
I had a different mattress picked out and listed on my registry and then my girlfriend, who was also pregnant at the time, told me about Newton. I’m SO glad she did. I am a full-on crazy lady when it comes to crib and sleep safety (as most of us moms are!) Independent testing shows that a baby gets 97% more air while breathing through a Newton crib mattress than on a traditional crib mattress. Just google it and read about it yourself. It’s awesome! PS -It’s also firm, comfortable, and easy to clean. No baby sheets needed! PSS - Wait for a 20% discount to come out. They offer them fairly often.
By far our biggest lifesaver for the first 12 weeks. I couldn’t get any other swaddle to keep him comfortable while still doing what the swaddle intended. I was super sad when we had to drop it. They are a bit on the higher priced side, but you'll only need about two and they will last if you choose to have more children! These are also my go-to gift for baby showers!
A sound machine is non-negotiable in my opinion. Before the baby was born we used it in our master and got the best sleep of our lives! We turn it on now in the nursery and baby instantly knows that it is time to sleep. I also like that there are no annoying lights or frills – it’s just a plain old sound machine…but it’s great!
I wasn’t sure if this was going to end up being worth the investment. It’s substantially more than your average changing pad. However, the minute my son started rolling ALL over the place, I was really glad I splurged on this. He's now 2.5 and we're still using it / it's held up extremely well. We will also be using it for our second child coming this fall. It also doesn’t require a cover – you just wipe it clean/sanitize it as needed. I do lay a blanket over it most of the time - otherwise might be a little chilly without it.
This is the easiest playard I’ve ever tried to set up or tear down. It’s large enough that baby has room to move around as he or she gets older, but it can also fit into compact spaces. I am so glad we went with the 4moms brand for this. The only down side to this is that it's not a standard size and so finding a fitted sheet has been impossible. If you have a solution to this, please direct message me - hah! :)
Our baby started in this around four months and is still entertained and playing in it daily at 8 months. Great place to put them once they get bored of the rock and play.
Get two – one for you and one for your partner. My husband and I keep one in each of our cars/diaper bags. Super convenient if you find yourself somewhere with a nasty bathroom or no bathroom at all.
If you’re short on space or if you just hate the look of high chairs like me, this is an amazing alternative. Everyone tried to convince me I needed a full high chair – but I didn't. We plugged this thing into our dinner table and our son loved it because he would be sitting at the table with us part of our meal, rather than separated in his own high chair. It’s also easy to remove and take to restaurants or to grandma's house.
I was convinced I wouldn’t need a diaper genie. I thought they were gross and that I’d just throw diapers in the trash and take the bad ones outside to the trash. I was SO wrong. It would be very inconvenient if I had stuck to my guns on that one. This one isn’t ugly and is made of steel so the smell is kept at bay.
I went back and forth between Nuna and UPPAbaby. Ultimately, I went with UPPAbaby for our newborn phase. In all fairness, my other mom friends have the Nuna and also love that. I liked the look of the UPPA stroller better than Nuna and both car seats had very high safety ratings, so I knew we couldn’t go wrong there.
We actually used the bassinet that it comes with for night time sleeping in our room for the first month or so. We rolled it right in on the stroller next to my bed. This meant we didn't have to buy an extra bassinet and it was really convenient from that perspective as well.
The stroller is also GORGEOUS, and super easy to use...2.5 years later and I have zero complaints. When you have a screaming baby and all you want to do is high tail it out of a parking lot - you will be grateful for how easily this works with the carseat as well as how quickly it folds and can be put into your car. Definitely worth the splurge.
I'm obviously partial here but I literally created these pajamas because I needed a functional, easy, and classic pajama option for my baby. These pajamas are made of bamboo viscose (super soft fabric that's great for all seasons), has a double zipper (why are those SO hard to find and always sold out everywhere?), hand mittens, and feet grippers. Onesies come in sizes 0-12 months.
Ashley and her husband Ryan live in the suburbs of Chicago with their two daughters Palmer (5) and Remi (2). In 2018, Ashley left behind her corporate career selling software to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. She now works part-time as a Dermatology nurse, allowing her to do the work she is passionate about while also spending time with her daughters.
In her free time, Ashley can be found spending time with friends and family, geeking out about skincare, reading, or writing. She tries to be very honest when it comes to keeping a candid and raw lens on motherhood so less moms feel alone in the best (but sometimes hardest) journey of their lives!
“These are seriously the softest baby pjs ever! The material is also stretchy- so I know my little one is super comfortable. They’re the best baby pjs we own! Great purchase!” – Brie, Amazon Customer Review
“We just bought another pair of these jammies bc we loved the first so much!! They hold up unbelievably well after a ton of washes and we can’t get enough!! Thank you so much!” – Anonymous Amazon Customer Review
