What I’d Put on My Baby Registry If I Did It Again (and What I Regret Registering For)

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Throughout pregnancy, especially if it’s your first baby, moms are bombarded with advertisements and solicited/unsolicited advice about hundreds (if not thousands) of “must-have” baby registry products. While some items are definitely necessary (a safe surface for baby to sleep, diapers, and a car seat), many are gimmicky or simply not compatible with all lifestyles. That being said, you won’t truly know what your family needs until your baby is finally here. 

As a “recovering” minimalist (after being teased by my husband for my “serial killer” interior decorating preferences for the better part of a decade), I was surprised by how many additional baby items we ended up seeking out after the birth of our son. After years of dreaming about becoming a mom and our journey through infertility, I thought I’d had enough time to research and have it all figured out before our baby arrived. But like many other situations, I was totally wrong, and I’m glad I had an open mind (and open heart) to seek out the following items to make our lives a little bit easier as new parents…despite my previous tendency to avoid buying anything I didn’t absolutely need.

Full disclaimer—you may totally roll your eyes at some of these items, either because you can’t believe I ever thought we could live without them, or because you deem them totally unnecessary in your parenting experience. These are just a few things to consider as you build your baby registry, or while you’re up late at night with your baby wondering how you might be able to streamline new parent life even the tiniest bit.

Newborn and Postpartum Items That Became Daily Essentials

Here are a dozen baby registry products that I reluctantly admitted were worth owning, as a minimalist first-time mom:

• Travel stroller: I originally considered only buying a travel stroller, but so many posts online said how rinky-dink travel strollers feel compared to full-size ones. I completely disagree! I expected the travel stroller to feel like a compromise in comparison to our full-size stroller, but it became the stroller we reach for most often (although I am still really glad to own both). 
• Reusable puppy pads: This one is going to sound strange at first… When my grandma met our baby for the first time, she asked if we wanted this large soft incontinence pad she had used when taking care of my grandpa. It ended up being the perfect on-the-go play mat and changing pad for our baby because it’s grippy and waterproof on one side, and soft and absorbent on the side that touches him. I much prefer it to the portable changing pads we bought, and it works better as a portable play mat than a blanket because it doesn’t get all bunched up when our baby is wiggling around. When I looked into buying more, I ended up buying reusable/washable puppy pads instead of actual incontinence pads because they offer the same concept, but with cuter designs. 
• Saline drops, humidifier, and distilled water machine: We live in Denver where the air is quite dry, and the hospital air was extra extra dry, so by the time we brought our baby home, he and I both had clogged sinuses. Poor guy sounded like a little piggy when he was going to sleep. We had already purchased an electric nasal aspirator, but we had to purchase more baby saline drops to use when the little container we received from the hospital ran out. We also quickly ordered a humidifier for our bedroom, and a distilled water machine so we didn’t have to keep purchasing gallons. We used this every night for his first eight weeks, and then put it aside to use in the future if/when he seems to need it again. At first I thought it was silly to own these two extra appliances, but the humidity definitely helped him sleep a lot more comfortably those first few weeks. 
• Extra night light/touch lamp: We were gifted one of these little orb night lights that you just flip over to turn on/off and touch the top to dim or brighten. I put it in our nursery for my husband to use during overnight diaper changes instead of turning on the “big” light and fully waking the baby up. I thought I would be doing overnight breastfeeding in the nursery as well, but I ended up being more comfortable and just staying in our bed, so I purchased another one of these nightlights for my bedside table as well. 
• Nursing covers: As a minimalist, I sought out many baby/mama items that could serve multiple purposes. I saw so many blog posts advising to also use muslin blankets as nursing covers, but this simply didn’t work for me. Any small gust of wind would eliminate the privacy my baby and I were trying to have while nursing. I received a nursing cover as a hand-me-down and started using it so much that I ordered a couple more so that I would always have a clean one on hand. I use them on-the-go as a nursing cover and a thin blanket for my baby. I even use them at home when we have guests, but I want to remain social while nursing. They can also be used as car seat covers when you’re out in public, but our infant car seat has such a massive canopy that we don’t find this necessary. 
• More structured baby carrier: Babywearing is one of my favorite ways to bond with my little guy. I felt comfortable starting babywearing about two weeks after my C-section, and now it’s something I do multiple hours per day. I started out with the BabyBjorn Mini, which is so easy to put on, get baby in, and adjust. However, when my baby started getting heavier, I found the lack of a waist strap to be uncomfortable for me. (I ended up giving it to my husband and he still uses it, so the waist strap thing is just personal preference.) I splurged on the Wildbird Aerial and started using it when my baby was two months old. I love how supportive it feels, while still being simple to put on and get baby in and out. I will say that Wildbird markets this carrier as newborn-ready (as long as they are at least 7 pounds, which my son was not), but most babies aren’t tall enough for it until about two months. (More things I learned about carriers below!)
• Diaper caddy for the car: I figured I would bring my diaper bag everywhere (and I pretty much do), but for some outings it’s a lot easier to just change him on the tailgate of my car and not mess with taking stuff out of my backpack. I got this oversized diaper caddy and stocked it up with everything we need on the go, including extra outfits for the baby. 
• More toys: As someone who actively tries to keep our home simple, I purposefully didn’t register for any baby toys. We had already received many lovely hand-me-downs; we knew we would receive toys as gifts even if they weren’t on the registry, and we were aware that babies don’t interact with toys for awhile anyways. I am glad we waited to see what our son was interested in playing with before purchasing any more. We will continue to purchase toys as he grows and shows preferences for things!
• Electronics travel bag: When I was packing for our first family vacation, I realized how many (expensive) electronics babies need! This is actually a cosmetic bag, but it works great to organize and protect the following baby-related electronics when we are on the go: Baby monitor camera + screen, two touch lamps, Owlet Dream Sock, electric nasal aspirator, and electric nail file. 
• Baby camping clothes: We took our son camping for the first time at three months old, which is way earlier than I expected we would feel confident doing so! We were concerned with keeping him warm at night since young babies can’t use loose blankets and the only legit infant sleeping bags we could find were sized for six months and above. Our friends who are experienced with camping with their baby recommended these Woolino sleepers, which we layered with a long-sleeve onesie and socks underneath, and a sleep sack on top. This combination kept our baby cozy in nighttime temperatures in the low 40s. (My husband and I are very experienced campers and have even gone in the winter with 10-20 degree temperatures…we will not be doing that with our baby any time soon!)
• C-section scar balm: I ended up having an unplanned C-section at 37 weeks, so my postpartum experience was a lot different than I expected. I used FSA funds to purchase this balm from Motherlove to take care of my scar. I was advised not to put anything on my incision site until the stitches had fully dissolved, which took almost a month for me. By that time, my scar (and the skin around it) had gotten super dry and itchy, so using this balm has been a huge relief. Although the container is super tiny, it lasted me several months of daily use. 
• Thin panty liners: While I was pregnant, I stocked up on huge maxi-pads for use postpartum. I ended up using a few of them overnight (and I liked the ones I purchased myself way better than the hospital ones), but I didn’t bleed nearly as much as I expected since I didn’t have a vaginal birth. I bled in small quantities on and off for about a month, so wearing super thin panty liners with my normal underwear was way more comfortable than wearing huge pads I didn’t actually need. 

Five Popular Baby Registry Items I Thought I Needed…But Probably Didn’t

The following items I either personally found to be overhyped, or I could see the potential value but were just not great for me (or my family):

• Baby carrier that clips in the back: As I mentioned earlier, I absolutely love babywearing. My husband was excited to babywear as well, so we got him an ErgoBaby Omni 360 secondhand. He felt it was very comfortable, but due to how the straps needed to be clipped together in the back (rather than crossing over and clipping in the front), he really struggled to put it on by himself, which made it pretty inconvenient. So when I made the switch to the Wildbird Aerial, I gave him the BabyBjorn Mini, which is way easier for him to put on and adjust. We put the ErgoBaby Omni 360 aside in case he wants to try it again when our son outgrows the BabyBjorn Mini, but I have a feeling we will seek out a different cross-strap model when the time comes. 
• Portable changing pads: I registered for two portable changing pads—one to keep in our portable diaper caddy, and one for my diaper bag. Since they are not absorbent at all, when our baby randomly pees during diaper changes, the pee just pools and gets his little body all wet. We ended up finding washable puppy pads to be far more functional when changing him on the go. The designs of these are really cute, but we will probably end up passing them along. They might work better for baby girls who don’t pee as much during diaper changes, but our son constantly lets out a “sniper shot” and makes a mess if there isn’t something absorbent underneath him. 
• Boppy pillow + extra covers: When putting together my baby registry, I kept going back and forth on whether or not I wanted a breastfeeding support pillow, and ultimately decided to get one at the advice of a family member who kindly gifted it to me. I can definitely see why other moms like these, and the new design of the Boppy seems better than the previous shape, but I also felt totally comfortable breastfeeding without it. If it was nearby, I would use it, but most of the time it was elsewhere in the house and I did just fine without it. A few times family members used it to hold the baby more comfortably and securely. Maybe if my son had been a lot heavier when he was born, or if he was struggling to latch, I would have found it to be more essential.
• Silverettes + nipple cream: I really wanted to like these two items because I did experience some pain early on with nursing, but they didn’t have any benefits for me. The Silverettes nipple covers felt uncomfortable in my bra (especially if sleeping on them), and I didn’t notice any healing properties at all. The nipple cream left huge grease stains on my bralettes and clothes and weirdly made my fingertips super dry after applying it (and again, no healing properties noticed). Fortunately both were covered by FSA funds so not too much money was wasted. If I am able to have another baby, I will probably try this Motherlove version since I like their C-section balm so much. 
• Perineal spray + ice pack maxi-pads: If I’d had a vaginal birth, I’m sure I would have loved these items, but I simply didn’t need them since I had a C-section. I used them both a few times immediately postpartum, and they felt nice while I was bleeding a little bit, but I definitely could have lived without them. Again, fortunately covered by FSA funds. 

Shop my baby registry mini workbook on Etsy!

If there’s one thing becoming a mom has taught me, it’s that there is no perfect baby registry.

Some products I thought were essential barely got used, and some products I ordered at 2AM became daily necessities. As a minimalist at heart, my goal isn’t to own less stuff for the sake of owning less stuff. My goal is to create a home that feels calm, functional, and supportive of the family life we’re trying to build. 

When it comes to building your baby registry, start with the basics, stay flexible, and give yourself permission to change your mind.

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