The Best Minimalistic Baby Registry Must Haves

Ultimate Baby Registry Must Haves for First Time Moms

I have procrastinated on this post for a year. I cannot even tell you the amount of times I have texted, emailed, Facebook messaged or talked to someone about my baby registry must haves or my pregnancy must haves and yet I still haven’t blogged about it. I think it feels like such an overwhelming task to blog about the perfect baby registry because:

1. There are so many great products available now!

2. You can buy WAY too much! and

3. I only want to bring you guys the VERY best of the best.

So, now I’m kicking myself that I haven’t written this sooner because I could have just sent the link to this SO many times by now.

I have decided it’s too much to put everything in one post, so I’m not going to do pregnancy must haves in this post…that will have to be separate. You can at least see that I did get around to doing a Hospital Bag Checklist for Pregnancy before I had Leyton. AND, even shared Leyton’s nursery after he was born so you can see all the furniture and accessories I got there.

Did you know that you can register with Amazon?! How easy is that for your friends and family?! SO easy! They also offer a 15% off completion discount if you are a member of Amazon moms and they even organize your gifts so you can easily send thank you notes…pretty amazing, right? I registered at Swaddle in Homewood and Buy Buy Baby when I was pregnant with Leyton but I’m sure many of my friends would have appreciated if I’d made it a little easier on them. 😉

Here’s my minimalistic (and yet still, babies need SO. MUCH. Stuff.) list of  your baby registry must haves broken down into categories. I’d LOVE to hear what you think of these products or what you’ve used in the comments below. Make sure you sign up for my email list on the right hand side of my website (plus I’ll even send you a free clean eating pantry staples list to go with it!) so I can notify you of any major baby deals and sales I find.

Baby Registry Must Haves:

Sleeping:

Owlet Smart Sock Baby Monitor: Lots of worry about if your baby is breathing or not while he sleeps? The Owlet smart sock is an extra set of eyes to help you! There were many a night that I would wonder if Leyton was breathing ok because he was sick or I was just being paranoid but most parents will tell you this is a thing.

Get peace of mind, sleep better, we all win…The sock monitors your baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels designed to alert you should either fall outside of range. I have so many friends who have already had babies who have told me they wish they would have had this when they were raising their kids. This would be a great hostess gift or gift from the new grandparents!

Sound Machine: We cannot take little man anywhere with his pack and play without taking the sound machine. It has been a saving grace. We still use the sound machine in Leyton’s room and bring it with us anytime we travel or hang out late at a friend’s house. I really think any one will do, it’s whatever your baby gets used to. We also have the sleepy sounds app on our phones in case we get in a pinch.

Aden + Anais Bamboo Swaddle Blankets: Obsessed. They are so soft and unbelievably useful for ALL the things. Unless you want to do laundry ALL the time you will want a lot of these. We put them over the floor or couch for baby to lay on. We used them to wipe up spit up. They worked as a burp cloths, a swaddle, nursing cover, and so much more.

Pack and Play: We have the Baby Bjorn one. It is the only one our local baby boutique carries because they say it is simply the best. Easy to set up and take down, lightweight and very slim.

Swaddle Hack: We used the Miracle Blanket as long as we could before he outgrew it and started to bust out of even this baby straight jacket. We called Leyton our little baby burrito in this and he was so stinkin’ cute. We got this weighted Nested Bean zen sleepsack later on and I wish we would have had it from the very beginning!

Sleep Sack: Once you move on from the swaddle, your little one still can’t have a regular blanket so you can put them in the sleep sack. We have several different ones and I’d definitely recommend having at least a couple so that if one is dirty, you have the other one available.

Monitor: We have used both the basic Motorola monitor and the deluxe Levana monitor with a touchscreen and all the bells and whistles. Honestly, this is a personal preference. We were fine with both and on a budget, you can certainly get by with the Motorola one!

Car Seat:

UPPAbaby MESA: We love our black UPPAbaby Performance Travel System. This has been the car seat system we have used since the beginning and up until recently it’s all we had.

Strollers:

UPPAbaby VISTA: This UPPAbaby stroller can easily convert to let you add a second seat to it for when your family grows! Although we don’t quite need that yet, it will be a nice feature to have in the future. I love that Leyton’s UPPAbaby MESA easily snaps into this stroller without a converter bar. It came with a bassinet we used a few times, and then I used the car seat for a long time…perhaps a little too long! I didn’t know I could switch out the stroller once he was keeping his head up. #LessonsLearned Now, when we travel with this system, other parents stop us to ask about it because it’s so convenient and has such a large storage area in the bottom.

BOB Jogging Stroller: Once Leyton could hold his head up, we started using this stroller when we would go on longer walks or runs. FYI, I was slow to pick up on how soon I could use the BOB flex jogging stroller and switch over to the regular stroller vs in a car seat. Learn from my mistakes.

Diapers/Bath/First Aid:

Diapers: I was so excited to get the super cute Honest Co diapers but unfortunately Leyton’s skin reacted to the dyes used for the prints so we’ve done diapers from Pampers Swaddlers to Up & Up to Aldi’s new organic line. All have worked well for us! Don’t stress too much about this one. Just register for ONE large pack of NB diapers because your baby may outgrow them too quickly!

Wipes: We have used every brand at this point I think. The ones we keep going back to are the Costco brand ones. They are a good quality and cheap. Plus we use them for everything…and will continue long after he’s out of diapers to wipe up spills, messes, hands, etc. Register for a LOT!

Diaper Cream: We use Dr. Smith’s. I really like that they have the spray variety!

Munchkin Arm & Hammer Pail: This is the diaper pail we use. I’ve never tried the others but this one worked well for us. It’s frustrating how expensive the refill bags are so whenever you see them on sale or have a coupon, stock up!

Fresh Wave: I keep an odor-eliminating canister of Fresh Wave beads by Leyton’s diaper pail. I adore all their stuff. It works magic, y’all!

Cetaphil with Restoraderm: Even though I love the smell of the typical baby lotion, Leyton has sensitive skin and really struggled with eczema. We had to invest in this Cetaphil cream and use it EVERY night. It’s amazing how much it helps! We swear by it for baby eczema.

Hooded Towels & Wash Cloths: Although you don’t have to have hooded towels, honestly, it’s just SO cute that I’m grateful we had them just for the pictures. And now I’m debating whether I need to buy another one after looking at this sharky. All the heart eyes. We got an assorted pack of wash cloths and love having a ton of them so we can just do laundry once a week.

Infants Pain Relief: It is the hardest thing when your baby gets sick for the first time! Make sure you have these ready and talk to your doctor or nurse about the proper dosage for your baby’s weight and age.

Teething Tablets: These all natural teething tablets were a lifesaver for us on fussy days. Being a baby is hard, seriously.

Healthcare and Grooming Kit: Just be prepared with little nail clippers, travel stuff, etc.

Thermometer: Do not pass go, do not collect $200 till you have this. One of the first things your pediatrician will ask you when your baby is sick is if he’s running a fever.

Nosefrida: Just trust me on this one. When the blue bulb they give you at the hospital won’t work, this will and vice versa. Powerful tools, I tell you!

Humidifier: When they are sick when they’re so little there’s not much you can do except steam baths, a humidifier and using the nosefrida, so it’s worth it to go ahead and have this. I didn’t think it was necessary and then of course, the first time he got sick, the hubs and I ran out in the middle of the night to go buy one.

Cleaning: Can I be honest for a minute? I bought the baby laundry detergent and my mom ever so nicely washed about half his clothes in it for me. And then, we got tired and got over it. We didn’t wash all his clothes and so far, we’re all making it. BUT, what we couldn’t do without? Stain remover! You will inevitably be cleaning up tons of blow outs, spit up and pee, so arm yourself with some great stain remover like Woolite and Oxiclean.

Feeding:

I breastfed, pumped, traveled and bottle fed so please keep in mind you may not need everything I did.

Nursing Bras & Nursing Tanks: Go ahead and get yourself a couple of each! With all the leaking boobs, and lack of energy to do laundry in the beginning, you’ll be glad you have more than 1 nursing bra on hand. I’m not kidding when I say I only wore something other than a nursing tank 3-4 times the whole time I was on maternity leave.

Disposable Nursing Pads: Don’t leave your house without them in the beginning. I slept in mine occasionally to help with leaking on my sheets as well.

Nursing Cover: Really do your research on this one. Do you want a scarf that is able to be repurposed and around close whenever you need it? Do you want it to pop out some to avoid hiding baby from your view? What will make you feel most comfortable? I really only used the Booby Trapper a lot when we traveled and in the beginning when you are nursing ALL the time.

Medela Freestyle Breast Pump: You better love your pump because if you’re like me, she’ll be your “breast” friend for the next 3, 6, 9 or even 12 months + depending on how long you pump. I loved mine because I didn’t have to be plugged in to a wall or a bag. I just charged the battery and went for days without charing it again.

Medela Steam Cleaner Bags: I ADORED these for deep cleaning quickly when I didn’t have the time or energy to do it. Each bag can be used 20 times!!!!

Medela Bottles: I love these because they literally go from hooked up to the pump to being able to screw on a cap and put them in the fridge or screw on a nipple and pop them in baby’s mouth. So easy!

Extra Nipples: Being a rookie mom, I didn’t know that I was supposed to buy different sized nipples for the bottles! One of my friends had to tell me why it was taking Leyton so long to eat was probably because it was too tiny a hole for him at that age. Go ahead and buy multiple sizes.

Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Bottles: I bought these because I heard they are best for gas/colic. Leyton never really had much trouble with those things so now I wish I had a bottle with less parts to clean! We ended up using the little Medela bottles most the time due to this factor. However, recently I’ve heard the BEST things about the new Kiinde system.

Breast Milk Storage Bags: I have used Medela and Lansinoh. I did like that the Medela ones could be attached to my pump and they were more sturdy. But both worked great! One tip I learned was to pour the milk from the bottle to the bag or vice versa through the breast pump flange so that it acts as a funnel for less mess and spills!

Nipple Cream: I know, I know…it’s painful to think about. But, most likely your nipples will be sore and in some cases cracked. You’ll want to constantly be applying cream to those milk makers! You’ll get some lanolin cream at the hospital but I had to use mine for weeks and I didn’t even feel like it helped that much. The Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter was my go to.

Munchkin Self-Standing Bottle and Nipple Cleaner: Don’t go cheaper on this item. You want something that stands up on it’s own, has the scrubber on the end and gets in the nipples. No if’s, and’s or but’s.

Pacifier: wubbanubs were Leyton’s favorite. They have cute little animals on the end that keep them weighted enough where they stay in baby’s mouth longer and are easier to spot for mom and dad so they don’t get lost as often. Your baby may not love paci’s but they sure are clutch when you are trying to calm a fussy baby in church. Not that I speak from experience or anything, ha!

Boppy: I used my Boppy nursing pillow a lot in the beginning when I was nursing so often. After the first few months I didn’t use it as much but my neck and arms constantly hurt so I’m so glad I had this or it could have been way worse.

Nursing Aids: I accidentally dried myself up…read more about that HERE! And had other problems with allergies/sickness and therefore lower milk production where I was glad to have lactation cookies and milk maid tea on hand. You can also have your family or friends make THESE lactation cookies (my favorite healthier recipe!) for you if they ask how they can help. My mom was a lifesaver in many ways after baby but this was one of the things I appreciate the most!

Baby Food Feeding:

High Chair: The Boon flair high chair is what we got when I found it on major sale. It was actually the first large purchase I made while pregnant. We like that this chair fits snugly to baby so there aren’t a lot of crevices and creases on the tray or around baby for food to get stuck. I’ve heard good things about the ikea high chair as well though if you’d like a cheaper option.

Sippy Cups: I waited till later to get these and you can too, but if you want to go ahead and register for some, just ask your friends what their favorites are. Leyton isn’t very choosy and we’ve gotten several different ones.

Baby Spoons: Any will do, I’ve found!

Bibs: And lots of them!

Drying Rack: I found that we had to have one and we still use this Boon Lawn one to this day…1 year later!

Nursery: I did a WHOLE POST on Leyton’s nautical themed nursery and linked up everything for you!

Miscellaneous:

Play Mat: At first I didn’t realize how essential this would be. In the beginning we held Leyton, had him on the Boppy infant lounger, sleeping in his Rock and Play. It’s really helpful for tummy time and Leyton played on it for MONTHS. I loved that this one had sides that would pop up to keep him contained to not roll off as well, but any play mat will do.

Sophie the Giraffe Teether: Just give in and get the giraffe that everyone’s baby has. 😉 It’s fab for teething and entertainment when needed.

See what we put in Leyton’s Nautical Nursery here!

What else did I miss out of my baby registry must haves? You guys let me know!

Thank you SO much to my fabulous photographers over the time of my pregnancy and after for capturing these items: Casey Marie Photography, Magen Davis Photography & Jett Walker Photography. *This post contains affiliate links so I do make a tiny percentage of any purchase made.