Hey mama! I am so glad you found your way to this post. I remember when my husband and I (mainly me) were putting together our baby registry for our daughter Evelyn back in 2019. We added ALL the things, but shortly after she arrived we realized there were so many things we just didn’t use.

Fast forward eight months after we had Evelyn we became pregnant with our son, Edward. The second time around we really thought through the things we truly needed (since we had our kids so close in age we couldn’t just reuse Evelyn’s stuff since she was still using it herself – haha).

I really feel like we fine tuned our baby registry items. So, I wanted to put together a list of things that I absolutely loved and couldn’t have lived without. Most are very affordable, but you will find a few splurge items on the list. I promise, I wouldn’t have put it on there if we didn’t absolutely love it!

For Baby – Nursery + Sleep:

1. Crib – with Evelyn my parents gifted us the crib so it was a little more on the expensive side, but with Edward we purchased it on our own and we got THIS ONE from Target. It was very affordable and still looked beautiful.
2. Crib Mattress – there are so many different brands and options for a mattress. I really feel like any mattress will do, but choose the best option for y’all. We went with THIS ONE for both kiddos and it’s been perfect.
3. Crib Sheets
4. Sound Machine – We absolutely love the Hatch Baby Sound Machine, we bought it a second time when we had Edward and we even have the Hatch Baby Mini Sound Machine as well for when we travel.
5. Baby Monitor – We use a V Tech Baby Monitor, this single monitor or double monitor are both great – I recommend the double if you know you are having babies close in age. We have owned both of the ones linked and loved them. We even tried out the owlet monitor before, which is much more expensive, and love the v-tech much more!
6. Rocker/Glider – I feel like this is totally preference. But, for Evelyn we had THIS ONE and for Edward we had THIS ONE.
7. Zipper or Velcro Swaddles – a few of our favorites include — SwaddleMe, The Ollie, Happiest Baby.
8. Pacifiers – my kids loved MAM pacis and BIBS pacis.
9. Zipper PJ’s, baby gowns, etc.

For Baby – Gear

1. Baby Swing – Fisher Price Swing
2. Baby Lounger – we loved the Snuggle Me Organic Baby Lounger. We used it all the time, whether it was to set baby in to wash dishes, or while we were watching tv on the couch, it was so nice to have and both our babies really enjoyed it!
3. Bassinet – SNOO Bassinet – the SNOO has an option to buy or RENT. We actually rented the SNOO for both Evelyn + Edward because we loved it so much – it was BEYOND worth it even just for peace of mind for me. But, if it’s not your thing HERE is a more affordable option.
4. Play Mat

For Baby – On The Go

1. Portable Sound Machine
2. Baby Shusher – we got this as a baby shower gift and thought we would never use it, but it quickly became a must have – it is game changer.
3. Uppa Baby Vista Stroller – we went with this option because we knew we wanted our first two close in age and the Uppa Baby Vista stroller converts into a double stroller – making it perfect for our two littles
4. Uppa Baby Car Seat
5. Baby Car Mirror
6. Pack n Play
7. Baby Carrier – I loved my Konny Baby – Baby Carrier . I didn’t get this one until I had Edward, but it was so much better than all the others I tried. I loved that I didn’t feel overheated in it, baby felt snug to me and it was so easy to get on and off on my own!
8. Fawn Design – Diaper Bag – my favorite Diaper Bag – we have used it with both kids.
9. Paci Holder – this one just attaches to the Diaper Bag which we love + it’s cute. Not a necessity but it was nice to have.

For Baby – Diaper + Care

1. Diaper Caddy – we still use this today!
2. Baby Bath – we used this one when baby is little and then once they could sit up we used this one.
3. Diapers – we have used huggies, pampers, and just recently bought the Target Up + Up brand and OMG why haven’t we been using those before. They are SO much cheaper and they work just as well – highly recommend.
4. Wipes – we use Water Wipes or Pampers Aqua Pure.
5. Baby Soap + Shampoo
6. Burp Cloths
7. Nose Frida
8. Baby Nail File + Clippers
9. Cradle Cap Brush
10. Baby Thermometer – Forehead + Rectal
11. Infant Tylenol
12. Infant Motrin
13. Vitamin D Drops: important when baby is breastfed – wellements are my favorite baby vitamin shop LINKED HERE

For Baby – Feeding

1. Bottles – Our kiddos loved Dr. Brown + Avent Bottles
2. Drying Rack – not necessarily a must, but does help keep organized.
3. Bottle Warmer
4. My Breast Friend Breastfeeding Pillow – this was game changer for me, loved it so much more than a boppy pillow.
5. Hakka – if you choose to breastfeed your baby, this is so helpful! While nursing your other breast lets down milk as well. You just stick this in your nursing bra of the breast baby isn’t nursing on at the time and it will catch all of that extra milk. Then you can put it in a storage bag and build up your freezer stash of milk that way! There are two different kinds, but this one was my favorite bc I could just slide it in my nursing bra.
6. Breast Pump – you may be able to get one through your insurance – go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com to check your eligibility that is how I got mine. I got the Spectra Breast Pump and upgraded to the cordless one.
7. Bottle Cleaning Brush
8. Breast Milk Storage Bags

For Baby – 6 month and older

1. Sippy cups
2. Bibs
3. High chair for travel
4. High chair
5. Fork/spoon – easy for baby to learn with.
6. Silverware
7. Bowls
8. Plates
9. Snack container
10. Food feeder – great for teething and when they first trying foods.  
11. Sleep Sacks

For Mom – Postpartum/Nursing

1. Frida Peri Bottle  
2. Nipple Cream
3. Breast Pads – personally I liked the disposable ones the best because I leaked a lot and felt like I was constantly having to wash the reusable ones – this just felt easier for me.
4. Nursing Bras
5. Nursing Tanks
6. Best Dresses for Nursing/Postpartum
7. Best Robes for hospital/nursing/postpartum – lived in this and a nursing bra at the hospital and first few days at home.

Items that are fun, but you don’t necessarily need

1. Changing Pad + Scale – this isn’t something that you 100% need, but for us it has been so helpful. Evelyn had some issues with weight when she was around 5 months old and it helped us monitor it at home and because of Edward’s Epilepsy we have had to monitor his weight at home as well. So we mainly use it for that when doing changes lol
2. Activity Center
3. Tubby Todd Bath Products – LINKED HERE – a little pricier but safe for baby skin, will share cheaper options soon too!)
4. Lou Lou + Company Swaddles – I always used the velcro swaddles for my kiddos but these are so soft and stretchy and beautiful! I actually use these swaddles for all of my clients newborn sessions.

WOO – that was a LOT! All baby really needs is love from YOU and maybe some diapers, wipes, milk and clothes lol. Don’t feel like you need to get everything right off the bat, but it does help to make a list for your registry so I hope this was helpful to you. You are going to do great mama. Cheering you on and praying for you in this season!

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase something from one of the links above our family may make a small commission from it. But don’t worry it doesn’t add any additional cost for you!