When I first thought of creating our baby registry, I envisioned myself strolling through perfectly curated pastel colored store isles while delicately browsing baby items. But creating a registry proved to be more stressful than the images my day dreams conjured up.

When it comes to stocking up on all the essentials for your baby, you’ll very quickly find there are so many items you need and numerous options for each item. The result is an overwhelming amount of choices to make, and if you’ve never experienced decision fatigue (the idea that after making many decisions, your ability to make more decisions becomes worse), you may become more familiar with it while building your registry.

I ended up pouring so much time and energy into creating my registry, and while very happy with everything I selected and was gifted, I wish I had known a little more going into it. That’s why I’m hoping to help first-time-moms and other baby registry builders by giving a few tips based on what I learned in the process!

I read my own small share of advice on registry building (check out the What to Expect app, they have great articles on TONS of topics including registry advice) and reviewed checklists of items to include and ultimately landed on building our registry with Amazon. There are a few reasons I recommend Amazon’s baby registry.

(As an Amazon associate I may earn commission on qualifying purchases from the links in this post, however I am not paid or being sponsored to advertise their registry services, I just really recommend based off my own experience with them!)

First, I didn’t love the idea of creating multiple registries at different stores and sites, it made me feel all over the place and Amazon gave me a one stop shop option (for those who do want to create multiple registries, I know Babylist is an app that allows you to keep track of multiple registries in one place, What to Expect has something similar too!) Plus, I find Amazon to be accessible to most, especially when considering who would potentially be purchasing off of our registry. We have family and friends all over the country and Amazon’s baby registry platform allows for senders to have gifts delivered directly to you.

Amazon also keeps track of what’s purchased by who and includes the gift giver’s address, which was very convenient for writing thank you cards later on. Other perks of using Amazon includes a 15% discount for crafting your registry with them, a welcome box filled with samples and gifts, and a year-long return period for items purchased off your registry (and easy return process in general).

We’ve heard it takes a village to raise a baby, and I definitely don’t want to go any further without mentioning that we’re so grateful for everyone in ours who has offered support through gifting off our registry and all their many other generosities during this time!

Advice on Crafting you Registry:

1. Don’t go overboard on clothes! I added very few clothing items on our registry, and, trust me, we had no shortage of clothing gifted. As soon as it’s known you’re having a baby, people see cute baby clothes, think of you and your baby to be, and buy them. I guarantee you’ll still be gifted clothes even if they’re not included on your registry! But of course if there’s something that’s just too cute to pass up, go ahead and add it to your list.
2. Baby items aren’t one size fits all: Just because it worked for one mom doesn’t mean it will work for you and your baby! I know it seems counterintuitive to tell you this as I plan to give you my own recommendations, but what I want to get at is it’s great to consider what people recommend but always do your own research.
3. Do your research, but don’t drive yourself crazy: There are many options when it comes to selecting items for our baby registry. So definitely do your research and read reviews when deciding what’s best, but also don’t try to research every single option out there. There’s really just too many! The items I’d say I spent the most time researching were the stroller, bassinet, and baby monitor.
4. Try to avoid overbuying diapers, make sure to put multiple sizes on your registry! What you don’t want to end up with is too many of any one size of diaper. I’ve heard some moms say they tossed or gave away boxes of newborn sizes because their baby was too big for them at only a couple weeks old. That being said, you will go through hundreds of diapers with your baby! We asked for size NB-3 on our registry with size 1 and 2 being in the largest quantities.
5. Carefully consider price: Not all items are necessarily worth the splurge (does my baby NEED a $200 lounger? Is the $550 vibrating bassinet really a must have?) Plus babies outgrow things quickly so considering how long something will last is important to think about alongside the dollar amount. Some items are worth it though, so once again do your research!

Must-haves for First Time Moms:

Being prepared with what we needed and organized for our baby’s arrival has made the transition much easier on all of us! Our sweet baby has been home for twos week now, and these are the items that we’re loving and using the most so far with our newborn!

Remember, the advice I gave above applies to my recommendations too!

1. Stroller: UPPAbaby Vista, I’m loving everything about it so far.
2. Bassinet: Besrey Bedside Bassinet, our most used item. We love that it’s on wheels, opens to the side for easy bedside access, and that it has basket storage underneath!
3. Bassinet sheets: Ely & co waterproof sheets
4. Nursing pillow: My Brest Friend has made nursing so much more comfortable for me and baby.
5. Breast milk storage: Medela breast milk storage solution
6. Manual breast pump: Haaka silicone breast pump
7. Burp clothes: Keababies organic burp clothes, we love the quality of these!
8. Bottle warmer: Philips Avent bottle warmer
9. Bottle sterilizer: Baby Brezza. we’ve gotten so much use out of this item since bringing baby home two weeks ago!
10. Bottle cleaning set: Oxo Tot bottle & cup cleaning set
11. Bottles: Dr. Brown’s anticolic bottles
12. Sound machine: Hatch rest baby sound machine
13. Baby monitor: Infant optics DXR-8 pro
14. Diaper caddy: Parker Baby diaper caddy & nursery storage, this has been so convenient for quick, easy, and organized diaper changes.
15. Changing basket: J&JOO baby changing basket
16. Diaper pail: Ubbi steel odor locking pail
17. Baby bath tub: Fischer price 4-in-1 newborn to toddler baby bath tub
18. Bath organizer: Ligereza bath toy organizer
19. Hooded towel + washcloth set: Carter’s unisex towel and washcloth set
20. Play gym: Wooden baby gym, the perfect neutral baby gym!