Baby Registry Tips & Tricks

You're pregnant... Now what? The world of registries and baby items is overwhelming, especially as a new mother. This blog contains a short and simple list of the best places to register, some tips and tricks for using your registries, and the top five items we did and did not use.

Top Places to Register

1. Amazon.

When you register at amazon, you receive a free welcome box. The welcome box when we registered included multiple brands of bottles, pacifiers, two onesies, a swaddle blanket, and various diaper and wipe samples. Currently the welcome box at amazon says it values at $35. Amazon also includes a completion discount of 15% off for prime members and 10% off for non-prime members. It’s also a universal registry (meaning you can put items from multiple registries onto amazon). Lastly, for friends and family, amazon is a pretty simple and easy place to buy and send gifts directly.

2. Target

When you register at Target, you also receive a welcome kit. The welcome kit when we registered included multiple brands of bottles, various diaper and wipe samples, and a variety of coupons. The target website currently states that their welcome kit value is up to $100, but when registered, the amazon welcome box seemed to be a better gift (because it included more). We think that the "value" is higher because they include the value of the coupons and less actual gift items. With Target you also get the 15% off completion bonus-- we got one to use online and one to use in store. Target also has a universal registry and can be a quick and easy place for friends and family to pick up items.

3. Buy Buy Baby

When you register at Buy Buy Baby, you get the registry baby freebies. Honestly, this kit was not very memorable and that's why we ranked it as #3. Buy Buy Baby also has a 15% off completion bonus. One thing that Buy Buy Baby has that no other registry has is a Referral Reward (a $25 off of $100 coupon) if someone refers you when they register. Another perk is that for a year after your baby is born you can get free shipping on all orders (if gift purchases on your registry exceed $1,500). Buy Buy Baby is not a universal registry. One pro of Buy Buy Baby that no other registry offers is guests can often use a 20% off coupon on their order, which often makes the items cheaper than any other registry. But one con of Buy Buy Baby is there are very few brick and mortar locations and therefore most purchases have to be made online.

Registry Tips and Tricks

1. Get Free Shipping with Buy Buy Baby. If you plan to purchase larger ticket items such as your nursery furniture, car seats and strollers, we recommend purchasing from Buy Buy Baby because if your registry gift purchases exceed $1,500 you will receive free shipping for baby's first year. This means that even if you are making the purchases yourself, rather than a friend or family member off the registry, add the items to your registry and purchase them from there so that you receive the free shipping bonus. Note that the purchases have to be made prior to the baby's due date to get the free shipping bonus.

2. Adjust baby's due date on your registry to get your completion coupon sooner. Most registries don't give you your completion coupon/discount until a few weeks (some as low as two weeks) from your due date. So, if you are wanting to purchase items that weren't purchased off your registry and don't want to risk baby coming early or not having them soon enough, you can go in and adjust the due date to sooner so that you receive your coupons.

3. Use your target coupons. Often with baby items at Target, you can buy a certain dollar amount and receive a free gift card. If you use the coupons you received in your welcome gift, you can stack the savings!

Five Top Registry Must Haves

These are the items that we: (1) used the most and (2) used as soon as baby was born.

1. Nursing Tanks.

Recommend tanks over nursing bras because: (1) they have a built in bra and therefore you don't need a bra and (2) it makes most any shirt nursing friendly. The best thing is that you can nurse in public without showing your new mom bod (aka it covers your stomach).

2. Velcro Swaddles

Recommend these over regular swaddles (unless you're a swaddling genie) because they're very user friendly. There is also less risk of the baby getting loose through the night with these swaddles.

3. Pack and Play with Changing Station

This thing was a life saver for us because our nursery is on the second level of our home. So, we used the changing station on the pack play every time we needed to change Parker. Honestly, it was used more than her changing table in her room. We also used the pack and play for travel, so I felt like we really got good use out of this item. Make sure you note the size of the pack and play, because they do make ones that are smaller and will not last as long.

4. Hatch Sound Machine

This is something that you will use from day one and will likely use until elementary years. It's not just a sound machine, but also a nightlight and an “ok to wake” clock. You can also change the colors of the light which is helpful during late night feedings because you can change the color to red which allows you to see, but isn't stimulating for you or baby (so you can both go back to sleep easier).

5. Ubbi Diaper Pail

I highly recommend the Ubbi diaper pail because it's metal and holds the stink in better than the plastic ones. Another thing we love about it is you don't have to have special trash bags for it. You can just use regular kitchen trash bags. This is a huge money saver in the long run.

Five Registry Items that We Didn't Need / Didn't Use

These are the items that we found were unnecessary or our baby just didn't like.

1. Momaroo

Honestly, some babies may like this, but ours did not. We're not sure whether she just didn't like it or just preferred to be held. But when you consider the cost to it's usefulness, for most people it's probably not worth it.

2. Baby Mittens

These don't really stay on baby's hands. I recommend using baby socks or buying onesies that have built in mittens.

3. Baby Shoes

While baby shoes are precious, they serve no actual purpose. Typically baby will just wear socks if it's cold.

4. Crib Bedding

Before having Parker, we thought we needed all of the crib bedding (e.g. blankets, etc.) but really all she needed was a few crib sheets.

5. Burp Cloths

The burp cloths that you buy at the store are very thin, flimsy, and not actually absorbent in my opinion. I recommend either making them yourself out of a flannel and minky fabric (see picture above, the cloths are hanging over the crib) or just using a cloth diaper. Both of these options are way more absorbent.