Creating your baby registry can be a mix of excitement and overwhelm. There are SO many baby products out there, with new ones coming out every single day. If you do a quick search online for baby registry recommendations, you will be met with checklists upon checklists recommending every baby product you can imagine. It’s a great place to go for inspiration and ideas! But what should you plan on skipping completely?
As a new mom to a 4 month old, I’ve lived and learned. I wish I could go back and have a redo because now I know what I should have skipped adding altogether. We have one too many items simply taking up space in my son’s nursery going completely unused. Learn from my mistakes and avoid adding the following baby items!
1. Blankets
Maybe this is just my personal friends and family, but the most common gift we received at the baby shower and beyond was baby blankets. We registered for exactly zero and ended up being gifted 9 total blankets, and no, that isn’t an exaggeration. Hold off on adding those to your registry because odds are you’ll be given at least one!
Besides, safe sleep includes no blankets in the crib or bassinet. We use one for the stroller or car seat, and we make due with one (MAYBE two) just fine.
2. Anything your baby might have a preference about
Babies have opinions! You might want the most aesthetic or popular or doctor recommended pacifier, but your baby is going to like what they’re going to like. Your baby doesn’t care if it’s the best pacifier for breastfeeding babies or was created with orthodontics in mind.
No need to waste money on specific pacifiers out there before you know if your baby is going to like them or not! At least no need to stock up on them. Grab a few, a variety even, and test once your little one arrives.
We took a baby class before our little guy arrived and the teacher recommended a very specific pacifier to avoid nipple confusion with your breastfed baby. I immediately purchased a bunch! Guess what, my breastfed baby absolutely hated them. I’ve tried as he’s gotten older too, and it’s still a hard no from him. Turns out he liked ones that the lactation consultant specifically recommended against, and we’ve all made out just fine with that.
This also applies to bottles! Don’t go grabbing every color variety of the hottest bottle on the market before trying one first.
If you’re wondering how you could try anything out before just purchasing, not to worry, there are a few options.
If you’re making a baby registry, plenty of the companies that offer the ability to do so, such as Amazon or Target, offer a free registry gift that comes with samples of products. Awesome way to try things out without committing!
Babylist also has sampler packs for pacifiers and bottles, so you’ll get to test out a variety!
And if neither of those work for you, just go with a small pack of what you’re interested in before getting a whole bunch.
3. Anything your baby might have a sensitivity to
Along the same lines, your baby might have a skin sensitivity to various products. Be careful stocking up on diapers, wipes, baby shampoo, baby wash, lotion, diaper cream, etc. before giving those products a proper try. When in doubt go for hypoallergenic and sensitive skin safe products, like Believe Baby’s diapers and wipes!
4. Changing pad with a cover
In an ideal world, your changing pad would never get anything on it that should have remained in the diaper, but let me tell you that is NOT the world we live in!
Save yourself loads and loads of laundry by skipping a changing pad with a cover. Instead go for an easily wipeable one so you can quickly clean up messes without having to take off the changing pad cover, treat any stains, wash, dry, and put back on.
5. Clothes with too many snaps
Snaps are a very common fastener with baby clothes, but there’s a big difference between the 3 snaps needed to close a onesie, and the almost 20 snaps needed for a romper or pajamas. Skip out on the full outfits consisting of all too many snaps and you’ll save yourself frustration and time. Whether your baby is fussy, wiggly, or it’s the middle of the night, you are not going to be wanting to align all the snaps up your little baby’s body. Even if your baby is perfectly calm! Zippers make life SO much easier.
6. Clothes for a specific holiday or event
When I was around 10 weeks pregnant, my mom came to visit and we went on a huge shopping spree. Halloween clothes were coming out, so we grabbed a bunch in the size 3-6 months, since that’s how old my baby would be the following year for his first Halloween.
Turns out I made a pretty big baby, and what I thought would fit him in October, actually fit him in July.
While he looked quite adorable in his spooky little outfits over the summer, take this as a reminder that you can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict how big or small your baby will end up!
7. Gender specific items
This one is really personal preference, but if you’re planning to have multiple kids you might want to consider grabbing more gender neutral items so they can be easily used for future children.
Unfortunately I found gender neutral clothing is harder to come by than you might think, but it could apply to bouncers, toys, strollers, etc.
8. Breast pump
If you are planning on pumping especially, but even if you’re planning on breastfeeding, a breast pump is essential! This is NOT a recommendation to not get one, but instead a pro tip to see if you can get one on discount or even for free through your insurance!
I grabbed mine through Aeroflow, but plenty of other companies offer free or discounted pumps and pump supplies through your insurance. It saved us around $350!
9. Feeding supplies
No matter what your feeding preferences or goals are, I would hold off on registering for too many feeding supplies. Bottles, formula, breast milk storage bags, manual pumps, formula containers, pumping bras, formula dispensers, the list goes on and on.
You might have it in your mind that you are set on using formula, but then you give birth and you decide to give breastfeeding a try. Nursing might be your goal, but it turns out exclusively pumping is what works best for your family. It’s one of those things that you won’t know 100% what it will look like until the baby is actually here, and because of that, you won’t know what you actually need.
Hold off on getting too much that only applies to a specific kind of feeding before the baby arrives so you can get what you and your little one truly need.
But what if I end up needing these and I skipped registering for them?
Just about every baby registry platform offers some kind of completion discount for using them! Babylist and Target offer 15% off one order once you start getting close to your due date. Amazon offers 15% off a good majority of baby products.
By simplifying your registry, you'll not only reduce clutter but also allow yourself to be open minded to your baby’s individual preferences and needs. Have a safe place for baby to sleep, some diapers, and a way to feed them, and everything else can be shipped in a few days' time. Wishing you a smooth transition into parenthood!
