There’s a lot of stress that comes with expecting a baby. From frequent trips to the hospital for medical checkups, building a nursery, and shopping for baby essentials, there’s a never-ending list of things to do.
However, creating a baby registry checklist is a great way to make the baby planning process more manageable. A baby registry checklist is a plan of the essential things your baby will need when born.
With this list of essential items, you’ll save time and money and eliminate the stress of going to stores to shop for baby stuff.
So, if you’re a mom-to-be worried about the essential baby items to get before your last trimester, don’t fret. This article will discuss the baby registry checklist, its necessary details, do’s and don’ts, and how to set one up.
What is a Baby Registry?
As stated earlier, a baby registry is a checklist that highlights baby essentials. It’s usually prepared for friends and family to select the items they can gift a new parent when their baby is born. The checklist also helps expecting parents to plan all the necessary gears and supplies their baby will need for the first three months after birth to up to a year at least.
It also helps your friends and family make quick and easy decisions since they’ll understand your favorite brands and products instead of just guessing. And the good part is that you may also include some important things you’ll need for yourself after delivery.
Some parents create a baby registry shortly after getting pregnant, while others start one at the end of the first trimester or even further along. In other words, you can start working on your registry whenever you’re ready. No time is too early or too late. However, to give your well-wishers enough time to consider their options and purchase the items they want to gift you, you should aim at starting early. You can have the checklist ready about a month before your baby shower. Doing so will also give you room to update the registry with everything you need before the event.
Usually, different stores organize baby registries. Your registry can also be with online and offline vendors because you can have more than one. Moreover, various retailers have individual benefits like discounts, free welcome boxes, and other incentives.
Interestingly, universal registries also allow expecting parents to add as many items as they want from any vendor aside from the registry curator. A universal baby registry makes it easy to have all your things in one place, personalize your experience, and easily keep track of the gifts you get.
Tip: You can clearly state the quantity of each item you want in your baby checklist. Also, update your list from time to time till you have ticked off everything you get.
What to Include in a Baby Registry Checklist?
You can add any baby essential to your checklist from oversized, expensive items like cribs and strollers to small essentials like diapers and wipes. You can also list according to priority, so those getting them will prioritize accordingly.
It is important to note that there’s no reason to be shy or reluctant when curating a registry. Include as many things as possible to increase your chances of getting enough stuff and give your friends and family enough options to choose from. Are you creating a baby registry checklist?
Here are a few things to consider:
Nursery
Your baby nursery is one of the most vital things you want to have before it’s born. Unfortunately, nurseries don’t come cheap and consist of many items to come together. In essence, you should first determine the kind of nursery you want for your baby and the items that’ll make it up. Nursery essentials include a crib, crib mattress, crib mattress pads, bassinet, changing table, dresser, toy chest, nightlight, changing pad and cover, rocker, blanket, hamper, diaper bucket, etc. Include the quantity you need for each item when creating the registry checklist.
Feeding
Another category of non-negotiable items is feeding. You’ll always need feeding items for your baby, even when you plan to breastfeed for some time. For example, you’ll need feeding bottles when other people need to feed your child in your absence. You’ll also need items like a bottle brush, pacifier, bottle warmer, sanitizer, breast pump, pump storage bags, nursing pillow and cover, high chair, and other accessories.
Diapering
Diapers! Don’t forget those when making a baby checklist. Diapers are never enough, so ensure to include as many as possible in the registry. Also, don’t forget diapering materials like diaper pail, cotton balls/swabs, baby wipes, diaper cream, and diapers themselves.
When listing diapers and similar materials, specify the brands you prefer to help your well-wishers get what you can use.
Bath
You’ll need to bathe your newborn from time to time. And, of course, you need tools for that. Having infant baths and enough bathing products on your list will prevent you from stressing for a long time after delivery. Endeavor to include bathing essentials like baby tubs and bath sets, washcloths and towels, infant nail clippers, baby nail scissors, faucet cover & bath kneeler. In addition, you may include items like shampoo, body wash, and lotions.
Bedding
As a parent, you must ensure safe sleep practices for your newborn – from putting fitted sheets in the baby’s crib to having pillows and other items. Essentially, you need these items alongside a baby mattress, waterproof mattress protector, blankets, etc. Altogether, they should make your baby’s bedding comfortable and colorful.
Gear
Baby gears are expensive, but they will stay with you till the end of time. You can also recycle the majority of the items when you give birth to other children in the future. So, you want to ensure you get only the best quality products from your well-wishers.
You may want to include primary gears in your baby registry checklist: strollers, car seats, bouncers, loungers, travel cribs, swings, etc.
Playtime
The best way to bond with your newborn is by playing with it occasionally. However, while trying to create playtime, you should have safety at the back of your mind. You don’t want to cause any harm to your baby during your playtime.
In other words, you should get baby-friendly playtime items like a seat, bouncer, playtime mat, soft baby book, teething toy, blanket, cotton stuffed animals, swing, soft stacking blocks, etc.
Health and Safety
With babies, accidents can happen. But many of these accidents are avoidable if parents have the proper measures and tools to prevent them. Other times, your baby might need urgent medical attention. So, it would help if you had the tools for first aid and other minor checks.
These tools include a baby thermometer, humidifier, baby monitor, noise machine, etc.
Clothing
Baby clothes are another essential thing you shouldn’t overlook when creating your baby registry, especially if you have specific brands or designs. But if you’re confident about getting baby clothes from your friends and families, you may not include them in your list.
Be sure to add other things like body suits, blankets, jackets, undershirts, T-shirts, sweaters, socks, hats, boots, sleeping sacks, rompers, receiving blankets, etc.
Electronics
Electronics can help you set the mood in your baby’s nursery. You can also use gadgets to monitor the baby’s activities or pacify it remotely when you’re on another side of the building.
In other words, you may include baby items like baby music players, soothing sound machines, baby activity trackers, and other gadgets in your baby registry.
What NOT to Put in a Baby Registry Checklist
It’s easy to get carried away when creating a baby registry checklist. Since many items are coming as gifts, you may be tempted to include too many things. Doing so will leave you with a very long list, and your friends and family may choose the less essential items from the list.
The essence of a baby registry is for it to cover your baby’s essentials for a reasonable amount of time. So, ensure you have a priority list of items at the end of the day. In other words, it may be best not to include:
Baby wipe warmer
Baby wipe warmers are not a necessity. Many parents have said they never used a baby wipe warmer when nurturing their kids. So, unless you want some, you may skip them when creating your baby registry.
Crib bumpers
It is better to have only fitted sheets in your baby’s crib or bassinet. Other items like stuffed animals and crib bumpers may be unnecessary – unless you want them. However, it is essential to note that these items won’t hurt the baby if you have them. So, it’s all about your preference.
Dressy clothes
Babies will always mess up their clothes, and that’s no fault. From puking to pooping, and momentary spitting, parents should expect endless washing and rinsing of their baby clothes. In other words, you should wear basic cute clothes instead of dressy ones for daily use. Reserve the adorable and expensive clothes for events and other vital outings.
Drop-down cribs
According to the United States Product Safety Commission (CPSP), there are baby standards that parents must adhere to, especially with new babies and baby products. Similarly, CPSP abolished the manufacture of drop-down cribs in 2011 as a safety measure for new parents. However, you may get a drop-down crib as a gift or find second-hand options from some vendors. Ensure you avoid them and opt for a safer crib instead.
Ton of toys
Babies do not understand safety. They put anything in their mouths by grabbing them in their little fingers. And at a young age, they don’t even understand what toys are; they just want to hold and play with them. So, instead of stuffing your baby’s nursery with too many toys, you can keep them limited in number. Doing so will mitigate accident risks and have enough room for your baby to move around.
Making a Baby Registry Checklist for a Second Child
Although with a second baby, parents usually recycle most of the baby items from the first child. For example, you may not need to buy rockers, carriers, baby swings, feeders, etc. However, when making the first checklist, it’s normal to have some things missing or wholly omitted.
In other words, making a second registry is another shot at getting more items or replacing old ones with newer and cuter ones. For example, you can add expensive items like a high chair, nursery furniture, infant car seat, crib, stroller or double stroller, etc. You can also add casual stuff like clothes in different colors, teething rings, sheets, diapers, keepsakes, etc. Nothing is too small or big.
What not to bother
You can always recycle some of the baby items from your first registry. And if you still have them, there’s hardly a reason to replace them unless they’re in bad condition. For example, you don’t necessarily need items like baby tubs, bouncy seats, changing tables, high chairs, baby toys, baby clothes, etc.
Items like bathtubs are made with plastic that you can clean easily, bouncy seats can last for many years, and you can also wash and reuse your first child’s clothes if they’re still in good condition. Likewise, items like high chairs are easy to clean and made to last, so you don’t have to worry about changing them as long as they meet the CPSP-approved standards.
Baby Registry Checklist Templates
As earlier stated, creating a baby registry checklist is not a walk in the park. It takes time, effort, planning, and lots of thinking. But to make the process easier and faster, you can use our free online baby registry checklist templates.
The templates will make your life much easier, as there are many items to keep up with, from diapers to cream, clothes, lotions, strollers, cribs, etc. But with a baby registry checklist template, all you need to do is choose which option best fits your requirements and needs. There are also different formats to choose from, including MS Word, PDF, PSD, or a Google Doc that you can easily share with your friends and family and subsequently keep track of.
Key Takeaways
- Creating a baby registry is one of the first things to do after getting pregnant. Apart from helping you plan for your baby’s arrival; it gives you an idea of all the things you’ll need in preparation for when the baby is born.
- A registry checklist can act as a wish list from which friends and family can select items to gift you during your baby shower.
- No matter how early or late you start your baby registry, you should understand that there’s always room to update the list or make adjustments before the baby shower. However, you should have the list completed about a month before your baby shower or around the time you send out the shower invites.
- You can add as many items as possible to your list. So don’t be shy or worried if they’ll be too many. Instead, focus on your needs, make a list according to priority, and leave the rest to your gift-givers.
- Making a baby registry checklist is not as easy as it seems. There’s a lot of items and products to consider. However, to take the additional stress off parents-to-be, we have free online baby registry checklist templates you can download. These templates will come in handy when you finally decide to get started with your registry.