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Creating your baby registry checklist as a first-time mom can feel overwhelming.
When I was pregnant, my midwives reminded me several times that newborns don’t actually need very much.
They told me babies mainly need somewhere safe to sleep, diapers, a few outfits, plenty of milk, lots of love, and you.
I believed them…
…and then I still added what felt like a hundred things to my baby registry.
Looking back now, I realize I wasn’t just buying baby products—I was trying to prepare for something completely unknown.
I’ve always been someone who likes to overprepare, and becoming a first-time mom brought that out even more. Every extra item I added to my baby registry helped settle my nerves because I had no idea what life with a newborn would actually look like.
After almost a year of motherhood, I can honestly say my midwives were right.
There were absolutely products that made everyday life easier, but there were also plenty of things I didn’t need before my son arrived.
If I were building my registry today, this is the baby registry checklist I’d follow.
Whether you’re creating an Amazon Baby Registry, shopping in stores, or simply trying to decide what belongs on your list, I hope this checklist helps you feel a little less overwhelmed.
🤍 Honest Nest Note
Every family is different, and every baby has their own preferences.
This baby registry checklist isn’t meant to pressure you into buying everything before your due date.
Instead, it’s the checklist I wish I’d had after almost a year of motherhood—the products I reached for over and over again, the things that truly made everyday life easier, and the items I’d happily register for again.
This baby registry checklist is everything I wish I’d had before becoming a first-time mom.
If you’re looking for an even simpler approach, you’ll also love my Minimalist Baby Registry for First-Time Moms, where I share exactly what I’d buy (and what I’d skip) if I were starting over.
How to Use This Baby Registry Checklist for Your Amazon Baby Registry
If you’re creating an Amazon Baby Registry, this baby registry checklist makes a great starting point.
Instead of adding everything at once, I recommend beginning with the essentials you’ll use during the first few months and adding the rest as you learn what works best for your baby.
Amazon makes it easy to update your registry after your baby arrives, so don’t feel pressured to have every possible product before your due date.
This checklist includes the products I personally used the most during my son’s first year, making it a simple guide whether you’re creating an Amazon registry or shopping somewhere else.
If you’d rather browse everything in one place, I’ve also created my Amazon storefront with all of my favorite baby registry essentials.
Free Printable Baby Registry Checklist
If you’d like a simple version to print while you’re building your registry, I’ve created a free printable baby registry checklist you can download below.
(Printable coming soon.)
😴 Sleep Essentials for Your Baby Registry
These were the sleep essentials we used every single day during the newborn stage.
☐ Bedside bassinet
☐ Two fitted bassinet sheets
☐ Two to three sleep sacks
☐ Portable sound machine
Our bedside bassinet was one of the best purchases we made. Being able to reach over and pick my son up during nighttime feeds instead of getting out of bed made those exhausting newborn nights much easier.
I also recommend having two fitted sheets. Between spit-up and diaper leaks, I was thankful to always have a clean one ready.
🤍 Honest Nest Favorites
🍼 Feeding Essentials for Your Baby Registry
Whether you plan to breastfeed, formula feed, or combo feed, these were the feeding products we reached for constantly.
☐ Four to six bottles
☐ Bottle brush
☐ Eight to ten burp cloths
☐ Bottle sterilizer
Even though I mostly breastfed, I still kept bottles washed and ready. Having that flexibility made the newborn stage much less stressful.
Burp cloths quickly became one of the most-used items in our house. I kept them beside the bed, in the diaper bag, on the couch, and somehow they still always seemed to disappear into the laundry.
Our bottle sterilizer also became part of our daily routine. It saved us so much time compared to boiling bottles on the stove.
🤍 Honest Nest Favorites
If you’re still deciding exactly what feeding supplies you’ll need, I go into much more detail in my Bottle Feeding Essentials (What You Actually Need) guide.
🤱 Breastfeeding Essentials for Your Baby Registry (If You Plan to Nurse)
Every breastfeeding journey is different, but these were the items that made nursing much more comfortable for me.
☐ Nursing pillow
☐ Comfortable nursing bra
☐ Motherlove nipple cream
One thing I wish I’d bought sooner was a really comfortable nursing bra.
I’ve practically lived in my Bodily nursing bras this past year because they’re incredibly soft and comfortable.
Motherlove nipple cream was another product I genuinely loved during those early weeks, especially while we were both learning how to breastfeed.
🤍 Honest Nest Favorites
👉 Motherlove Nipple Cream
(code: CASSANDRAML — 15% discount should auto apply)
🚼 Diapering Essentials for Your Baby Registry
Newborns go through a surprising number of diapers every day.
These are the diapering essentials I’d make sure to have ready before bringing baby home.
☐ Newborn diapers
☐ Size 1 diapers
☐ Baby wipes
☐ Diaper cream
☐ Diaper caddy
My son easily went through 10–12 diapers a day during those first weeks.
I also wouldn’t stockpile one diaper brand or one size before your baby arrives. Every baby grows differently, and diaper fit can vary from brand to brand.
If there’s one diapering product I’d tell every first-time mom to register for, it’s a diaper caddy.
I kept ours beside the couch during the day, carried it upstairs at bedtime, and honestly used it far more than the changing station we set up in the nursery.
🤍 Honest Nest Favorites
👉 Tubby Todd All Over Ointment
You can also see everything I kept stocked inside it in my Diapering Essentials for Newborns guide.
👕 Clothing Essentials for Your Baby Registry
One of the biggest surprises for me?
How little variety my son actually wore during those first few months.
☐ Eight to ten zipper sleepers
☐ A few pairs of socks
☐ Seasonal clothing basics
I had plenty of adorable newborns outfits.
You know what he actually lived in?
Zipper sleepers.
They made diaper changes so much easier, especially in the middle of the night.
I’d still register for a few cute outfits, but if I were starting over, I’d put much more focus on comfortable everyday clothing than tiny outfits that only got worn once.
🤍 Honest Nest Favorites
🚗 On-the-Go Essentials for Your Baby Registry
Once your baby arrives, you’ll quickly realize how often you’re packing up for pediatrician visits, walks around the neighborhood, family visits, and errands. These are the products we reached for every single time we left the house.
☐ Infant car seat
☐ Stroller
☐ Baby carrier
☐ Diaper bag
☐ Wet/dry bags
☐ Stroller fan (for warm weather)
I underestimated how much I’d use our baby carrier.
Some days it was the only way I could make breakfast, fold laundry, or simply walk around the house while keeping my son happy.
If you’re thinking about babywearing, I share everything I learned in Babywearing With a Newborn (What I Wish I Knew Before I Started).
Our stroller fan also became one of those products we never left home without during the summer. It stayed clipped to our stroller for walks, parks, and outdoor outings.
🤍 Honest Nest Favorites
👉 Nuna PIPA + TRIV Next Travel System
👉 Product of the North Diaper Bag
🛁 Bath Time Essentials for Your Baby Registry
Bath time became one of my favorite parts of the day once we found a simple routine that worked.
☐ Angelcare Bath Support
☐ Floating bath thermometer
☐ Hooded towels
If you’re not planning to get into the tub with your baby, I highly recommend the Angelcare Bath Support. It made newborn bath time feel much easier during those first months.
I also still use our floating bath thermometer almost every single bath. It’s inexpensive, takes the guesswork out of bath water temperature, and gives me peace of mind that the water isn’t too warm.
🤍 Honest Nest Favorites
👉 Dreambaby Floating Bath Thermometer
🏡 Around the House for Your Baby Registry
These were the everyday products that simply made life easier.
☐ Baby bouncer
If I could only recommend one baby container, it would absolutely be a baby bouncer.
I used ours constantly.
It gave me a safe place to set my son down while I showered, brushed my teeth, made breakfast, folded laundry, or simply needed both hands for a few minutes.
Instead of buying a swing, rocker, lounger, and bouncer before your baby arrives, I’d start with a bouncer and see what your baby actually enjoys.
🤍 Honest Nest Favorite
🩺 Health Essentials for Your Baby Registry
There weren’t many health products we reached for regularly, but these two earned a permanent spot in our nursery.
☐ NoseFrida
☐ Electric nail file
I honestly didn’t expect to use the NoseFrida as much as we did because my son wasn’t sick.
He was simply congested during those first few months, which my midwives explained is actually very common. Babies spend nine months surrounded by fluid before they’re born, so it takes time for their tiny noses to adjust to breathing dry air.
Once I understood that, I stopped worrying every time he sounded a little stuffy.
Whenever he sounded stuffy, the NoseFrida helped clear his nose so he could nurse and sleep more comfortably.
The electric nail file was another product I’d buy again without hesitation. I was terrified of clipping those tiny newborn fingernails, and this made the whole process so much less stressful.
🤍 Honest Nest Favorites
👉 Frida Baby Electric Nail Buffer
Things I’d Wait to Buy
One of the biggest lessons I learned as a first-time mom is that you don’t need to have absolutely everything before your baby arrives.
In fact, waiting on a few purchases can actually save you money because you’ll have a better idea of what your baby—and your family—actually needs.
I’d personally wait on:
- A wipe warmer
- Multiple baby containers
- Lots of newborn toys
- Too many swaddles before you know what your baby likes
- A huge newborn wardrobe
Every baby has different preferences. Waiting a few weeks on these purchases can save money and help you choose products your baby actually enjoys.
If you’re curious what I’d leave off my baby registry checklist after actually using everything for almost a year, I share more in What I’d Leave Off My Baby Registry Next Time (And What I’d Add Instead).
🤍 Don’t Forget About Yourself
It’s easy to spend months preparing for your baby and completely forget about your own recovery.
Looking back, some of my most-used postpartum items weren’t for my son at all—they were for me.
If you’re still building your baby registry checklist, don’t forget to think about what you’ll need during those first few weeks after birth.
I share everything I wish I’d added in 10 Postpartum Items for Your Baby Registry (I Wish I’d Added).
It’s Okay to Buy Some Things Later
One of the biggest things motherhood taught me is that you don’t have to have everything figured out before your baby arrives.
There were several products I didn’t buy until after my son was born—and some of them ended up becoming everyday favorites.
If you’re curious what those were, you can read Things I Bought After Baby Was Born That I Used Every Day.
Sometimes living through those first few weeks makes it much easier to know what will actually make your life easier.
Final Thoughts
Your baby doesn’t need a perfect baby registry checklist.
It’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed as a first-time parent. You’re preparing for something you’ve never experienced before, so it’s easy to think you need every product on every registry list you come across.
I know that’s exactly how I felt.
Looking back after almost a year of motherhood, I can honestly say that the products which made the biggest difference were often the simplest ones.
Start with the essentials.
Learn what works for your baby.
Add more if you need to.
You don’t have to have everything figured out before your baby arrives, and you certainly don’t have to buy everything all at once.
I hope this baby registry checklist helps you feel a little more confident as you prepare to meet your little one.
Related Articles
If you’re still planning your registry, these guides may help next:
- Minimalist Baby Registry for First-Time Moms (The Only Essentials I’d Buy Again)
- Baby Registry Must Haves: Real Essentials You’ll Actually Use
- 10 Baby Registry Mistakes First-Time Moms Make (And What I’d Do Differently)
- 15 Things I Didn’t Know I Needed as a New Mom
- Best Baby Products for Newborns (12 That Actually Make Life Easier)