As a first time mom-to-be, you probably have no fucking idea where to start with your registry.

When I was making mine, I received some sage advice. “Just put everything on there,” my auntie said after I told her I was self-conscious about the amount of stuff I had put on it. I used babylist.com so I could add items from different sites with direct links for our family & friends to purchase and choose to either ship straight to us, or deliver to us themselves. Not only does babylist give you options on where you can purchase each item complete with price comparisons, but people will appreciate a range of options to choose from based on their respective budget/financial circumstance. Some of my friends, however, were laughing at how extravagant it was. So I turned to my mama community to find out: what do I actually need?

One friend shared that from her experience, changing tables were unnecessary. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a changing table, mattress pad, etc., you can just buy a portable changing pad (for $15 on amazon) and lay it on any flat surface to change your baby.

I didn’t realize how expensive having a kid would be until I saw my completed registry, so hacks like these were greatly appreciated. I tried to soak up all the tips from experienced parents I could. Nonetheless, there’s still so much I had to live through in order to learn.

Now, if I could do it all over again, these are the bare essentials I would include on a first baby registry.

Cash Gifts / Diaper Fund

Open a bank account for your baby before their arrival, and promote your venmo, cashapp, zelle, paypal etc. for friends & family to contribute to.

Some people prefer to give cash gifts so you can pick what you want, some intend for it to be set aside for things such as college savings, etc. Some people simply don’t know what to get you, but still want to show love. You can never go wrong with cash!

Binkies, 0-3mo

In the hospital when the nurses first asked if it was okay to give Hiro a binkie, I was hesitant. I heard somewhere on the interwebs that it can create nipple confusion for some babies; however in my experience, that wasn’t the case at all. Hiro didn’t have colic, but he did go through (as I’m sure all babies do) several stretches of inconsolable crying matches. In those moments, I realized why they’re called ‘pacifiers’, lol.

Now, we’ve graduated to binkies for babies with more mature mouths. But we still use them religiously- every time we put him down to sleep, whenever he’s being fussy, and ever since he started teething they’ve especially been a savior!

Playmat/Activity Gym

As soon as your baby hits two weeks old, all you’ll hear about is tummy time, tummy time, and more tummy time!

These play gyms & activity mats have been life savers for me. I put Hiro down during his wake periods to play independently, to put him somewhere if I need both my hands to do something quick, & to force his least favorite activity on him: tummy time.

If your baby hates it like mine does, it won’t necessarily be the most enjoyable thing to check off your baby to-do list, but it is essential for developing motor skills and fostering independent play.

Standing Activity Gym

*Only after Hiro turned four months old was he big enough for this contraption… nevertheless, he loves it! And it’s an alternative way of independent playtime for him that allows him to stand up instead of laying down.

Bassinet AND CRIB

So sleep training (among many other significant aspects of having a baby) was not something we did any research on beforehand. When we first brought Hiro home from the hospital, we had no clue what to do with him or how to put him to sleep, lol. Imagine what a nightmare getting acclimated to that was for all three of us 😩.

At first, we put him to sleep in a bassinet by the side of our bed because we were so paranoid and wanted to be able to see & reach him at all times.

When we started to get a little more comfy, we would put him down in his crib at night and only use the bassinet during the day time. By 4 months, he was sleeping exclusively in his crib. The bassinets now hold all the things he’s grown out of and are waiting for their trip to the storage unit.

Cradle/Swing

One of the many contraptions you can put your baby in/on to free your hands during their wake periods so you can do things; wash the dishes, fold the laundry, feed the dog, etc. *Never leave your baby in one of these things unsupervised.

Loungers

Another place to put your baby to free your hands. We loved to put Hiro in one of these in between us on a fluffy couch cushion while we watch movies.

Diaper Bag

Make sure it’s cute, because this basically becomes your purse. Some people don’t use traditional diaper bags. I’ll be honest, we bought one like this that we now use for travel, but I ended up buying a travel crossbody tote bag that I turned into our day-to-day diaper bag via a purse organizer* (highly recommend!) because it looks so much more sleek & is less bulky when you’re out & about.

**INSERT PHOTOS

Baby Carrier/Wrap

Fun for baby to go for walks, or when they don’t want to be put down but you need to get things done. I’ve also seen people carry their babies around in these shopping at Target. Fun for baby, easy for you 🙂

Car Seat/Stroller + Accessories

There are sooooo many to choose from. I recommend going with the popular brands. There’s a reason why they’re popular. Also, this isn’t an item to sacrifice quality for a lower price. This will be one of your most used items… so make sure it’s functional and most important- to your liking.

Sleep Swaddles

OMG. We went THROUGH IT with the swaddle situation. We didn’t realize how controversial swaddles were. So we had to be very particular. We probably tried every swaddle out there, and this is the one we still swear by, six months later.

If your baby is like ours, with a bad case of the moro reflex, being able to swaddle his arms down so he doesn’t wake himself up is the only way he will fall asleep. Just make sure to wrap and seal it tightly, otherwise they can squirm their arms out pretty easily.

Burp Clothes, Burp Clothes, and more Burp Clothes

“However many burp clothes you think you need – buy triple the amount!” – some of the best mommy advice I received when putting together my registry.

Breast Pump & Milk Storage

If you plan to breastfeed, you’ll need to pump. In my past posts, you’ve read about my complicated relationship with breastfeeding. The next time I do this (having a baby thing), I’d get one of these wireless pumps. I had an old-school kind that I broke several times, lol. Make sure you read up on milk storage too!

Alcohol Test Strips for breast milk

Like many moms who recently gave birth, I was JUICED to be able to drink again. While I was pregnant, a nurse had advised that as long as I felt confident to handle my baby while drinking, the amount of alcohol being passed to him through my milk was miniscule. So you know I had the wine stocked as soon as Hiro got here, and enjoyed the hell out of my two glasses per night.

Sometimes, I’d feel like three or four glasses though. At which point, I would need to test my milk before feeding. These strips are super easy to use and give you results in two minutes, so you can act quickly if you have a hungry baby waiting and fix him a bottle if need be.

Haakaa!

I think I was around six weeks into my breastfeeding journey before discovering the Haakaa. If you breastfeed, expect your nipples to leak. Often. When you’re feeding baby on one boob, the other one will release milk too. So this manual breast pump is perfect to pop on and catch the fallout!

Honest Baby Bath Products & Baby Wash Cloths

This was another thing that confused me as a first time mom. They told me not to bathe my baby for several weeks? I just couldn’t grasp the idea…

For the first two weeks I gave Hiro hoebaths everyday, just wiping him down with a warm wash cloth (pictured above). As soon as the doctor gave us the green light to use soap, I had him in his baby tub (pictured below) playing in the suds. He loves bathtime!

Baby Tub

Baby Detergent

Don’t wash your baby’s clothes with yours! Wash them separately, with this detergent. It smells sooooooo good. Before giving birth I washed all the baby’s clothes so they’d be ready to just pull out and use when the time came. When it was time to put Hiro in his first outfit the day we left the hospital, the smell on his baby clothes were a comforting response after one of the most traumatic events of our lives!

Baby Laundry Hamper

Again, keep their clothes separate from yours.

Obviously… DIAPERS & WIPES

We decided to go with the boujie option, but any brand will do 🙂

Changing Mat

We used one of these portable changing mats instead of having a whole changing station, per my intro. But, whatever floats your boat!

Rocking Chair

A comfy place for you and baby to chill.

Bookshelf

Sound Machine

This is something Hiro will. not. fall. asleep. without!!!! A must!

Crib Mobile

Gives baby something to look at while laying down and not asleep. Calms baby when crying.

Thermometer, First Aid Kit, & Sick Baby Essentials

… For obvious reasons.

BOOKS

You can never have enough books! For our baby shower, instead of cards, we asked people to bring books. Now, we have a bookshelf FULL TO THE BRIM with books to read to baby Hiro 🙂