baby registry checklist – Sparkles Rainbows & Unicorns

Baby Registry Overwhelm Let Me Help! What To Include In Your Baby Registry. I have to admit I really didn't know what I going to need for Colton aside from the obvious stuff like diapers, bottles, bibs, a crib and car seat, wipes, pacifiers. I knew I needed these things but when I went on amazon to work on my baby registry I became super overwhelmed by all the baby stuff I found. What is a baby registry? First off you probably already know what a baby registry is but if you don't let me explain real quick. A baby registry is a registry you sign up for like the one that amazon has. You sign up and then start adding items to the registry list that you would like for your own baby. Then you or the person that is planning the baby shower can email a link to your registry to all your peeps. Then the people that want to get you gifts can look at the registry and purchase items directly from there. I believe most registries keep track of the items that people are buying, so that it's not purchased more than once. Most of the time you'll get the gifts at your baby shower but I have had some family and friends that mailed the gifts to us. Disclaimer: To be transparent there are affiliate links in this post. There is no extra charge to you if you decide to purchase any of the products. I get a small commission so I appreciate it if you decide to. For more information check out my disclosure and disclaimer page. When should you create your registry and start listing items? So this really up to you when you want to start your registry. I know some people that liked to start there registry right away because maybe they were pumped and super excited or something. I was not like that. Actually I was dreading it because it felt so time consuming and overwhelming. I kind of put it off to the last minute before the baby shower...oops. My sister Meghan kept asking me if I had the registry set up yet. If it wasn't for her I probably wouldn't have finished in time. My sister was the host for my baby shower and I am so thankful because she did such an awesome job. It was an elephant theme by the way if you were wondering. I don't suggest you wait till the last minute like I did, but pretty much anytime you feel ready start just do it and probably best to begin before your baby shower, :-D. Where to register? Amazon Baby Registry! This is what amazon says for why you should use there baby registry. If you are a prime member you can get an extra 15% off eligible items. There is a universal option where you can add items from any other site. I didn't do this though. I just picked out items through amazon. There are tons of products to choose from... but like I said sometimes that makes things more overwhelming. But don't worry too much I will let you know which items you should make sure you include.For most of the products there is a free 90 day return option if you end up getting something you don't want or need.If you enable group gifting in your registry multiple people can contribute money to a certain item. And at the moment you get a free welcome gift box of baby related products up to $35. What to register for? You probably feel overwhelmed at the prospect of having to figure out what you need, let alone choose which products you want. I am sure your looking through google and scrolling through Pinterest to find a good list. There's definitely things I bought or got as gifts that I realized later I didn't need and some things I am so thankful I got because they have been life savers. Now I'm not a minimalist though I like the idea, but I definitely don't want a heap of baby stuff that I am not going to use that is just taking up space. So I'll just list off items that I use regularly, find helpful, can't do without. The essentials. I guess you can say that this list will sort of be more of a minimalist list of items compared to other baby registry lists with everything under the sun. Diapering I thought I would want to do cloth diapering. Actually I was quite set on it. Ha ha ha. Nope. Though I saw that as a way for us to save money and be more Eco-friendly the labor involved is not worth it to me. Sorry landfills more diapers coming your way. I feel a little bad about it but not bad enough. There are a couple articles if you are interested in cloth diapering. My best friend Teresa does cloth diapering with her kids and she did a couple guest posts on my blog. Teresa's Cloth Diapering Related Posts: Is Cloth Diapering For You? How To Cloth Diaper Step by step with pictures. Baby Shower Idea Dun dun dun! My sister had a great idea. She had a raffle for some prizes and to get in raffle entry was a box of diapers. I got so many diapers in the beginning because everyone that came brought a box. Score! Newborn size diapers- Colton grew out of these I think by week 2Size 1, 2 and 3 diapers- Colton is a big baby he is almost 4 months now 17 lbs and size 3 diapers are just fitting him. All babies are different but this just my experience. Actually also just to add I noticed different brands of diapers vary in size slightly. My favorite diaper brands so far are first huggies and close second pampers. Trash barrel and trash bags- Cuz it's cheaper. A lot of people recommend the diaper genie (Check it out on Amazon) or similar products to help reduce the smell of dirty diapers. My neighbors were telling me I had to get it because it makes a huge difference. If you want it by all means add it to your registry. But honestly, it's not that bad just having a normal trash barrel. I feel like the diaper genie is a waste of money. When Colton has a poopy diaper I put it in a plastic grocery bag and then put it in the trash. It doesn't smell like flowers but it's not that bad. If you really don't like the smell there are air fresheners you can stick (Check it out on Amazon) on the inside of the trash barrel. OKAY BREAK TIME COLTON IS HAVING A HISSY FIT. MUST SOOTHE HIM. o_O Changing Table- I really love the one we have in Colton's nursery which I bought for a used for a humungo discount. I've changed him many different places and I have to say the changing table is definitely my favorite place when changing him. It's just the right height for me and my back doesn't hurt when I'm bending or leaning over. It also doubles as a dresser with three drawers and I have everything I need at the changing table. Organizer that attaches to the side of the changing table- This is where I store diapers so they are ready to go. Since my changing table doesn't have open shelving underneath, the organizer makes grabbing a diaper super convenient.Changing Table Pad -I use a contoured changing pad, because it helps to keep them centered on the pad. Haven't had a problem with it. Sheet for changing table pad- There are so many cute sheets out there. The pad for my changing table and bassinet are the same size. So I share the sheets between the two. Baby Ointment- My favorite is Aquaphor (Check it out on Amazon)! Disposable wipes -My mom introduced me to WaterWipes (Check it out on Amazon). They are great for sensitive skins and are 99.9% purified water with 1% fruit extract. Feeding In the beginning everything about feeding was frustrating. I so bad wanted to breastfeed. I really tried and gave it my best. But it was so stressful. I wasn't producing enough milk. Even though he was a good sucker... :-) it was hard to get a good latch. And it hurt to breastfeed because of his tongue tie. I felt so guilty choosing to feed him formula. It made me so emotional that my body was having trouble doing what it was supposed to be able to do. I felt like a bad mother. It wasn't just about breast milk being better for him but it was also the fact that I knew breastfeeding creates a special bond between mother and baby. I tried for weeks to get my milk supply up. I was breastfeeding, formula feeding and pumping. I was pumping 3-4 hours around the clock, on top of feeding Colton formula and trying to breastfeed. It sucked. I was exhausted and cranky and I felt like my nerves were shot. It wasn't just because of the feeding but everything I had to do to take care of him, and comfort him plus the feeding process I had going on. If Breastfeeding Breast pump- check with your insurance you may be covered to get one for free. I got one for free but it was pretty weak. I ended up buying the Spectra Baby S1 hospital grade (Check it out on Amazon) which in the end I didn't end up needing since I have been solely formula-feeding. I plan on using in the future though with our next baby.Extra pump parts- to alternate when the other parts are getting cleaned or drying. Sometimes these come with the breast pump.Breast milk freezer bags Bottles and nipples- I got slow flow nipples because Colton was drinking down his bottles way too fast and was spitting up a ton because of it.Bottle brushes to keep them scrubbed and clean, they get funky if you don't keep up with cleaning them well. Nursing pillow or Boppy- A lot of women swear by them but I could take it or leave it. I had one but found I was more often using my own pillows from my bed. Nipple cream- Yes you need this! Between breastfeeding and pumping all the time, my poor nipples were getting cracked and sore. I started to put Lanolin cream (Check it out on Amazon) on constantly and it helped me heal and feel better.Breast pads Nursing Bras Nursing cover- Car seat canopy cover can double as a nursing cover. Baby Bottle Cooler for Breast milkDrying area for bottles - I just use a kitchen towel for my drying area but I am considering buying the Munchkin Spinning Drying Rack (Check it out on Amazon) .Lots of bibs and burp cloths -Between spitting up breast milk and formula, beginning teething and all the drooling that comes with it. Yes you will want a lot of these guys. If I ever have a girl someday... I pray I do. I would love to get these Hypoallergenic Blossom Bibs (Check it out on Amazon) ... sooo cute! If Formula-Feeding Bottles and nipples- Like I said above I got slow flow nipples because Colton was drinking too fast. My favorite bottles so far are the Tommee Tippee Anti-Colic bottles (Check it out on Amazon). Colton was struggling with Acid Reflux and gassiness and I believe this bottle has made a difference.Bottle brushes to keep them scrubbed and clean Drying area for bottles - I just use a kitchen towel for my drying area but I am considering buying the Munchkin Spinning Drying Rack (Check it out on Amazon). Lots of bibs and burp cloths -Between spitting up breast milk and formula, beginning teething, and all the drooling that comes with it. Yes, you will want a lot of these guys. If I ever have a girl someday... I pray I do. I would love to get these Hypoallergenic Blossom Bibs (Check it out on Amazon)... sooo cute! Baby Bottle Cooler for FormulaFormula- I had gone through a bunch of different formulas trying to find one that didn't make Colton really spitty and uncomfortable. All I know is non of the Similac formulas worked. I ended up using Baby's Only Organic LactoRelief Formula (Check it out on Amazon) and it's been great. It says it's for toddlers but that's because it never went through testing for newborns. I think it's a small company. Get your Free Printable Checklist Make sure you are including everything you will need with this baby registry item list in one easy to use checklist. One checklist is geared toward Formula Feeding and the other is Breastfeeding. Get yours right now and make registering for your baby easy peasy. Breastfeeding Baby Registry ChecklistDownload Formula Feeding Baby Registry ChecklistDownload Baby's Wardrobe I have to say when it comes to dressing Colton it is all about what is easiest. Yeah there's so many cute clothes out there. I could dress him up so he looks all swag. But no I would rather just throw him in a zipper up onesies. I mean baby's need to have their diapers change constantly. I don't want it to be complicated to get down to the diaper. However I would dress him up for certain occasions for example a party or going to church. But if it's a laid back day he's gonna be wearing laid back attire. Snowsuit – If it's the summer well you won't need this but late fall winter and early spring, you might want one. Booties and Socks - Socks are a pain in the arse. Sometimes he needs them because it is cold but the bugger can wiggle out of them so easy peasy. I am always looking for the socks he kicked off. It's like he does it on purpose. I have seen recommendations for Zutano Stay on Baby Booties (Check it out on Amazon)... hmmm I am definitely considering trying them.Hats- Colton hates hats but hey when it's cold outside too bad, he's wearing the hat. Mittens- or just use socks on their hands to help prevent scratches on your baby and yourself. Colton is always grasping and I have a lot of scratches on my arms from him. Thanks, Colton you turd. Jk, I still love him.Long sleeve and short sleeve onesies- I use these under his footie pajamas or as his shirt. I don't like regular shirts because they ride up.Zipper up footie pajamas- I would say this is the easiest outfit but second to nightgowns.Nightgowns- This makes nighttime changing a breeze. Just pull up the nightgown and bam there's the diaper. However, when it is colder I may have a onsie on underneath.Sleeping bag outfit- If you aren't using a swaddle this is a good option for overnight instead of sleeping with a blanket which is a suffocation hazard. Sweaters and a jacket- If it's chilly in the house or we are going out and it's chilly outside then a jacket or sweater is going on. Couple pants- I didn't start putting pants on Colton until he was 3 months and I only really did that when we went to church. Otherwise, Colton is pretty much in his onesie get up. Blankets I got a lot of blankets from different people and I pretty much use them all. Sometimes Colton spits up on one and I have to throw in the wash. But luckily I have blankets everywhere and I love it. They are like blanket stations, which means I don't usually have to go around the house trying to find one. I have a blanket in the living room, my office area, the nursery, in our bedroom, in the car, on the car seat. There is a plethora and it works for me. Soft Muslin Blankets- These are really good for warmer weather and breath-ability. I used to swaddle Colton in these but he's already too big at almost 4 months. Receiving Blankets- Dual purposed as they can keep baby warm and cozy or be used as a burp cloth. Cotton Blankets Fleece Blankets Knitted Blankets- I am talking about the ones that our friends and family knit. It is so nice to have your baby wrapped up in a blanket that was created specifically with them in mind. Every stitch filled with love. Technically this would not go on your registry but I guess you could ask someone if you knew that they liked to knit. Easy Swaddles- Colton loves to be swaddled, unfortunately, he has grown out of all the swaddles we have. I want to buy a bigger swaddle just because he loves it so much. I found Love to Dream Swaddle (Check it out on Amazon). It's cool because it's easy with a zipper and it allows the baby to sleep with arms up which is how most babies naturally sleep. Nursery Colton is still currently sleeping in our bedroom at night but we have the nursery all set up. It is a turquoise lime green color scheme. Probably the most put together room in our whole house. Most of the time I just go in there to change his diaper. But during the middle of the night I also go in there to feed him. This is so I don't disturb my husband Shawn too much as he gets up really early in the morning for work. Crib or Bassinet- We have a crib in the nursery but we started with a bassinet in our room. Colton has out grown the bassinet and now sleeps in a pack n play in our room. At some point he will start sleeping in the crib that's located in the nursery. But for now he feels secure being near us... I'm okay with that. Mattress for crib- make sure you get the right size for your crib. You also want the mattress to be fairly firm so the baby won't sink into it and potentially suffocate if they were to turn on their belly. Waterproof fitted sheet- I just realized I am only using one and it is on the crib mattress. Meaning where he actually sleeps I don't have one. I guess I need to do something about that. Fitted Sheets Comfy Chair, Rocker or Glider- I use a stationary comfy sofa chair every night when I feed Colton his bottles. Side Table – This is next to my comfy chair and it makes things easier because I can set my things down next to me. Dresser - Pants, onesies, socks, mittens, bibs, and hats get stored here.Baby Hangers- I am finding I like hanging his clothes more than folding and putting them in the dresser. But I do both. Small bookshelf- I have a lime green 3 cube bookcase (Check out on Amazon) which I have sideways on the ground. I have Colton's books in there and feel like it's safer on its side. If it was upright books could potentially fall on his head. A year later it is still holding up well and doing good.Night Light- I use this every night because I want to keep things dark while I change and feed Colton so that he stays sleepy. Baby Monitor- I usually have Colton near me but when I was trying to put him upstairs for naps I was using it. He gets in hysterics when he wakes up and I'm not around so I try to let him nap nearby me at this time.White Noise Machine- A Godsend from above. The one we are using has an option for color changing lights. Baby Changing Table- See under diapering. Baby Equipment & Gear Carrier or Wrap- I use a baby carrier and Colton usually falls asleep when he is in it. I used it when I would go for walks but now I most use the stroller for walks. High Chair or Booster Seat- For when baby starts to eat food. I use a booster seat and it has been great for moving him around the house and having another place for him to be. Car Seat Car seat head support- When Colton was a newborn his head was all floppy like most newborns and when he was in the car seat his head would droop to the side or down. The head support made a huge difference. I also used it for one of the swings we had which worked well.Car seat strap covers - These just help the straps from digging into their necks.Car seat fleece cover for the winter - I saw another mom with one of these during the winter. I was using a blanket at the time. After I saw how awesome and useful the fleece cover was I just had to get one for Colton.Car seat canopy cover- This is like the fleece cover but lighter more breathable material. It also can be dual purposed as a nursing cover if you are breastfeeding.Stroller- I have the kind that is a stroller and car seat Stroller organizer- I have one that Velcros on to the stroller handle and just provides more storage. Pack n Play- It does fold up and is easier to move around than a crib, but I am not really sure how it folds up. I've been leaving that to Shawn. Baby Gates- I haven't started using any yet but once Colton is crawling around there are definitely areas I will have to gate off for his safety. Baby Activity and Toys Colton already has so many toys. Some of them he really likes and others he could give a rats you know. I also have a few what I call activity stations. I rotate him through out the day so that he doesn't get too bored. Maybe I am spoiling him? I don't know but it works. Bouncer or Rocker- We have a chair that I think is a bouncer, but it is manual. The seat vibrates. He doesn't really like that much, but its easy to move around the house for him to sit in. Play Mat- He doesn't last long in this. I usually put him in for tummy time or to hang out for a short amount of time. There are toys hanging over him and he plays with them a little bit, but gets bored pretty quick. Baby Walker- I just got one but his feet don't reach the ground yet. He enjoys being pushed around though. Baby Swing- I used the baby swing all the time. Colton has acid re-flux, which it's so much better now, but not too long ago whenever he would lie down 9 times out of 10 he would be start choking and spitting up. Now I just use the swing by my computer or over in the living room for when he takes naps. Playard- A safe place for your baby to hang out when they can crawl or walk.. I guess this is the same as a pack n play. My pack n play is currently in bassinet mode. It is changeable... at least the one I have. Rattles- I find that love rattles and it draws their attention. Teethers- I have a couple that you put in the freezer. I switch them out and alternate. He has to be in the mood for it though and he can't hold it on his own yet. Also when he uses these teethers he drools a ton. Electronic and Musical Toys- I have two toys. One is a bumble bee and one is a lamb. I think Colton likes the bumble bee better because it has wings are are crinkly sounding when you squish them. Both of these toys play songs when the baby cries. Soft and Plush Toys- I find that Colton like plush toys with rings on them he can grab and parts that he can squish which make crinkly noises. Toy Storage Baby books- I really like a few books we have. There are a couple that are small plastic and have a squeaker in them, he can teeth on it if he wants. Then we have some of the touch and feel books which I used to love as a kid. I am actually surprised how Colton will pay attention when I read him one of these books. He enjoys listening and looking at the pictures. Baby's Health Care & Safety There are a lot of products you can get for bath time, health care, skin care. Here are some ideas for what you want to include. Baby Bath- I don't really like the one I have all that much. His head sometimes bumps the side of it. I am thinking about getting a new one.Baby Body Wash and Shampoo - It seems like a lot of the baby body wash and shampoo come as 2 in 1. My favorite right now is Burt's Bees Tear Free Shampoo and Wash (Check out on Amazon), because I know it is a fairly good brand Colton hasn't had any rashes or reactions from this. Note: 1/2/2020- Colton is now a year old and I am still using Burt's Bees.Baby Lotion- Colton ended up getting a bad rash all over his body and I believe it was from his body lotion. The lotion did have fragrance in it and that may have been why. Be careful when choosing your lotion... most babies do have sensitive skin. Try to find a baby lotion that is hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, and paraben-free. More natural the better.Baby Towel - I usually use our own regular towels but my doctor told me I should be washing them in baby detergent to prevent rashes. However, I found super cute baby towels I want to get Colton one has a design with strawberries (Check it out on Amazon) and the other has a design with lemons (Check out on Amazon).Baby Bath Robe- I usually use this to get Colton from the bathroom to the changing table in his nursery. It also dries him off a little when he is wearing it. Baby Clothing Detergent- Make sure that any fabric that will be on your baby is washed with baby detergent because their skin is so sensitive regular detergent can cause a rash or allergic reaction. Baby Nasal Aspirator- I have the average nasal aspirator every mom has. But it only works okay. As gross as it looks I kind of want to try the NoseFrida Nasal Aspirator (Check it out on Amazon).Saline Nasal Spray- I am using this a lot right now as Colton and I both have colds. He doesn't like me using it on him but it seems to help him combined with using the nasal aspirator. Baby Thermometer- I've just been using a regular thermometer.Baby Grooming Kit- I got a basic kit. I've been using the hairbrush and nail clippers. Colton moves his fingers so much that I need to do his nails when he is sleeping. Baby Tylenol - I have been using this with the cold Colton has right now, definitely helps. Just make sure you don't give your baby too much. It says on the bottle to ask the doctor the amount you should give when the baby is under 25-30lbs. Baby Gripe Water- This is for gas. I haven't had to use it yet. But I have been using catnip and fennel (Check it out on Amazon) for when Colton is having belly discomfort due to trapped gas. Seems to help. I'd Like To Hear From You Let me know in the comments below... What's one item you think should definitely be added to this list and why? Or do you think this list is complete? Cheers,