The Top 10 Most Popular Baby Registry Questions, Answered

Attention Babylist parents-to-be! You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers!

We know that building a baby registry is no small feat. And we know that you’ll probably have some questions along the way. (And by some, we mean…a lot. We’ve been there; we get it.)

So we talked to our Registry Consultants, Babylist’s very own team of real parents and gear experts whose job it is to help users like you make gear choices for your growing families, about the questions they hear most often from parents-to-be—then we answered them for you. We think the answers to these top 10 questions will make your registry-building process just a little bit easier.

1. How many items should I put on my baby registry?

There’s really no right answer to this one, as what’s right for one family isn’t right for another. We do think it’s helpful to know what other Babylist parents-to-be are up to, though. In 2018, Babylist users had an average of 121 items on their registry.

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2. What are core registry essentials and how many of each should I add?

Babies don’t need all that much. According to our Registry Consultants, these are the six core registry items worth adding to every baby registry:

• A safe sleep space (crib, bassinet, or sleep-approved playard)
• Car seat
• Clothing
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Bottles

As for how many of each, you’ll need only one car seat and one sleep space, of course. Here’s what we recommend for the rest:

• Clothing. Parenting lesson number one: babies grow quickly. Really, really quickly. Some babies skip the newborn size stage altogether and jump right into zero-to-three month sizing. We recommend adding some clothing basics in both sizes to your registry. Keep it simple and stick to items like footies, bodysuits, pants, socks, and one or two hats and gowns.
• Diapers and wipes. Newborns go through about 2,200 diapers in the first year and average about 8-10 diaper changes per day in the first month of life. But you certainly don’t need to add that many diapers to your registry! We recommend adding a few packs of newborn-sized diapers and a few in size one. You may want to add a few different brands, too, so you can figure out what works best and buy more from there.
• Bottles. Since it’s tough to anticipate which bottle your baby will prefer (and trust us, many have strong preferences!) add the Babylist Bottle Box to your registry instead of a brand’s starter set. You’ll get five of our most popular baby bottles to take for a test drive before committing to a full set.

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3. Do you have a registry checklist?

Do we ever! The Babylist registry checklist walks you through what you need by category, even providing product suggestions along the way.

We also have a ton of product guides that cover everything from the best car seats to the best baby carriers and more, so you can spend as much (or as little) time researching as you’d like while building your registry.

And be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to Creating Your Baby Registry, which walks you step-by-step through the entire process of creating your registry.

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4. What are some things experienced parents would put on a registry that first-time parents miss?

Ah, hindsight…it’s 20/20, right? Lots of our users want to know what items parents who are already in the know wish they’d added to their registries the first time around. Here’s our take:

• Health supplies. No one likes to think about their baby getting sick, but unfortunately it’s inevitable. Instead of having to rush to the store at the sign of the first sniffle, be prepared and add things like a humidifier, a nasal aspirator, a thermometer and a fever reducer like Infants’ Tylenol to your registry.
• Nursing supplies. If you think you’ll be breastfeeding, you’ll want some products on hand to help the process go as smoothly as possible. We recommend a nursing pillow, a nursing bra and a few pieces of breastfeeding-friendly clothing, breast pads and nipple cream.
• Backups. What makes changing a messy crib sheet at 2 am even worse? Not having a clean one to put back on. Make sure you add some backups to your registry like two crib sheets instead of one, two bassinet sheets, two playard sheets, etc. And don’t forget a mattress cover and lots of baby wipes, too.
• Extra storage. Babies come with a lot of stuff, and adding extra storage to your registry is never a bad idea.
• Help and favors. You can never have too many home-cooked meals delivered to your door when you have a new baby. Don’t forget to add gift cards for help and favors to your registry for everything from babysitting to house cleaning. Cash funds are great too.

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5. What registry items DON’T I need? What’s okay to skip?

Here at Babylist, we heart baby gear (duh!), but we also think there are some items that don’t need to be on every baby registry. Here’s what we often vote to skip if you’re trying to cut back or if you simply prefer a more minimalist registry:

• Bottle sterilizer. It’s bulky and takes up a ton of space. Also keep in mind that most healthcare professionals today are not concerned with sterilizing bottles unless you’re in an area with a potentially contaminated water supply or have an immunocompromised baby.
• Bottle warmer. A bottle warmer also takes up more space than it’s worth, and you can accomplish the same thing by running your bottle under warm water to heat it up.
• Bottle starter set. Babies are picky, so instead of registering for a full set of one particular brand, opt for a bottle box instead so you can try before you buy.
• Changing table. Skip the changing table and use a regular dresser instead, topped with a traditional changing pad or a wipeable one.
• Clothing and blankets. People love to gift babies outfits and blankets. (Especially personalized ones.) Don’t add a ton of either to your registry as you’ll most likely receive them regardless.

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6. How do I decide which stroller to add to my registry?

Choosing a stroller is one of the biggest registry decisions you’ll make—and one of the topics we get asked about the most.

The short—and somewhat frustrating—answer is this: the stroller that’s right for one family isn’t necessarily right for another, so in order to make the right decision, you’ll need to think about your lifestyle, your location (city versus suburbs), your budget and how you’ll be using your stroller.

The less frustrating answer? We’ve already done a lot of the work for you. Check out the stroller section of our Babylist product guides to help you in all things stroller decision-making. Here are a few guides you might want to start with:

• How to Choose a Stroller
• The Best Strollers
• The Best Affordable Strollers Under $350
• The Best Strollers for City Living
• Babylist Gear Editor Picks: Strollers

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7. Do I need to register for more than one stroller?

Many Babylist families register for just one stroller, but some choose to add a second, lightweight stroller, too. A lighter weight stroller is great for travel or for when you don’t want the hassle or bulk of a larger stroller. Check out these guides to help you make your decision:

• Best Travel Strollers
• Best Umbrella Strollers
• Best Lightweight Strollers

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8. I’m a minimalist, what registry items should I add?

If the idea of bringing 125 baby items into your house doesn’t sit well with you, we’ve got you covered. It’s definitely possible to build a minimal baby registry and still have all the things you need to welcome your new addition.

Here’s what we recommend:

• Consider a mini crib instead of a full-size crib, or buy a sleep-approved playard and have it pull double-duty as a play space and a safe spot for baby to snooze.
• Instead of adding packs and packs of diapers and wipes to your registry, consider a diaper bundle delivery service, like The Honest Company or Hello Bello, so you’ll only get the diapers and other supplies you need when you need them.
• Focus on gear that does double or even triple duty, like a multi-position carrier, a stroller + car seat combo, or a nightlight that doubles as a sound machine.
• Limit baby clothes to the basics: a few bodysuits, some pants, socks and a hat or two. Keep everything neutral so you can mix and match.
• Add lots of storage to your registry so all of the new items you do bring into your home have a neat, organized place to live.
• Don’t go overboard on gear. Instead of adding a swing, bouncer and a rocker to your registry, for example, choose just one to add instead. Here’s how to choose.

Take a look at our Minimalist Baby Sample Registry guide for our top registry picks for minimalist-minded parents.

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9. What is the safest car seat?

According to Babylist Registry Consultant and Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) Rebekah Kimminau, the safest car seat on the market is the one that fits your child, fits your vehicle and can be installed correctly by you every time.

For more car seat info, head over to our Common Car Seat Questions guide.

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10. Should I put both an infant and convertible car seat on my registry?

The answer to this popular car seat question comes down to personal preference.

An infant car seat has lots of benefits, namely ease and portability. (More than 80% of Babylist parents register for an infant seat.) But if you’re looking to save money and reduce the amount of baby gear you’re taking on, it is possible to make a convertible seat work from day one. Read our How to Choose a Car Seat guide and find out what we recommend as the best infant car seats and the best convertible car seats to learn more.

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Babylist FAQ

Other common questions we often receive are around the ins and outs of creating a registry on Babylist. Questions such as how to add items to your Babylist registry and how to share it with friends and family are all pretty common. Head over to our Babylist Help Center for answers to these questions—and lots more!