30 Things You Do NOT Need on Your Baby Registry

Today, I am going to save you a lot of money!

After 6 babies, I am sharing 30 things that I did not buy for my last couple babies!

I bought into all of the marketing with my first couple babies, but I hope my mistakes will help you avoid them.

Get ready to cross some things off of your list and reallocate that money towards things you will really need.

* The following content may contain affiliate links. When you click and shop the links, we receive a commission.

In this post, you will learn:

The best thought process to help you decide what’s necessary and what isn’t
30 things I don’t buy from my babies
What to do when we receive things we don’t love
How to ask for the things we really want without coming off as ungrateful or bougie

YOU’RE BUILDING YOUR TOOLKIT

Think back to when you set up your first kitchen.

You likely didn’t really know what to buy or ask for because you’d never set up a kitchen before! It’s uncharted territory!

Think about the things you get the most function out of.

Here’s an example: You could either buy a cast iron skillet, or an avocado slicer. The avocado slicer may be handy, but at the end of the day, you could just cut the avocado with a knife. And you will get way for function out of a knife than you will an avocado slider.

Take this same mindset to motherhood.

GET THE MOST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Instead of thinking about the “perfect mom” influencer and all the handy gadgets, think about what is a multifunctional tool.

The items you have for your baby do not identify what kind of mom you are!

30 THINGS YOU DO NOT NEED ON YOUR BABY REGISTRY

1. A DIAPER BAG

I had a diaper bag with my first baby but it was clunky and went out of style fast.

Instead, I found that carrying a simple, leather purse was all I needed.

I always made sure I had: a couple diapers, wipes, a change of clothes for the baby, and a simple muslin blanket.

This made it SO much easier to get out the door.

2. BURP CLOTHS

I prefer to use a muslin blanket.

Muslin blankets are thin, get softer with time, and have multiple purposes. I use it to cover the baby if it’s cold, as a burp cloth, as a swaddle, and as a nursing cover in public.

You can end up with too many Muslin blankets! I try to keep 4-5 in my home at a time.

3. WIPE WARMER

I am NOT trying to make my kids high maintenance from the get go. There’s no way I can get the wipes to the perfect temperature every time I have to change the baby’s diaper.

They won’t love the cold wipe at first, but they will get used to it. I promise.

If you’re looking for a wipe/diaper brand, I love this brand because they are non toxic and Pro-Life. Use LANA 10 for 10% off your first order!

4. CLOTHES WITH LOTS OF PATTERNS

I choose not to have many patterns for multiple reasons:

Less patterns look better in pictures
It’s visually less stimulating for momma
Things go together easier so you get more use out of each piece of clothing and it makes getting ready easier

Honestly, I don’t even put baby clothes on my registry because I’d rather pick them out myself.

5. LOTS OF NEWBORN, 0-3, 3-6 MONTH CLOTHES

They fly through these sizes and people are going to buy them for you anyways because it’s the clothes people enjoy buying.

If you want to ask for clothes, I recommend asking for 6-12 month sizing or strategic pieces that grow with the babies (example: 0-6 sizes without footies)

6. OUTFITS WITH BUTTONS

I do not have time for outfits with a lot of buttons or snaps. Zippers only, please!

7. SPECIFIC BABY LAUNDRY DETERGENT

I don’t want any fragrance on my baby! I want to smell my baby because they smell divine.

Also, soap residue is always left on the clothes, then your baby wears the clothes and any chemicals or fragrances from the laundry detergent are sitting on your baby’s skin and being absorbed into their body. This is bad for all of our hormones, but specifically damaging to baby’s hormones!

I use Branch Basics (Use LANA15 for 15% off) or Truly Free (use this link for $90 off the whole laundry system) because they’re both effective and safe for the whole family.

8. SUPER DRESSY BABY CLOTHES

I like to keep 1-2 super dressy outfits because they’re so cute, but it’s really not practical.

9. BABY TOWELS

From my experience, these things don’t absorb anything. Regular towels are fine.

10. BABY ROBES

I promise your baby does not want to wear these.

11. NURSERY DECOR

Consider making the room something simple that you enjoy. Unless you just love decorating, it’s really not necessary.

My 5th and 6th babies didn’t even get nurseries.

12. BABY FURNITURE

For a changing table, I found a waist level dresser, painted it and changed the knobs to make it look the way I like, then I added a changing pad and baskets on top. This is a great portable changing pad so you can change the baby anywhere!

13. BABY SWING (not new anyways)

I actually love baby swings. I like them because in the first 12 weeks of their lives, babies are soothed by the swaying motion. Some people will say to just baby wear all the time, which I also love. But I get touched out sometimes and sometimes it starts to hurt my back, so a baby swing is great. This is my favorite baby carrier! This is the best wrap for tiny babies.

The reason it’s on the list of things to not buy is because it’s something that is only used for about 4 months, so it’s something you can easily borrow from a friend. I bet they’d enjoy having the space back anyways. Another idea is buy used for this item, just make sure smoke free home.

14. A BABY MONITOR

All the rooms in my house are pretty close together so I can hear the baby just fine. If you do want one, I would recommend getting one that is super secure so people can’t hack into it and watch your baby and one that is low EMF.

15. SHOES

For girls, I get tights with footies and add moccasins on top. I love the ones from Adelisa (use LANA 10 for 10% off). But in the summer, I just let the baby feet out!

16. SCRATCH MITTENS

Babies need their hands! File their nails down when they get sharp. But they communicate hunger to us with their hands.

17. BABY BLANKETS

This can quickly go overboard. Just keep a couple. If you really want to buy one, I have enjoyed this one.

18. BIBS

Most of the time, a Muslin blanket does the job for the spit up.

19. SHOPPING CART COVERS

I just wear the baby with this carrier or this wrap while shopping.

20. BABY OIL/POWDERS/CREAMS

These really just disrupt the microbiome of baby’s skin. They don’t even need much soap. I prefer Toups and Co’s baby wash, and if the baby has a dry spot, I put a little bit of their tallow on for moisturizing.

21. BOUNCER, WALKER, ACTIVITY CENTER

They’re bulky and not good for their hips and development. If you really want one, just borrow one or buy a used one to sell back after.

22. BABY CRIB BUMPER OR BEDDING

23. PACIFIERS

I wrote a blog post all about breastfeeding and I share how pacifiers can negatively affect mom’s milk supply. I also don’t want my kids to be reliant on something like that.

No judgement if you really want to do a pacifier, it doesn’t make you a bad mom at all. I just choose to forgo it to make sure my milk supply stayed strong.

24. TEETHING GEL

I’ve used Earthy Teething Tamer which is good, but the other stuff is full of chemicals.

25. DIAPER GENIE

This thing smells SO bad. When babies are breastfed, their poop doesn’t stink. However, formula and solid food will make their poop stink. Once they start eating solids, they only poop a couple times a day so I’ll tie it in a grocery bag and throw it in the trash can.

26. BABY TOYS

They don’t need toys… they want to look around and they love to be read to and talked to. I love this book.

27. BATH THERMOMETER

You can just feel the water with your hand: if it’s hot to you, it’s hot to baby.

28. CAR SEAT STRAP COVERS

29. BOTTLES / BOTTLE ACCESSORIES

I breastfeed exclusively. Having someone else feed the baby is not a break because I’d have to pump at the same time.

30. ELECTRIC PUMP

If you put the Haaka on one boob while you breastfeed on the other, you will collect enough milk to create a small stash. Or I will keep a hand-pump just in case I’m at a wedding that I didn’t bring my baby with me to. But if you are away from the baby all the time, you would need an electric pump.

BONUS: BABY FOOD MAKER

We just squish up the food we are eating.

WHAT I HAVE BOUGHT AND LOVED

I created a list of items I have bought and loved for my babies that I will link here for you!

PEOPLE WILL BUY YOU WHAT THEY WANT TO BUY YOU

At the end of the day, people are going to buy the things they want to buy you. Of course we have to be thankful, but being thankful doesn’t mean we have to bring it into our homes.

YOU CAN CHOOSE WHAT COMES INTO YOUR HOME

We are not victims to the things people give us. We do not have to keep a thing in our homes that we don’t want to.

You are the gatekeeper of your home!

I wrote an entire blog post on this that I will link here.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU RECEIVE THINGS YOU DON’T LOVE

This may sound terrible, but I keep a specific basket for things I could return and a specific basket for things I could rehome.

If I knew I wasn’t going to use the item much, instead of taking the tags off to let them wear the outfit one time so I didn’t feel guilty, I gave them to a local Pregnancy Resource Center for moms in need.

WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE ASKS YOU WHAT YOU NEED

Be honest!

You can ask people to pool their money to go towards a larger item you really want. This is so much better than letting people spend their money on trinkety items you don’t really want or need.

THE BABY MARKET IS A HUGE BUSINESS

They are going to market to make you believe that certain products are going to make you a better mom, but it is not true.

What IS going to make you a really good mom is your intentionality, your care, how you show up and love on your baby.

THE BABY REGISTRY CAN DISTRACT FROM SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT

Sometimes we can put so much of our energy into curating the perfect registry and the perfect nursery that we don’t put as much energy into what kind of mom we want to be, preparing for labor, and preparing for breastfeeding.

Preparing yourself is far more important than preparing a bunch of stuff.

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If you have a desire to go natural but are unsure whether you can or not, this course is for you!

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