What I Wish I Knew About Baby Registry Items

After 5 kids in the last 11 years I can say there is so much I wish I knew about baby registry items!

It can be stressful creating your baby registry for the first time. You want to get the right items and be prepared for what your baby may need.

But how do you know what isn’t just a marketing scam and what will hold up over time?

***If you want to skip to my favorite baby registry items scroll to the bottom of the post : )

1. Look for baby tools.

Baby registry items is similar to a wedding registry when you were trying to set up your first kitchen, but may have never cooked consistently.

You may not have known what you needed because, you had just started cooking. The items in the kitchen may be there for beauty or function, but at the heart of it they are TOOLS.

You have the heavy hitters you use all the time. For me, that is my cast iron skillets. I use them at least two times a day. Then there is the avocado slicer that I just knew I needed sits in the drawer; it turns out you can just cut avocado with a knife.

If you can think about the items on your baby registry as multi-functional tools you need for the job of motherhood, you will make better choices about what you actually need.

Consider how items on your baby registry can be as multi-functional as possible. Then you will need less items and have less clutter to get the job of motherhood done.

Marketing Adds Confusion to a Choosing Baby Registry Items

How nice would it be to take the allure out of the unfulfilled promises marketing tempts us with:

“this item is going to make me a better mom” or “that item is going to make my life easier”?

The truth is that the items you have don’t make you a better mom. They may help you accomplish some tasks or bring beauty to your daily life, but you can be a fabulous mom with used out of style baby tools.

2. Cultivating a Minimalist Mindset with Baby Registry Items

Often times we end up putting so much stuff on our baby registry, perhaps because we think it is a great time to get things we don’t have to buy OR we feel bad and just take whatever people give us.

But the clutter will add up fast and before we know it we are working a part time job as a stuff manager!

“The things you own end up owning you.”

Yes, I just quoted fight club haha. But it is true!

3. Baby Registry Items Do Not Always Deliver on Their Promises.

We put so much of ourselves into what we purchase, whether it was the money we had to earn, the time we spent researching and yearning for the item, or the lengths we went to in order to take care of it once it’s ours.

So, while the marketing may promise comfort or status with purchase, it may be a hassle in the end, as it takes up precious space or unnecessary money.

4. When We Receive Baby Registry Items We Don’t Love

You are going to receive some gifts you aren’t crazy about or multiples of items (I’m talking about you, baby blankets). I just knew I couldn’t manage all of that inventory. I have some ideas for how you can find them a better home!

The obvious option is to return the item and get something that excites you.

If your item can’t be returned, you can rehome them. I found a great pregnancy resource center where the items could be used for baby shower baskets for women in need.

If you search for a pro-life pregnancy resource center near you they are always in need of items for mom’s who are choosing life and need support.

When I received way too many new 0-3 outfits I knew that rehoming them to a pregnancy resource center would be a way to support these mamas. My baby didn’t need to wear a brand new outfit everyday and I knew I was giving myself a gift by keeping her wardrobe simple.

Baby Registry Items Pro-tip for Expensive, But Helpful Items

For baby showers, consider asking your friends and family to join together on those one or two things that are more expensive-like your stroller or car seat.

Be honest about what you want; it is ok to say you already have enough clothes (so you can get the style you prefer and not have excess clutter!)

At the end of the day, people are going to give you the gift they want to give you and that is a blessing!

And yet, find freedom in knowing you don’t have to keep it. You are in control of what comes into your house, so do not feel guilty if you have to rehome items. This is a muscle you have to practice flexing, and I am still working on it as much as I can to keep the clutter away.

5. Be Mindful of How Marketers Target Mamas

Be aware that pregnant women are a significant target for businesses.

It’s crucial to be conscious of your emotions during your pregnancy, as there’s a tendency to believe that having the best and most expensive of every product is essential to being the best mama, and that just isn’t true.

These temptations start early, so work to combat those lies now. When your child turns five, it will be who has the kids in the best activities, who has the best clothes and toys, and who takes the best vacations.

Grace for Baby Registry Buyers Remorse

If you are a new mama, remember it is a job you have NEVER had before and you won’t make perfect purchase choices and that’s ok. I have certainly had buyer’s remorse for things I chose for my little one. Check out the video here, to get a more detailed version of what you can leave off of your baby registry.

Help for Creating Your Baby Registry:

Create baby registries on sites like Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
- You don’t have to send people these lists or make them public, but rather they will offer a “completion discount” once you get close to your due date and give you a nice discount on any remaining items.
Then you can import these lists that you made into a BabyList.
- BabyList is all your registries in one place and makes it easy for you to point people to harder to find items, even handmade items from Etsy.

Here are My Baby Registry Item Favorites (that have held up over time):

Bob Stroller
- best for getting exercise and for a smooth ride for baby
Ergo or Wildbird Aerial Carrier
- best on your back and for function baby wearing
My BreastFriend Nursing Pillow
- nursing pillow that saves your back
Lullaby Matteress
- yes it is a bit pricey, but a safe mattress is helpful to reduce baby’s exposure to toxic fumes mattresses put off and 4 of my kids have slept on the same baby mattress I have passed down.
  - It is just now starting to lose its shape, but after 4 kids that isn’t that bad.
EveryLife Diapers
- Pro-life diaper company (look into it, a lot of diaper companies actually fund planned parenthood-it’s crazy!) And good, clean, and functional diapers at a good price delivered to your home. A win all around! Use LANA10 for 10% off your first order
Owlet Baby Monitor:
- While the reviews can be hit or miss on this handy tool, the truth is that it gave me a ton of piece of mind when my baby slept away from me. I did not use the owlet when the baby slept with me, but you could. This device has saved many lives, but it is dance of using tech, but not putting our whole hope and trust in it. All and all I would recommend the Owlet, but make sure you add a baby sock on top of the monitor to keep the monitor in place (helps you to avoid false alarms!)

See my whole Amazon Storefront for Baby Essentials

FREE Resources that Can Help You on the New Mom Journey

Do you feel a bit lost on the new mom journey? After having 5 kids in the last 11 years I want to take your hand and help you feel more prepared!

Help for Pregnancy:

Make sure you grab the FREE Pregnancy Survival Guide:

Help for Natural Birth Preparation:

In this FREE class I share 5 ways you can better prepare for your next natural birth. I never thought I would want to have natural birth with any interventions, but God changed my heart and showed me another way!

Are you interested in learning more about natural birth? You don’t need a superwoman cape or a high pain tolerance, let me teach you more on this topic!

Take the FREE class here!