So I thought it would be fun to dissect a registry list from a big baby box store and compare that to what I actually got.

So first let’s take a look at a real baby registry “checklist”. I sent this to my friend who has an 11 month old so we could laugh about how absurd it is together. It has over bullet points of items on it, not including multiples of many items.

Now, let’s compare that with what I actually have for baby at this point?

Nursery:

+ crib (West Elm)

+ crib mattress (Brentwood Home)

+ crib sheets (Burt’s Bees — gift from friends)

+ waterproof mattress cover (Amazon)

+ rug (used one I had)

+ dresser (Ikea DIY)

+ snake plant (already had, but I do want to get a taller plant for beside the crib)

+ wire basket ($5 at dollar store, spray painted gold)

+ rocking/glider chair

Travel:

+ convertible carseat (Safety 1st Grow and Go 3-in-1)

+ stroller (Britax B-Agile hand-me-down from family)

+ structured carrier (Ergobaby borrowed from sister)

+ sling carrier (borrowed from sister)

+ cloth baby wrap (solly baby)

(You don’t need this many carriers, she just sent me with the sling carrier, which I wouldn’t have bought normally, so why not)

+ travel crib (guava lotus travel crib + bassinet for our bedroom/travel. The first link is to just the crib, and the second is for the bassinet + crib bundle that we got so we could use the bassinet in our room.)

Feeding:

+ pump (Spectra S2 — through insurance)

+ manual pump (NatureBond second hand from friend)

+ milk bags (Unimom — gift from friend)

+ pacifiers (Philips — gift from friend)

+ bibs (hand me down from sister)

+ Bottles (Comotomo)

+ Nursing pillow (Boppy borrowed from sister)

+ Bottle sanitizer (I think it’s this one borrowed from sister)

+ Nipple balm (Shea Moisture from friend)

+ bibs (second hand)

+ breast pads (mostly these from my friend)

(I will be getting a high chair of some sorts when babe is ready to start dabbling in solids and can sit upright on their own.)

Bath/Health:

+ 3 baby towels (hand me down from sister)

+ thermometer (Safety 1st)

+ cradle cap brush (Safety 1st)

+ soap (Baby Bum)

+ lotion (Baby Bum)

+ vitamin D drops (Mommy’s Bliss)

+ bath pad (Summer Infant)

Diapering:

+ Newborn cloth diapers (17 hand me down from sister’s friend)

+ Prefolds (Cloth-eez — 24 size newborn, 24 size small, 12 size medium)

+ Diaper covers (Thirsties — 7 size 1, 5 size 2)

+ snappies (3 pack to hold prefolds on)

+ Cloth Wipes (Cloth-eez — 36)

+ Pail Liner (Planet Wise )

+ glass spray bottle (this amber one to put wipe solution in — gift from friend)

+ small travel wet bag (Grovia)

+ diaper pail (Dekor Plus)

(I will be getting 5-10 BumGenius Freetime diapers for Michael and family members that aren’t keen about fussing around with the prefolds. I will also be getting a diaper sprayer when they start eating solids.)

Clothing: (majority of what I have is from my older sister)

+ swaddles (like 4)

+ sleep sacks (2)

+ onesies ( around 7 for each size)

+ sleepers (3: Newborn, 4: 0-3 mo, 7: 3 mo, 5: 3-6 mo)

+ pants (7: newborn, 4: 0-3 mo, 5: 3 mo, 7: 3-6 mo)

+ hats (11 — way too many, but they’re borrowed)

+ socks (so many)

+ mittens (4 pairs)

+ hangers (ikea)

So that’s where we’re sitting before the arrival of little one. And there’s plenty that I’m going to get as they grow, or as I discover things I need. I’ve tried to include a little note here or there of what I know I’m going to get in each category to show you my though process of “I know I’ll need this, but I don’t need it yet.”

[This is my own naive philosophy before my baby has come so take what I say with a grain of salt. If you’re a seasoned mama you’re going to know what worked/didn’t work for you.]

And what I’m getting might not be what you think you need, and I might be skipping something that you think is a necessity.

I don’t know about you but the one time I went to Buy Buy Baby I was overwhelmed by everything in there. And if you look at most registry lists they give you online it’s soooo much stuff.

And the point I want to make today is yes, there are so many baby items that you’re going to end up swearing by, but how do you know what that’s going to be before you even have your baby?

My approach is to get what I know baby is going to need. And I feel like the three important things are:

What is baby going to eat? Are you going to breastfeed, pump and bottle feed, use formula?

What is baby going to wear? I was #blessed to have an older sister who let me borrow as many of my nephew’s clothes as I wanted. I’m set for newborn - 9 months at the moment. I’ve also heard that newborns are just going to chill in onesies or sleepers most of the time so there’s no need to get them cute, complicated outfits.

Where is baby going to sleep? In their crib, a bassinet/pack n play, side car sleeper, with you in a cosleeper? You want a safe, firm place for baby to sleep, free of pillows, blankets, toys, crib bumpers, you name it. And don’t forget the ever so popular rock n play has been recalled.

At the end of the day baby really only needs you when they start their life on this side of the womb.

I’m waiting on a lot of games, toys, swings, other contraptions. It’s not that I don’t want them or think they’ll be useful. I just don’t know if I’ll need them right away.

I’ve also tried to get things that can be reused, grow with baby or are multifunctional. Getting reusable diapers that can grow with them, a convertible carseat that I can use from birth to when they’re a toddler and a dresser to store stuff and throw a changing pad on top (even though I don’t know how often I’ll use it).

I’m going to be writing another blog post closer to the end of the month sharing what I got vs. what they say you need. And I’m also going to be making a few videos about the different things I got for baby but I haven’t gotten that much of it honestly.

What were the things you couldn’t live without from the beginning and what things do you think you could have waited to buy?

What They Say You Need vs. What I Got For My Baby

You Don't Need to Buy EVERYTHING Before Baby Gets Here