Shortly after I got married, I had a fertility appointment with my ob-gyn. I was 30 and had never attempted to get pregnant, so I wanted to get checked out. She told me not to stress and to expect it to take up to a year. But, because God likes to throw curve balls, I was pregnant the next month. Needless to say, we were NOT ready…financially or emotionally. Pair that with the overwhelming amount of advice and tips people kept offering, and I had no idea where to begin with a registry. All I knew is it needed to be budget-friendly.
Why you should create a registry
People love babies. People love you. People want to show you their love by gifting you with things for your baby. By creating a registry, you’re guiding them to what you need and what you can use. It’s just like a wedding registry if you had one, but for the new addition to your family.
When to register
I registered after I found out the gender of my baby. You can honestly create one any time, but most people want to get you a gift or throw you a shower in your third trimester. I highly recommend creating your registry at Amazon. There are millions of products, they offer a 365 day return on most items, you get a free welcome box for creating a registry, and you can create it in the comfort of your home while in your pajamas! SO EASY.
I’ve included my recommenations for the items that I feel are necessary and budget-friendly for your registry. No fluff-stuff here. (Now, the fluff is great, but you don’t really NEED it) A lot of these items also make great gifts, so if you share your registry with your family and friends, you may be gifted with tons of items you can and will definitely use. (I do make a small commission if you click a link to buy here, which comes at no extra cost to you, but helps me support this blog and my family…..insert tiny happy dance)
**Things to know about me during this time of my life: We were on a very tight budget. I did not have extra money to be able to go out and buy lots of baby items. Most of my daughter’s clothes came (and still do) from consignment. I borrowed what I could and tried to find sales. We lived in a relatively small house, so I didn’t feel the need for a monitor. We did use a rock-n-play, but those have since been recalled. I breast fed for 6 months and then switched to formula. Stockpiling a supply was not important to me. (Obviously your registry priorities will be based on where you are in your life right now)**
I have used ALL of the products I’m suggesting below and truly love/believe in them. the most gifted shower items tend to be clothing, books, and blankets. I didn’t actually register for those items and still received a ton of them.
So, without further ado, the Must-haves, Nice-to-haves, and Totally-Not-Necessaries for your budget friendly registry:
Must Haves:
–Baby Carrier– I used this one. Now, I know its on the expensive side, but I bought it used from a friend and LOVE it. I still use it. There is a 1 foot height difference in my daughters father and myself, and it worked great for both of us.
–Carseat– This one is what me, her dad, and my mom have. It lasts the ENTIRE time you will need a carseat.
–Stroller- You only need one. So pick a good one. I LOVE my stroller. Tons of storage, easily folds up and is very durable. It has been on SO many trips and is still in great condition (after 3.5 years of heavy use and several plane rides)
–Swaddles– My child did not like to sleep. She had to be swaddled in order to even calm down and start the sleep process. I was awful at wrapping her in a blanket, and these were a life-saver.
–Muslin Blankets-You can NOT have enough of these. You can use them for everything. Pack a few to take to the hospital with you, keep some in your car, one in the diaper bag. Seriously I used these all day every day
–Diaper bag. Pick one for durability and easy to carry. Ours was very similar to this one. Its also our go-to Disney bag for the theme park as it fits in the bottom of the stroller
–White Noise Machine– Best thing ever. Just go get one right now.
–Car Seat Protector-Have you ever cleaned pee out of your car? Trust me on this one…..just put it under the carseat to protect your car.
–Crib-They can be expensive, but try to find one that converts. We are on year 3.5 of using ours, and I plan on using it as long as possible.
–Crib Mattress– The great thing about these is once you convert that crib to a toddler bed, the mattress still works! Again, year 3.5!!
–Also Must Haves: Diapers (more than you think you will need), Wipes, Baby soap, Bottles of your choice, Diaper Rash Cream (my absolute favorite is Boudreaux’s), Baby nail clippers, Thermometer, and Crib sheets
Nice to Haves:
These are items that I used some, but could have done without:
–WubbaNub-Now, my daughter was OBSESSED and held on to hers until she was 3, but I know a lot of babies that will not take a paci at all.
–Basic Baby monitor-we just didn’t ever use it
–Baby bath tub-We tag teamed and I would usually nurse and bathe her in the tub then hand her off to daddy, but you may be alone, or just really feel the need for a tub
–Changing pad/Table-We almost always used the bed to change her
–Books, toys, playmat-You will get these as gifts and I promise you will have so many toys before you even know it!
–Nursing Cover-I simply tied a knot in a muslin blanket, threw it around my neck and nursed in public this way
Totally-Not-Necessaries:
I did have most of these items, but did not use them or did not really see a need for them once my baby arrived:
-Diaper pail, Wipe warmer, Nursing pillow (some people swear by these, but I didn’t use mine at all), Wifi-video baby monitor, Special creams/lotions for baby, hospital grade breast pump, several different strollers (just buy one really good quality one), baby food maker, baby bottle warmer, baby bottle sterilizer, coordinating baby décor/bedding, baby shoes, hands-free pumping bra (this was painful and I absolutely hated it), special “baby” laundry detergent
I hope this list helps you get your Budget-Friendly Registry started! If you’ve already had a baby, what items did you find as YOUR must haves??
Amanda Buck says
Something also to add just because there are sooooo many resources out there now… Babylist.com pulls registries from all different companies so you can get the best price. It shops your items say from Amazon and it might be cheaper at walmart or target so your family and friends can find the best prices. Just a suggestion… I did this it was super simple. Of course most people bought from Amazon and Walmart but in some instances like my diaper bag I got at Buy Buy Baby because there was a 30% off promo. We all like saving money! 🙂 Hey Lindsey Im following
Lindsey says
What a great tip! I didn’t know that…thank you for sharing!