The Baby Registry Essentials Recommended By Over 100 Moms

Updated for 2020

Between friends, family and this Instagram post, I’ve polled OVER 100 moms about their ride or die, baby registry must haves and a funny thing started happening. I noticed that certain products seemed to be recommended time and time again…which is a good sign of an essential in my book!

Below is a complete list of the repeat offenders! Note: this isn’t meant to be a complete list of everything you need , rather a guide to mom tested and approved baby registry essentials/ 

UPDATE: After having a baby in 2018 and using a lot of these recommendations, I wanted to share what worked for us and what didn’t! See “Erika’s Edit” below each item.  We are also expecting a new arrival in summer 2020 so I am leaning on these essentials once again! 

Baby Registry Essentials (The Repeat Offenders)

Baby Gear

• Automated Baby Bouncer: the Mamaroo or the Rock N Play were both highly recommended among all others.  Although the Mamaroo has a chic design, it does come with a significantly higher price tag so if budget is an issue the latter might be a good choice!
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: Gino loved the Mamaroo his first few months. He would be content in there for 30 minutes or so which allowed me time to have a hot cup of coffee and eat something–super important in the early days! We found the price was worth it for us.  The Rock N Play has been recalled. 
• Baby Bjorn: In addition to the automated bouncer, many moms also recommended the Baby Bjorn. This one bounces by your baby’s own natural movements or a little nudge from you.  Moms love it bc it’s lighter than the Mamaroo/Rock N Play and can be easily moved from room-to-room or outdoors. I’ve heard it’s a great way to occupy your baby and sneak in shower!
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: The Baby Bjorn goes down on our list as a TOP registry essential. Gino used this from about 2-8 months.  We splurged for the toy bar that attaches to the bjorn . This kept him busy when he was older and I love that it’s so lightweight/portable which allowed us to bring him outside to chill with us or upstairs to hang in my bathroom while I showered or got ready! 
• Pack & Play: This was recommended as an essential for so many reasons. Not only will a Pack & Play keep the baby contained so you can get things done, it’s also great for travel.  Another pro-tip I received was to purchase the changer station attachment for the top, so that if you are in a 2-story house you don’t need to run upstairs to change the baby each time.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: Gino is TWO and we still use our Nuna Pack N Play!  At first it was in our living room but now it lives in my master, which is why I’m glad we went with the chic Nuna version.  It was great to keep him contained when he was a younger and on the move.  Now I throw him in there with an iPad and do a 30 minute workout or shower/get ready. It’s also nice when overnight guests with little ones come to visit! 
• Baby Wrap Carrier: The cult-fav by far seems to be the Solly Baby Wrap.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: it pains me to report this was NOT a hit for us. I love the fabric–it’s soft like butter–but I found figuring out how to tie it and get baby comfortable time consuming and challenging (yes I watched all their Youtube videos).  This time I’m looking forward to trying a ring sling and I’m toying with splurging on this. 
• Diaper Bag: moms seems to love backpack style diaper bag, as they are so functional and allow you to be hands free. The two highest recommended backpack diaper bags were Fawn Design & Skip Hop. I love the chic leather style and the fact that my hubs won’t feel weird toting it around too.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: I opted for the Skip Hop diaper bag and I HATE it.  First the zipper is clunky and doesn’t zip easily.  The bag is so deep/hard to open you can’t see what you have inside and I found it to be too large for my taste.  I have many friends who have the Fawn Design bag mentioned above and they seem to love it. For Baby #2 I went with the HAPP Backpack. I’ve already started using it with Gino and I love, love, love it!
• Doc-A-Tot:  the Doc-A-Tot was THE #1 registry essential recommended the most out of EVERYTHING! Moms love it because of it’s portability and multi-tasking skills. You can use it to allow your baby to rest, lounge, play, cuddle, do tummy time and even get diaper changes! 
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: we *liked* the Doc-A-Tot but it wasn’t the end all be all I had hoped.  Gino much preferred the Boppy Lounger (see below) but we liked the Doc-A-Tot for travel.  I also used it in his Halo Bassinet when he was super tiny to make him feel more secure (The Doc-A-Tot should be used for SUPERVISED naps only. Please review proper infant sleep guidelines and make your own decisions.) 
• Boppy– The Boppy was recommended to go around your waist and offer give support when breastfeeding. The Boppy Lounger was also recommended (over the regular boppy) for baby chill time.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: The boppy lounger is a TOP registry essential for us! Gino LIVED on that thing for the first 3-4 months as he preferred to be propped rather than lay flat.  The regular old boppy was kind of useless for us.  If you’re looking for a nursing support, My Breast Friend is 100x better as it’s much bigger. 
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Sleep:

• Sleep Sacks: I’ve been told these are crucial if we ever want to sleep again!  Sleep sacks help the baby feel safe and contained, like they were in the womb. The top 2 repeated recommendation were the Halo Sleep Sack & SwaddleMe.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: Gino HATED both of these swaddles.  Thankfully we quickly found an alternative in the SwaddleUp which is the arms-free alternative to traditional swaddling allows him the freedom to self soothe, while still feeling safe and secure! 
• Sound Machine/Night Light: The Hatch baby sound machine and night light combo was a big favorite. I love products that do double duty and you can control the Hatch via bluetooth using an app on your phone (which eliminates the need to enter the nursery to shut if off and possibly wake baby)! What’s even better is you can actually set programs for lighting and sounds to kick on/off automatically at certain times of the day.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: We LOVED our Hatch and will be buying one for baby #2!
• Cool mist humidifier: Rather than wait for your baby to be sick, I’ve been told it’s an excellent idea to register for a cool mist humidifier. It also helps newborns, who can only breathe through their noses for the first 4-6 months, breathe MUCH easier.
• Swaddles: cult fav swaddling blankets seem to be Aden & Anis and Little Unicorn. 
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: We loved both of these swaddles for naps/hanging around the house.  We have a few from Spearmint Baby we adore too!
• Baby Shusher: The Baby Shusher was best described to me as a traveling sound machine. People SWEAR by it and call it a miracle for calming baby. Moms use it in their living room when the baby is in their bouncer, in the car, or for travel.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: This was great when G was super small! Usually I’d put it near him why he was in the mamaroo and he’d dose off to sleep pretty easy!
• Erika’s 2020 Edit: We legit couldn’t sleep through the night until we purchased and used the Owlet Sleep sock which monitors the baby’s heart and oxygen rate. Having this peace of mind allowed us to worry less and sleep better!! Basically, it paid for itself. 

Feeding:

• Bottles: When it’s time to pump Tommee Tippe & Como Tomo were top rated.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: LOVED Tommee Tippe and hated Como Tomo.  Again like sleep sacks, this is one of those things where I think have multiple on hand to try is key!
• Highchair: the top 3 high chairs were Stokke Baby (chic and pricey but moms SWEAR by it), 4MOMs (which totes a dishwasher safe, magnetic tray that snaps into place & holds down plates and bowls), IKEA (which is only $20 and has RAVE reviews).
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: We have the 4MOMs highchair and LOVE it! The magnetic tray makes it’s so easy to get G in and out. The top is also magnetic and if you buy the corresponding bowls, helps keep food ON the tray vs. on the floor in those ornery toddler days.  Another fav feature is that the top tray click off so you can remove and clean, while baby is still safely seated and locked in by the bottom tray. 
• Burp Cloths: word on the street is you can NEVER have enough of these. I registered for these from Burt’s Bees.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: Burts Bees were great but we were gifted burp cloths by Copper and Pearl and they were in a word decadent!! Truly an adjective I never thought I’d use about burp cloths but here we are. 

Bath Time:

• Puj Infant Sink Tub: This tub makes it SUPER easy to bathe slippery newborns right in your sink.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: The Puj tub was great for newborn bath time!
• 4Moms Tub: once your babes are out of the newborn phase, the 4Moms tub seems to be the heavy favorite.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: We used this tub until G was comfortable and sturdy sitting on his own.  It looks like it’s no longer on the market and the 4MOMs we used with Gino was a hand-me-down. For baby #2 we’re going with this tub . After that we moved on to a bath seat for safety (see below for more info). 
• Top bath and body products: Babyganics (organic) , Tubby Todd (all natural) and Noodle & Boo (expensive but smells delicious). I decided to register for two brands to try, since you never know how your baby’s skin might react.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: We LOVE and still use Burts Bees and Babyganics!
• NEW ADDITION 2020: Once Gino was able to sit up really well, we used this Baby Bath Seat. It allowed me to use two hands more easily and this was about the time he really started to play in and love the bath!

Diapering:

• Ubbi diaper pail:  I’ve been warned not to cheap out on this and Ubbi seems to be the fav over the Diaper Genie.
• Water Wipes: Lots of moms recommended these wipes to me as they are way less harsh on the bum.
• Changing Pad: A changing pad + plus 2-3 covers for safe and easy diapering.
• Top Diaper Creams: Tubby Todd (all natural), Earth Mama (organic) & Weleda (all natural). Just like the bath and body products, I purchased two different brands to test and see what works.
  • Erika’s 2020 Edit: I had high hopes for these all natural brands but when the worst diaper rash hit (during teething) the ONLY thing that worked for us was Boudreaux’s Butt Paste.

Health & Safety:

• Nose Frieda: this genius tool is used to suck out their snot when they cant breathe.
• Oogie Bear: I hear the Oogie Bear is a godsend bc their noses and ears are soooo tiny it’s hard to get in there to clean without this.

Clothing:

• Zip Footie PJS: like these, because snaps are exhausting to try and figure out in the dark/middle of the night diaper changes. SO smart!
• Kimono Style Onesies– like these, for when they are SUPER new as they are MUCH easier to get over their little heads.
• 2020 Addition: MagneticMe magnetic sleepers are a GAME changer especially during those late night feeds/changes.  We used religiously these pretty much from 0-6 months. 

Transport:

• 2020 Addition: we are a NUNA family and absolutely love our Nuna Pippa infant car seat and Nuna Mixx stroller (the Pippa carseat clips in and then it later converts to a stroller suitable for toddlers).   Once Gino outgrew the infant car seat we graduated to the Nuna Rava and LOVE IT.  It’s pricey but worth it! 

Oh and as a bonus, here’s some GENIUS advice I’ve received that I never would have thought of myself…

• Buy a waterproof mattress cover for YOUR bed. Your baby will be in there a lot and you don’t want pee/spit up to ruin your own king sized mattress. 
• Disposable changing pads: are a godsend. These are like puppy pads but for baby! Use them to go over your changing pad for a blowout diaper and also throw some in your diaper bag so you don’t have to lay your baby directly on to those DIRTY public changing pads.

Ok moms, what essentials have I missed? Moms-to-be, have you felt super overwhelmed by your baby registry?

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