A Highly Practical Baby Registry Checklist

These should get you through the first 12 months.

We already know I found the idea of having a baby stressful the first time around, but the stuff. The stuff we needed loomed like a deadline I wasn’t prepared to meet. I hate doing research, I hate planning, but I also hate being unprepared, so I was stuck chasing my tail around this list of must-haves and life-savers and so many adapters and doodads, and Pinterest boards.

We lived in a relatively small apartment in New York, so I knew I didn’t want too much stuff, but also I didn’t really have a good starting point to start building my spartan list of things we’d actually get. So then we just got everything. Way too many things. The actual timeline of babies and when they need things like cribs, or non-bassinet strollers, or front-facing carseats perplexed me.

With my second kid, she was born right in the beginning of the pandemic, right before we left that relatively-small NYC apartment with just four days worth of clothes and books and toys. We left all that “helpful stuff” behind, and only bought what we really needed, when we really needed it.

By Lydia Ricci via Mother Tongue

Which gave me clarity. Unfortunately (I mean, not really, two is enough) she would be our last baby and I couldn’t put my wisdom to use again. Until now.

Behold - my baby registry or new-parent guide to the things I found really useful, and the ages I found them most helpful. This is a long one, and takes you through 12 months.